This is a fantastic and SUPER easy Starbucks Cinnamon Dolce Syrup Recipe to make at home! If you love cinnamon rolls or a Starbucks Cinnamon Dolce Latte, you’re going to flip over this coffee syrup for your iced and hot coffee drinks!
If you’ve been around here for a hot minute, you know that I’m a big coffee drinker. I don’t care if it’s hot or iced! Or in the form of regular coffee, espresso, or lattes!
But here’s the thing: I need my coffee sweetened.
In college, I drank it light and sweet. That basically didn’t taste like coffee at all. And I was ok with that back then.
These days, I do love the flavor of coffee so I don’t add a lot of sweetener; just enough to cut through the bitterness. Are you with me?
Since I all but live off of ice coffee, cold brew, and iced lattes in the summer, I always have a flavored coffee syrup of some variety in the fridge. To me, coffee syrup is THE BEST way to flavor cold coffee because it mixes really well into cold drinks. Sugar granules don’t dissolve in cold liquids and I can’t stand that lump of sugar that always ends up at the bottom of my cups.
A few years ago, I fell pretty hard for the toasted coconut syrup I made. I had some extra shredded coconut in the pantry from some cookies I had made so I quickly toasted the coconut in the oven and steeped it in simple syrup. It was such a fantastic way to boost my cold brew!
So this summer, I decided to really ramp up my cold brew game by making a whole slew of coffee syrups to flavor my morning cups. I’m doing this for 2 reasons:
- Flavored coffee syrup is freaking delicious, and
- I’m seriously trying save some money by not buying coffee at coffee shops. It costs pennies to make a homemade coffee syrup!
The first one I made is this cinnamon dolce coffee syrup. It’s the bee’s knees!
And it could not be easier to make either!
What Does Cinnamon Dolce Mean?
Cinnamon dolce is the Italian phrase for “sweet cinnamon.”
Ingredients
You only need 3 ingredients to make this cinnamon brown sugar coffee syrup:
- brown sugar
- cinnamon sticks
- water (if you can even count water as an ingredient!)
If you’ve never made a coffee syrup before, you won’t believe how easy this is!
So, here’s how you make this cinnamon dolce coffee syrup
To make this coffee syrup, you’re going to make a simple syrup with equal parts water and brown sugar. And for every cup of each, you’ll need 2 cinnamon sticks.
STEP 1: You’ll mix 1 cup of brown sugar into 1 cup of water in a small sauce pan. Bring the mixture to a boil and stir it until the sugar dissolves. Once it boils, continue to boil the sugar water for 5 minutes.
STEP 2: Turn off the heat and drop 2 cinnamon sticks into the liquid. Let the cinnamon sticks steep for 30 minutes. Remove the cinnamon sticks and pour the coffee syrup into a glass bottle or mason jar.
That’s it! You can reduce or increase the recipe as it fits your needs. If you can remember the ratio of 1:1:2 (brown sugar to water to cinnamon sticks), it will be easy to scale the recipe up or down!
Homemade Cinnamon Dolce Coffee Syrup
OK, so now might be wondering, “What the heck does this coffee syrup taste like? Because really, is cinnamon flavored coffee really a thing?”
Omgosh YES! Cinnamon flavored coffee IS a thing! Starbucks markets this flavored drink to you as the cinnamon dolce latte.
Well friends, this recipe is basically a homemade cinnamon dolce coffee syrup! Can you believe you can make your own cinnamon dolce syrup?? And truth be told, this recipe has WAY less ingredients that the flavored syrups you’re paying beaucoup bucks for at Starbucks or your favorite coffee shop.
If you’re not familiar with this flavor, I’m going to put it out there and tell you that this cinnamon brown sugar coffee syrup tastes like a cinnamon roll in a glass. IT’S HEAVENLY. I mean, how could drinking the flavor of a cinnamon roll NOT be heavenly?
How to Use Coffee Syrup for Cold and Hot Drinks
To use this cinnamon brown sugar coffee syrup for cold brew or iced coffee, simply pour a couple tablespoons into the bottom of a glass filled with ice. Then pour your cold brew or iced coffee over the ice. If you like your iced drinks on the lighter side, add a little half-and-half, unflavored creamer, or milk.
PRO TIP: Be sure to stir your drink up really well to ensure the syrup at the bottom of the glass mixes into the coffee. Using a biodegradable paper straw or a stainless steel straw instead of a spoon for mixing your drink saves you from having to wash another utensil and reduces waste by not using plastic.
If you’re making an iced latte at home, start the same way by pouring the syrup over the ice, brew your espresso directly into the cup, and then add the milk. I’ve got some great instructions for this in my homemade iced latte recipe so you may want to hop over there for more details!
If you want to use this copycat cinnamon dolce syrup for hot coffee or lattes, you can pour a couple tablespoons into the cup either before or after adding your hot coffee/espresso. The coffee syrup will mix into the hot liquid very quickly.
I generally use about 2 tablespoons of coffee syrup for my coffee drinks. But depending on how sweet you like your coffee, you can add more or less to make it your own.
OK, now that I’ve spilled all you need to know about how to make this incredible cinnamon dolce / cinnamon roll / cinnamon brown sugar coffee syrup (or whatever you want to call it!) at home, will you just get going and make it already?
But don’t say I didn’t warn you about its utter addictiveness!
