Maple Pecan Syrup (Standard)

This is the syrup batch behind our Maple Pecan 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.

Why This Syrup Skips Cane Sugar Entirely

Every other Standard-tier syrup on this site starts with dissolved cane sugar, and the “real ingredient” swap happens later, in the Clean-Ingredient version. Maple pecan doesn’t work that way — maple isn’t a healthy substitute you swap in for this flavor, it is the flavor. A maple pecan syrup made from plain sugar plus a “maple flavoring” would taste like an imitation of itself. So this is the one Standard-tier syrup on the site that uses real maple syrup as its base from the start, same as the Clean-Ingredient tier below. What still separates the tiers here is how the pecan and brown-butter notes get into the jar: this version leans on a bottled butter pecan extract for convenience and speed, while the Clean-Ingredient version toasts real pecans in real browned butter instead.

The Syrup

Whisk 1 cup pure maple syrup, 1 tsp butter pecan extract or flavoring, and 1/4 tsp salt together in a small bowl or jar until fully combined. That’s it — maple syrup is already a thin, pourable liquid, so there’s no dissolving or simmering step the way there is with our cane-sugar-based syrups.

Store the finished syrup in a sealed jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. It makes roughly 8 drinks’ worth at 2 tbsp per serving.

This batch (8 servings)$6.20 total

Per 2 tbsp serving~$0.78

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

Assumptions: real maple syrup at typical grocery pricing (~$8-9 for a 12oz bottle, ~$0.35/tbsp — the same figure every maple-based syrup on this site uses) and butter pecan extract/flavoring at typical specialty-extract pricing (a standard 2 fl oz grocery bottle, ~$7, ~$0.60/tsp — the same rate as our hazelnut and toffee/butterscotch extracts). Worth flagging honestly: because real maple syrup is the bulk of this batch instead of cheap cane sugar, this is one of the more expensive Standard-tier syrups on the site — it doesn’t undercut a store-bought bottle by nearly as much as our sugar-based syrups do, though it’s still cheaper per serving.

Storage & Shelf Life

• Keeps about 2 weeks in a sealed jar in the fridge — same as our other non-dairy syrups.
• Double the batch if you go through maple pecan lattes quickly — everything scales evenly (2 cups maple syrup, 2 tsp extract, 1/2 tsp salt).
• Give it a stir before using — nothing separates here, but it’s good habit with any bottled-extract syrup.

Swaps & Notes

• Can’t find “butter pecan” extract specifically? It’s sold at most baking/specialty stores and online, usually near vanilla and other dessert flavorings. If you can only find plain pecan extract, add a couple drops of butter extract alongside it — the combination is what reads as “butter pecan” rather than plain toasted nut.
• Want a stronger maple note? Use a Grade A Dark or Grade B maple syrup instead of Golden/Amber — the darker grades carry a more pronounced caramel-maple flavor that stands up better once diluted into espresso and milk.

What to Make With This

2 tbsp of this syrup, stirred into hot espresso before adding steamed milk, is the Maple Pecan Latte. If you want the same drink with less or no added sugar, the Sugar-Free Maple Pecan Syrup swaps in a sugar-free sweetener plus a maple flavoring, since there’s no real maple sugar in that version. If you’d rather skip bottled extract entirely, the Clean-Ingredient version toasts real pecans in real browned butter and steeps them straight into the maple syrup.

Recipe Card Summary

Maple Pecan Syrup (Standard)

• 1 cup pure maple syrup, 1 tsp butter pecan extract, 1/4 tsp salt — no cooking
• Makes ~8 servings (2 tbsp each) · Prep: 5 min · Total: 5 min
• Cost: ~$6.20/batch, ~$0.78/serving

FAQ

Why does this recipe use real maple syrup instead of cane sugar, when every other Standard-tier syrup on the site uses sugar?

Because maple isn’t an optional upgrade for this flavor — it’s the flavor. A maple pecan syrup built on plain sugar plus imitation maple flavoring would miss the point of the drink. Every other family on this site saves the real-maple swap for the Clean-Ingredient tier; this is the one where Standard needs it too.

Is this the cheapest of the three maple pecan tiers, like Standard usually is elsewhere on the site?

No, and we’d rather say so than let the “Standard” label imply it. Real maple syrup is genuinely pricier than cane sugar, so this version actually costs a little more per drink than our Clean-Ingredient syrup below — see the Maple Pecan Latte for the full breakdown of why.

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

No — make one batch and it covers about 8 drinks over two weeks. The Maple Pecan Latte recipe assumes you already have a jar of this on hand.