Golden syrup is the essential secret ingredient used in making mooncakes that gives the mooncakes their beautiful golden color, texture, and subtle sweetness. Learn to make this hard-to-find ingredient at home with 3 simple ingredients.

spoon scooping up golden syrup featured image

What Is Golden Syrup?

Mid-autumn festival is just right around the corner, and that means everyone’s getting ready to enjoy some traditional mooncakes.

Golden syrup, also known as 转化糖浆 in Cantonese, is a type of inverted sugar created by combining 3 key ingredients:

Sugar
Water
Lemon juice

Golden syrup is most commonly used for making mooncakes and gives the mooncakes it’s signature color, softness, flavor, and subtle sweetness.

Golden syrup has a beautiful golden amber color and a similar consistency to honey. It’s sweet with a slight hint of tanginess from the lemon juice.

Unfortunately, if you live in North America, you may have a very difficult time finding this key ingredient for making mooncakes. I scoured through at least half a dozen grocery stores, but was not able to locate any golden syrup to make mooncakes back when I was first learning how to make mooncakes.

I tried to locate the coveted Lyle’s Golden Syrup, a famous brand of golden syrup originating from the UK, but failed 🤦‍♂️

I tried to look for other competing brands.

I even tried to look for generic no-name brands, but turned out empty-handed.

The only place where I found it being sold was online, at a huge PRICE PREMIUM by third-party sellers (cough, cough, scalpers) 😡

I contemplated just giving up on making mooncakes and buying them instead, but have you seen the prices of mooncakes recently, especially good quality ones?

I’m talking upwards of $30-40 for 4 measly pieces of mooncakes, and you’ll most likely be buying multiple boxes in different flavors too!

It was at this point that I was faced with a choice: either pay an exorbitant amount to purchase mooncakes, buy golden syrup at rip-off prices online, or forgo eating these delicious traditional mooncakes altogether all because golden syrup isn’t sold over here.

Neither one of these was an option for me.

If I couldn’t buy golden syrup from grocery stores at reasonable prices, then I was determined to make my own.

Luckily, though, I soon learned how to make golden syrup myself after extensive research, trial and error, and many failed attempts.

And now I’d like to share with you my homemade golden syrup recipe for mooncakes so you can save a bit of money and not waste countless hours like I did, going from grocery store to grocery store, trying to buy golden syrup.

Golden Syrup Ingredient Notes

White granulated sugar: We’re going to use regular white sugar for this recipe, which is easily found at grocery stores all around the world.

How to Make Golden Syrup

Cut a lemon in half and squeeze out its juice.
Add your water and sugar to a pot and cook it over medium heat. Gently stir the pot (if necessary) to help dissolve the sugar.

Bring the mixture to a boil, then pour your lemon juice through a strainer onto the pot, give it a quick stir to mix the lemon juice with the sugar liquid, and then reduce the heat to medium-low. Do not stir the pot anymore when it begins to boil because it can cause the sugar to crystallize.

Let the pot cook on medium-low to low heat until it turns into a golden amber color and the temperature reaches around 116-117°C (240-242°F). This took me about 1 hour and 45 minutes, but the time may be different for you.
It is highly suggested that you use a thermometer to measure the temperature during the cooking process to ensure that you don’t under- or overcook the golden syrup. No, actually, you do really need one!
Occasionally, wet a brush and brush the sides of the pot where the sugar syrup has splashed to prevent the sugar syrup from crystallizing and falling back into the sugar syrup.

Once the temperature of the golden syrup reaches at least 116°C and the color has turned into a golden amber color, turn off the stove and pour the golden syrup into a container or bowl or just leave it in the pot to cool down. The color will continue to darken while cooling down. Once the golden syrup has fully cooled down, pour it into an airtight glass jar and store it at room temperature away from the sun.

The golden syrup will become thicker after it has cooled down. If you see your golden syrup appearing a bit runny right after cooking this is normal and nothing to be worried about.

A Few Helpful Tips

Pour the lemon juice through a strainer before adding it to the pot. This will help remove any pulp or seeds from the lemon juice.
Use a thermometer: To get the best results and to ensure that your golden syrup comes out perfect each time, it’s important to use a thermometer to measure the temperature to make sure that your golden syrup has reached the right temperature before removing it from the stove. This prevents you from under- or overcooking the golden syrup. Don’t guess and eyeball it, get a thermometer!
Use a deeper pot to make golden syrup. This helps prevent the sugar water from splashing onto your countertop when it boils.
Keep the pot open during the cooking process
Do not stir the pot after the sugar water starts to boil!!! This helps prevent the syrup from clinging and crystallizing on the pot’s walls.
Brush the sides of the pot with a wetted brush: Use a brush lightly wetted with water to brush the sides of the pot to remove any sugar liquid that has splashed there. If you skip this step, sugar crystals may form and fall back into the sugar syrup and ruin it.
Wait at least 2 weeks before using the golden syrup if you’re using it to make mooncakes: This allows time for the flavor to mature, to allow the inversion process to complete, and will give your mooncakes a nicer color and make the skin less sticky.
Double or triple the quantity if you plan on making a lot of mooncakes. Since making golden syrup is a time-consuming process, if you intend to make a lot of mooncakes, then I suggest doubling up on the recipe to make more of the golden syrup.
Don’t throw out your cut lemon slices and use the leftover golden syrup stuck to the pot to make some lemon tea. Add back the cut lemon slices to the pot after you’ve poured out the golden syrup. There should still be some golden syrup stuck to the sides and bottom of the pot that has solidified or become very thick and difficult to remove. Add in some tea and water to the pot, and brew it for a few minutes, and now you have yourself some lemon tea, not to mention making it easier to wash the pot 😉

