Easy To Make Homemade Lemon Syrup Recipe For Pancakes

This lemon syrup recipe for pancakes is going to change your summer breakfast table game forever. It perfectly balances the tart, tang of fresh lemon juice with the sticky, sweetness that is characteristic of syrup in the most delightful way.

And that makes it a great addition to the table on a hot summer day. But it’s not limited to serving as a topping for pancakes. It has many other uses in the kitchen as well. We’ll talk about that a little later on.

One of the best things about this easy lemon syrup recipe is that you are in control of just how tart or sweet it is.

It’s so easy to adjust to your own personal preference. So, make a batch with me today. Tweak it to meet your very own tastes.

And you’ll be serving it on your table for years to come! It’s truly a treat that is so easy to make that all lemon lovers should be whipping it up in their home kitchens.

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO MAKE THIS RECIPE

This homemade lemon syrup recipe is made with just five simple ingredients. And if you have some lemons and heavy cream, you’re pretty much sure to have the other three ingredients in your kitchen already.

Here’s a list of what you’re going to need to make this easy recipe …

• HEAVY CREAM – Rich and creamy deliciousness is imparted to the syrup with this ingredient.
• SUGAR – White granulated sugar is used to make this syrup.
• BUTTER – Use farm fresh butter if you can. This ingredient provides a depth of flavor to the recipe that really takes it to the next level.
• LEMON JUICE – This ingredient is the star of the show. You’ll want fresh squeezed juice. So you’ll need to pick up some lemons. Unless you freeze fresh lemon juice and have some on hand. Any variety of fresh lemons will work well for this recipe. Meyer lemons are my favorite way to go. But they aren’t always available where I live. Avoid using bottled lemon juice to make this recipe.
• CORNSTARCH – This ingredient is used to create a thicker syrup that can be effectively used as a topping.

HOW TO MAKE THIS LEMON SYRUP RECIPE FOR PANCAKES

It takes just a few minutes to make this great recipe. It also takes some patience. The sauce has to heat slowly. The process can’t be rushed.

Start by putting the heavy cream, white sugar, and butter in a small saucepan. Place on low heat until the mixture almost comes to a low simmer and all the sugar dissolves.

Then whisk in the lemon juice. It’s very important that the cream mixture is fully heated before adding the lemon juice; otherwise, it will curdle.

It’s also very important that you whisk the lemon juice in quickly to further assist in preventing it from curdling.

Allow the syrup mixture to heat through on the stove. Remove it from the stove as soon as it starts to simmer.

Place the cornstarch in a small dish. Remove just enough of the syrup mixture from the pan to create a thick pasty liquid from the cornstarch.

Whisk it into the the cornstarch, and then quickly whisk the blend into the syrup mixture.

Remove the pan from the heat. Allow it to come to room temperature. And you’ve got a tangy, sweet syrup, with a burst of bright lemon flavor, fit for a king! ENJOY!

HOW TO ADJUST THE SWEET AND TART LEVELS OF THE SYRUP

As I mentioned earlier, one of the best things about this recipe is that you can customize the levels of tartness and sweetness to suit your own personal preferences.

Create the flavor you enjoy most by adjusting the amount of the ingredients you use in the recipe.

If you want a stronger citrus flavor, aka more lemony goodness, you can make that happen by adding some lemon zest to the recipe.

You can use a microplaner to take a little zest from the lemon rinds leftover from the lemons you juiced for the recipe to do this. 

Be careful not to cut into the white pith that lays just beneath the zest. It will lend a bitter flavor to your syrup.

It won’t be necessary to alter the amounts of any of the other ingredients if this is the only change you make.

You can make the recipe sweeter by adding more sugar to it. And you can make it more tart by decreasing the amount of sugar.

It’s possible that you will need to adjust the amount of cornstarch that is in the recipe to get the thickness you desire after making these changes.

VARIATIONS FOR THIS RECIPE

The variations that you can make of this recipe are truly endless. There are so many different flavors to experiment with that it’s hard to choose which ones to give a try first.

I’m going to cover a few that I’ve made in the past. And a few that I think would be a great fit for the recipe as well.

You can experiment in your own kitchen and decide for yourself what version of the recipe you like most. Some of these changes may require you to alter the amount of cornstarch used in the recipe in order to adjust it’s thickness.

• Add some macerated berries. 
• Swap out some of the lemon juice for your favorite fruit juice.
• Infuse the syrup with elderflower, lavender, hibiscus, or rose hips.
• Infuse the syrup with chili peppers, black peppercorns, or grated ginger.
• Infuse the syrup with basil, thyme, or rosemary.
• Use honey, brown sugar, maple syrup or another alternative sweetener in place of granulated sugar.
• Substitute another citrus juice for the lemon juice. Try limes, oranges, or grapefruit. Mandarin oranges are particularly nice to use during the fall and winter holiday season.

HOW TO STORE LEMON SYRUP

This syrup should be cooled completely before storing. But be sure not to leave it out on the counter any longer than it takes to cool. Because of the heavy cream content it should be refrigerated.

Place it in an airtight container and it will last in the refrigerator for at least a couple of weeks, maybe more. A mason jar is a great way to store this syrup.

OTHER WAYS TO USE LEMON SYRUP

Don’t limit yourself to serving this amazing lemon syrup over pancakes. There are so many other simple ways to enjoy it’s vibrant lemony goodness.

Top a few slices of french toast with it. Or a waffle if that’s what you prefer. You can add it to club soda to make a refreshing homemade lemon soda on a hot summer day. 

A splash or two really brightens up a glass of iced tea too. Don’t leave out the hot tea. It’s a great addition to just about any flavor cup. I particularly like it in a cup of ginger tea. 

This syrup can be used to make marinades, sauces, and even salad dressings. And it’s fantastic when used as a dessert sauce too.

Baste the top of cakes, muffins, sweet breads, and other baked goods when they come out of the oven. The lemon flavor of the syrup will seep into the top layer of these goodies and add some depth of flavor to the end result.

There’s a recipe for a really tasty lemon crunch cake on the blog that uses this syrup for that very purpose.

I’ve topped a dish of ice cream with the syrup. It’s heavenly. And you can use it in cocktail recipes too. Try making lemon drops, a lemon margarita, or a lemon drop martini with this tasty syrup.

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