Spiced Plum Syrup
With a hint of vanilla, cinnamon, and ancho chile, this Spiced Plum Syrup whispers of Mexico, but brings a bit of delicious flavor to recipes from around the globe… Pour it over pancakes or waffles, shake it with your favorite distilled spirit, add it to a sauce for pork or chicken. It’s versatile and easy to make!
👩🏻🍳 Tamara Talks – About Plums
Plums are in season in the US from May to October, but in south Texas, they’re available in all their glory – NOW – in August. I’ve purchased beautiful cherry plums, black plums, pluots (plum-apricot hybrid), and most recently, prune plums. There are so many amazing varieties of plums. For more information see Plum Varieties Are Complex and Fascinating.
Why do I like prune plums?
- Number one reason? They’re freestone! I HATE prying the flesh away from stone fruit. These plums literally fall away from their pits.
- They’re not all that sweet, making them a great option for using in a savory dish.
- They’re easy to use in sweet recipes like this plum and red wine sorbet and this pisco cocktail.
- Their yellow flesh turns a beautiful reddish color as they cook.
- Their flavor intensifies with cooking.
While they’re decent for eating out of hand, they’re a fabulous plum for cooking! Couple their flavor with the fact that they’re “freestone,” and you’ve got a perfect cooking plum!
📋 Plum Syrup Ingredients
Here is a quick look at the ingredients in the recipe – it’s handy to use at the grocery store or as a summary of what you need. Skip to the recipe for quantities.
- plums – As I mentioned above, prune plums are freestone, and super easy to break down, and hold up well to cooking. European varieties (like Stanley and Italian) tend to be freestone, and Japanese varieties tend to be clingstone. For more information, see Plums and Prunes.
- sugar – I like piloncillo or brown sugar, but regular sugar is fine.
- cinnamon sticks
- dried red chile – Red chile is COMPLETELY OPTIONAL, but if you like a little heat, I think you’ll like it in this plum syrup recipe!
- vanilla bean
🔪 Instructions
- Prepare the ingredients – Add all the ingredients to a medium sauce pan including water. Push the spices down into the water.
- Cook the plum syrup – Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer 10 minutes, then push the plums and spices down into the liquid. Continue to simmer without the lid to reduce and thicken – another 20-30 minutes.
- Strain the syrup – Pour the contents of the saucepan through a fine mesh sieve.
- Finish the syrup – Press the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Allow to cool completely before storing. Alternatively, you can use it warm over waffles, and it is amazing!
❓ FAQ
Does it matter what variety of plums I use?
Do I have to remove the pits?
How long can I keep the plum syrup?
Do I have to use piloncillo sugar?
💭 Tips
Keep in mind that the dark skins provide a more intense color. If you desire that glorious, deep purple hue, choose plums with deep purple or black skins. As I mentioned earlier, prune plums are ideal!
🧂 Useful Stuff
Note: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases at no additional cost to you. This helps to offset the costs of maintaining my blog and creating awesome content! 😊
🍷 How To Use Your Plum Syrup
How can I use my gorgeous bottle of spiced plum syrup? We have used ours in a pisco sour variant with plum syrup in addition to lime juice. It’s delicious. Consider it an excellent cocktail ingredient.
I’m going to try it as a sweetener in a fruity salad dressing, and we’ve had the syrup poured over pancakes. Use it in place of sweeteners.
As summer winds down, what are your favorite ways to use plums, other than out of hand?
📖 Recipe
Spiced Plum Syrup
Click to rate!
Ingredients
- 32 ounces plums - washed
- 1 vanilla bean - sliced lengthwise
- 1 to 2 dried red chiles - optional
- 2 cinnamon sticks - see notes
- ½ cup grated piloncillo or brown sugar
- 2 cups water
Instructions
- Prepare the ingredients – Add all the ingredients to a medium sauce pan including water. Push the spices down into the water.
- Cook the plum syrup – Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer 10 minutes, then push the plums and spices down into the liquid. Continue to simmer without the lid to reduce and thicken – another 20-30 minutes.
- Strain the syrup – Pour the contents of the saucepan through a fine mesh sieve.
- Finish the syrup – Press the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Allow to cool completely before storing. Alternatively, you can use it warm over waffles, and it is amazing!
Notes
Nutrition
NOTE: Macronutrients are an approximation only using unbranded ingredients and MyFitnessPal.com. Please do your own research with the products you’re using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.
Deep rich flavors and perfect for those autumn cocktails. Love the kick of spice, sweet and essence of cinnamon.
Haha – having recently made damson jam, you don’t need to sell stoneless plums to me! I love the look of this spiced syrup because you’ve got a chilli in there – not something I’ve ever thought of adding to a syrup before, but it does sound like a great idea. Just one question – will you be treating us to a cocktail with this syrup before too long?