Sorghum Syrup
intro
Rich, earthy, naturally sweet sorghum syrup, a classic Southern American pantry staple perfect for baking, drizzling, and sweetening warm dishes.
Ingredients
Steps
Prep sorghum stalks
Trim 4.5kg (10lbs) of mature sweet sorghum stalks by cutting off leafy seed tops, woody root ends, and stripping away all tough outer leaves. Rinse stalks under cool running water to remove surface dirt, then cut into 15cm (6-inch) sections sized to fit your press or juicer. This prep takes approximately 25 minutes at room temperature.
Press fresh juice
Feed cut sorghum sections through a heavy-duty cane press or masticating juicer on the highest extraction setting, collecting juice in a large food-grade glass container. Continue pressing until stalk pieces yield dry, pale pulp with no visible moisture; you should collect roughly 3.8L (1 gallon) of cloudy pale green juice. Strain collected juice through 2 layers of fine cheesecloth to remove fine pulp, letting it drain for 10 minutes.
Start initial simmer
Pour strained juice into a 7.5L (8 quart) heavy-bottomed stockpot to prevent boilovers, and set over medium-high heat. Bring juice to a steady rolling boil, stirring every 3 minutes to avoid scorching on the pot bottom. Skim and discard all pale foamy residue that rises to the surface using a fine-mesh skimmer. Maintain this heat for 45 minutes, until the juice reduces by approximately half.
Lower heat to reduce
Once juice is reduced by half, stir in 1 teaspoon (5g) of unsalted butter to reduce persistent foaming, then turn stovetop heat to medium-low. Continue gentle simmering, stirring every 5 minutes to prevent burning, for an additional 60-70 minutes. Monitor closely as the liquid darkens to a deep amber hue and thickens; do not leave unattended, as the syrup can scorch quickly at this stage.
Test for doneness
Check syrup readiness with a candy thermometer: it should reach 104-106°C (220-223°F) at sea level, which is 7°C (13°F) above your local boiling point of water. For a visual test, drop a small spoonful of syrup onto a plate chilled in the freezer for 10 minutes; it should spread slowly with the pourable thickness of maple syrup, not turn hard or brittle. If too thin, simmer in 5-minute increments and retest.
Strain and store syrup
Once syrup reaches correct consistency, remove the pot from heat and let it cool for 15 minutes. Pour warm syrup through a single layer of fine cheesecloth into sterilized glass canning jars, leaving 1cm (1/2 inch) of headspace at the top of each jar. Seal jars with tight lids, then let cool completely to room temperature (about 2 hours) before storing. Sealed syrup keeps in a cool dark pantry for up to 12 months, or refrigerated for 2 years.
Tips
2.Adjust your target doneness temperature for high elevation: reduce the target temperature by 1°C (2°F) for every 300m (1000ft) above sea level to avoid overcooking syrup into hard, brittle candy.
3.Avoid using centrifugal juicers for extracting juice; their high speed does not effectively press enough liquid from fibrous sorghum stalks, leading to very low syrup yield.
OMG I have been looking for a proper traditional sorghum syrup recipe for YEARS! My grandma used to make it every fall when I was growing up and I could never get the thickness right before. This turned out SO good, I canned 4 jars to give out to cousins at our next family reunion. Worth every minute of the 2.5 hour cook time, trust me!
Solid recipe, I grew up pressing sorghum with my grandpa so I know my way around this stuff. Cut the cook time by 10 minutes because my stovetop runs super hot, and it turned out exactly the old-fashioned flavor I was chasing. Drizzled it over fresh biscuits this morning for breakfast, 10/10.
Game changer! I used this syrup to make a glaze for my roasted sweet potatoes at our neighborhood potluck last weekend and people were begging me for the recipe. It has this deep, nutty sweetness that’s way better than regular maple syrup if you ask me. Only thing is I had to run to the store last minute for cheesecloth to strain it, totally worth it though.
My kids loved it! I was worried the long cook time would be a hassle on a school night but I just set it up while I was helping with homework and it came together easy. I portioned it into little squeeze bottles to use on pancakes, oatmeal, and even ice cream all week. Will definitely be making this a fall staple!
Wait, is there a substitute if I don’t have access to fresh pressed sorghum juice? I live at a pretty high elevation and can’t find it at any of the local farm stands around here, would love to make this without driving 2 hours to the nearest sorghum farm.
Tasted good but I definitely messed up the straining step, I think my cheesecloth had too big of holes and mine came out a little grainy. Also underestimated how long it would take to come up to temp on my tiny apartment stove, took almost 3 hours total. Next time I’ll be more prepared!
Made this to use as a glaze for smoked ribs and let me tell you, it was unreal. The rich, earthy sweetness pairs so well with smoky pork, better than any store-bought BBQ sauce base I’ve ever used. My brother in law drank almost a quarter jar straight over ice cream after dinner, no shame.
So excited that this is naturally gluten free! I follow a strict GF diet for celiac and it’s so hard to find affordable, pure syrups that don’t have weird cross-contamination risks. I did find that it boiled over a little on my glass top stove when I first turned the heat up, so just a heads up to anyone else using a glass range – don’t walk away at the start!
I remember making sorghum syrup with my students back when I taught 4th grade at a rural elementary school, and this recipe is exactly how we did it back then. I made a batch last week and brought a jar to my former teaching assistant, she cried when she tasted it because it brought back so many good memories. Thank you for sharing this traditional recipe, it’s so special.
Grew my own sorghum this year for the first time and pressed the juice myself, so I was stoked to find a straightforward recipe to turn it into syrup. Turned out great, though I added a tiny pinch of sea salt at the end to cut the sweetness a little, which I thought made it even better. Will be planting more sorghum next year for sure!
Served this alongside fresh cornbread and fried chicken at my southern themed brunch last weekend and it was the star of the show! People were going back for seconds and thirds of cornbread just to dip it in the syrup. I was worried medium difficulty meant I’d mess it up, but the steps were super easy to follow even for someone who mostly makes avocado toast, lmao.
How long does this keep in the fridge? I made a double batch and I don’t want it to go bad before I can use all of it. I canned half of it but the other half is just in a regular mason jar in the back of my fridge right now, not sure how long it stays good.
I’ve been buying store bought sorghum syrup for years to make my famous sorghum pecan pies for Thanksgiving, and this homemade version is 100x better. The flavor is so much deeper and nuttier, I already know my family is going to lose their minds when they taste the pie this year. Game on, Thanksgiving dessert table!