A method for producing a setting retarder for hydrate-forming binders, wherein a) a first reactant A, comprising an amino acid and/or an amino acid derivative, is reacted with b) a second reactant C, including an amine-free carboxylic acid and/or an amine-free carboxylic acid derivative, to form a reaction product, characterized in that the reaction is carried out at a pH value of 7.5-11.5 and the pH value is held constant in the specified range of 7.5-11.5 during the reaction. In order to hold the pH value constant in the specified range and to avoid fluctuations, in one process step an aqueous solution of reactant A is prepared and a pH of 7.5-11.5, preferably 8-11, in particular 8.5-10.5, is set by adding a base.