No Sugar Added Fruity Simple Syrups To Sweeten Your Day

A fresh tasting fruity sweet syrup that is made with all-natural ingredients added to sparkling water makes for a refreshing drink. A drink that would take care of that sweet tooth and hydrate you as well.  Driving back from our little weekend getaway the previous weekend, my husband was on his 3rd ( No sugar added) Vitamin water (Costco brand) and remarked how his stomach felt a little queasy and uncomfortable. I looked at the ingredients and said ” yep there’s sucralose in it” ! It can cause stomach cramps esp, after a few!  Then I thought that maybe, I could make an all-natural fruit based simple syrup using sweeteners I trust or believe to be safe. Add some sparkling water and a dropper full of liquid vitamins and make my own healthy soda/ vitamin drink. So, I got some ingredients together last week and made 3 syrups and they were all really yummy. I used erythritol and stevia to sweeten. You can also use monk fruit, agave nectar or just plain raw honey to sweeten. You will still get calories if you use honey and agave, but you will also get some vitamins & minerals & anything straight from nature can’t be all that bad for you right? although if you’re diabetic or cutting carbs/sugar you may want to stick with erythritol, stevia  and monk fruit.

What is a simple syrup?

A simple syrup is equal quantities of sugar and water cooked till it boils and becomes a syrup. These are sometimes infused with fruit, artificial flavoring etc. and are used popularly in cocktails, drinks, smoothies, juices etc. Ever wondered why the mall smoothies are so sweet? It could be loaded with simple syrup of sugar and water.

Making simple syrup
The first syrup I made was ginger syrup. I juiced ginger (about 1 dollar worth) and I got about 10 ounces. I used 8 ounces and kept two ounces aside for when I want a fresh shot of ginger in my drink. I cooked the ginger with erythritol till it was nice and bubbly. My syrup was more like a thick liquid but not syrupy like maple syrup. If you want a more syrup consistency uses a thickening agent like guar gum. I like my syrups to be as close to natural as possible, so I opted not to use the gum. My syrup was strong. Just a tsp added some serious kick to my kombucha, and I loved it.

The second syrup I made was a berry syrup.  I pulverized some fresh berries (you can also use frozen) and cooked it with equal quantity of erythritol. I added a dash of liquid stevia and it was just right. This was more like a spread or a delicious preserve you could serve with crepes or pancakes. You could also spoon it over chocolate ice-cream or yogurt.

The third syrup I attempted was a grapefruit syrup. I love grapefruit! It’s not a fruit I ate growing up in India since I don’t remember seeing it in fruit markets.  My first memories of it are when I was working in the middle east and there were grapefruit trees in the city of Salalah which is like a greenhouse in a dessert! The fruit would just fall on the ground and we would pick them, juice them, add some date syrup and it was an exotic sweet drink that is hard to forget. When I came to the US, grapefruit became a staple in my diet.  I juiced two fruit to get 1 cup juice and cooked it with erythritol. A shot of this went into my kombucha and it was sweet and heady! This syrup would make a great gin and tonic 😊 and I know this because I have tasted a mean grapefruit gin and tonic made by a friend; another of those unforgettable drinks.

So, I tested my simple syrups on friends and family last week and over the weekend. My husband’s buddies were in town and they all really liked the ginger syrup with a shot of fresh lemon juice. My husband loved that too and has been asking for it all weekend. My kids loved the berry one and the grapefruit is just mine. I can’t wait to experiment and try out some new flavors. From my kitchen to yours! A few simple syrups to sweeten your day!

Ginger Simple Syrup

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Ingredients

• 12 Inches fresh ginger
• 1 cup erythritol
• 2 Dropperfuls liquid stevia

Note

If you do not have a juicer, blend the ginger with 1 cup water and strain. Use the strained juice to make the syrup

Directions

	Juice ginger using a centrifugal or masticating juicer
	cook 1 cup ginger juice on the stove on slow heat with the erythritol till it bubbles ( about 6 -8 minutes)
	Store in a glass jar and use as needed

Berry Simple Syrup

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Ingredients

• 1 cup blueberries
• 1 cup strawberries
• 1 cup erythritol
• 1 Tsp lemon juice

Note

You can also sue frozen berries or any mix of berries as you please. 2 cups fresh berries usually yield 1 cup of berry puree

Directions

	blend berries with as little water as possible in a blender
	Cook stove top on slow heat with lemon juice and sweetener till it bubbles ( 8 -10 minutes)
	Cool and store in glass jars

Grapefruit Simple Syrup

Print recipe

Ingredients

• 2 Large grapefruit
• 1 cup erythritol
• 2 Tsp ginger juice (or 2 tsp grated ginger)

Directions

	Juice grapefruit
	cook grapefruit juice, erythritol and ginger on slow heat till it bubbles and comes to boil ( about 8 minutes)
	Cool and store in glass bottles

Week 5 of my social media fast and it’s going well. Like they say the first two weeks are the most challenging. Some unfinished projects in my life are getting done and I started a few new projects like making kefir water which I plan to blog soon. I am enjoying spending extra time with my inner self, finding joy and peace in solitude when there are no people around or friends to talk to on social media. Also relishing moments and time spent with people I do come across. I know this break will change the way I relate on social media when I do get back  on for the better and for now this calm, sometimes somber, strangely trusting feeling I have is peaceful. I penned this post yesterday but didn’t feel a need to  publish etc till now. As usual I have candidly poured out some of soul in this last paragraph and if you don’t want to read my thoughts you should just stop with the recipe. I guess since I am not on social media, my thoughts spill into my posts :)! But anyway Thank you for stopping by and have a fabulous week! Here’s a picture of my fizzy, bubbly grapefruit ginger kombucha that I am always happy to share :)! Love to all who visit here <3

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