Lavender Simple Syrup
Make this Lavender Simple Syrup recipe and enjoy it in your favorite coffee drinks, cocktails, mocktails, and baked goods. It’s sweet and lightly floral, and so easy to make – ready in less than 30 minutes!
Easy Lavender Simple Syrup Recipe
This Lavender Simple Syrup recipe is a lovely addition to your coffee, cocktail, and mocktail menus. It’s sweet and lightly floral and earthy, especially beautiful when paired with honey and/or lemon. Plus, this homemade lavender syrup is, in fact, very simple to make. From start to finish, it’s ready in less than 30 minutes – and it keeps in the fridge for up to a month. It’s the perfect way to enjoy a lavender latte at home, whenever you want!
Why You’ll Love Lavender Simple Syrup
We first enjoyed a lavender latte several years ago at one of our favorite local coffee shops, and it’s been a favorite ever since – our daughter Hatti’s #1 order (it’s her birthday today!). And just this month, Starbucks and Caribou started offering lavender coffee drinks as well. We’re SO HAPPY this flavor is catching on!
Here’s why we think you’ll love it, too:
- Adds a little something special. This lavender simple syrup recipe is an easy way to add a unique flavor, however you choose to use it.
- Make ahead. Simple syrup keeps well for up to a month in the fridge – super nice to have on hand, to use whenever the mood strikes.
- Versatile. You can use this floral sweetener many different ways: coffee drinks, cocktails, lemonade, or even in desserts and other baked goods!
What You’ll Need
Water plus just three other ingredients come together to form this lovely floral syrup. Find the printable recipe card at the end of this post for the exact ingredient amounts.
- Water – The base of the simple syrup.
- Sugar – Granulated white sugar is what makes the syrup sweet.
- Dried lavender buds – Look for culinary grade dried lavender in the spice aisle; otherwise it’s available online.
- Vanilla – Pure vanilla extract adds a lovely note of sweetness and flavor.
How To Make Lavender Simple Syrup
This recipe is incredibly easy to make – find the detailed instructions in the recipe card lower down.
- Make the syrup. Combine the water and sugar over medium-high heat to bring it just to a boil. Stir to dissolve the sugar completely. Add the lavender, and let cool.
- Store. Strain the lavender buds from the liquid using a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth – then transfer the finished lavender simple syrup to a jar and store it in the refrigerator.
Tips for Success + Variations
This is a super simple recipe that’s easy to change up. Check out some of my tips and variations below:
- Choose culinary lavender. When buying dried lavender flowers, make sure it’s labeled as “food grade” or “culinary grade”.
- Add more lavender. If you really, really like the taste of lavender, increase the ratio of lavender buds when making this syrup.
- Steep longer. Also, for more intense lavender flavor, you can let the syrup steep longer, up to 1 one hour, before straining out the lavender buds.
- Make sure the sugar dissolves completely. If the sugar is not fully dissolved, your syrup will have a grainy quality. Make sure the water looks totally clear before you remove it from the heat.
- Try brown sugar or honey. Instead of granulated sugar, use brown sugar or honey for a slightly different note of sweetness. Honey is particularly lovely when paired with lavender.
- Double the recipe. You can double or even triple this recipe if you are planning to make a lot of lavender-inspired drinks, or if you just know that you’ll use it up fast!
Ways To Use This Lavender Syrup Recipe
There are so many ways to use this beautiful beverage sweetener! Here are just a few ideas:
- In coffee drinks. Lavender simple syrup is perfect in a hot lavender latte, so lovely! Our daughter Hatti’s favorite iced coffee drink includes lavender simple syrup and oat milk.
- Add to tea. Instead of sugar or honey, add a spoonful of lavender syrup to your hot tea or iced tea.
- Lemonade & mocktails. This syrup pairs well with lemonade – do give it a try in blueberry lemonade!
- Cocktails. I like to stir lavender simple syrup into cocktails, especially lemony cocktails or ones with coffee. Try this syrup in my bourbon limoncello cocktail or a refreshing limoncello spritz. It’s also beautiful in an espresso martini!
- As a glaze. Skip the lemon glaze on my lemon pound cake recipe and drench its top with lavender simple syrup.
- Over ice cream. This is lovely drizzled over scoops of vanilla bean ice cream.
- Make lavender sodas. Add this syrup to glasses of sparkling water for a refreshing floral sipper.
- Instead of maple syrup. For a twist on the usual pancake or waffle topping, drizzle lavender simple syrup over a stack of buttermilk or Belgian waffles, or a fluffy batch of cottage cheese pancakes.
Proper Storage
Here are a couple different ways to store lavender simple syrup:
- Fridge – Place the cooled syrup in an airtight container, such as a mason jar with a tight-fitting lid, and store it in the fridge for up to 1 month.
- Freezer – Portion out the syrup into an ice cube tray, freeze, then transfer the cubes to a freezer-safe sealable bag and keep them in the freezer for up to 2 months. Or, freeze the batch of syrup in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. Defrost the syrup in the fridge before using it in a recipe.
More Easy Syrup Recipes
Lavender Simple Syrup
Ingredients
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon dried lavender buds (look for "food grade" or "culinary grade")
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine the water and sugar over medium-high heat, and bring it just to a boil. Stir vigorously until sugar dissolves completely.
- Remove saucepan from heat and stir in the lavender buds. Let the lavender syrup steep and cool to room temperature, about 20 minutes. For stronger lavender flavor, let steep for up to 1 hour.
- Strain the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve or cheesecloth to remove the lavender buds, pressing lightly on the buds to release more of their flavor.
- Add the vanilla extract to the lavender syrup.
- Transfer the finished lavender syrup to an airtight jar and store in the fridge. It will keep well for up to 1 month.
