How To Make Lavender and Rose Simple Syrups ~ these easy homemade simple syrups can be made with all sorts of edible flowers for a romantic pop of flavor in drinks and dessert recipes.
A basic simple syrup is just equal parts sugar dissolved in water, and it’s used to sweeten drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, and it can be used in desserts, too.
But the cool thing is that you can flavor them with just about anything, from herbs, fruits and spices, to almost anything you can think of.
These florals just captivated my imagination. The scents and the colors of flowers are familiar to all of us, but these syrups give you a change to experience their flavors as well. I have lots of lavender growing in the backyard, but no roses, so part of my day was spent tracking down some suitable petals.
I finally called my friend Judith and she graciously lent me a few of her gorgeous lavender roses for this project. Just make sure whatever plants you use haven’t been sprayed with pesticides. Even if you don’t have a garden, roses should be pretty easy to beg, borrow or steal. If you can’t find lavender buds, you can buy them here
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The process is, well, simple! You dissolve the sugar into the water on the stove, along with whatever you want to infuse for flavor, like lemon zest, vanilla, cinnamon, etc. You can use simple syrups in desserts, and you can turn them into amazing homemade sodas, but I made mine especially for the cocktail hour. I’m posting this Friday. Don’t miss it!
Neither of these floral flavors is popular in America; our palates just aren’t used to them (yet!) but lavender is a classic French ingredient, and rose is common in Middle Eastern desserts. Both should be used sparingly, which is why these syrups are nice. They add a floral note without being overpowering.
If you want to experiment with simple syrups, the basic formula is a one to one sugar and water ratio, although you can make a thinner syrup with more water. Just heat the two in a small saucepan until the sugar dissolves. The more flavoring agent you use, and the longer you let it steep, the stronger it will be. They keep for about a month in the fridge. While they’re mostly useful for drinks, you can use them to flavor endless things like cakes, frostings, etc.
I use my rose simple syrup in my Cardamom Rose Cocktail, but there are so many other uses for it. I like to use it to make glazes for cakes, or even to make a simple all natural rose ‘soda’ ~ just add sparkling water!
Reader Rave ~
“Thanks for the recipe! I made lavender syrup using dried lavender buds. I preferred the 1:1 ratio you used rather than the 2:1 ratio most other recipes I found used; it was closer in consistency to the store-bought lavender syrup I had that I was replacing. I use the syrup to make homemade iced lattes and lavender lemonade. So delicious!.” ~ Ashley
How To Make Homemade Lavender and Rose Simple Syrups
Ingredients
Lavender simple syrup
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 Tbsp lavender buds, rinsed (remove the buds from the stems before they flower)
- tiny touch of violet gel food coloring, optional
rose simple syrup
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup Rose Water, food grade, not the kind for cosmetic use
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 heaping cup rose petals, rinsed (the darker your petals, the more color you will get)
Instructions
- To make the lavender syrup ~
- In a small saucepan heat the water, sugar, and lavender until it comes to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Simmer gently for 5 minutes. Depending on the color of your lavender, you may or may not get a pale lavender shade to your syrup. If you want to bump up the color, add a TINY bit of gel paste food coloring. (use a toothpick)
- Let cool and then strain through cheesecloth into a jar or bottle with a tight fitting lid.
- Refrigerate until ready to use. It will keep for a month in the fridge.
- To make rose simple syrup ~
- Heat the water, rose water, sugar and rose petals in a small saucepan until it comes to a simmer, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Simmer gently for 5 minutes.
- Let the liquid cool, then strain into a jar or bottle with a tight fitting lid.
- Refrigerate until ready to use. It will keep for a month.
Note: I stored my syrups in jars because I liked the look, but it would be even more convenient to transfer them to bottles for easy pouring later.
Thanks for pinning!
If I can’t get a hold of roses free from pesticides will it work if I just reduce down the rosewater into a syrup or will you lose too much of the rose flavor? Thanks!
I actually don’t know, because I haven’t tried that, Cat. Maybe you could make a plain unflavored simple syrup and just flavor it with the rosewater.
The lavender simple syrup sounds lovely. What sugar substitute might one use? Stevia?
I believe you can use Stevia Mary, let us know how it turns out if you try it!
Thanks for the recipe! I made lavender syrup using dried lavender buds. I preferred the 1:1 ratio you used rather than the 2:1 ratio most other recipes I found used; it was closer in consistency to the store-bought lavender syrup I had that I was replacing. I use the syrup to make homemade iced lattes and lavender lemonade. So delicious!
Thanks for the feedback Ashley, I’d love to taste a lavender latte!!
Can this be frozen? Thanks
I suppose you could, Julieann, an ice cube tray might work well for that, depending on what you want to use them for.
This is perfect! My son asked if I could make Lavender Lemonade for a picnic his dad & I are hosting the day after his wedding. I cannot get fresh lavender, will there be much difference if I use dried? I want to have different syrups to add to the lemonade. These are so pretty! Thanks so much!
Maggie
I used dried and it was perfect! In fact, I think that even if I had access to fresh lavender buds, I would dry it first…kind of like drying leaves and flowers for tea instead of using them fresh.
This is indeed a very unique idea. Thank you so much for sharing. I love people who share their recipes. I think you have that “never dying” curiosity which makes you keep experimenting with the foods.
Can’t wait for my lavender to bloom to start this! And can’t wait for Friday!
And I love WECK jars:)!
This is just so beautiful! The color! And that it’s so versatile. I would love to sweeten my tea with this! Or muffins. Or anything!
WOW! These photos are just stunning, they look like pieces of art work, beautiful, just beautiful!
Thanks Chris, mother nature is incredible, huh? I’d love to see the different variations of rose syrup made with different colored roses…