Capture the essence of lilac in a small bottle of fragrant lilac syrup and infuse your baked goods, drinks, and cocktails with its delicious lilac flavor. This simple lilac syrup also makes a beautiful DIY gift, especially when lilacs bloom in your garden.
May is in full swing, and lilacs, with their unmistakable scents, are part of it. There are several species of lilac bush, with various color shades from light pink to deep purple. Their fragrance has calming properties and evokes pleasant memories that help overcome stressful situations.
Why you will love this recipe?
- this homemade lilac syrup captures the delightful essence of lilac
- You can select a sweetener and make a healthier alternative to store-bought syrups
- . This lilac syrup is a thoughtful and personalized gift for friends and family.
- you need just 3 ingredients to make this syrup to add a fragrant touch to your treats and drinks
- Perfect for enjoying the calming aroma
- Creates cherished memories, especially during lilac bloom
Is lilac an edible flower?
While we enjoy their beauty in gardens or use them to decorate our interior, few people know that lilacs are also edible. Not only that, they are also tasty and pose medicinal benefits.
I like to use edible flowers in my kitchen and cannot wait to make recipes like red clover pancakes, violet panna cotta, sakura latte, or dandelion fritters every year.
Preserving lilac season
Making lilac syrup is a wonderful method to preserve the floral taste and fragrance of lilacs, allowing you to enjoy their essence even
Lilac blossoms are great when making calming lilac tea or lilac donuts. However, you want to preserve their fragrance and flavor after their blooming season. In that case, you want to make lilac syrup.
Other ways to preserve lilacs are to make lilac sugar, lilac ice or lilac jelly.
When you decide to eat lilac, use blossoms that haven’t been sprayed with pesticides or other chemicals. The safest way is to use lilacs that grow in your garden. Collect the flowers on a sunny day. You will need four lilac flowers to make this delicious lilac syrup.
Don’t rinse the blossoms; just carefully observe them and mechanically remove any bugs or dirt. You want to keep the pollen, which is a carrier of the fragrance and flavor of the syrup. I usually set the flowers outside for a while so that any tiny bugs hiding in the blossoms have a chance to escape.
Ingredients to make this homemade syrup
Fresh Lilac (Syringa vulgaris)
Also known as the lilac or common lilac, it is widely grown as a large shrub or small tree. Any variety of lilacs will work in this recipe. In the small village where I live on the border of Lake Geneva, we have of lilac bushes of various colors, from violet and pink to dark purple flowers. Their aroma is relaxing and eases stress, which is why so many people just walk around and inhale the fragrance.
Sweetener
Syrups need sweeteners. While most recipes use white sugar for vibrant color, feel free to try healthier options like honey or brown sugar for a caramel taste. Stevia or powdered sugar are also good choices. Remember that the sweetener affects the syrup’s color and thickness; more sugar makes it thicker. I always taste the syrup before adding more sugar in the syrup.
Lemon Juice or citric acid (optional)
Lemon and citric acid balance the sweetness, add brightness, and preserve the syrup.
How to make lilac syrup
First step: Prepare the lilac blossoms
Once you gather the delicate lilacs, use just the tiny florets from the bunch. Make sure to also remove the tiny green stems since they can make the syrup bitter. Discard stems and leaves.
Second step: Infuse the lilac florets
Many recipes suggest cooking the florets in the water first to capture the taste and fragrance. I prefer to steep the florets overnight in cold, pre-boiled water with 2-3 slices of unwaxed (organic) lemon. Steep the syrup for 24 hours.
Third step: Strain the Syrup
Strain the lilac water through the muslin cloth, fine-mesh strainer or fine mesh sieve into a sterilized jar. Press down on the flowers to extract as much syrup as possible.
Fourth step: Add sweetener and citric acid
Add honey or raw sugar and citric acid.
Once all is dissolved you can fill the syrup in sterilized bottles.
Lilacs for beauty
Lilacs possess astringent properties that are successfully used in oils, creams, toners, or lotions to tighten the skin and reduce wrinkles. Their fragrance is prized the world over and is often used in perfumes, candles, or soaps. But can you eat them?
How to use this Lilac Simple Syrup
- Lilac syrup is delicious on its own, just mixed with water, sparkling water or ginger ale
- It pairs well with lemon and makes for a tasty base for a lilac lemonade made of sparkling water, lilac syrup, and lemon juice in a ratio of 2:1:1.
- I like to add 1-2 teaspoons to my morning hot tea or coffee.
- This syrup can be used as a topping on pancakes or waffles.
- Mix it into yogurt.
- Pour it as a light syrup over ice cream or panna cotta.
- Use it as a sweetener on this fruit salad recipe, whipped cream, or custard.
- Use the syrup to make a jelly by adding gelatine to the mixture.
