The Best Coffee Syrups

Vanilla is the syrup most people buy first, and the one that most often disappoints: stirred into cold brew side by side, several brands come out sweet with only a faint trace of vanilla. The right one should taste of vanilla before it tastes of sugar. Monin Vanilla is the one that does. It won Business Insider's four-way vanilla tasting, with a rich vanilla and a finish close to caramel. Buyers rate the brand above Torani and DaVinci too. A 25.4 oz bottle is about $12.

If you'd rather try a few flavors before settling on one, the Torani set gives you four full bottles for about $32. For no sugar at all, Jordan's Caramel Pecan is the caramel I'd pour, and ChocZero is the vanilla that doesn't taste like sweetener.

See the 7 picks

Top picks

Best overallMonin Vanilla Syrup

The clearest vanilla in a four-way side-by-side tasting, made with Madagascar vanilla extract and cane sugar.

Check price on Amazon

Best starter setTorani Coffeehouse Variety Pack

Caramel, French vanilla, vanilla and hazelnut in four full bottles, from the syrup brand you'll find in most grocery stores.

Check price on Amazon

Best sugar-freeJordan's Skinny Syrups Caramel Pecan

Rich, buttery caramel with a little pecan in the background, and no sugar or calories at all.

Check price on Amazon

Best sugar-free vanillaChocZero Sugar Free Vanilla Coffee Syrup

Sweetened with monk fruit, so it tastes like mild vanilla instead of a sweetener, with no sugar alcohols.

Check price on Amazon

Best for mochasGhirardelli Premium Chocolate Sauce

A thick sauce made with real chocolate and cocoa, for mochas and hot chocolate, for about $6.

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Best pumpkin spicePortland Syrups Pumpkin Spice Syrup

Made with real organic pumpkin, ginger and brown sugar, and first among twelve pumpkin spice syrups in The Daily Meal's ranking.

Check price on Amazon

Best salted caramelDaVinci Gourmet Naturals Hawaiian Salted Caramel Syrup

Sweet, buttery caramel with Hawaiian sea salt, and no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives.

Check price on Amazon

At a glance

1. 1.Monin Vanilla Syrupabout $12

   Best for

   Vanilla lattes

   Sweetened with

   Cane sugar

   Bottle

   25.4 oz (750 ml)

   Per ounce

   About 47 cents

2. 2.Torani Coffeehouse Variety Packabout $32

   Best for

   Four classic flavors

   Sweetened with

   Cane sugar

   Bottle

   4 x 25.4 oz

   Per ounce

   About 31 cents

3. 3.Jordan's Skinny Syrups Caramel Pecanabout $10

   Best for

   Zero sugar, real caramel taste

   Sweetened with

   Sucralose

   Bottle

   25.4 oz (750 ml)

   Per ounce

   About 39 cents

4. 4.ChocZero Sugar Free Vanilla Coffee Syrupabout $12

   Best for

   No sucralose or erythritol

   Sweetened with

   Monk fruit

   Bottle

   25.4 oz (750 ml)

   Per ounce

   About 47 cents

5. 5.Ghirardelli Premium Chocolate Sauceabout $6

   Best for

   Chocolate drinks

   Sweetened with

   Sugar

   Bottle

   16 oz squeeze bottle

   Per ounce

   About 39 cents

6. 6.Portland Syrups Pumpkin Spice Syrupabout $15

   Best for

   Fall lattes

   Sweetened with

   Organic cane sugar

   Bottle

   12 oz

   Per ounce

   About $1.25

7. 7.DaVinci Gourmet Naturals Hawaiian Salted Caramel Syrupabout $11

   Best for

   Caramel without the fake taste

   Sweetened with

   Cane sugar

   Bottle

   25.4 oz (750 ml)

   Per ounce

   About 43 cents

#	syrup	Best for	Sweetened with	Bottle	Per ounce	About
1	1.Monin Vanilla Syrup	Vanilla lattes	Cane sugar	25.4 oz (750 ml)	About 47 cents	$12
2	2.Torani Coffeehouse Variety Pack	Four classic flavors	Cane sugar	4 x 25.4 oz	About 31 cents	$32
3	3.Jordan's Skinny Syrups Caramel Pecan	Zero sugar, real caramel taste	Sucralose	25.4 oz (750 ml)	About 39 cents	$10
4	4.ChocZero Sugar Free Vanilla Coffee Syrup	No sucralose or erythritol	Monk fruit	25.4 oz (750 ml)	About 47 cents	$12
5	5.Ghirardelli Premium Chocolate Sauce	Chocolate drinks	Sugar	16 oz squeeze bottle	About 39 cents	$6
6	6.Portland Syrups Pumpkin Spice Syrup	Fall lattes	Organic cane sugar	12 oz	About $1.25	$15
7	7.DaVinci Gourmet Naturals Hawaiian Salted Caramel Syrup	Caramel without the fake taste	Cane sugar	25.4 oz (750 ml)	About 43 cents	$11

The best flavored syrups for coffee, ranked

11 · Best overall

Monin Vanilla Syrup

The clearest vanilla in a four-way side-by-side tasting, made with Madagascar vanilla extract and cane sugar.