Cinnamon Brown Sugar Coffee Syrup (Copycat Cinnamon Dolce Syrup)
Cinnamon dolce coffee syrup is the perfect homemade syrup for mixing into iced and hot coffee, cold brew, or iced and hot lattes. It's a 3 ingredient sweetener that will keep for a few weeks in the fridge.
Ingredients
- 1 cup packed light or dark brown sugar
- 1 cup water
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Stir the sugar and water together in a small saucepan until no sugar clumps remain. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and allow it to boil for 5 minutes.
- Take than pan off the heat, drop the cinnamon stick in, and allow the cinnamon to steep in the syrup for 30 minutes.
- Remove the cinnamon stick and stir in the vanilla extract.
- Stir 1 or 2 tablespoons into to your coffee, cold brew, or lattes. Add more to taste.
Storage: Store the syrup in a glass jar or bottle in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Recommended Products
As a member of the Amazon Associate affiliate program, I earn a small percentage from your qualifying Amazon purchases when you click the Amazon links on this page. I'm not informed of who purchases what, just of what products are purchased.
-
Weck Juice Jar Combo Pack - (1) 766 1-Liter jar (1) 764 1/2-Liter jar with Glass Lids, Rubber Rings and Steel Clamps -
Primula Cold Brew Glass Coffee Maker; Borosilicate Glass Carafe and Stainless Steel Mesh Core, Dishwasher Safe, 50 oz. [1.5 qt.], Smokey Grey
-
Ball Mason Jar-16 oz. Clear Glass Wide Mouth - Set of 4
-
Tomnk 225PCS Stripe Paper Straw Drinking for Carious Drinking Decorations Parties Birthday Parties Weddings etc. with all the color of the rainbow
-
YIHONG Set of 8 Stainless Steel Metal Straws Ultra Long 10.5 Inch Reusable Straws For 30oz Tumblers Cold Beverage (4 Straight| 4 Bent| 2 Brushes| 1 Pouch)
![Primula Cold Brew Glass Coffee Maker; Borosilicate Glass Carafe and Stainless Steel Mesh Core, Dishwasher Safe, 50 oz. [1.5 qt.], Smokey Grey](http://www.smells-like-home.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/81Kd0H5-W-L._SY355_-200x200.jpg)
Hi,
Love the post. Quick question, how would you turn this into a coffe cream?
Hi Ericka, You could try mixing the syrup directly into some half-and-half or a mix of half-and-half and heavy cream. It should mix in pretty seamlessly. If you’re going for a larger batch of coffee creamer, I’d start with 1 cup of dairy and stir in 1/4 cup of the syrup. You can adjust from there – add more dairy if it’s too cinnamon-y or add more syrup if you think it needs more flavor. Let me know how it turns out for you!
can you use regular cinnamon for this or does it have to be cinnamon sticks?
Yes, you could use cinnamon but you’ll need only a small amount – maybe 1/8 teaspoon? And I would add the cinnamon at the start of the recipe along with the sugar and water so the ground cinnamon will have a chance to cook with the simple syrup. Please let me know how this turns out for you!
I’m going to use this to make a Caramel Roll layer cake! Make a white cake (home made or a box, it shouldn’t matter much) into two 8 inch pans. When the cakes come out of the oven, poke a bunch of holes and pour the cinnamon syrup over the cakes. Allow them to cool.
For the frosting, I’m thinking dulce de leche, made in the crock pot the night before. Take 2 cans of sweetened condensed milk. Pour the insides into sterilized glass containers with lids. place them in the crock pot and cover with water to just under the lips of the containers (small canning jars are perfect for this). Cook on low overnight in the crock. In the morning, turn the crock off and carefully remove the jars of what has now become dulce de leche caramel.
When I assemble the layer cake, the filling and the top will be the dulche de leche. If I have enough, I’ll cover the sides. If not, I’ll reheat what I have left and dribble it over the sides so it looks rustic.
Sounds like an absolutely phenomenal cake, Wendy!
This syrup is amazing!! I recently switched to espresso from black coffee and tried so many sweetners for my espresso. This one is hands down THE BEST! I’ve tried other homemade recipes as well as store bought syrups all of which were too sweet for my tastes. Love, love this one!
YAY! So happy to hear how much you loved this syrup! It’s definitely a favorite of mine too!! Thank you so much for coming back to leave a review!
Wish I’d had this recipe several years ago :). Very similar to my copycat recipe. To make it a tiny bit healthier and still get the Dolce flavor, I use equal parts coconut palm sugar and white sugar. I also often add a split and scraped vanilla bean with the cinnamon.
To use ground cinnamon when I’m out of cinnamon sticks, I put it in a paper tea bag. Easy to remove and less straining that way.
Great suggestions, Susan! Yes, I’ve used coconut sugar before in this and other recipes and I love how well it works. I love the idea of using ground cinnamon in a tea bag – great hack! Thanks so much for coming back to leave a review!!
I dont really see any ingredients that would cause spoilage. Wh yr does it need to be refrigerated?
I always err on the side of caution when deciding to refrigerate or not. There are no added preservatives in this syrup, like what you find in store-bought brands like Torani, so I’m always a little hesitant about storing my homemade syrups at room temperature.
Just tried the recipe with a sugar free brown sugar and works amazing
Great to hear! Thanks for leaving a review!
Responding to the question regarding refrigeration, I’m no scientist but I believe that due to the sugar and moisture content, to keep at room temp would cause the sugar to grow mold. To make this last longer, I am going to add a teaspoon of vodka to help preserve.