No grinding, no bits in the cup. New to the spice? Start with what cardamom is.
How to make cardamom syrup: what you need
Three ingredients, a small pan, a sieve and a clean jar.
- Green cardamom pods. Whole, then cracked just before you start, so the seeds are exposed but the syrup stays clear. Not black cardamom, which is dried over a wood fire and makes the syrup smoky; the two are compared in black cardamom versus green cardamom.
- White sugar. It keeps the cardamom clean and bright. Demerara or light brown sugar makes a deeper, caramel syrup.
- Water. Plain tap water is fine.
- Optional: orange peel, a vanilla pod, rose water or maple syrup, for the variations below.
Good pods are plump and smell strong when cracked; see our guide to choosing and cracking cardamom pods.
Cardamom Simple Syrup
A tested cardamom syrup recipe: a clear, pourable cardamom simple syrup made with cracked green pods, for coffee, lattes, iced coffee, tea and cocktails.
- Prep
- 5 min
- Cook
- 5 min
- Steep
- 15 to 30 min
- Total
- 25 min
- Makes
- About 350ml (1 1/2 cups)
Ingredients
- 200g (1 cup) white granulated sugar
- 240ml (1 cup) water
- 10 to 12 green cardamom pods, lightly cracked
Method
- 1
Crack the pods. Press each pod under the flat of a knife until it splits open. You want the seeds exposed, not crushed to powder.
- 2
Dissolve the sugar. Put the sugar, water and cracked pods in a small pan over a medium heat. Stir until the sugar has dissolved and the liquid turns clear.
- 3
Simmer gently. Bring to a gentle simmer, with small bubbles at the edge rather than a rolling boil, and let it simmer for 2 to 3 minutes.
- 4
Steep. Take the pan off the heat, cover it and leave to steep for 15 to 30 minutes. Taste after 15 minutes, and steep longer for a stronger syrup.
- 5
Strain and cool. Strain into a clean jar, pressing the pods lightly, and leave to cool. Seal the jar and keep it in the fridge.
Notes
- This is a 1:1 syrup, equal sugar and water by the cup, which stays pourable for coffee and tea. For cocktails and longer keeping, make the 2:1 rich syrup under Variations.
- Pods vary. Fresh, plump pods give a stronger syrup in less time, so let taste decide when to strain.
- Keeps 2 to 4 weeks in a sealed jar in the fridge.
How much cardamom syrup to use
Start small and add more after a taste. Cold drinks need a little more, because cold dulls sweetness.
| Drink or dish | Amount of syrup | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Hot coffee, per mug | 2 tsp to 1 tbsp (10 to 15ml) | Stir in after brewing |
| Iced coffee | 1 to 2 tbsp (15 to 30ml) | Mixes in cold, unlike sugar |
| Latte, 350ml (12oz) | 1 to 2 tbsp (15 to 30ml) | Into the espresso, before the milk |
| Cold brew, per glass | 1 tbsp (15ml) | Add a splash of milk if you like |
| Black or chai tea, per mug | 1 to 2 tsp (5 to 10ml) | Tea needs less than coffee |
| Cocktail | 15 to 22ml (1/2 to 3/4oz) | In place of plain simple syrup |
| Yoghurt, pancakes or fruit | 1 to 2 tsp (5 to 10ml) per serving | Drizzle just before serving |
Cardamom syrup for coffee
Cardamom syrup for coffee works because it dissolves instantly, hot or cold, and spreads the flavour evenly through the cup.
Hot and iced coffee
For hot filter coffee or an americano, stir 2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon into the mug after brewing. For iced coffee, add 1 to 2 tablespoons to the glass first, pour the coffee over, stir, then add the ice and milk, so the syrup does not settle at the bottom.
Cold brew
Cold brew is smooth, which lets cardamom's floral side come through. Start with 1 tablespoon per glass.
A quick cardamom latte
Pull a shot or two of espresso, or brew 60ml of strong coffee, and stir in 1 to 2 tablespoons of syrup. Steam or froth about 250ml of milk and pour it over.
Turkish and Arabic coffee take cardamom differently: ground or crushed cardamom is brewed with the coffee itself, rather than sweetened in afterwards.
Variations
Each starts from the base recipe; only the change is given.
Orange cardamom syrup
Add 3 wide strips of orange peel, pared with a vegetable peeler and with as little white pith as you can, to the pan with the pods. Strain them out with the pods. It tastes brighter, almost marmalade-like.
Vanilla cardamom syrup
Split half a vanilla pod, scrape the seeds into the pan and add the pod with the cardamom. Or stir in 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract once the syrup has cooled. It is rounder and softer, the best choice for lattes.
Rose cardamom syrup
Stir 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of rose water into the strained syrup once it is cool, since heat drives the scent off. Rose waters vary, so start low. It is perfumed and gently floral, lovely over yoghurt.
Brown sugar or maple cardamom syrup
For brown sugar, use the same 200g (1 cup, lightly packed) of light brown or demerara in place of white. For maple, skip the sugar and water: warm 240ml (1 cup) of maple syrup with 8 cracked pods until just steaming, then steep off the heat for 20 minutes and strain. Both are darker and deeper, made for coffee and pancakes.