$12.00

Check price on Amazon

Buy it if

You want one vanilla syrup for lattes, iced coffee and cold foam, and you want to taste vanilla, not just sweetness.

Skip it if

You're cutting sugar. A 1 oz serving carries 23 grams, the most of the four vanillas in that tasting.

The best vanilla syrup for coffee

Monin makes this one with Madagascar vanilla extract, cane sugar, water and natural flavors, with no artificial colors or preservatives. In the Business Insider tasting, where each syrup went into 8 oz of cold brew, it had the strongest classic vanilla of the four, a sweetness that felt just right despite the sugar, and a richer finish that tasted a little like caramel. Torani's vanilla was pleasant but faint next to it, and DaVinci's tasted artificial.

The syrup is thin and pale gold, so it stirs into cold coffee without sinking. At about 47 cents an ounce it costs more than Torani, and you'll want a pump: Monin sells a 1-liter bottle that comes with one, as a separate listing. Once open, Monin says a capped bottle keeps 90 to 180 days at room temperature, no fridge needed.

What owners report

Many buyers praise how clean it tastes. They say the flavor is concentrated and nothing about it seems artificial, and a lot of them call Monin their favorite syrup brand. One coffee drinker described the vanilla as floral, unlike Torani's. The price is the main complaint, and most people decide it's worth it.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

• High in sugar: 100 calories and 23 grams of sugar in a 1 oz serving.
• The vanilla smells stronger in the bottle than it tastes in a big mug.
• No pump unless you buy the bundle.

Madagascar vanilla extractCane sugarNo artificial colorsKeeps 3 to 6 months open

2

Best starter set

Torani Coffeehouse Variety Pack

Caramel, French vanilla, vanilla and hazelnut in four full bottles, from the syrup brand you'll find in most grocery stores.

$31.88Check price on Amazon

Buy it if

You're setting up a coffee bar at home and want the four flavors cafés use most, each in a full-size bottle.

Skip it if

You already know you only drink vanilla. Two of the four bottles are vanillas, and Monin's is the stronger one.

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Four latte syrups in one box

Torani has been making syrups in San Francisco since 1925, and its vanilla dates to 1982. This box holds one bottle each of Classic Caramel, French Vanilla, Vanilla and Classic Hazelnut, made with cane sugar, natural flavors and cold-filtered water. French vanilla is the richer one, closer to vanilla with a touch of hazelnut, so the two vanillas taste different in a latte.

Sporked put Torani's vanilla second of five, calling it smooth, potent and well balanced, with a silky body. In Business Insider's tasting it was the gentlest of the four, almost clear, with sweetness that felt ideal. That makes it easy to pour into anything: hot drip, cold brew, a frappé. Homegrounds' coffee writer picked this same box as her top syrup, wishing only that the second vanilla had been something new. At about $8 a bottle, it's the cheapest per ounce on this list.

What owners report

Torani's buyer ratings are among the highest for any syrup. People say a little goes a long way, that a bottle tastes the same as the last one, and that it's neither thick nor watery, so it blends into hot and iced coffee alike.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

• Two vanillas out of four bottles.
• The plain vanilla is mild next to Monin.

Shelf life

Torani gives its plastic bottles two years before opening, so the bottles you haven't started will keep.

4 full-size bottlesCaramel, hazelnut, 2 vanillasCane sugarAbout $8 a bottle

3

Best sugar-free

Jordan's Skinny Syrups Caramel Pecan

Rich, buttery caramel with a little pecan in the background, and no sugar or calories at all.

$9.98Check price on Amazon

Buy it if

You want a sugar-free syrup that tastes like dessert, and sucralose doesn't bother you.

Skip it if

You notice the taste of sucralose. Some buyers find the sweetness artificial, so try ChocZero instead.

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The best sugar-free coffee syrup

Sporked tasted ten of the most popular sugar-free coffee syrups and put this one at the top. The caramel is the star: rich, buttery, even a little smoky, with pecan in the background, like a cup of pecan brittle. It has no sugar, no calories and no carbs, sweetened with sucralose, and one tablespoon is a serving. Jordan's makes more than 50 flavors; if caramel pecan sounds too much like dessert, its Vanilla Caramel Creme came close in the same tasting.

At about $10 for 25.4 oz, it costs a little less per ounce than Monin.

What owners report

Jordan's is one of the most reviewed syrup brands there is. Plenty of buyers say it flavors coffee well without the sugar, and several mention how thin it is, so you barely notice it in the cup. The main complaint: to some people the sweetness tastes artificial rather than sugary.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

• Sucralose has an aftertaste some people pick up right away.
• Thin, so it doesn't add body the way sugar syrup does.

0 g sugar, 0 caloriesSucraloseKosherDairy free

4

Best sugar-free vanilla

ChocZero Sugar Free Vanilla Coffee Syrup

Sweetened with monk fruit, so it tastes like mild vanilla instead of a sweetener, with no sugar alcohols.

