This Root Beer Syrup recipe remains one of my kids’ favourites. It is the best, most authentic root beer you can make at home unless you break out a carboy and fermenting lock. And while I’ve been know to do that sort of thing, this is an achievable, delicious, and simple means to a homemade Root Beer Syrup end.
I am a fizzy drinks gal. My usual preference is for plain or flavoured (but not sweetened seltzer) but I have a deep and abiding love for two kinds of soda: ginger ale and root beer. I love the warm, spicy flavours of both of those. What I don’t adore, however, is the insane amount of sugar in most commercially available sodas.
My dad taught me to make my own ginger ale a few years back and that took care of the need for ginger ale, but until the last couple of weeks, I didn’t have a way to satisfy my root beer cravings without getting a sugar bomb in the process. With the exception of a few boutique brands of root beer (that are very tasty indeed but also pretty pricey), the sugar bomb in those sodas came in the form of high fructose corn syrup. I’m not going to wade into a debate here. Intelligent people disagree (vociferously) on the subject, but in our family we just don’t consume much HFCS.
I’ve tried making my own root beers from extract kits, but I was always a little disappointed because I like making things from the ground up. Buying a little bottle of some liquid and adding water and sugar just kind of felt like cheating. Yes, I realize I’m a little nuts.
But I discovered something. I’m clearly not alone in thinking this way. I discovered Hank Shaw a.k.a. Hunter Angler Gardener Cook. Hank Shaw is, in a nutshell, awesome. I’ve always had a DIY bent, but Hank Shaw?
I’m in an analogy frame of mind, since I just finished up standardized testing with my kids, and I’m thinking that might be the best way to describe him. I am to Hank Shaw as Sandra Lee is to Martha Stewart. Sure, Sandra Lee decorates a table and whips up a cocktail, but Martha felled the tree, built the table, hand-wove the cloth for the decorations, smelted the metal for the silverware, designed and threw her own pottery, raised the animals and vegetables, slaughtered and prepared everything herself AND was a supermodel in the process.
In short, I have MAD respect for Hank Shaw. I have no idea whether his hair is perfectly coifed, but I rather suspect it is.
The point is this; Hank Shaw posted a recipe for homemade root beer syrup that looked like what I’d been seeking for ages. I had some dried burdock root (it grows EVERYWHERE around here, so I’m not sure this gets me my foraging badge), I ordered dried sassafras (because that DOESN’T grow around here), and raided my spice cabinet for the other bits and pieces*, and set to infusing.
*That spell of detective work just might get me the foraging badge after all!
The key to Root Beer Syrup is a slow infusion (decoction, tisane, what-have-you) of water with the roots and spices. After it simmers a bit, some molasses is added (for both colour and flavour) then you simmer again.
Then comes the WHAT?!? portion of the programme: wintergreen. I’m not kidding you. Go pop open a bottle of root beer and sniff. What are you getting? You’re getting the smell of sassafras and wintergreen (although of the two, wintergreen is probably the only one that is actually in commercial root beers any more.)
Don’t skip this! And please, you might be tempted, but don’t sub in peppermint. The wintergreen is truly important. If you can’t lay your hands on fresh wintergreen leaves, you can always use wintergreen flavour or extract.
As soon as the roots and spices started simmering my brain was panting, “Root beer. Root beer. Root beer.” It smells so good while it simmers. It smelled so good, in fact, that I dunked a spoon in to lick it. Um, it was not a great at that point.
‘Twas bitter but I carried on and continued the project. I started it late at night, so I let the cool down/infusion process go overnight. In the morning, I strained, measured, added to the pot with sugar and then simmered again.
I dipped my spoon in again, cautiously licked it and holy man. It was good. Root beer syurp was great!
While I like to pour it over ice and top with my beloved plain seltzer for a spicy, rootsy-tootsy root beer beverage, you can also use the syrup to drizzle over your vanilla ice cream for a root beer sundae. On the other hand, you can sweeten your iced tea for a deliciously different sweet tea. Root beer sweet tea. Can I get a heck-yeah from the sweet tea lovers out there?
I’m going to tell you, this is NOT the root beer you get at the store. It just isn’t. It’s real. It has oomph. It has character. It’s not cloyingly sweet (although, if sweet is your thing you can always up the sugar content in the syrup.)
When you smell it and taste it there is no doubt in your mind that this is root beer, but this is root beer as it’s meant to be. I’d take a tall glass of this root beer any day over the stuff on the shelves. My husband, who despises soda in general but likes seltzer, loved this root beer.
