Making lavender syrup at home is super easy to do. The first time I made simple syrup at home, I thought it would be much more involved than it really is. So, if you are like me and feel a bit intimidated, don’t be.
Now, before we even get into the details of this recipe, I want to clear something up (or mudde something up) right away. When you make lavender syrup at home, it will not be a beautiful purple color unless you tint it with food coloring. It actually comes out kind of gray or a weird iced tea color after a few days in the fridge.
But don’t let the color get in the way of what will taste so amazing. Also, the aroma of this syrup is no joke. We made lavender lemonade with this syrup, and the lavender flavor held its own next to the powerful lemon.
Ingredients you’ll need for this recipe
The critical thing to keep in mind is that you need the proper kind of culinary lavender. The good news is that it is super simple to order it from Amazon. It may be a bit challenging to find it at your local grocery store but we got ours for less than ten bucks.
✓ Water
✓ Food-Grade (also called Culinary) Lavender
✓ Granulated Sugar
Important Tips
- Avoid boiling the infused water. If you overcook the syrup, it will turn out bitter.
- A gentle simmer is all that you need. After it starts to simmer, the sugar should dissolve, and then you can put it on the lowest heat possible. At that point, you are heating it just to help the lavender infuse its flavor.
- The lavender seeds are pretty small so you will need a fine mesh strainer to remove them from the syrup after heating, or secure them in a cheesecloth and cooking twine before putting them in the saucepot.
- My recipe is an overnight version to get as much flavor from the lavender flower buds as possible. You can use this after an hour of steep time, but I wanted my lavender syrup to have a powerful lavender flavor that is noticeable and strong.
- This syrup will keep in the fridge for quite a while. We have had ours in the back of the fridge in a glass container for about a month, which is still good.
- If you are curious about the color of homemade lavender syrup, I can help you out here. The lavender flowers don’t transfer the same lovely color to the syrup. LIke I said above, it comes out gray at first and becomes an iced tea color after a few days. I don’t recommend food coloring because it’s not a clear syrup.
- Like simple syrup, this is a thin mixture; it does not come out thick like pancake syrup.
Ways To Use It
We keep finding so many uses for this lavender simple syrup recipe. Our favorite way to use it so far is in drinks.
Lavender Lemonade: We originally made this to create this lemonade. The key is that it only takes a splash of the syrup to infuse the lemonade. Now, I can tell you that we all liked it at different strengths. So you can offer to add more if someone wants it but start off with just a bit.
Coffee and Lattes: Stir a spoonful of lavender syrup into your morning coffee or latte. It pairs especially well with a vanilla latte. This is my personal favorite way to use lavender syrup.
Cocktails: Elevate your cocktails by mixing in some lavender syrup. It pairs beautifully with gin, vodka, or champagne. Try adding it to a classic gin and tonic, a lavender martini, or even a lavender French 75 for a sophisticated touch.
Iced Tea: Give your iced tea a flavor upgrade by stirring in lavender syrup. The very first time that I had lavender syrup was in iced tea at a local lavender farm. From that point on, I was hooked on the flavor.
Mocktails: For non-alcoholic beverages, lavender syrup is a great way to add complexity. Combine it with sparkling water, citrus juices, or even mixed berry juice for a refreshing mocktail.
Lavender Syrup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups cold water
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 to 4 tablespoons food-grade lavender
Instructions
- Combine Ingredients: In a small saucepan, combine the water, sugar, and lavender.
- Heat: Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the sugar is fully dissolved.
- Simmer: Once the sugar has dissolved, reduce the heat to low and let the mixture simmer for about 5-7 minutes to allow the lavender to transfer its flavor.
- Remove from Heat: Take the saucepan off the heat and let the syrup steep for an hour. Once the pot came to room temp, I covered it and let it sit in the fridge overnight.
- Strain: Set a large bowl in your sink. Set the fine-mesh strainer over the bowl. Pour the syrup through the strainer to remove the lavender buds, allowing the bowl to catch the syrup. Press the buds gently and repeatedly with a wooden spoon to remove as much liquid as you can.
- Store: Transfer the syrup to a clean, airtight jar or bottle and refrigerate. The syrup will keep for about 2 weeks to a month in the fridge and kept cold.
- Note: Like simple syrup, this is a thin mixture; it does not come out thick like pancake syrup.
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