• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Decorated Treats

  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Cake Recipes
    • Cookies Recipes
    • Brownies & Bars
    • Bread & Dough Treats Recipes
    • Sweets & Candies
    • Jellies & Cold Dessert
    • Frostings, Fillings & Sauces
  • Designs & Tutorials
  • Tips & Techniques
    • Preparing Cakes for Decoration
    • Fondant Decorating
    • Piping Techniques for Cake Decorating
    • Gum Paste Flowers - How to Make
    • Decorating with Chocolate
    • Other Techniques
  • Submit Your Cake Photos
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Categories
  • Recipes
  • Tutorials
  • Techniques
  • Your Cakes
  • Contact Me
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Categories
    • Recipes
    • Tutorials
    • Techniques
    • Your Cakes
    • Contact Me
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Recipes » Recipes

    Gula Melaka Syrup (Palm Sugar Syrup) - How to Make

    Published: Jun 23, 2022 · Modified: Sep 24, 2022 by Priya Maha

    Jump to Recipe
    Palm sugar syrup in a bottle.

    Gula melaka syrup (also knows as palm sugar syrup) is very easy to make. This 2 ingredients recipe takes less than 10 minutes to prepare an is a really handy and homemade alternative to store bought syrup.

    No more headaches in finding out where to buy a good gula melaka syrup with this simple recipe!

    Palm sugar syrup in a bottle.
    Homemade Gula Melaka Syrup in a Bottle

    Gula melaka is a term used to describe palm sugar in Malaysia. It is derived from the sap of certain palm trees and are widely used in making a variety of sweet cakes and desserts in the South East Asian region.

    This palm sugar has a sweet and disticnt taste from regular white or brown sugar. In terms of taste, it is probably the closest to muscovado sugar but those who are regulars with gula melaka will be able to very quickly tell the difference.

    Gula melaka is naturally brown in color but the color can vary from a lighter brown tone to a deep darker brown. It is often sold in round blocks or round discs. To use the gula melaka, it is often chopped into small pieces or grated and dissolved with water to form a syrup. The syrup is then added into the cooking or to desserts like in the sago gula melaka.

    Gula melaka syrup is the liquid form of the palm sugar and is very convenient to use in cooking and baking. It eliminates the need to have to cut or grate and dissolve the sugar in water before using.

    Table of contents

    • How to Make
      • Ingredients
      • Preparing the palm sugar (gula melaka)
      • Cooking the gula melaka syrup
    • Notes
      • What is the consistency of this palm sugar syrup?
      • How long does the syrup last?
      • Why are there sugar crystals in my syrup and how to avoid them?
      • Can you omit the pandan leaf?
    • Like this gula melaka syrup recipe? Here are my other posts you might want to check out:
    • Recipe (Printable)

    How to Make

    Ingredients

    • Palm sugar
    • Water
    • Pandan leaf (optional)

    Preparing the palm sugar (gula melaka)

    There are 2 ways in which you can prepare the gula melaka for the syrup. The first methods is to chop it into small pieces. While it is easy to chop gula melaka that is sold in discs, it can be a little hard to chop the ones that are sold in cylinder or tubes. For these, the easiest way to cut will be to grate them with the knife.

    The second way is to grate the gula melaka with a cheese grater. This also helps to break the gula melaka into easily dissolvable texture. For best results in making the gula melaka syrup recipe on this page, grate the gula melaka. This is because the chopped version will take a longer time to cook which means more water will be evaporated in the cooking process. This in turn will result in a much thicker gula melaka syrup as compared to when made with the grated gula melaka.

    Cooking the gula melaka syrup

    A poster of 6 images showing how to make gula melaka syrup.
    1. Place the grated melaka into a small pot.
    2. Add the water. Knot the pandan leave and add it into the pot (optional).
    3. Turn on the heat to low. Let the syrup cook over low heat until it is completely dissolved. The grated version will dissolve much faster while the chopped version will take longer.
    4. Let the syrup cook until it start bubbling on the sides.
    5. Remove from heat strain the syrup to remove any residue.
    6. Let the syrup cool completely before pouring into a clean jar or bottle. Keep it refrigerated.

    Note: If you chop your gula melaka instead of grating it, you will need to adjust the amount of water used to make the syrup. Refer to recipe notes in the recipe card below for the adjustment.

    Gula Melaka syrup in a bottle.

    Notes

    What is the consistency of this palm sugar syrup?

    • The syrup has a thick, honey like consistency. If you prefer a thicker consistency, you will have to cook it a little longer.

    How long does the syrup last?

    • This palm sugar syrup can last well provided it handled well. When poured into a clean dry bottle or jar, the syrup can last up to 1 month in the refrigerator.

