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–+ servings
glass syrup bottle holding homemade lemon balm simple syrup in front of a basket of herbs and fresh alyssum.
5 from 1 vote

Lemon Balm Simple Syrup {with Fresh Leaves}

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With just enough sweetness and that beloved lemony flavor, this homemade lemon balm syrup is a delicious way to cool down and unwind on a hot day! It's the secret to the best lemon balm sodas, iced teas, and lemonade, and will be a go-to all summer long! This version relies on fresh lemon balm, so give your plant a good pruning and enjoy
Prep Time:5 minutes
Cook Time:10 minutes
Steeping Time:1 hour
Total Time:1 hour 15 minutes

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cane sugar
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/2 to 1 cup fresh lemon balm leaves washed and dried

Instructions

  • Rinse and dry the lemon balm leaves. Remove the leaves from the stem.
  • Add all of the ingredients to a small saucepan and heat over medium-high heat.
  • Once the sugar crystals dissolve, remove the pan from the heat and let the leaves steep for 30 minutes to an hour for a stronger lemon balm flavor.
  • Add the funnel and strainer to a glass jar and pour liquid through the strainer to sieve the leaves out of the hot syrup.
  • Use the lemon balm simple syrup as desired or store the leftover syrup in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Notes

The yield for this recipe is 6 ounces or approximately 3/4 cup. The nutritional facts are based on a 1 ounce serving.
I recommend using a good amount of lemon balm. Although I've used less when my plant wasn't as productive, you'll get a stronger flavor with more. I recommend at least 1/2 cup of lemon balm per 1 cup of sugar and water. Feel free to use more! 
  • Scale this recipe up or down using the 1x, 2x, and 3x feature in the recipe card. Simple syrups are always a 1:1 ratio of sugar to water, so it's easy to adapt as needed.
  • Lemon balm tastes wonderful with mint since the two plants are related. Try serving your lemon balm syrup with a little mint for an even more refreshing beverage.
  • To keep your lemon balm plant happy, try not to trim more than 1/3 of the plant at a time. This will allow it to keep growing and producing lots of leaves for future recipes!

Nutrition

Serving: 1ounce | Calories: 65kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 0.1g | Fat: 0.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.01g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 2mg | Potassium: 11mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 17g | Vitamin A: 80IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 0.1mg
Course: Appetizer, Baking, cocktails, tea
Cuisine: American, british, French
Keyword: lemon balm recipe, lemon balm simple syrup, lemon balm syrup
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 65kcal
Cost: 1