How to Make Delicious Lilac Syrup

Name: How to Make Delicious Lilac Syrup
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 255 min
Ingredients: 1 cup fresh lilacs; 1 cup granulated sugar; 1 cup water; 2 slices orange or lemon slice; 1-3 cardamom pods ((optional)); 4 blueberries ((for color, optional))

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Sweet and fragrant Lilac Syrup can be used to impart lilac flavor to so many recipes! Mix it into lemonade to make Lilac Lemonade, or use it to make a Lilac-Flavored spritzer. The Lilac Syrup can be added to baked goods or drizzled over yogurt and ice cream. Just don't wait too long to make this Lilac Syrup Recipe because lilacs are only in bloom for a few short weeks.

Why This Recipe Works

This Lilac Syrup Recipe is super easy to make and has many uses!
You only need 3 ingredients to make Lilac syrup: lilac blossoms, sugar, and water. However, I like to add a few Dehydrated Orange Slices. Fresh orange/lemon slices can be substituted. I also managed to sneak in a few Cardamom Pods into this Lilac Syrup Recipe, but that's totally optional!

What Goes Into This Recipe

Recipe Ingredient Notes

Lilacs — Pick lilac clusters that are fresh, not wilted, or dried out. Soak the clusters in water or wash gently over a strainer to remove any tiny pests, dust, or debris.
Syrup Add-ins — If you decide to add cardamom or another spice, don't overdo it. You want the lovely lilac flavor to shine through and not have to have to compete with stronger flavors and scents.
Blue Berries — Adding blueberries is optional, however, they do impart a gorgeous purple color to the syrup.
Lemon Juice (optional): One teaspoon lemon juice can be added instead of the citrus slices.

How to Make Lilac Syrup

Pro Tip: Pick fresh lilac clusters when in bloom. Approximately 4 clusters yield 1 cup of flowers, but this will also depend on the variety of lilacs, and the size of the clusters.

STEP 1: Using a fine-mesh strainer, rinse the flowers thoroughly to remove any dust or tiny insects. Try to avoid adding the green stems and leaves, which some say can make the syrup bitter.

STEP 2: Add lilacs, sugar, orange slices, and cardamom (if using) to a small saucepan and cover with 1 cup of water. If you want to tint the syrup purple, add a few blueberries.

STIR 3: Stir to dissolve the sugar while bringing the mixture to a boil over medium heat. Continue to boil for 5 minutes, then turn off the heat and allow the lilacs to infuse the syrup for 4 to 8 hours.

Pro Tip: If you'd like the syrup thicker, you can cook the syrup a few minutes longer, or use more sugar/less water.

STEP 4: Strain the syrup using a fine mesh sieve. A soup bag would be even better. Press down on the flowers to extract as much syrup and flavour as possible.

pushing down on orange slices with a blue spatula over a strainer

STEP 5: Pour the Lilac Simple Syrup in a sterilized jar or bottle and keep it refrigerated.

lilac syrup in bottle with lilacs around it and a bush behind it — Lilac Syrup

lilac syrup with flowers around it — Lilac Syrup

Recipe FAQs

Is common lilac edible?

Lilacs are not only edible but are supposed to have many health benefits. The Lutein in lilac petals is said to prevent macular degeneration and reduce the risk of developing cataracts.

Are any lilacs poisonous?

As long as you've identified the plant correctly, lilacs should be safe to eat. Although the entire plant is non-toxic, the flowers are usually the only part of the plant that is eaten. Before consuming lilacs, make sure the flowers have not been sprayed with pesticides.

Persian lilac (Melia azedarach) which is not related to true lilacs, has a berry whose seed is poisonous when ingested by animals, but not birds, who only eat the flesh of the fruit. It's especially toxic to cats.

What do lilacs taste like?

Lilacs have a delicate, floral, and slightly bitter flavor. To me, lilacs taste exactly how you would expect them to, based on their lovely scent.

Lilac Syrup and Lilac Flowers Uses

When Lilac Syrup is added to drinks, it not only sweetens the drinks but imparts a glorious lilac flavor.
The syrup can be mixed into desserts, cake batter, cookies, ice cream, and frosting.
The delicate lilac flowers are perfect for decorating cakes and other baked goods (especially if they're lilac-flavored).
Lilacs can also be used to make lilac-infused honey. I can't wait to give that a try!
Both the flowers and syrup can be mixed into yogurt to make lilac-flavored yogurt.
Adding just a few lilacs to a glass of water can transform your water from boring to refreshing Lilac Water.
Lilacs can be frozen into ice cubes or mixed into cake batter, scones, pancakes, and cookies.
The flowers can also be candied by being crystalized in egg whites and sugar, here's how.
Some people use lilacs to make Lilac Jelly, which I intend to experiment with next year.
The lilacs beautiful fragrance makes them ideal to use in a variety of beauty products, for example Lilac Face Cream.
And the most obvious thing to do with lilacs is to use them in flower arrangements. Although they are extremely fragrant, the blossoms wilt very quickly.

Recipe Pro Tips

If you add blueberries to enhance the color of the syrup, cut them in half and smash them, if necessary, to release their color.
The longer you allow the syrup to infuse, the stronger the lilac flavor will be.
Do you have access to a lot of lilac bushes? If so, make larger batches of syrup and can to use when lilacs are not in season.
Make a thicker syrup and pour over pancakes or waffles.
Freeze lilac syrup in ice cube trays and plop the cubes into a jar of lemonade or ice tea. Go a step further and add a few lilacs into each cube before freezing.
Use in cocktails and to flavor vodka and gin based drinks.
When stored in the fridge, lilac syrup should be good for a few months. Store in the freezer for longer storage.
A way to tell if the lilac syrup has gone bad is if the syrup at the bottom of the jar gets cloudy. If this happens, discard the syrup.

A Little Background Information

Every summer I eagerly await for our lilac bushes to bloom. I enjoy sitting on the front porch on mom's old bench that Scott restored for me last year. The lilac's dreamy scent lingers in the air. But even before we realized that we had lilac bushes, we discovered the giant lilac shrubs at Ant Flat.

In our little town of Trego, Montana stands a hardly noticeable historic site called Ant Flat Ranger Station. Initially a reserve, it was established in 1897 to honor the Lewis and Clark Expedition which passed through the area in the early 1800s.

In 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt commissioned his friend and fellow Rough Rider, Fred Herrig, to find an ideal location to erect a ranger station. Herrig discovering this fertile area, located in the Kootenai National Forest, and decided to settle there.

Along with his provisions, Herrig had brought lilacs to plant. You see, Herrig had intended to name the ranger station "Lilac Hall." However, due to the numerous ant hills in the area, which we still have problems with, a friend suggested the name "Ant Flat" was more suitable. It's been called Ant Flat ever since.

ant flat ranger station — **Herrig's lilac bushes can be seen on the right**

Today, the Ant Flat Historic Site is hardly noticed, and if you blink while driving past it on Ant Flat Road, you might miss it. However, Scott and I hiked to it from our property and came across the sweet fragrance of the lilac bushes that Herrig planted so many years ago. They're beautiful when in bloom and a different variety than ours.

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