Three of my five kids think this the best root beer they’ve ever had. (One of the remaining two just doesn’t like root beer, so he’s consistent. The other decided to be contrary.)
Use this to make Root Beer Syrup:
- Dried Sassafrass Root
- Dried Burdock Root
- Whole Coriander Seeds
- Star Anise
- Clove
- Molasses
- Wintergreen extract
Homemade Root Beer Syrup
Rate RecipeIngredients
- 6 cups water
- 3 ounces dried sassafrass root
- 1/2 ounce dried burdock root
- 1 teaspoon dried whole coriander seeds
- 1 whole star anise
- 1 whole clove
- 1/4 cup dark molasses (not blackstrap)
- 3-4 wintergreen leaves or 2 drops (1/8 teaspoon) wintergreen flavouring or extract
- up to 6 cups sugar preferably raw, but granulated white sugar can also be used
Instructions
- Put the sassafras and burdock roots, coriander seeds, star anise and clove in a heavy-bottomed 2 quart saucepan that has a tight fitting lid. Pour the water over the top of the roots and spices and bring to a boil over high heat. Drop the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. If it keeps bubbling up and out, vent the lid just a bit.Add the molasses, stir, replace the lid, and return to a simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, add the wintergreen flavouring or extract, replace the lid and let the mixture cool to room temperature. (I let mine cool on a cold burner on the stove overnight because I prepared my sassafras infusion late at night.)Line a fine mesh strainer with cheesecloth, place over a large measuring cup with a pouring spout or a pitcher, and pour the cooled infusion into it to strain. Do not press on the contents, but let the roots rest in the strainer for about 30 minutes before proceeding. While that strains, rinse the pot in which you infused it to get any lingering bits of root or spice out of it.Measure your sassafras infusion, return it to the rinsed pot and add an equal amount of sugar -by volume- to the pot. For instance, if you have 4 1/2 cups of infusion, add 4 1/2 cups of sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil, drop the heat to low and let simmer for 5 minutes. Pour the syrup into canning jars, fix clean, new, two-piece lids on top and store in the refrigerator up to a year.!To Make a Root Beer Drink from the Syrup:Use 1 tablespoon of syrup over ice to 1 cup of plain seltzer water. Stir gently. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Reader's Thoughts...
REbecca says
Ever tried using maple syrup or monk fruit to sweeten? That’s still a lot of sugar.
Rebecca says
It is a lot of sugar, but you probably shouldn’t have root beer all day every day no matter how you mix it. 🙂 I have not tried maple syrup or monk fruit. I think I’d object to the presence of maple syrup in my root beer. I only get dark maple syrup and it has a very distinct flavour. Monk fruit might work if you’re looking to have a lower sugar content, but then you’d have more of a sweetened infusion and less of a syrup. Let me know if you try it.
Michael Martin says
Can’t wait to try your recipe!! I’ve gathered all the ingredients and ready to give it a go. I have a question: Can you use this syrup, add yeast and bottle it? or only use with seltzer / soda?
Rebecca says
Hi Michael- Thanks for the note. I have not tried fermenting this at all; we’ve only used it with seltzer/soda, so I’m afraid I’m not much help on whether this would work for carbonating.
Russ says
Can I use a somewhat ground sassafras instead of it being more chunky? If so, do I use the same amount?
Rebecca says
Hi Russ- Hmmmmm. I’m sure you could use ground sassafras instead of dried pieces, but I’m not sure what the equivalent is and you’ll be dealing with a little more straining to get the powder out. 🙂
Colleen E Lynch says
Can I use this to maske cookies with,I have a Recipe thast calls for root Beer Concentrate adn I can’t find it any where local.
Rebecca says
Hi Colleen- I have not tried that. I don’t know if this would deliver quite the flavour you’re looking for. It’s pretty solidly in the herbal/rooty camp.
Terrell says
Can I sub raw sugar for coconut sugar
Rebecca says
Hi Terrell- Do you mean can you use coconut sugar instead of raw sugar? I have not tested coconut sugar in this recipe. Please let me know if you give a shot!
Ben says
Hi, is it really just one star anise and 1 tiny little clove?
Thank you
Rebecca says
Hi there! It sure is one star anise and 1 clove! They’re there for a subtle touch among many other goodies in the syrup!
Joel Boehme says
Just wondered on proportions if I wanted to keg this in a 5 gallon corny keg?
Rebecca says
Hi there, Joel! I’m afraid I can’t be much help for you on this as I’ve only done small enough portions to keep in the refrigerator to mix with seltzer.
