Hazelnut Syrup (Standard)

This is the syrup batch behind our Hazelnut Latte — pulled out into its own recipe so you can make it once and go straight to assembling drinks for the next couple of weeks. If you’ve already got a jar of this in the fridge, you don’t need this page again until it runs out.

The Syrup

Combine 1 cup water and 1 cup granulated sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Bring it to a gentle simmer for 2-3 minutes — there’s no puree or reduction here, so this step is really just making sure everything’s fully dissolved. Off the heat, stir in 1 tsp real hazelnut extract and let it cool completely.

Store the finished syrup in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. It makes roughly 12 drinks’ worth at 2 tbsp per serving.

This batch (12 servings)$1.05 total

Per 2 tbsp serving~$0.09

Typical store-bought pump bottle, per serving$0.35-$0.45

Assumptions: sugar at typical grocery pricing ($0.45/cup, the same baseline every syrup on this site uses) and hazelnut extract at typical specialty-extract pricing — unlike vanilla, hazelnut extract isn’t sold in Costco-size bulk bottles, so a standard 2 fl oz grocery bottle ($7, ~$0.60/tsp) is the realistic source here; a store-bought comparison assumes a ~750ml pump bottle of hazelnut syrup around $9-11, yielding about 25 servings at 2 tbsp each. Either way, the homemade batch pays for itself in the first few drinks.

Storage & Shelf Life

• Keeps about 2 weeks in a sealed jar in the fridge. It’s a small batch on purpose — sugar syrups like this don’t need preservatives if you use them up within a couple weeks.
• Double the batch if you go through hazelnut lattes quickly — everything scales evenly (2 cups water, 2 cups sugar, 2 tsp hazelnut extract).
• Give it a shake or stir before using; it stays pourable straight out of the fridge, no reheating needed.

Swaps & Notes

• Extract quality matters here more than almost anywhere else on this site — hazelnut extract varies a lot in strength by brand. Start with 1 tsp, taste once cooled, and add a few more drops next batch if it reads too faint.
• Want it richer, closer to a Nutella-adjacent flavor? A drop of real vanilla extract alongside the hazelnut rounds it out without changing the character.

What to Make With This

2 tbsp of this syrup, stirred into hot espresso before adding steamed milk, is the Hazelnut Latte. If you want the same drink with less or no sugar, the Sugar-Free Hazelnut Syrup swaps the sweetener with the same method. If you’d rather skip refined sugar entirely, the Toasted Hazelnut-Maple Syrup behind our Clean-Ingredient tier steeps real toasted hazelnuts into real maple syrup instead.

Recipe Card Summary

Hazelnut Syrup (Standard)

• 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar, 1 tsp real hazelnut extract
• Makes ~12 servings (2 tbsp each) · Prep: 5 min · Total: 10 min (mostly cooling)
• Cost: ~$1.05/batch, ~$0.09/serving

FAQ

How long does homemade hazelnut syrup last?

About 2 weeks in a sealed jar in the fridge.

Do I need to make this every time I want a latte?

No — that’s the point of splitting this out. Make one batch and it covers about 12 drinks; the Hazelnut Latte recipe assumes you already have a jar of this on hand.

Can I use hazelnut syrup flavoring instead of extract?

Yes — bottled “hazelnut flavoring” made for coffee syrups works the same way here, use it in place of the extract at whatever ratio the label recommends. Real hazelnut extract is what we tested this recipe with.