How to use the simple syrup calculator
- Enter the sugar parts and water parts of the ratio by weight. 1 and 1 is a 1:1 syrup, and 2 and 1 is a rich 2:1 syrup.
- Choose which amount you know: the water, the sugar or the syrup total, enter it, and pick grams or ounces by weight.
- In More options, change the grams per cup of sugar, an example value used for the cup measure.
- Read the sugar and water to use, the sugar share by weight and the amounts in cups and milliliters.
Formula
sugar = water x sugar parts / water parts
water = sugar x water parts / sugar parts
sugar share = sugar parts / (sugar parts + water parts)
When you know the total, sugar = total x sugar parts / (sugar parts + water parts), and water is the rest. Water is measured at 1 gram per milliliter, and a US cup is 236.588 milliliters.
A 1:1 and a 2:1 syrup from 250 grams of water
For a 1:1 syrup from 250 g of water, the sugar is 250 x 1 / 1 = 250 g, the total is 500 g, and the sugar is 50% of the weight. At 200 g of sugar per cup, that is 1.25 cups of sugar and 250 mL of water. For a 2:1 syrup from 250 g of water, the sugar is 500 g and the sugar share is 66.7%.
If you want 450 g of 2:1 syrup in all, the sugar is 450 x 2 / 3 = 300 g and the water is 150 g. Eight ounces of water by weight for a 1:1 syrup needs 8 oz of sugar, and the 8 oz of water is about 227 mL.
Why weight beats volume
A cup of sugar and a cup of water do not weigh the same, and dissolved sugar takes up less room than the sum of the two measures. A recipe that says 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water makes about one and a half cups of syrup, not two. Using weight for both removes the guesswork, and the ratio stays exact whatever size of batch you make.
The cup measures on this page are for convenience. They use an example of 200 grams of granulated sugar per cup, which varies with how the sugar is packed. If you measure by cups, level the sugar and keep the water exact, or better, weigh both on a kitchen scale.
Choosing a ratio
A 1:1 syrup is thin and pours easily, which suits mixing into drinks. A 2:1 syrup is thicker and sweeter for the volume, so you use less of it, and it is often kept longer. Other ratios work too, such as 1:2 for a light syrup. Any ratio you enter is scaled the same way.
Syrup is made by dissolving the sugar in the water, with or without gentle heat, then cooling it. Keep it in a clean, covered container in the refrigerator, and follow your own food safety practice for how long to keep it. For scaling drinks, the Batch Cocktail Calculator helps, and for converting weights the Ingredient Grams to Cups Converter. The Jam Sugar Calculator covers sugar for preserves.
Assumptions and limits
- The ratio is by weight, with parts above zero and at most three decimals.
- Ounces are by weight, with 28.3495 grams per ounce. Water is 1 gram per milliliter.
- The grams per cup of sugar is an example you can change. It affects only the cup measure.
- Nothing is stored or uploaded, and the page gives no food safety advice beyond the note on the result.
Frequently asked questions
How much sugar for a 1:1 simple syrup?
Use the same weight of sugar as water. With 250 grams of water, use 250 grams of sugar, which makes about 500 grams of syrup that is 50% sugar by weight.
What is the difference between 1:1 and 2:1 simple syrup?
A 1:1 syrup has equal parts sugar and water by weight, so it is 50% sugar. A 2:1 syrup has twice as much sugar as water and is 66.7% sugar, so it is thicker and sweeter.
Why does syrup make less volume than sugar plus water?
Dissolved sugar fits into the spaces between water molecules, so the combined volume is less than the sum of the two. That is why the page works by weight and shows cups only as a rough guide.
Can I make syrup from ounces?
Yes, choose ounces by weight. These are ounces of mass, not fluid ounces, so use a kitchen scale. The page converts them using 28.3495 grams per ounce.