Better Than Mrs. Butterworth's Pancake Syrup recipe can be made in 3 minutes with 3 ingredients and you can have thick, rich and delicious syrup at a fraction of the cost.
Better Than Mrs. Butterworth's Pancake Syrup is a perfectly delightful rich and thick syrup that takes it time dripping down the tower of pancakes. Kids say it tastes even better than Mrs. Butterworth's and we could not agree more.
Out of Pancake Syrup? We have a Solution!
Have you ever whipped up a grand slam breakfast with all the fixings (eggs, pancakes, bacon, etc) and then realized you are completely out of pancake syrup? Who the heck wants to run out in their pajamas on a weekend morning while the rest of your breakfast is getting cold. Better Than Mrs. Butterworth's Pancake Syrup recipe has got you covered!
We have the perfect solution! You probably have these 3 ingredients in your pantry now… brown sugar, vanilla and water. Go ahead and check, we will wait for you. If you have those 3 little ingredients and 3 minutes of time you too can make thick and rich Better Than Mrs. Butterworth’s Pancake Syrup right now. There is absolutely no need to be running to the stores in your PJ’s as life is way too busy for that nonsense.
Why you are going to love Better than Mrs. Butterworth’s Pancake Syrup
You are going to love this Better than Mrs. Butterworth’s Pancake Syrup as it is so thick and rich, gluten-free and vegan. You may use either light brown sugar or dark brown sugar. We prefer the dark brown sugar as it has a robust complex flavor and is higher in molasses content than light brown sugar. Molasses contains vital vitamins and minerals, such as iron, calcium, magnesium, vitamin B6, and selenium. We also made a batch with light brown sugar and the syrup is lighter in color. The sun came out in full force for the first time as for all the other shots it was raining outside so it looks a lot lighter.
Another reason why you are going to prefer to make your own homemade Better than Mrs. Butterworths Pancake Syrup recipe is to avoid the added ingredients in the store-bought version. Here is the list of ingredients on the back of Mrs. Butterworth's syrup; High fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, water, salt, cellulose gum, molasses, potassium sorbate (preservative), sodium hexametaphosphate, citric acid, caramel color, natural and artificial flavors. What exactly is sodium hexametaphosphate and why would we want this in our pancake syrup?!?
However, sweets are sweets! If you are diabetic or are sticking to a low carb diet, we are sorry but this recipe is just not for you. If you are trying to go low carb be sure to check out our recipe for Sesame Low Carb Bread a delicious and fun idea for breakfast, lunch and everything in between.
Here are some helpful pointers for making this Better than Mrs. Butterworths Pancake Syrup super delicious…
- You do not need a candy thermometer to make this recipe but you cannot be distracted and forget about the 3-minute time simmer very gentle boil time limit or you will end up with a delicious molasses hard candy instead of syrup.
- You are looking for a medium simmer with some bubbles for 3 minutes, not a full hard boil. (If you have an electric burner this may require you to pull your pan slightly off the burner to get the right heat)
- If you use a candy thermometer, do not let the temperature get above 200 F (93 C) degrees during the 3 minutes. Cooking below this temperature, there is still a lot of liquid so you will have a syrup instead of hard candy. To confirm you are doing it right, if you do not have a candy thermometer, drop a little of this syrup into cold water to cool, it should form a liquid thread that will not ball up.
- If your temperature is going up too high, just pull off the burner for a couple of seconds to bring the temperature back down and then adjust your heat.
- You can use either light brown sugar or dark brown sugar but we love the flavor of the dark brown, extra rich and delicious.
- As this recipe does not have any corn syrup or preservatives you will need to reheat to use if you let it cool and you can do this for about 20-30 seconds in the microwave. When this recipe for Better Than Mrs. Butterworth's Pancake Syrup cools, the sugar will crystalize.
- If you do not want to worry about having to reheat your syrup to use each time, then stir in 1 tablespoon of corn syrup after cooking your syrup.
- If you love an extra buttery taste, you can feel free to add a dollop of butter after you pull the syrup off the heat to melt.
- You can keep your leftover syrup in the refrigerator for up to a month in a sealed container. Remember it will crystallize so you will have to reheat before use.
All you need is about 3 minutes and 3 ingredients and you can have thick, rich and delicious syrup without a trip up to the local store in your PJ's.
If you are looking for some other delicious pancakes to fuel your day be sure to try our Gluten-Free Cardamom Pancakes , Gluten-Free Thai Shrimp Pancakes , or our Tofu Veggie Pancakes
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Better Than Mrs. Butterworth's Pancake Syrup
Ingredients
- 1 cup Brown sugar
(packed firmly) - we used dark brown sugar but you can also use light brown sugar - ¾ cup water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Mix brown sugar, water and vanilla in saucepan and bring to a very gentle boil for 3 minutes. Do not cover and stir frequently. The goal you need to be looking for the thread stage when boiling the brown sugar so do not allow the temperature to go above 200 degrees F. (93 degrees Celsius).
- HELPFUL HINTS: You do not need a candy thermometer to make this recipe but you cannot be distracted and forget about the 3-minute time simmer very gentle boil time limit or you will end up with a delicious molasses hard candy instead of syrup.
