Heptamethine cyanine dyes are a class of near infrared (NIR) dyes that have captured the interest of the scientific community. Although applications that utilize NIR fluorescence technology are rapidly expanding, progress is limited by the lack of availability and cost of suitable compounds that can be utilized as labels and/or probes. Herein, we report the use of microwave assisted organic synthesis of five NIR cyanine dyes in yields ranging from 64-83% with a significant reduction in solvent use. Spectra characteristics including absorbance and emission spectra, molar absorptivity, quantum yield, fluorescence lifetime, and redox potentials were determined for each synthesized NIR cyanine dye.