Easy and delicious lychee syrup that is sweet, floral, and so fragrant! Perfect to sweeten all your summer drinks! Lychee is one of my absolutely favorite fruits to eat, but unfortunately I don’t get to eat fresh lychee often here in Ottawa. In Australia, I would feast on lychees that were sweet, juicy, floral, fruity, and cooling, all throughout summer. But here in Canada, lychee is so fleeting and expensive. So canned lychee is what is widely available/accessible. But that’s A-OK, because you can make this spectacular lychee syrup with canned lychee as well!
Why I love this recipe
So easy to make. You can use canned lychee to make this recipe, which is more accessible than fresh lychee. Incredible flavor and can be used to flavor so many different drinks! You can make homemade lychee soda with this syrup too. Freezer friendly, so you can make a big batch and freeze for later.
What you can make with this lychee syrup recipe
Lychee soda – This syrup can be used as a soda syrup! Just mix it with soda water / sparkling water to make a delicious homemade lychee soda. Bubble tea with lychee – Make some green tea or jasmine tea, and sweeten it with this lychee syrup. Add some coconut milk and boba pearls and you have a homemade lychee and coconut boba tea! Lychee cocktails – Substitute the simple syrup with this lychee syrup to make interesting and delicious cocktails! Lychee mocktails – Check out this easy lychee mocktail made with this lychee syrup and non-alcoholic gin. Panna cotta with lychee – Make coconut panna cotta and serve it with canned lychee and this lychee syrup drizzled over it. Lychee lemonade – In place of sugar, add this syrup to your lemonade. This will add such a wonderful and subtle fruity and floral flavor! Trust me, it tastes AMAZING!
Ingredients to make lychee syrup
Canned lychees – You will need 2 cans, but you can easily double this recipe too. Sugar – This helps concentrate the syrup and the flavor of lychees. See “other flavors that pair with lychee” section below for more ideas on what to add to your own lychee syrup.
How to make lychee syrup
The first step is to prepare the ingredients. I like using 1 whole can PLUS the liquid in the second can. This is so I can save the lychees in the second can to garnish drinks and to eat of course. But you can absolutely use both cans of lychee. Then you can decide if you want to add any other flavors. I usually make a classic lychee simple syrup, but this time I wanted to add a little ginger. I have made lychee ginger sangria on the blog before, and loved that flavor combination. So I wanted to add a little spice to my syrup. But this lychee syrup is incredibly delicious WITHOUT ANY additions too. Place all the lychee and syrup in a blender. Blend to process the lychees until they are completely blended. If you don’t have a blender, you can use an immersion blender too. It’s OK if the lychees are not finely blended, because we will be straining everything at the end. Add the blended mixture with the sugar into a saucepan. Heat over medium heat until the syrup mixture comes to a boil. Lower the heat and let it simmer until the mixture has reduced close to half the volume. The time will vary depending on the pot size and stove you use. In my kitchen, it takes about 1 hour of simmering at medium heat. It’s important not to let it “boil” at high heat, because you want the syrup to gently simmer to extract and concentrate the flavor. Once it has simmered, let it cool down to room temperature. Then pass the mixture through a sieve, and then a nut milk bag to remove all the pulp. If you need to, squeeze the pulp to extract all of the liquid. Store the syrup in a clean, dry container with an air-tight lid. You can use the syrup at room temperature, but I like to keep it in the fridge, so it’s mostly used once chilled.
Storage instructions
Pour the syrup into a clean, dry container. Make sure it’s an air-tight container, whether it’s a jar, a bottle, or just a storage container. The syrup can be kept in the fridge for up to a week, but this will depend on how you handle the syrup as well. If the syrup is kept at room temperature for prolonged periods of time in between refrigeration, this will make it go bad faster. When using the syrup, if it comes into contact with other items or foods, this can also decrease its shelf life. You can also freeze this syrup for up to 4 or 5 months, and thaw it out in the fridge before using it.
Other flavors you can add to this lychee syrup
Lychee has a delicate and subtle flavor. So you have to be careful about what flavors you add to the lychee syrup, without overpowering the lychee flavor. Ginger. Ginger will add a little warming spice to the syrup. I added some ginger to the syrup here to add a little warmth to the drinks I make. Lime. You can add a little lime juice. This will perk up the lychee flavor. But be careful not to add too much because it can certainly overpower the flavor of lychee. Strawberry or raspberry. These berries pair so well with lychee! But again, do not let it overpower the flavor of lychee. Mint. Add some mint to the syrup and let it infuse. The floral notes from the lychee and the minty fresh flavor from the mint complement each other so well. Tea. Tea is a no-brainer to pair with lychee! But you want to avoid teas that have strong tannins such as black tea. I recommend,
Green tea (not matcha) Oolong tea Jasmine tea (my favorite)
Other questions and tips about this recipe