$11.99Check price on Amazon

Buy it if

You want a sugar-free vanilla that doesn't take over your coffee, and you avoid sucralose and sugar alcohols.

Skip it if

You want a strong vanilla hit. This one is mild by design.

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The best sugar-free vanilla syrup

Most sugar-free vanillas don't taste like vanilla at all. Tasting Table tried nine, and found bitterness, maple, honey and even fruity cereal where the vanilla should be. ChocZero came out first. It's sweetened with monk fruit, not sucralose or erythritol, and it went into coffee sweet but light, without the coating feel the others left on the tongue, and with an actual vanilla flavor from natural vanilla.

Each serving adds 6 grams of prebiotic fiber and 15 calories, so it isn't quite zero. The fiber makes the syrup a little cloudy; it doesn't change the taste. About $12 for 25.4 oz, roughly 25 servings.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

• 15 calories a serving, where Jordan's has none.
• Mild: you may want two pumps in a large latte.

Monk fruitNo sugar alcohols15 calories a serving6 g fiber a serving

5

Best for mochas

Ghirardelli Premium Chocolate Sauce

A thick sauce made with real chocolate and cocoa, for mochas and hot chocolate, for about $6.

$6.27Check price on Amazon

Buy it if

You make mochas or hot chocolate and want café-style chocolate, not a thin chocolate flavor.

Skip it if

You mostly drink drip coffee. A thick sauce won't stir into a mug of filter coffee the way a syrup does.

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The best chocolate syrup for mochas

This is more sauce than syrup. Ghirardelli makes it with real chocolate and cocoa, so it's thick and dark and tastes like chocolate rather than chocolate flavoring. Homegrounds' writer found it best in espresso drinks and hot chocolate, and not much use in drip coffee.

It comes in a 16 oz squeeze bottle for about $6, the cheapest bottle here. It also goes on ice cream.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

• Doesn't keep like a syrup: the brand recommends the fridge after opening, and Homegrounds says to finish it within about a month.
• Too thick for a quick stir into cold brew.

Real chocolate and cocoaSqueeze bottleKosherRefrigerate after opening

6

Best pumpkin spice

Portland Syrups Pumpkin Spice Syrup

Made with real organic pumpkin, ginger and brown sugar, and first among twelve pumpkin spice syrups in The Daily Meal's ranking.

$14.99Check price on Amazon

Buy it if

You want a pumpkin spice latte at home that tastes of pumpkin and spice, not just cinnamon sugar.

Skip it if

You're watching the price per cup over the whole year. At about $15 for 12 oz, it costs the most per ounce here.

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Pumpkin spice with real pumpkin

Portland Syrups is a small Oregon company that makes its syrups in small batches. This one uses real organic pumpkin, cinnamon, brown sugar and ginger, with organic cane sugar and no artificial flavors or preservatives. The Daily Meal ranked twelve store-bought pumpkin spice syrups and put it first: the pumpkin gives it an earthy sweetness and more body, the ginger deepens the spices, and nothing about it tastes artificial.

Portland sells it as a concentrate: a small pour goes a long way.

What owners report

Buyers mostly agree with The Daily Meal. They talk about a true pumpkin flavor and no artificial aftertaste, and many say their homemade lattes now beat the coffee shop's. One called it not overly sweet.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

• About $1.25 an ounce, though you use less per cup.
• A small bottle for the season if you drink one a day.

Real organic pumpkinGinger and cinnamonNo artificial flavorsSmall batches

7

Best salted caramel

DaVinci Gourmet Naturals Hawaiian Salted Caramel Syrup

Sweet, buttery caramel with Hawaiian sea salt, and no artificial colors, flavors or preservatives.

$10.86Check price on Amazon

Buy it if

You like salted caramel lattes and want a caramel syrup without artificial flavors.

Skip it if

You want plain caramel. You'll taste the salt in every sip.

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Salted caramel that stays buttery

DaVinci Gourmet started in Seattle's coffee scene in 1989, and its Naturals line skips artificial colors, flavors and preservatives. This one is cane sugar, water, sea salt, natural flavor and citric acid. The salt comes from Hawaii, and the faint pink tint from alaea, a reddish Hawaiian clay. Homegrounds' writer found it sweet, buttery and just salty enough to keep things interesting, even if she couldn't taste Hawaii in her cappuccino.

About $11 for 25.4 oz, a little under Monin per ounce.

Flaws but not dealbreakers

• Salt in every cup, which not everyone wants daily.
• Don't judge the brand by it: DaVinci's classic vanilla tasted artificial to Business Insider.

Hawaiian sea saltNo artificial flavorsNo preservativesCane sugar

Who this is for

Read this if you want café drinks at home: a vanilla latte, a caramel cold brew, a mocha on a Sunday. If you drink your coffee black and want more flavor without adding anything, look at single-origin beans instead. If it's the milk you're missing, the macchiato and latte guide walks through both drinks.

How to choose

What I'd skip