How to Make Lavender Syrup at Home
How to Make Lavender Syrup at Home
Lavender syrup is one of the easiest ways to bring the soft floral flavor of culinary lavender into drinks, desserts, tea, coffee, lemonade, cocktails, and homemade treats. Made with just water, sugar, and dried culinary lavender buds, it's a beautiful pantry recipe that turns a small amount of lavender into a fragrant, versatile sweetener. The key is balance — lavender is naturally aromatic, so a little goes a long way.
Explore our full organic culinary lavender collection for lavender tea, baking, syrups, sachets, and natural home use.
Use Culinary-Grade Lavender
For lavender syrup, always use culinary-grade Lavandula angustifolia (English lavender or true lavender) — not decorative lavender, which may have been treated with chemicals and tastes harsh. Shop our organic culinary lavender buds for tea, baking, syrups, honey infusions, and home apothecary use.
Lavender Simple Syrup Recipe
Ingredients: 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar, 1 to 2 tablespoons dried culinary lavender buds. Optional: lemon peel, a splash of vanilla, honey in place of some sugar.
Instructions: Add water and sugar to a small saucepan and warm over medium heat, stirring until the sugar fully dissolves. Turn off the heat. Add the dried culinary lavender buds, cover the pan, and steep for 10 to 15 minutes — taste at 10 minutes and steep longer for a stronger flavor. Strain through a fine mesh strainer to remove the lavender buds. Let cool, then pour into a clean glass jar or bottle. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2 to 3 weeks.
How Long Should Lavender Steep?
10 to 15 minutes is right for most syrups. Over-steeping creates bitter, perfume-like, or soapy flavor. If you're new to lavender, start with 1 tablespoon of dried buds and steep for 10 minutes — you can always go stronger next batch.
How to Use Lavender Syrup
Lavender Lemonade: 1 to 2 tablespoons of lavender syrup stirred into a glass of fresh lemonade over ice. Lavender and lemon are a natural pair — lemon's brightness balances the floral notes perfectly.
Iced tea: Stir into black tea, green tea, chamomile, or herbal tea over ice with lemon.
Lattes and coffee: Add to hot or iced coffee, matcha, or milk-based drinks. Pairs especially well with vanilla, honey, and oat milk.
Sparkling water: Add lavender syrup and a squeeze of lemon to sparkling water for a simple floral mocktail.
Cakes, frostings, shortbread: Brush lavender syrup onto cake layers before frosting, stir into whipped cream, buttercream, or glaze, or drizzle into lemon icing for shortbread. See our Lavender Baking Guide.
Flavor Pairings
Lavender syrup pairs naturally with lemon, honey, vanilla, blueberry, blackberry, strawberry, peach, chamomile, mint, rose, white chocolate, cream, oat milk, green tea, and black tea. Lavender and lemon is the easiest starting point — citrus keeps the floral flavor balanced and fresh.
Honey Lavender Syrup Variation
Lavender naturally complements raw honey. To make a honey lavender syrup: use 1 cup water, ¾ to 1 cup honey, and 1 to 2 tablespoons dried culinary lavender buds. Warm the water gently, turn off the heat, stir in the honey, add lavender, steep 10 to 15 minutes, and strain. Avoid boiling heavily if you want to preserve honey's natural character.
You can also explore our Lavender Honey – Slow Infused Raw Honey with Cinnamon.
Avoiding Soapy Lavender Syrup
The most common mistake is using too much lavender or steeping too long. Use culinary-grade lavender; start with 1 tablespoon per cup of water; steep 10 to 15 minutes; taste before steeping longer; strain well; pair with lemon, honey, or vanilla. Lavender should be a background floral note, not the entire flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is lavender syrup made of?
Water, sugar, and dried culinary lavender buds. The lavender is steeped in the warm syrup, then strained out.
How much lavender should I use for syrup?
Start with 1 tablespoon of dried culinary lavender buds per 1 cup of water and 1 cup of sugar. For a stronger syrup, increase to 2 tablespoons.
How long does lavender syrup keep?
Store in the refrigerator in a clean sealed jar for up to 2 to 3 weeks. Discard if you notice cloudiness, mold, fermentation, or off-smells.
Can I use lavender essential oil in syrup?
No. This recipe uses dried culinary lavender buds. Lavender essential oil is highly concentrated and should not be consumed unless directed by a qualified professional.
Why does my lavender syrup taste soapy?
Too much lavender or steeped too long. Use culinary lavender, start with 1 tablespoon, steep for 10 minutes, and taste before going longer.
Can I make lavender syrup with honey?
Yes. Replace sugar with honey using the same ratio and gentle heat — don't boil. Honey adds warmth and its own floral notes that complement lavender well.
Related Farmer Soul Lavender Guides
- How to Make Lavender Tea: Properly, Without Bitterness
- Lavender Baking Guide: How to Use Culinary Lavender in Baking
- The Lavender Lemonade Guide: Every Variation Worth Making This Summer
- Lavender: The Complete Guide to Uses, Benefits, and How to Choose Quality Buds
- 7 Ways to Use Culinary Lavender
Shop Farmer Soul Lavender
Shop organic culinary lavender buds for tea, baking, syrups, and honey infusions.
Shop bulk organic culinary lavender buds for larger projects and small business use.
Shop Lavender Honey – Slow Infused Raw Honey with Cinnamon.
Sources & References
This article is for educational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. "Lavender: Usefulness and Safety."
https://www.nccih.nih.gov/health/lavender
Batiha, G. E. S., et al. "A Review of the Bioactive Components and Pharmacological Properties of Lavandula Species." PMC.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10079719/