Change the way you make your tea and pastries by infusing them with osmanthus syrup. This recipe is the easiest and most straightforward since it only calls for 5 simple steps and basic ingredients. You only need osmanthus flowers (easily bought online!), rock sugar, water, lemon juice, salt, and honey to taste.
What Is Osmanthus Syrup?
First, what is an osmanthus flower? Osmanthus flowers, also known as sweet osmanthus and osmanthus fragrans, are fragrant white flowers belonging to the Oleaceae family. The flowers typically bloom twice a year, during summer and autumn.
The floral smell is like peaches and apricots, while the taste is slightly fruity, peachy, and sweet. Osmanthus flowers are commonly used for desserts and beverages but are also popular for its medicinal properties. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), osmanthus flowers are made into teas to alleviate coughs, relieve stomach aches, manage menstrual pains, and remove toxins, to name a few.
In this recipe, I used osmanthus flowers to make osmanthus syrup. Once the boiled rock sugar and water become a thick mixture, you only need to simmer it with cleaned osmanthus flowers, lemon juice, and salt. Then, adjust the taste with honey or your choice of sweet syrup.
It’s that simple and easy! I love making homemade syrups and sauces. So, if you like to learn more sauce or syrup recipes, try these as well:
- Homemade Black Bean Sauce
- Sweet Soy Sauce
- Hot Pot Dipping Sauces
- Soy Sauce Vinegar (Dumpling Sauce)
- Four Dumpling Sauce Recipes
- Fried Shallots
How To Use Osmanthus Syrup
Generally, you can use osmanthus syrup for almost anything, from teas to desserts and pastries. Pair it with desserts or use it as a sweetener for drinks and baked goods. Here are some ideas on how to use osmanthus syrup:
- Use it as a sweetener for a drink like smoothies and teas.
- Use it as a sweetener for baked goods. This is ideal for baked goods that can go well with a floral taste and aroma.
- Serve it with Tang Yuan (Black Sesame Glutinous Rice Balls).
- Serve it with Sweet Chinese Black Sesame Dessert Soup (芝麻糊) or use the leftover osmanthus flowers to serve as a topping.
- Use it as a substitute for sugar, honey, or other sweet syrups in recipes.
- Add it to cocktail recipes.
- Drizzle it over ice cream and sweet desserts.
- Mix it with dessert and cake sweet fillings.
How To Store Osmanthus Syrup
Making homemade syrups and sauces is far way better than buying store-bought alternatives. It does not have artificial ingredients or preservatives, so you are assured that the ingredients are all-natural and safe. When it comes to storing homemade syrups, you need to make sure you do it right to prevent them from spoilage and last longer.
The best container for syrups or sauces is a glass jar with a seal. Glass is better than plastic since it is impermeable and non-porous. It is excellent in preserving the flavor and aroma since no air, bacteria, or external contaminants can enter.
Follow these steps on how to store osmanthus syrup:
- Clean the glass jar container with soap and water.
- In a pot, bring water to a boil. Sterilize the glass jar container by boiling it for 10 minutes.
- Alternatively, you can also sterilize the glass jar in the oven for 15 minutes at 160°C on fan mode.
- If the lid has a rubber seal, make sure to remove the rubber and boil it in water for 2 to 3 minutes. For jars with screw metal lids, boil them as well for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Let the jar and seal air dry on a clean dry towel.
- Once the jar is dry, you can store the osmanthus syrup.
- Keep it in the fridge and consume it within 1 to 2 weeks.
Recipe Tips And Alternatives
You can change the ingredients with whatever is available to you. However, the only ingredient that should not be replaced is the osmanthus flower, of course. So, make sure to get them ahead of time when you plan to make this recipe.
- Osmanthus flowers: You can easily get these in Asian markets, herbal stores, or online shops like Amazon and Etsy. This is typically sold in dried whole form with the stems attached. However, you may also find osmanthus tea packages with dried flowers without stems.
- Rock Sugar: Rock sugar is commonly used in Asian cuisine. It is a preferred sweetener since it is less sweet than regular sugar. If you don’t have rock sugar, you can replace it with white sugar. Although you can replace it with brown sugar or coconut sugar, I do not recommend these types of sugar since it has a stronger taste and may be overpowering.
- Water: You will need water to make the rock sugar syrup. Make sure to use clean drinking water, and not tap water.
- Lemon juice: Lemon juice adds a citrusy taste to the syrup. In addition to its taste contribution, lemon juice is key in preventing the sugars from clumping. You can replace lemon juice with lime or orange juice.
- Salt: Salt brings out the flavors of the ingredients. Moreover, it aids in the preservation of the syrup. Use any type of salt, such as sea salt, pink salt, and kosher salt.
- Honey: After simmering and letting the syrup cool down, honey is added for extra flavor and sweetness. Add as much honey as you like, but not too much to the point it masks the taste of the flowers. It is recommended to use honey with a milder taste to avoid overpowering the taste of the flowers. To replace honey and make it vegan-friendly, you can use other sweet syrups like maple syrup or light corn syrup.
Ingredients And Kitchenware
Prepare a clean mixing bowl to clean the flowers and a tray lined with kitchen paper towels for drying. To cook the syrup, use a non-stick pot or pan with a lid and a spatula. Lastly, don’t forget to prepare a sterilized glass jar container for storage.
Here are the ingredients you need:
- 70g of osmanthus flowers
- 300g of rock sugar
- 250g of water
- 30g of lemon juice
- 1g of salt
- Honey (to taste)
Steps To Make Osmanthus Syrup
Once the flowers are cleaned and dried, you can mix them with the boiled rock sugar syrup, lemon juice, and salt. Simmering takes only about 5 minutes. After that, simply add honey and adjust to taste.
The steps are super easy to follow. Just follow my Instagram or TikTok tutorial video to learn more about the steps. When you are done, don’t forget to share them and tag me @kitchenmisadventures or leave a comment in the comments section.
- Before proceeding with the steps, you can go ahead with sterilizing the glass jar container and letting it air dry on a clean towel.
- Prepare the osmanthus flower by removing the stems. Wash the osmanthus flowers thoroughly and drain them. Let it dry on a tray with paper towels.
- In a pot, combine rock sugar with water. Bring to a gentle boil until it slightly thickens.
- Add 70 grams of osmanthus flowers, lemon juice, and salt. Stir well, cover, and simmer on low heat for 4 to 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, it should become orange and thick like syrup.
- Once completely cooled, add honey to taste. Mix well and transfer to a sterilized jar container.
How To Make Osmanthus Syrup (5 Easy Steps)
Ingredients
- 70 g of osmanthus flowers
- 300 g of rock sugar
- 250 g of water
- 30 g of lemon juice
- 1 g of salt
- Honey to taste
Instructions
- Before proceeding with the steps, you can go ahead with sterilizing the glass jar container and letting it air dry on a clean towel.
- Prepare the osmanthus flower by removing the stems. Wash the osmanthus flowers thoroughly and drain them. Let it dry on a tray with paper towels.
- In a pot, combine rock sugar with water. Bring to a gentle boil until it slightly thickens.
- Add 70 grams of osmanthus flowers, lemon juice, and salt. Stir well, cover, and simmer on low heat for 4 to 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, it should become orange and thick like syrup.
- Once completely cooled, add honey to taste. Mix well and transfer to a sterilized jar container.
