Cilantro Lime Simple Syrup
Mix refreshing cilantro and lime-infused drinks like the pros with this Cilantro Lime Simple Syrup. This homemade cocktail syrup sweetens drinks with tart lime and tangy citrus cilantro flavor. Perfect for margaritas, mojitos, and much more!
Cilantro, you either love it or hate it. For those that “love it,” this cilantro lime simple syrup recipe is for you! Fresh cilantro and lime juice are simmered with sugar syrup to make craft cocktail syrup for all of your refreshing beverage needs.
Before discussing what you’ll need, let’s go over the highlights:
- This syrup adds bright cilantro flavor to cocktails and mocktails.
- You’ll only need 4-ingredients, and it’s very easy to make.
- Homemade simple syrups make great gifts for people who love to entertain.
- A splash is all it takes to enhance margaritas, lemonades, seltzer, and more with cilantro and citrus flavor.
Ready to learn how to make cilantro lime simple syrup? Let’s do it!
🍈 Ingredients
- Cilantro – Using the leaves infuses plenty of flavor. If you want to intensify the cilantro taste, use the stems as well.
- Lime juice – Use more or less depending to adjust the tart citrus flavor. Use the zest ss well for maximum flavor.
- Water – For the freshest flavor and to avoid bacteria growth, use distilled water or filtered water.
- Sugar – Cocktail sugar syrups are typically made with granulated sugar, but feel free to use raw sugar or cane sugar. You can also use honey for a refined sugar-free variation.
👉 Recommended tools: Using a small saucepan with a pour spout makes homemade simple syrups so much easier. To strain out the solids, you’ll ned a fine mesh strainer. Airtight sterilized jars are key for storing your syrups safely
📖 How to make (step-by-step photos)
1️⃣ Step One: Infuse simple syrup
Add the cilantro, lime juice, water, and sugar to a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once the syrup begins to boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the sugar dissolves and the mixture thickens into a sticky syrup.
2️⃣ Step Two: Strain syrup
Once the syrup thickens, remove the pot from the heat and let it cool. Then pour the syrup through a fine-mesh strainer to remove the cilantro leaves.
3️⃣ Step Three: Cool and store.
Then, pour the strained syrup into a glass jar or bottle. Let it cool completely to room temperature before closing the lid and storing it in the fridge for 2 weeks.
❔ Questions + quick tips
- Cilantro jalapeno syrup – Give your cilantro syrup a spicy kick, and add jalapenos to the pot.
- Cilantro celery syrup – Instead of lime juice, simmer the water, sugar, cilantro, a few celery stalks, and celery leaves together. This cilantro-celery infusion is delightful in bloody marys!
- Use cilantro syrup to rim glasses – Add a salt or sugar rim to your cocktail glass by dipping the edge of the glass in the sticky syrup and then in salt or sugar.
Instead of sugar, you can use the same amount of honey, maple syrup, or agave syrup.
Simple syrups infused with fresh ingredients should always be kept refrigerated to maximize the shelf-life. Keeping homemade syrups chilled also helps them stay stable.
🍹How to serve
Check out the list below for tasty cilantro syrup cocktails and mocktails:
- Cilantro Margarita – Add 1.5 ounces of tequila, 0.5 ounces of orange liqueur or orange simple syrup, 0.5 ounces of cilantro syrup, and fresh lime juice to a cocktail shaker with a scoop of ice. Shake well and then strain over ice or straight up.
- Cilantro Mojito – Replace the mint with cilantro in this classic cocktail. Muddle cilantro leaves and cilantro syrup together. Then, add 1.5 ounces of rum and stir. Strain the liquid into a tall glass of fresh ice. Top the rest of the glass with club soda and garnish with fresh cilantro leaves and lime.
- Enhance 2-ingredient cocktails – Add cilantro lime syrup to basic cocktails like gin and tonics and vodka sodas.
- Cilantro limeade – Instead of sweetening fresh limeade with sugar, use cilantro-lime syrup.
🧊 How to store
Refrigerator storage: After cooling to room temperature, pour the syrup through a fine-mesh strainer into a sterilized glass jar or bottle. Keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Freezer storage: Pour syrup into ice cube trays and freeze, then store frozen cubes in a freezer-friendly bag for up to six months. Check out this freezing simple syrup guide for more info.
👉 More flavored syrup recipes
Looking for more fun cocktail and mocktail syrups? We’ve got you covered:
- Jalapeno Simple Syrup
- Gingerbread Simple Syrup
- Lemon Cordial Concentrate
- Earl Gray Simple Syrup
- Lemongrass Simple Syrup
Cilantro Lime Simple Syrup
Equipment
- 1 Small Saucepan
- 1 fine-mesh strainer
- 1 sanitized glass bottle or jar
Ingredients
- ½ cup cilantro leaves stems removed
- ¼ cup lime juice
- ¾ cup water
- 1 cup sugar
Instructions
- Combine cilantro leaves, lime juice, water, and sugar in a small saucepan and heat over medium-high heat until the water begins to boil, about 5 minutes.
- Then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the sugar dissolves and the syrup begins to thicke (about 5 more minute).
- Remove fromthe heat, let cool, and then pour the syrup through a strainer to remove the cilantro leaves.
- Pour into a glass container and store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. To freeze, simply pour simple syrup into ice cube trays and freeze, then store frozen cubes in a freezer-friendly bag for up to six months.
