How to Make Maple Syrup From Sap

Discover how you can make your own, delicious maple syrup at home.

Once you’ve tapped your maple trees and collected the sap, it’s time for the best part—making maple syrup!

If you’re a fan of the sweet flavor of authentic maple syrup, there’s nothing quite like the satisfaction of creating your very own batch at home. Learn how to make this delicious liquid gold with this simple guide from Blain’s Farm & Fleet.

Amount of Sap Needed

The sap to syrup ratio is approximately 40 to 1. That means it takes 40 gallons of maple sap to make one gallon of pure maple syrup.

For a more precise measurement, use a hydrometer to determine the exact sugar content percentage in your sap. Then, divide it by 86 to determine how many gallons of your sap you will need to make one gallon of syrup.

Evaporating Sap

You can evaporate sap by boiling it down to remove extra moisture. This condenses the sugars in the sap to create syrup. Boiling also kills harmful bacteria in raw sap.

Before boiling, filter the sap through a coarse filter to remove large debris. And then pour it through a finer filter, such as cheesecloth, to remove smaller debris.

It is not recommended that you initially boil the sap in your home because the fumes will coat your kitchen with a sticky film. Usually, people choose to evaporate sap outdoors over a large fire pit. Split your wood into smaller logs (two to three inches in diameter). So they burn more readily, producing a higher temperature.

After you have filtered your raw sap and started your heat source, you can fill your evaporator pan or large pot, and start boiling. Begin with only two inches of sap in the bottom of the pan to get it boiling quickly and evenly. As the moisture evaporates, the level of the sap will drop, allowing you to slowly add more to the pan.

Do not add too much sap at once, or you will kill the boil. Keep the heat high, do not stir, monitor the sap level, and do your best to maintain a boiling point of 212° F to 218° F by using a candy thermometer.

Finishing the Evaporation Process

When your raw sap is almost completely boiled down but still has a fluid texture, transfer it from the large evaporating pan to a smaller pot on your kitchen or camp stove. Keep the sap boiling until it reaches 217° F to 218° F and takes on the consistency of syrup.

At this point, turn off your stove, remove the pot from the hot burner, and cover it to avoid water loss and maintain density. Your finished product should consist of approximately 67% sugar and 33% water.

Filtering and Bottling Maple Syrup

Filter the hot syrup through cheesecloth to remove niter (also known as sugar sand). Bottle your syrup while it is hot (185° F to 190° F) in air-tight mason jars or specially-made bottles for maple syrup.

Store your syrup in a cool, dry place or freeze it. If you don’t bottle your syrup while it’s hot, it won’t seal as tightly, and hence, should always be refrigerated or frozen.

Congratulations! You have made your very own homemade maple syrup! You can share it with your family and friends, give it as holiday and birthday gifts, and even keep some for yourself.

For more maple sugaring tips and how-tos, check out our Maple Syrup Blog.