Cielle says
Have you ever made your own wintergreen extract out of wintergreen essential oil?
Rebecca says
Hi Cielle- I have not tried this yet. Have you?
Bart says
Sounds good like a real root-beer should. And where are you from?
Rebecca says
I’m glad it sounds good to you. I’m from Western New York currently!
Bob Ivey says
Has anyone tried this by substituting the sugar with stevia or some other sweetener? Trying to keep calories way down. Thanks
Brook says
Can sarsparilla root be used in place of sassafrass? I ask because it is so much less expensive.
Rebecca says
Hi Brook-
I wish I had some advice for you, but I have not tried using sasparilla root in place of the sassafrass. If you try it, please let us know what your results are!
Brook says
Can sarsparilla root be substituted for sassafrass? Just wondering because it is so much less expensive.
Cliff says
Thanks for the recipe! Also wanted to let you know that a number of your affiliate links on this page are broken. Take care!
Rebecca says
Thank you, Cliff! I’ll fix those right now.
Suzanne says
I just found this recipe, I am looking for sassafras root but having a hard time finding it in europe. I did find sassparilla, could this be substituted?
Rebecca says
Hi Suzanne- I have not tried it myself, but some quick research indicates that sassparilla is a decent substitute for sassafras. I’m sure it’ll be slightly different, but most herbalist sources say it’s a good sub. Please let us know if you try it how it works out!
Suzanne says
Thanks for the reply, I will try it and report back. I miss root beer since moving to Europe, I can buy it but it is expensive so I only buy it occasionally.
Jim Cook says
In my younger days (almost 40 years ago) I home-brewed rootbeer bottled & fermented using Hires concentrate. Could this be used to brew in a similar manner? Any idea how much syrup to use to make 5 gallons?
Thanks,
Jim
Rebecca says
I honestly couldn’t advise you on that, I’m sorry to say. I haven’t tested it and I would hate to steer you wrong!
Tim Ryan says
Jim, I’ve been tinkering with an extract recipe to do 1/6bbl kegs of rootbeer for my Tasting Room for awhile now, I found this recipe to be too weakly flavored to use. ( I force-carb btw. ) I even over-did it a bit on the ingredients, especially the anise, and i used sassafras AND sarsparilla. And even at a 1:1 ratio this recipe was more like a weak, sassafrass sweet-tea than anything like commercially produced rootbeer.
To be fair, so far every recipe I’ve tried from online sources that involves simmering dried roots, at the batch size I need, has resulted in a weak flavor. So either these recipes scale up with great difficulty, or I have suddenly become bad at brewing.
I’m leaning towards using commercially available extracts, ( a quality extract of each ingredient is easily found online from several health food vendors ) and going that route to make 1/2bbl batches
Rebecca says
I think that for brewing you always want to start with a more extract-level flavour. Have either of you tried soaking the roots in grain alcohol or glycerine for a goodly amount of time to extract the flavours better?
Joel Boehme says
Did you have success with this yet? Looking for a recipe that I can keg 5 gallons with.
Charanne says
I found your recipe awhile ago & finally found all the ingredients & am ready to make the syrup this weekend, but I have a question. Can you use Stevia as the sweetener? Or half sugar, half Stevia? Or honey? I use a soda stream to carbonate my water, which helped me quit drinking diet pop, but now I want to make my own pop, so I control the ingredients used. Love the syrup idea over bottling. Thank you!
Rebecca says
I made it with Stevia once and it was pretty darned good. Go for it!
Cory says
This looks like a terrific recipe, do you know if it is safe to water bath can to make it shelf stable?
Rebecca says
Hi Cory! Excellent question. I have not personally tested it so I’m afraid I can’t speak to whether or not it’s safe. Maybe a cooperative extension might be the best place to inquire! They can often tell by looking at the proportions whether it’s acidic enough for the job!
Billy says
Can this syrup be used like an extract? How concentrated is it? Thanks!
Rebecca says
I would say it’s probably not strong enough to use in place of extract.
Michael Rupp says
I made this with dried sassafras root and bark as there is no fresh to be found in Southern New Mexico and when I mixed it 1:1 with raw sugar, it is very sweet and not as strong as I would have expected. That was steeping it overnight. Any suggestions or ideas?
Rebecca says
Maybe you could up your proportion of sassafras in the brewing? Just an idea!
Moose says
I’m excited to find this. I looked around for a recipe before, and was just overwhelmed with the noise from “recipes” that said “dump in the flavoring and add sugar. There, you made it.” This looks like the real deal; now I just need to rustle up the ingredients. Thanks!