Last Updated on June 24, 2022 by laurenpacek
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This Lavender Simple Syrup is the perfect sweet and floral addition to your hot and cold drinks. It is lovely in hot and iced teas, lemonades, and coffee drinks!
It's also very easy (nay, simple) to make this Lavender Simple Syrup. Just get your hands on some fresh or dried lavender flowers and infuse it into a plain simple syrup. Et voilà!
Table of contents
What is Lavender Simple Syrup?
Lavender Simple Syrup is simply (see what I did there?) plain simple syrup that has been infused with the flavor of the flowers from the lavender plant.
Simple syrup is typically made up of water and some kind of sweetener: various sugars, honey, etc.
Lavender is a perennial plant, meaning that in certain growing zones it is capable of surviving the cold winter months and growing again in the spring without needing to replant. The plant and the flowers are fragrant, often being used as a culinary herb.
Ingredients
You only need three ingredients in order to make this flavored syrup.
- Water: Just plain water will do.
- Sugar: I used white granulated sugar. If you choose to use brown or demerara sugars, or maybe honey in place of the sugar, remember that the flavor and color of the resulting syrup will be different than what I describe for this particular recipe.
- Lavender: I'm trying my hand at growing lavender for the first time, so I just stepped out onto the patio and snipped some fresh lavender for this recipe. You only need the purple flowers, and not the green stems or leaves. You can also use store bought, dried lavender, too. Please just make sure that the lavender that you're using is food grade lavender.
How to make Lavender Simple Syrup
To make this lavender syrup, you'll first start out by making a plain simple syrup. To do this, you'll want to combine equal parts of water and sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Whisk the water and sugar occasionally until the mixture comes to a simmer, and the sugar has been completely dissolved into the water.
Next, add your lavender flowers (not the green leaves and stems) to the syrup. Whisk everything around and make sure that the lavender gets fully submerged into the syrup. You want to extract all of the lovely flavor that you can from the flowers.
After that, all you need to do is let the lavender infuse into the simple syrup for about 30 minutes before straining the syrup into a jar or bottle for storage.
Your homemade syrup likely won't take on a vibrant purple color, like some store bought lavender syrups will be. If this is an issue for you, you can always add a little bit of food coloring to the syrup to give it a light purple hue.
Recommended tools
- A heavy-bottomed saucepan
- A whisk (I like silicone)
- Wet and dry measuring cups
- A fine mesh strainer
- A swing top bottle, for storing the syrup
How to use Lavender Simple Syrup
You can use this syrup in a number of ways. Use it to sweeten hot or iced tea, make a lovely lavender lemonade, or even use it to sweeten your coffee! I had an iced vanilla lavender latte from a local coffee shop not long ago, and it was delightful. That purchase inspired me to create my own Lavender Latte. *chef's kiss*
Another use for simple syrup that I think often gets overlooked is using it to moisten and flavor fully baked cakes and cupcakes. If you're making a layer cake, you can lightly brush the individual layers with some simple syrup before assembling and frosting the cake. This will not only provide flavor, but it will help to keep the cake moist.
The same thing goes for cupcakes: you can brush the tops of the baked and cooled cupcakes with a little syrup to provide flavor and moisture. Once you've brushed the syrup onto the cupcakes, just go ahead and frost them as planned.
Other simple syrup recipes
I have quite a few other syrup recipes on this site. I've also listed a few below, along with sweet recipes from other food and drink bloggers.
- Vanilla Syrup from A Nerd Cooks
- Hibiscus Simple Syrup from Mitten Girl
- Demerara Syrup from A Nerd Cooks
- Rosé Wine Simple Syrup from Jaylynn Little
- Jalapeño Simple Syrup from A Nerd Cooks
- Caramel Simple Syrup from Feast and West
- Peach Syrup from A Nerd Cooks
FAQs/Tips and Tricks
Either one works. If you're using dried lavender, make sure that it is food grade lavender and use about half of what you would use if you were using fresh lavender. The flavor intensifies when it's dried.
Yes, it does go bad. Sad, but true. It should last approximately a week or two in the fridge if stored in an airtight container.
It should last about a week or two if stored in an airtight container in the fridge. You can prolong its shelf life a bit by adding about half an ounce of vodka to the syrup (this is what I did).
Yep, stash it in the fridge in an airtight container!
The finished syrup, as written, won't be a vibrant purple color. If you'd like, you can always add a little food coloring to the syrup to give it a little color. Totally optional, though.
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The Recipe
Lavender Simple Syrup
This Lavender Simple Syrup is the perfect sweet and floral addition to your hot and cold drinks. It is lovely in teas, lemonades, and even coffee drinks.
Ingredients
- ¾ cup water
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 4 tablespoons fresh lavender flowers (see notes)
Instructions
- Combine the water and sugar in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Whisk occasionally until the syrup comes to a simmer.
- Turn off the heat and add the lavender to the syrup. Whisk the mixture so that the flowers are coated and submerged in the syrup. Allow the flowers to infuse for 30 minutes.
- Strain the syrup into an airtight container, allow it to cool fully, and store it in the refrigerator.
Notes
- You can use fresh or dried lavender flowers. If using dried, make sure that it is food grade lavender AND use about half of what you'd use if you were using fresh.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 99Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 3mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 0gSugar: 25gProtein: 0g
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