Rich 2:1 cardamom syrup for cocktails
Use 400g (2 cups) of sugar to 240ml (1 cup) of water and 12 to 14 pods, and stir until every crystal has dissolved before it simmers. It is thicker and sweeter, so use about two-thirds as much, and it keeps longer. Use it as the syrup in an old fashioned, a whisky sour or a gin fizz.
Whole pods, seeds or ground?
Use cracked whole pods. They strain out cleanly and leave the syrup clear and golden.
Loose seeds work too, a little more strongly, as long as you strain through a fine sieve. Ground cardamom is the last resort: it clouds the syrup, can taste gritty, and turns bitter if it steeps long. If it is all you have, use about 1 teaspoon, steep for only 10 minutes, and strain through a paper coffee filter. Our guide to ground cardamom explains why the powder fades faster than pods.
How long does cardamom syrup last?
Strained into a clean, sealed jar and kept in the fridge, 1:1 cardamom syrup lasts about 2 to 4 weeks. Rich 2:1 syrup, with twice the sugar, keeps longer, up to about 2 months.
Strain out every pod and seed, use a jar washed in hot soapy water, and pour from it rather than dipping in a used spoon.
If the syrup turns cloudy, fizzes, smells sour or shows any mould, throw it out and make a fresh batch. Crystals at the bottom are harmless: warm the jar gently in hot water to dissolve them.
Common mistakes
- Boiling hard. A rolling boil thickens the syrup and can make the cardamom taste bitter.
- Leaving the pods whole. Uncracked pods keep their seeds sealed in, and the syrup comes out weak.
- Steeping ground cardamom too long. It turns bitter; strain after 10 minutes.
- Leaving the pods in the jar. The syrup keeps getting stronger, then medicinal, over the following days.
- Using black cardamom by mistake. The syrup will taste of smoke.
A grower's note
We grow black cardamom in Sankhuwasabha, eastern Nepal, not green cardamom, but one rule holds for every cardamom. The aroma lives in oils inside the seeds, and the husk is what keeps it there.
Once a pod is old, or its seeds are ground, those oils fade, bright top notes first. So the biggest difference to this syrup is not the sugar or the steeping time but the pods: crack fresh ones just before you start. If a cracked pod barely smells of anything, the syrup will not either. More in our guide to what cardamom tastes and smells like.
Frequently asked questions
How do you make cardamom syrup?
Crack 10 to 12 green cardamom pods and put them in a pan with 200g (1 cup) of sugar and 240ml (1 cup) of water. Stir over a medium heat until the sugar dissolves, simmer gently for 2 to 3 minutes, then cover and steep off the heat for 15 to 30 minutes. Strain into a clean jar and cool.
How much cardamom syrup do you put in coffee?
Start with 2 teaspoons to 1 tablespoon (10 to 15ml) in a mug of hot coffee, and 1 to 2 tablespoons (15 to 30ml) in a 350ml (12oz) latte or a glass of iced coffee. Cold drinks taste less sweet, so they need a little more. Stir, taste, and add more from there.
How long does cardamom syrup last?
Strained and kept in a clean, sealed jar in the fridge, a 1:1 cardamom syrup keeps about 2 to 4 weeks. A 2:1 rich syrup, with twice as much sugar, keeps longer, up to about 2 months. Throw it out if it turns cloudy, fizzy, mouldy or smells sour.
Can you use ground cardamom to make syrup?
You can, but whole pods are better. Ground cardamom clouds the syrup, can leave it gritty and turns bitter if it steeps too long. If it is all you have, use about 1 teaspoon for this recipe, steep for only 10 minutes, and strain through a paper coffee filter.
What is cardamom simple syrup used for?
Mostly for drinks: hot and iced coffee, lattes, cold brew, black tea and cocktails, where it sweetens and flavours in one go and mixes in instantly, even when cold. It also works drizzled over yoghurt, fruit, pancakes and cake, or brushed onto a warm sponge to keep it moist.
Can I make cardamom syrup with brown sugar?
Yes. Swap the white sugar for the same weight of light brown or demerara sugar, about 200g (1 cup, lightly packed), and make it exactly the same way. The syrup comes out darker, with a caramel, toffee-like depth that suits coffee and dark spirits, while the cardamom tastes a little less bright.
Is cardamom syrup the same as cardamom coffee syrup?
Yes. Cardamom coffee syrup is just cardamom syrup used in coffee, and the recipe on this page is the one to make. Some recipes add a little vanilla or brown sugar to round it out for coffee, which you will find under the variations.
Can I use black cardamom for cardamom syrup?
Not for the syrup most recipes mean. Black cardamom is dried over wood fires, so it gives a smoky, camphor-like syrup that tastes medicinal in a latte. Cardamom syrup is made with green cardamom. Black cardamom syrup is an acquired taste, best kept for smoky cocktails if you try it at all.