- You are looking for a medium simmer with some bubbles for 3 minutes, not a full hard boil. (If you have an electric burner this may require you to pull your pan slightly off the burner to get the right heat)
- If you use a candy thermometer, do not let the temperature get above 200 F (93 C) degrees during the 3 minutes. Cooking below the 200 F (93 C) degrees temperature, there is still a lot of liquid so you will have a syrup instead of hard candy. To confirm you are doing it right, if you do not have a candy thermometer, drop a little of this syrup into cold water to cool, it should form a liquid thread that will not ball up.
- If your temperature is going up too high, just pull off the burner for a couple of seconds to bring the temperature back down and then adjust your heat.
- Remove your syrup from burner and allow to cool. The syrup will thicken upon cooling. Do not allow the syrup to boil vigorously or leave on longer or your will have hard candy. If after 10 minutes of cooling your syrup is still not thick enough, then reboil for another 30 seconds to a minute. (If you want a buttery syrup, you can add a dab of butter after your remove your syrup from the heat and stir)
- Serve your Better than Mrs. Butterworth’s Pancake Syrup immediately over pancakes, icecream or other desserts.
- Your Better Than Mrs. Butterworth's Pancake Syrup with crystallize when it cools and it does not have any corn syrup. You will need to reheat any leftovers in the microwave for about 20-30 seconds or until the crystals dissolve before use.
- If you do not want to worry about having to reheat your syrup to use each time, then stir in 1 tablespoon of corn syrup after cooking your syrup.
- If you love an extra buttery taste, you can feel free to add a dollop of butter after you pull the syrup off the heat to melt.
- You can keep your leftover syrup in the refrigerator for up to a month in a sealed container. Remember it will crystallize so you will have to reheat before use.
Jo says
MMMmmm...yes. 3 ingredients, nothing nasty. Healthy and delicious!! Thanks Bobbi!! xo
Georgia | The Comfort of Cooking says
I love that this luscious syrup only needs 3 ingredients! It looks wonderful on top of a big stack of pancakes!
sweetsimplestuff says
I have had mornings like that! You handled it well and hit a grand slam 🙂
Maureen says
I like the idea of homemade syrup rather than the storebought full of chemicals kind. It looks good!
dedy oktavianus pardede says
Nice syrup bams, actually i'm quite trauma with handling syrup
it's gonna hurt you badly for it's high temperature, in my case my finger nails,
i guess i'm sticking for the store brought...hehehe
unfortunately, everything with 'no preservatives and organic' gonna hurt your wallet badly too...
lucky you my friend!
Charles says
Hi Bam - we've all been there... sugar disasters! For what it's worth, I think you need to be looking for the "thread stage" when boiling the sugar, so not allowing it to go above around 111 degrees Celsius - great idea to make your own though, looks lovely!
Healthy World Cuisine says
Hi there Charles, you must have one of those fancy thermometers. I really do need to purchase one as making syrup would have been that much easier. I don't have little tiny toddlers running away with all of the baking supplies...but somehow it has gone missing amongst all of our international moves. I will add your suggestion on temperature not to go over 111 degrees C. Thanks Charles
Barbara Bamber | justasmidgen says
Hahaha.. glad to see someone else has a few cooking catastrophes whilst running around helping kids, etc. I bet that candy would have tasted great though? Love your recipe, the whole idea of making your own syrup isn't something I would have even thought of. It must have tasted heavenly on those pancakes.. I've said it before.. lucky, lucky boys!!
bitsandbreadcrumbs says
I don't know why I never thought of making my own syrup, Bobbi, but it's such an easy thing! We make our own simple syrup all the time for various uses and of course you could do it for pancakes...I just never thought about it. Thanks for such a great and easy tip! 🙂
Jasline @ Foodie Baker says
I laughed while reading your post Bobbi! I'm sure the caramel candies are delicious and I would die to have some of your pancake syrup!
Tandy | Lavender and Lime says
I would rather have your syrup any day 🙂
yummychunklet says
I cannot wait to try this! Btw, I've made my own molassas hard candy in an attempt to make caramel sauce!
Healthy World Cuisine says
I am so glad to hear that I am not the only one. I bet your caramel candies were delicious!
Purely.. Kay says
I used to LOVE Mrs. Butterworth when I was a child. So you know this will be tried and tested and eaten in my house lol.
Robyn says
This is so perfect, Bam! I love the fact that you have excluded all those unneeded chemicals and preservatives. Those pictures are mouth watering!
veganmiam.com says
Oh my! I am drooling at this gooey and thick pancake syrup! So cool that these are just three ingredients to make this! I wish I am one of your boys! HAHA!
Coffee and Crumpets says
That list of ingredients on the label of that bottle is the very reason I started making my own syrup. The kids don't care for maple so I and no choice really. It is better than bottled stuff, I make mine with organic sugar and vanilla and it comes put perfect just like yours. Hershey's chocolate syrup is next to be replaced.
So, here's the question, will you be making your own from now on out?
Nazneen
Healthy World Cuisine says
Hello Nanzeen, organic brown sugar sounds lovely. It is difficult to find many of these specialty items in HK but will continue on with my search. I agree that making items from scratch is the best way to go and I don't think there is any turning back now.