    Why are there sugar crystals in my syrup and how to avoid them?

    • There is tendency for sugar crystals to form in the gula melaka syrup. Once reason could be the addition of sugar in making the gula melaka.
    • To avoid the sugar crystals, you can add some lemon rind when cooking the syrup.
    • Another alternative is to strain the syrup once it has cooled down completely. That way, you can sieve out any sugar crystals formed in the syrup too.

    Can you omit the pandan leaf?

    • Yes, you can. Pandan leaf gives the palm sugar syrup a lovely fragrance. But if you cannot find pandan leaves or prefer not to add it to your syrup, you can omit it.

    Like this gula melaka syrup recipe? Here are my other posts you might want to check out:

    • Pandan Cookies with Coconut and Gula Melaka - An Easy Recipe
    • Coconut Jelly with Palm Sugar (Coconut Milk Agar Agar)
    • Sago Pudding with Coconut Milk and Palm Sugar (Sago Gula Melaka)
    • Pandan Syrup - How to Make
    • Crispy Coconut Cookies - Light and Easy Cookies
    • Pandan Cake - Easiest Pandan Flavored Pound Cake
    • Pandan Cheesecake - Perfectly Baked and Creamiest Ever!


    Recipe (Printable)

    Here is the full printable version of my gula melaka recipe.

    Palm sugar syrup in a bottle.

    Gula Melaka Syrup

    This gula melaka syrup needs only 2 ingredients recipe takes less than 10 minutes to prepare. It's easy, quick and simple all the same!
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: Asian
    Keyword: Gula Melaka Syrup
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 5 minutes
    Total Time: 20 minutes
    Yield: 200 ml
    Author: Priya Maha
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients

    • 200 g gula melaka (palm sugar)
    • 5 tablespoon water
    • 1 pandan leaf (optional)

    Instructions

    • Grate the palm sugar with a knife or a cheese grater. (See the notes below for adjustments in the water used in the recipe if you chop your gula melaka instead of grating it).
    • Place it into a small pot.
    • Add water. Knot the pandan leave (if using) and drop it into the pot. Turn on the heat to low.
    • Cook the syrup until the gula melaka is all dissolved and the syrup starts to bubble at the sides. This should take about 3 to 5 minutes. Stir to help the sugar dissolve quicker.
    • Remove the syrup from heat and let it cool down completely.
    • Strain the syrup to remove any residue or sugar crystals. Pour the gula melaka syrup into a clean and dry jar or bottle.

    Notes

    • The recipe above makes gula melaka in thick honey-like consistency. For a lighter consistency, increase the water to 6 or 7 tablespoons.
    • The amount to time required for the gula melaka to dissolve depends on how small it is chopped into or grated. The recipe above is made with grated gula melaka. If you wish to chop your gula melaka instead of grating it, you will need to increase the amount of water used to cook the syrup. The adjustment would depend on how large or small you chop your palm sugar into. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 3.3kcal | Carbohydrates: 0.9g | Sodium: 2mg | Sugar: 0.7g | Calcium: 0.1mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @decorated_treats or tag #decoratedtreats!

    And that's my easy homemade palm sugar syrup recipe for you.

    Top view of a bottle filled with gula melaka syrup.

    Enjoy!

    More True and Tried Recipes

    • Chocolate Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies
    • Banana Butter Cake (Easy & Moist)
    • Mango Jelly (without Gelatin) - How to Make Easy Mango Agar Agar
    • Konnyaku Jelly - Easy 3 Ingredients Recipe

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi there!

    I'm Priya, and I'm so excited that you dropped by :) Welcome to DECORATED TREATS, a place where I share all my cake decorating ideas & true and tried recipes for all things sweet.

    More about me →


    Currently trending

    • How to Make Tea with Milk Powder (Milk Powder Tea)
    • Earl Grey Milk Tea - How to Make Earl Grey Tea with Milk
    • Why is My Cake Wet In the Middle (and How to Avoid It)
    • Agar Agar Jelly Recipe (How to Make)

    As featured on:

    Footer

    ^ back to top

    SUBSCRIBE TO DECORATED TREATS

    Sign up for latest recipes and tutorials!


    Thank you for joining!

    Keep watch for my latest updates in your email.

    .

    About

    • Privacy Policy & Disclaimer
    • Conversion Chart

    Resources

    • Submit your Cakes
    • Testimonials

    Decorated Treats is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. Decorated Treats also contains other affiliate links, which if you purchase from may earn me a small commission. The full disclosure policy can be found here.

    Copyright © 2022 Decorated Treats