Common Mistakes Beginners Make

The golden syrup started to crystalize in the pot while cooking: Did you add in the lemon juice to the sugar liquid while cooking? The lemon juice helps prevent sugar recrystallization. Also the golden syrup needs to be cooked at a low temperature and you SHOULD NOT STIR the pot while it is cooking!!! Make sure to use a wetted brush and brush off any burnt sugar crystalizes on the sides of the pot to prevent them from falling down into the syrup as well.
The golden syrup got burnt in the pot: This is an indication that you were cooking the golden syrup with a very high temperature. The golden syrup should only be cooked at a very low temperature.
The golden syrup is too thick after cooling down: You cooked it for too long. The golden syrup should have a similar consistency as honey after it has cooled down. Pour the golden syrup back into a pot and add a little bit of water to it and reheat it until it gets to the right consistency that you want.

Storage Tips

The golden syrup can be stored in an air-tight jar at room temperature away from the sun for up to a year.

Recipes That Pair Well With This

Golden syrup is typically used in the mooncake-making process for making the skin of mooncakes. You can also pair this with some Hong Kong-style French toast or add it as a sweetener when making tea.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can I Use Store-Bought Lemon Juice Instead of Fresh Lemons?

Yes, this should work. Just make sure that the lemon juice is still fresh.

How Long Do I Cook the Golden Syrup For?

It took me about 1 hour and 45 minutes to reach 117°C and to develop a nice golden amber color for my golden syrup. You can use this as an estimate. Your time will vary based on your own stove and what type of pot or pan you choose to use.

How Much Golden Syrup Does This Recipe Make?

This recipe makes approximately 600g of golden syrup. The number of course will vary depending on how long you cook the golden syrup for and how much liquid you still have left at the end of the cooking process. This is enough for roughly 48-50 100g mooncakes or 24-25 200g mooncakes.

Why Did My Golden Syrup Solidify After Cooking?

You overcooked it. Pour the golden syrup back into a pan or pot, add a little bit of water to it, and heat it back up again until it is not as viscous and thick as before.

How Long Can I Store the Golden Syrup For?

The golden syrup can be stored for up to 1 year in an airtight jar or container at room temperature. Golden syrup, like wine, is one of those things that gets better with time, and it is typically recommended to give it at least 2 weeks to rest before using it.

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Golden Syrup for Mooncakes: Step-by-Step Guide

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Prep Time 1

Cook Time 1 45

Total Time 1 46

Course baking, Dessert

Cuisine Chinese

Servings 600 ml

Equipment

1 Pot
1 thermometer

Ingredients

500 g White granulated sugar
250 ml Water
2.5 Tablespoons Lemon juice 37.5 ml

Instructions

Cut a lemon in half and squeeze out its juice.
Add your water and sugar to a pot and cook it over medium heat. Gently stir the pot (if necessary) to help dissolve the sugar.
Bring the mixture to a boil, then pour your lemon juice through a strainer onto the pot, give it a quick stir to mix the lemon juice with the sugar liquid, and then reduce the heat to medium-low. Do not stir the pot anymore when it begins to boil because it can cause the sugar to crystallize.
Let the pot cook on medium-low to low heat until it turns into a golden amber color and the temperature reaches around 116-117°C (240-242°F). This took me about 1 hour and 45 minutes, but the time may be different for you.
It is highly suggested that you use a thermometer to measure the temperature during the cooking process to ensure that you don’t under- or overcook the golden syrup. No, actually, you do really need one!
Occasionally, wet a brush and brush the sides of the pot where the sugar syrup has splashed to prevent the sugar syrup from crystallizing and falling back into the sugar syrup.
Once the temperature of the golden syrup reaches at least 116°C and the color has turned into a golden amber color, turn off the stove and pour the golden syrup into a container or bowl or just leave it in the pot to cool down. The color will continue to darken while cooling down. Once the golden syrup has fully cooled down, pour it into an airtight glass jar and store it at room temperature away from the sun.

Notes

Notes:

The golden syrup will become thicker after it has cooled down. If you see your golden syrup appearing a bit runny right after cooking, this is normal and nothing to be worried about.

Use a thermometer: To get the best results and to ensure that your golden syrup comes out perfect each time, it’s important to use a thermometer to measure the temperature to make sure that your golden syrup has reached the right temperature before removing it from the stove. This prevents you from under- or overcooking the golden syrup. Don’t guess and eyeball it, get a thermometer!

Wait at least 2 weeks before using the golden syrup if you’re using it to make mooncakes