Homemade Hazelnut Syrup Recipe

This homemade hazelnut syrup is the easiest way to get that deep, nutty hazelnut flavor into your coffee without relying on store-bought bottles that never quite taste like the real thing. You make it with real roasted hazelnuts, and once you have a jar in the fridge you'll find yourself reaching for it every single day.

If you want to take it even further, you can use this hazelnut syrup as the base for my hazelnut coffee creamer and never look at the dairy aisle the same way again.

I'm a cook, a food blogger, and a big coffee drinker, so my standards when it comes to syrups and coffee in general have become high over the years. And my favorite flavored coffee has to be hazelnut.

However, some hazelnut lattes don't make the cut in my books because the hazelnut is practically nonexistent, and that's what pushed me to start making my own syrups at home. Once I figured out that roasting the hazelnuts properly was the key to getting that rich nutty flavor to actually carry through, everything clicked into place.

My sister is a big fan of my coffee syrups because she gets every batch I end up perfecting. She tried this hazelnut version in her morning latte and texted me an hour later, asking if I had the measurements written down because she wanted to make it herself.

I was only happy to share it with her. After all, what's sisterly love for if not for sharing coffee recipes and getting everyone to fork over less money to Starbucks?

If warm spiced syrups are your thing, my cinnamon simple syrup and chai tea syrup are worth having in your fridge too because they work in everything from coffee to mocktails.

Ingredients

Roasted hazelnuts give this syrup its deep nutty flavor, and sugar helps turn it into a pourable syrup. White sugar keeps the flavor cleaner and lighter, while brown sugar gives it a deeper, slightly caramel-like taste.

See the recipe card for exact quantities.

How to Make Hazelnut Syrup?

This hazelnut syrup is rich, nutty, and lightly sweet, with a flavor that works especially well in coffee, lattes, and homemade cold drinks.

Prepare the hazelnuts

• Use a food processor or a high powered blender.
• Avoid blending the nuts so much that they turn into a paste, or the syrup can turn cloudy and oily.
• The pieces should be small enough to infuse the syrup, but not so fine that they are hard to strain.
• If the hazelnuts smell stale or bitter before you start, do not use them.

Make the syrup base

• Melt the sugar in a saucepan over a low heat.
• The syrup should look clear and smooth before you add the hazelnuts.
• Avoid boiling the syrup hard at this stage, since high heat can make it reduce too quickly.

Infuse the hazelnuts

• Add hazelnuts to syrup, and simmer over a low heat for up to 15 minutes.
• If the syrup reduces too much or starts smelling toasted in a harsh way, lower the heat.

Cool and strain

• Press the syrup through a fine mesh sieve, a cheesecloth or coffee filter.
• Avoid pressing too hard if using cheesecloth, or tiny nut solids can push through and make the syrup gritty.

Finish the syrup

Taste, adjust seasonings, and save for your favorite coffee.

Storage

Store the hazelnut syrup in a sealed jar or bottle in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Stir or shake before using since some natural hazelnut sediment may settle at the bottom over time.