The short answer: to make lavender syrup, bring 240 ml (1 cup) water and 200 g (1 cup) sugar to a simmer until the sugar dissolves. Take the pan off the heat, stir in 1 tablespoon dried culinary lavender and steep for 15 to 20 minutes. Strain, cool and keep it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Lavender syrup is a simple syrup that tastes of summer. A spoonful turns lemonade, iced tea or a latte into something you would pay for in a café. The trick is restraint. Too much lavender, or too long a steep, and the syrup tastes of soap. Below: the base recipe, the right steeping time, how to get a soft purple colour, and the best ways to use it.
| At a glance | |
|---|---|
| Time | 5 minutes of work, 15 to 20 minutes steeping |
| Makes | About 300 ml |
| Ratio | 1 tablespoon dried lavender per 240 ml water |
| Keeps | Up to 2 weeks in the fridge |
Ingredients
- 240 ml (1 cup) water
- 200 g (1 cup) white sugar
- 1 tablespoon dried culinary lavender, or 2 tablespoons fresh lavender flowers
- Optional, for colour: 4 or 5 blueberries or a few dried butterfly pea flowers
Use culinary lavender. English lavender, Lavandula angustifolia, has the sweetest flavour. Buy it from a spice shop or the baking aisle. Lavender sold for crafts or potpourri may be treated and is not meant for food.
How to make lavender syrup
- Dissolve the sugar. Put the water and sugar in a small pan over medium heat. Stir until the sugar is gone and the liquid is clear.
- Simmer briefly. Let it bubble gently for 1 minute, then take the pan off the heat.
- Add the lavender. Stir in the lavender and the blueberries, if you use them. Cover the pan.
- Steep. Leave it for 15 minutes, then taste. Steep up to 5 minutes more for a stronger syrup.
- Strain. Pour it through a fine sieve into a clean jar. Press the blueberries lightly for colour.
- Cool and chill. Let it cool, close the jar and keep it in the fridge.
Why steeping time matters
Lavender gives up its sweet, floral notes first. Bitter, soapy notes follow later. That is why the herb goes in off the heat and why the steep is short. Boiling the flowers, or leaving them in overnight, pulls out the harsh side. Taste at 15 minutes. If it already smells strongly of lavender, strain it.
Fresh lavender is milder than dried, so use about twice as much. Pick the flower heads just as they open, rinse them and pat them dry.
Old lavender is weaker than fresh. Take 15 minutes as the first taste, not the finish line.
How to get a purple colour
Lavender syrup made only with lavender is pale gold, not purple. The purple you see in cafés usually comes from somewhere else. You have three easy options:
- Blueberries: 4 or 5 berries in the steep give a soft lilac.
- Butterfly pea flowers: a few dried flowers give deep blue. Add lemon juice and it turns violet.
- A drop of food colouring: one drop of purple, or red and blue mixed, is enough.
How to use lavender syrup
- Lavender lemonade: stir 2 tablespoons syrup into a glass of lemonade over ice.
- Lavender latte: add 1 to 2 teaspoons to a latte or an iced oat milk latte.
- Iced tea: sweeten black or green tea with it, plus a slice of lemon.
- Sparkling water: 1 tablespoon in a glass of soda water makes a light homemade soda.
- Baking: brush it over a warm lemon cake, or drizzle it on yogurt and berries.
Lavender pairs well with lemon, vanilla, honey, blueberry and earl grey. For a sweeter, rounder syrup, try our vanilla syrup or a spicy ginger syrup, made the same way.
Variations
| Syrup | Change | Best in |
|---|---|---|
| Lavender honey syrup | Use honey instead of sugar, add it off the heat. Not for babies under 12 months | Tea, yogurt |
| Lavender lemon syrup | Add the zest of 1 lemon with the lavender | Lemonade, soda water |
| Lavender vanilla syrup | Add half a split vanilla bean | Lattes, cake |
| Rich lavender syrup | Use 2 parts sugar to 1 part water | Iced coffee |
How long lavender syrup keeps
- Fridge: in a clean, closed jar for up to 2 weeks.
- Freezer: in an ice-cube tray, then in a bag, for up to 3 months. Drop a cube straight into lemonade.
- Throw it out if it turns cloudy, smells sour or grows mould.
- A rich syrup with 2 parts sugar keeps a little longer, because more sugar leaves less free water.
Questions
How much lavender do I use for lavender syrup?
Use 1 tablespoon dried culinary lavender per 240 ml (1 cup) water and 200 g sugar. With fresh flowers, use about 2 tablespoons.
Why does my lavender syrup taste like soap?
It steeped too long, or the lavender boiled. Add the flowers off the heat and strain after 15 to 20 minutes.
Why is my lavender syrup not purple?
Lavender alone makes a pale gold syrup. Add a few blueberries or butterfly pea flowers to the steep for colour.
How long does lavender syrup last?
Up to 2 weeks in a closed jar in the fridge, or 3 months frozen in cubes.
Can I use any lavender?
Use culinary lavender sold for food, ideally English lavender. Lavender from craft shops may be treated and is not meant to be eaten.
