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Homemade lavender syrup is easy to make with 3 ingredients and can be used in everything from lattes to cocktails, lemonade, baked goods and more.
This has been the year of lavender syrup here in our house. ♡
Ever since I fell in love with our neighborhood coffee shop’s lavender iced latte last summer — and then pivoted to making my own here at home for a fraction of the cost (recipe coming tomorrow!) — steeping a quick batch of homemade lavender simple syrup has become a regular part of our weekly routine. And over time, we’ve come to find that it’s useful for so many other delicious treats beyond coffee too!
You can use lavender syrup to add a hint of floral flavor to your favorite cocktails. (I’m especially partial to a lavender gin fizz or lavender mojito.) You can add a splash to a refreshing glass of lemonade, iced tea, or sparkling water. You can whisk lavender syrup with powdered sugar to form a lavender glaze, or whip it with heavy cream to make lavender whipped cream. Or you can customize the syrup with different sweeteners or play around with infusing rose, mint, vanilla, or lemon into the syrup too. The possibilities are endless and so much fun!
Most of the time, we keep things simple here in our house with a basic 3-ingredient lavender simple syrup made with dried lavender buds, sugar and water, which won’t steer you wrong. But I’ve included lots of different ideas and tips below to help craft whatever version of this syrup you may love best.
So grab some culinary-grade dried lavender and let’s make a quick batch together. I promise you can find many delicious ways to put it to good use!
Lavender Syrup Ingredients
Here are a few quick notes about the lavender syrup ingredients you will need for this recipe:
Culinary-grade dried lavender: As always when cooking with lavender, it’s important to use culinary-grade dried lavender, since not all species of lavender flowers are safe to be used in cooking. I’ve been purchasing this organic lavender on Amazon over the past year and love it.
Sweetener: Traditional simple syrup is sweetened with white granulated sugar, which is a delicious option here. But you’re welcome to experiment with whatever type of sugar, honey, or other natural sweetener that you love best.
Water: And of course, we will need plain water to serve as the base liquid for our syrup.
Lavender Syrup Tips
Detailed instructions for how to make lavender syrup are included in the recipe below. But here are a few additional tips to keep in mind:
Use culinary-grade lavender. Again, just a reminder to please be sure and use culinary-grade lavender when making this syrup so that it is safe to consume.
Adjust the amount of lavender to taste. I recommend following the recipe below the first time that you make this lavender syrup. Then if you find that you prefer a stronger or milder lavender flavor, just adjust the amount of lavender the next time that you make the syrup, to taste.
Avoid over-steeping the lavender. Steeping lavender for too long can cause it to become bitter. So if you test out the recipe below and find that you prefer an even stronger lavender flavor, it’s best to use a higher ratio of lavender to water (versus steeping the lavender longer in the simple syrup).
Lavender Syrup Variations
Here are a few extra variations to this lavender simple syrup recipe that you are welcome to try:
Use a different sweetener: Use cane sugar, honey, maple syrup, or any other favorite sweetener in place of the white granulated sugar.
Add vanilla: Add a hint of pure vanilla extract to make lavender vanilla syrup.
Add lemon: Add a splash of lemon juice or lemon zest to make lemony lavender syrup.
Add fresh mint: Infuse fresh mint into the syrup with the lavender to make lavender mint syrup.
Add rose: Infuse culinary-grade dried rose petals with the lavender to make lavender rose syrup.
Ways To Use Lavender Syrup
There are countless ways that you can use lavender syrup, but here are a few of my favorites!
Lavender cocktails: Use it to sweeten lavender cocktails, such as lavender mojitos, lavender martinis, or lavender gin fizzes.
Lavender latte: Add it to a hot or iced lavender latte for a lovely floral twist.
Lavender lemonade: Add it to your favorite lemonade, homemade or store-bought, to make lavender lemonade.
Lavender iced tea: Add it to your favorite iced tea to make lavender sweet tea.
Lavender sorbet: Add a drizzle to your favorite fruity sorbet before freezing to make lavender sorbet.
Lavender baked goods: Add it to your favorite baked goods, such as scones, cakes, or muffins. (It pairs especially well with blueberry, lemon or white chocolate.)
Lavender glaze: Whisk some powdered sugar into the syrup to form a lavender glaze to drizzle over baked goods.
Lavender whipped cream: Add it to homemade whipped cream to make lavender whipped cream.
Simmer.Heat the sugar and water in a small saucepan over high heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture reaches a simmer. Continue stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved.
Steep.Remove pan from the heat. Stir in the lavender and let the mixture steep for 15 minutes.
Strain.Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer* into a heat-safe jar. Let cool until the syrup reaches room temperature, then cover and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
Straining the lavender: If you find that there are still some grainy bits in the syrup, you may need to place a cheesecloth or paper towel in the strainer to help strain out the tiniest bits.
Simple…just three ingredients…
Love using it in my choice of milk when I froth it!
I use it in my tea…coffee and cocktails
Thank you! No more Starbucks for me!
My local coffee shop has a seasonal coffee right now that uses basil syrup. I was just wondering how I might recreate the syrup to make the drinks at home. I can’t wait to try this!
Happened to check out a farmers market last weekend on a getaway, and there was a lavender farm selling (among numerous other things) culinary lavender. Meant to be! I bought some for this recipe and can’t wait to try it!
Hey, I’m Ali!
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Would coconut sugar work just as well? We’re always looking for cane sugar alternatives!
Simple…just three ingredients…
Love using it in my choice of milk when I froth it!
I use it in my tea…coffee and cocktails
Thank you! No more Starbucks for me!
My local coffee shop has a seasonal coffee right now that uses basil syrup. I was just wondering how I might recreate the syrup to make the drinks at home. I can’t wait to try this!
Happened to check out a farmers market last weekend on a getaway, and there was a lavender farm selling (among numerous other things) culinary lavender. Meant to be! I bought some for this recipe and can’t wait to try it!