- If you need a kick at the end of the day, mix it with vodka and lemon juice or add it to other cocktails.
- In cake recipes, sugar syrup is called for.
- To moisten cakes, brush a cake with lilac syrup before icing it. That will give a special taste and extra moisture to your cake
Other floral syrups you want to make
Violet syrup
How to make this lilac simple syrup recipe a lilac color?
The color of the syrup depends on the color of the lilac blossoms. The more colorful they are, the brighter the color of the syrup will be. If your lilac blossoms are light, you can use a few wild blueberries to turn it into lilac color.
How to Know if the Simple Syrup Has Gone Bad?
Lilac syrup should be clear and not cloudy. When its appearance changes from clear to moldy, it means that it is going bad. Seeing some bubbles develop on the top is also a sign of breaking down. Another sign that your lilac syrup is going bad is a foul odor that may come from the bottle when you open it.
How do you make this lilac cordial thicker?
You can reduce the syrup if you prefer a thicker consistency to use it on pancakes or over ice cream. If you use honey as a sweetener for your syrup, you will lose its medicinal benefits with higher temperature. So, I would rather increase the amount of honey to make the syrup thicker than heat the syrup.
If you use raw sugar, the best way to make it thicker is to reduce the amount of water. Pour the syrup into a saucepan and simmer the lilac syrup under very low heat for 10-15 minutes. The mixture doesn’t need to boil; all we need is some liquid to evaporate, so leave the saucepan uncovered. A thermometer monitors the temperature until it reaches 110 C (230 F). Once your syrup reaches this temperature, it should be thick enough to make pancakes.
How does this homemade lilac syrup taste?
The flavor of lilac syrup varies depending on the blossoms you use. Each flower has a different taste and fragrance. They are, in general, very fragrant with a floral lemony taste. It pairs well with citrus and strawberry so you can get creative and decorate lilac syrup cocktails with these fruits or pour lilac syrup over strawberry sorbet as a special springtime treat! Don’t worry. Their fragrance and flavor are manageable.
How to store this delicious lilac syrup?
If you make a small batch that you plan to use within a few weeks, you don’t need to do anything; just keep it refrigerated.
Canning is required for more bottles of lilac syrup that you want to keep for the whole year or give as a gift. Canning lilac syrup is easy. Fill your canning pan with water and set it to boil. Reduce the heat and place your jars in the boiling water for 10 minutes. Remove them from the water bath; they should be safe for 8-12 months.
Alternatively, you can store it in the freezer to extend its shelf life up to 6 months. Use airtight containers or ice cube trays and freeze them.
Lilac Syrup
Capture the essence of lilac in a small bottle of lilac syrup and enhance your drinks or plate with the spring flavor of heaven.
Ingredients
- 3-4 lilac blossoms
- 200 ml (0.8 cup) raw honey or raw sugar
- 2-3 slices unwaxed lemon
- 10 g (0.3 ounces, 2.5 teaspoons) citric acid
- 300 ml (1.25 cup) water which you cool before use
Instructions
- Once you gather the delicate lilacs, use just the tiny florets from the bunch. Make sure to also remove the tiny green stems since they can make the syrup bitter. Discard stems and leaves.
- Many recipes suggest cooking the florets in the water first to capture the taste and fragrance. I prefer to steep the florets overnight in cold, pre-boiled water with 2-3 slices of unwaxed (organic) lemon. Steep the syrup for 24 hours.
- Strain the lilac water through the muslin cloth, fine-mesh strainer or fine mesh sieve into a sterilized jar. Press down on the flowers to extract as much syrup as possible.
- Add honey or raw sugar and citric acid. Once all is dissolved you can fill the syrup in sterilized bottles.
Notes
It is important to use sterilized bottles that are dried.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
30Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 639Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 8mgCarbohydrates: 173gFiber: 0gSugar: 173gProtein: 1g
Are the lemons a necessity if you want to waterbath can the syrup? I’ve already made my syrup & didn’t use lemons (trying to save the purple color) but I have so much of it that I definitely need to can it!
HI Kylee,
Great question! Lemons are important if you want to safely water bath can lilac syrup, not just for flavor or color, but for food safety. The pH needs to be below 4.6 to safely preserve it this way. Lilac flowers and sugar water alone don’t guarantee a low enough pH.
If you’ve already made your syrup without lemon and want to keep that gorgeous purple color, here’s what you can do:
Test the pH of your syrup using pH strips or a meter. If it’s below 4.6, you’re good to water bath can.
If it’s not acidic enough, you must add lemon juice or citric acid to lower the pH before canning.
You could also freeze the syrup instead, which doesn’t require acidification.
Tip: If you’re worried about losing the purple hue, try using citric acid instead of lemon juice, it can preserve acidity without turning the syrup brown as much.