Macadamia Syrup

This is the plain version of our Chocolate Macadamia Syrup — same real, infused-not-flavored technique, same toasted nuts, just no cocoa. It exists for pairings that want macadamia’s own flavor without chocolate competing underneath it, the same reason our Cardamom Syrup exists alongside the site’s rose and orange cardamom syrups.

Why This Is a Real Gap, Not a Rename

This site already had a full chocolate-macadamia family — syrup, latte, frappé, mocha, nitro cold brew — but every one of them pairs macadamia with real cocoa. A caramel-macadamia pairing doesn’t want cocoa in the jar at all; caramel and chocolate both want to lead, and stacking them muddies both flavors instead of letting macadamia and caramel actually pair. This syrup drops the cocoa and keeps everything else — the same toast, crush, steep, and strain method that gives Chocolate Macadamia Syrup its real nut flavor.

The Syrup

Toast 1/3 cup raw macadamia nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat for 4-5 minutes until fragrant and lightly golden — macadamias are fat-rich enough to go from toasted to burnt quickly, so don’t walk away. Once cool, pulse or crush them into a coarse meal.

Dissolve 1 cup sugar into 1 cup water over medium heat, bring to a simmer, and stir in the crushed macadamias. Simmer 5 minutes, then take it off the heat, cover, and let the nuts steep in the hot syrup for 15 minutes — this steep is what actually infuses the macadamia flavor into the syrup. Strain through a cheesecloth-lined fine-mesh strainer, pressing the solids hard to squeeze out every bit of the infused liquid. Stir in a pinch of salt and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, then 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)$2.11 total

Per 2 tbsp serving~$0.18

Typical store-bought macadamia syrup, per serving$0.45-$0.60

Assumptions: raw macadamia nuts at typical grocery/bulk-bin pricing (~$16/lb, the same figure our Chocolate Macadamia Syrup uses), plus sugar and vanilla extract at typical grocery pricing. This runs a bit cheaper per serving than the chocolate version, simply because it has no cocoa powder line item.

Storage & Shelf Life

• Keeps about 2 weeks in a sealed jar in the fridge, same as our other cooked sugar syrups.
• Give it a shake before using — a little fine nut meal that gets through the strainer can settle at the bottom.
• Double the batch if you go through these drinks quickly — everything scales evenly (2/3 cup macadamias, 2 cups water, 2 cups sugar).

Swaps & Notes

• This is a real infused syrup, not a “macadamia flavor” syrup. No macadamia extract anywhere in this recipe — the flavor comes entirely from toasting, crushing, and steeping real macadamia nuts.
• Don’t toss the pressed nut solids. They still carry plenty of toasted-macadamia flavor even after pressing — stir a spoonful into oatmeal or yogurt instead of discarding them.
• Want the chocolate version instead? See Chocolate Macadamia Syrup — same method, with 2 tbsp cocoa powder added in.

What to Make With This

2 tbsp of this syrup, stirred into hot espresso before adding steamed milk, is a plain macadamia latte. Combined 1 tbsp each with Caramel Syrup, it’s the Caramel Macadamia Nut Latte.

Recipe Card Summary

Macadamia Syrup

• 1/3 cup raw macadamia nuts (toasted, crushed), 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar, salt, vanilla
• Makes ~12 servings (2 tbsp each) · Prep: 10 min · Total: 40 min (includes toasting, a 15-min steep, and cooling)
• Cost: ~$2.11/batch, ~$0.18/serving

FAQ

Is this the same as your Chocolate Macadamia Syrup?

Same nuts, same toast-and-steep method — the only difference is this version has no cocoa powder. Use this one when you want macadamia’s own flavor without chocolate, like in our Caramel Macadamia Nut Latte.

Why toast and steep the nuts instead of using macadamia extract?

Macadamia extract isn’t a common grocery-shelf item, and when it’s available it’s often blended or imitation flavoring rather than a true extract. Toasting and steeping real nuts, the orgeat method, gets a genuinely real macadamia flavor without a specialty extract bottle.

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

No — one batch covers about 12 drinks over two weeks. The Caramel Macadamia Nut Latte recipe assumes you already have a jar of this on hand.