Blood Orange Syrup

This vibrantly colored Blood Orange Syrup is bursting with sweet, bright winter citrus flavor and is incredibly easy to make. Use it as a drink mixer, pancake topper, or even a flavorful addition to salad dressings.

Jump to:

• 🗒 Ingredients
• 🍊 How to make blood orange syrup
• 🍹 How to use
• ❓ How is this different than a plain orange syrup?
• 🎉 Variations on recipe
• 🛍️ Where to buy
• 🍋 More easy syrup recipes
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

I'm a believer that you have to have something to look forward to in every season. No matter how cold and wet the weather is in the winter, I can at least look forward to blood oranges being in season.

I love baking with blood oranges, adding them to salads, and making drinks with them.

This blood orange syrup recipe is a simple syrup that you can find SO many uses for. I developed the recipe especially for use in the Starbucks Cran-Merry Orange Refresher, but once you have a batch, you can use it in so many foods and drinks.

🗒 Ingredients

The ingredients for this syrup are super simple! Here's everything you need (be sure to view the recipe card at the bottom of this post for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions):

• Water
• Granulated sugar
• Blood oranges: you'll need both the peel and the juice

🍊 How to make blood orange syrup

This is such a quick and easy recipe that you'll want to have a jar of simple syrup in your fridge at all times!

The hardest part is peeling your orange and making sure there's as a little white pith on it as possible. The pith will make your syrup bitter!

I like to use a pairing knife to peel the orange and to scrape out any pith that's also been transferred.

You'll also need to juice your blood oranges. It should take about 2 oranges to get ¼ cup of juice.

Now, put water, sugar, blood orange peel, and blood orange juice in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.

Once boiling, lower heat and let mixture simmer for about 10 minutes, until the syrup has thickened.

Note that it will continue to thicken as it cools.

And strain the syrup into a bowl, leaving the orange peel behind.

You can save these syrupy orange peels if you want! If you let them air dry and then toss them in some granulated sugar, you'll have delicious candied blood orange peels, which are great for using as cocktail garnish, baking, ice cream topping, etc.

You can even dip them in dark chocolate!

Anyway, you'll want to keep your homemade syrup in the bowl or transfer it to a mason jar (I like using these 8 ounce mason jars), cover it, and keep it in the fridge.

Let it cool completely before using.

🍹 How to use

Now that your blood orange syrup is made and ready to be enjoyed, you may be wondering what some good uses for it are. I have lots of ideas!

Here are the best ways to use blood orange syrup:

• Starbucks Refreshers: The reason I created this syrup in the first place is for use in the Starbucks Cran-Merry Orange Refresher and the Cran-Merry Drink. It's the perfect sweet citrus flavor to add!

• Cocktail and mocktail add-in: I love blood orange cocktails and you can use this syrup in everything from a blood orange martini to blood orange paloma. It's also great for adding a little citrus flavor and sweetness to your vodka sodas!

• Homemade blood orange soda:  Simply mix a little bit of the syrup into seltzer water for an easy homemade blood orange soda.

• Add to lemonade: It's also a great addition to your homemade lemonade. Just be sure to add it before adding sugar since it will certainly bring in some sweetness.

• Tea mixer: I probably wouldn't opt to add this syrup to my coffee, but it's perfect for tea! I think it's especially delicious in green tea or for adding a little citrus into berry herbal teas. It works well in hot and iced tea.

• Pancake, waffle, or french toast topping: Drizzle a little blood orange syrup over your favorite brunch treats for some winter sunshine flavor.

• Yogurt or oatmeal topping: You can also drizzle it over your healthy breakfasts for a little citrus sweet flavor.

• Dessert topping: Blood orange syrup is delicious when used as a topping on panna cotta, cheesecake, and other similar desserts. It also goes beautifully with dark chocolate.

• Salad dressing ingredient:  Add a little of this syrup to your olive oil based salad dressing and drizzle on your salads all winter long. It would make a great dressing on this winter citrus salad.

• Meat Marinade: Use the syrup to marinate chicken, fish, or vegetables, adding a touch of sweetness and blood orange flavor.

• Cake moistener: A lot of professional bakers brush their homemade cakes with a little simple syrup to keep them moist and to add extra flavor. This would be especially delicious on a vanilla cake, but would also be great on chocolate.

Let me know how you're using this homemade blood orange syrup in your house!

❓ How is this different than a plain orange syrup?

Of course, you can make this syrup with any kind of oranges you want! But if you use blood oranges, the syrup will have a more berry-like flavor to it. It will also be less acidic.

There's a reason so many people love blood oranges; they're delicious!

🎉 Variations on recipe

This recipe is simple and delicious and has the exact flavor you'd expect blood orange syrup to have. But if you want to add more levels of flavor, here are some ingredient additions you can make:

• Vanilla extract or a vanilla bean will result in a tasty blood orange vanilla syrup.
• Cinnamon sticks, cloves, and nutmeg will give you a spiced orange syrup. Cardamom would also be a delicious addition.
• Replace the granulated sugar with honey for a honey blood orange syrup.
• Add herbs, like rosemary or mint to the syrup.
• Add ginger for a little kick.
• Add cranberries for a sweet holiday syrup.

🛍️ Where to buy

If you don't want to make your own syrup or if you can't find blood oranges in a grocery store around you, you can certainly purchase a bottle of blood orange syrup instead.

Here are my recommendations:

• DaVinci Blood Orange Syrup (this is what I used for my Starbucks drinks until I could make my own)
• Liquid Alchemist Blood Orange Syrup
• Torani Blood Orange Syrup
• Monin Blood Orange Syrup

What flavor syrup would you like to see me make next?

I get so sad when blood orange season is over, but I also love that it's something that gets me happy for winter.

And this syrup makes me even more excited for a winter of citrus!

📖 Recipe