This delicious Lilac Jelly recipe has a light and wonderful honey-like flavor with lilac floral tones. Lilac flower jelly is perfect with buttered toast, cheese and crackers, or as part of a charcuterie board!
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We all know Lilac blossoms smell AMAZING, but did you know they are edible and make one of the best flower jellies?
Flower jellies, including lilac jelly and wild dandelion jelly are starting to gain in popularity as more people get into foraging. These types of recipes are an excellent teaching tool to introduce kids to foraging!
From making "poor mans capers" with pickled nasturtium seeds to making lavender simple syrup with fresh lavender, the possibilities are endless! Foraging recipes are not only fun to make, but they're also quite tasty!
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😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Lilac jelly is a great way to harness the flavor of edible lilacs and enjoy the sweetness year-round.
- The same ratio used in this recipe can be used to make other flower-infused jelly flavors, as long as they're edible flowers.
- This recipe makes enough jelly to not only enjoy, but also share with your family and friends, especially if you use 4-ounce canning jars.
🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Lilacs: Not all lilac bushes have the same flavor. Some lilac blossom varieties are definitely stronger than others. Although I used common lilac blossoms for this recipe, I later found that Miss Kim lilacs have a stronger scent and flavor. Experiment with various varieties to see which you prefer.
- Pectin: You'll need one packet of powdered pectin (which equals to 4 tablespoons). You can also substitute one packet of liquid pectin.
- Huckleberries: I added huckleberries for enhance the color of the lilac jelly. Blueberries can be substituted.
*A full ingredient list can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the page!
👌How to Pick Lilac Flowers
When lilacs are in bloom, pick opened fresh lilacs, avoiding the dried or wilted flowers, leaves, and stems. Soak the lilacs in cold water to remove any pests and debris then strain the lilac petals.
🌸 How to Make Lilac Jelly
Step 1: Add lilac blossoms and huckleberries (or blueberries) to a saucepan and cover with 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil then simmer for 15 minutes over low heat. Turn the stove off and allow the flower infusion to steep for 4 to 8 hours.
Pro Tip: Many lilac jelly recipes only call for 15 minutes of steeping. I prefer to steep the lilac blossoms for a longer period to extract as much of the delicious lilac flavor as possible. If you have a masher, use it to mash the berries to help release their beautiful color.
Step 2: Strain the lilac tea using a soup bag or a fine sieve. Add lilac tea, lemon juice, and pectin to a small saucepan. Simmer over low heat as you whisk the pectin into the tea to dissolve. Bring to a rolling boil for one minute.
Step 3: Add sugar and whisk to dissolve. Bring to a rolling boil for an additional two minutes. Skim foam off the surface and ladle hot jelly into sterilized hot jars. Leave ¼" headspace.
Step 4: Wipe rims with a clean dishcloth or a damp paper towel and screw the bands on hand-tight.
🫙Water Bath Canning Instructions
Add filled canning jars to the water bath canner. Make sure the water level is at least a few inches over the jars. Process the jelly jars in boiling water, according to the chart below:
| Altitude | Gel Point |
|---|---|
| 1000'-3000' | 5 minutes |
| 3001'-6000' | 10 minutes |
| 6001'-8000' | 15 minutes |
Check to make sure all the jars have sealed before storing them in a cool, dark location. If some of the jars did not seal, they will need to be refrigerated and consumed first.
Jelly Didn't Set?
There are so many reasons why sometimes jelly doesn't set. It could be that you used too much liquid, not enough sugar, or your pectin was bad. I have found this post (Why Your Jam Or Jelly Isn't Setting And How To Fix It) very helpful. It should help you to troubleshoot what could have gone wrong.
🍰 More Lilac Recipe Ideas
If you have access to lilac bushes and want to try other lilac recipes, be sure to check out the following lilac recipes:
- lilac syrup
- lilac flower sugar
- candied lilac flowers
- lilac cheesecake
- lilac shortbread cookies
- lilac wine
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
Lilac jelly is scented with the intoxicating scent of lilac blossoms and tastes like honey infused with lilac floral tones.
Lilacs are most definitely edible! Some people like to candy the delicate little flowers and use them to decorate baked goods. On their own, they don't taste great, however, their floral tones can be extracted to make amazing syrup, jelly, and even lilac wine!
It's super easy to make lilac tincture! Simply soak lilac flowers in vodka for 4 to 6 weeks, then strain the lilac-scented vodka and pour it into a small tincture bottle.
👩🏼🍳 Recipe Pro Tips
- I tried freezing my lilac blossoms to use them later in the year and found that they degraded too much. For this reason, I only recommend using fresh lilac flowers.
- Jelly needs to fully cool to set and may take up to 24 hours!
- If your jelly does not set, be sure to check out the link in the body of the post for troubleshooting tips.
- Sealed lilac jelly should last up to a year or more when stored in the pantry.
🌼 Related Recipes
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Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- Add lilac blossoms and huckleberries (or blueberries) to a saucepan and cover with 4 cups of water. Bring to a boil then simmer for 15 minutes over low heat. Turn the stove off and allow the flower infusion to steep for 4 to 8 hours.
- Strain lilac tea using a soup bag or fine sieve. Add lilac tea, lemon juice, and pectin to a small saucepan. Simmer over low heat as you stir the pectin into the tea to dissolve. Bring to a rolling boil for one minute.
- Add sugar and whisk to dissolve. Bring to a rolling boil for an additional two minutes. Skim foam off the surface and ladle hot jelly into sterilized hot jars. Leave ¼" headspace.
- Wipe rims with a clean dishcloth or a damp paper towel and screw the bands on hand-tight.
- Add filled canning jars to the water bath canner. Make sure the water level is at least a few inches over the jars. Process the jelly jars in boiling water, based on the chart in this post.
Nutrition
Video
Notes
- Many lilac jelly recipes only call for 15 minutes of steeping. I prefer to steep the lilac blossoms for a longer period to extract as much of the delicious lilac flavor as possible.
- If you have a masher, use it to mash the berries to release their color.
- I tried freezing my lilac blossoms to use them later in the year and found that they degraded too much. For this reason, I only recommend using fresh lilac blossoms.
- Jelly needs to fully cool to set and may take up to 24 hours!
- If your jelly does not set, be sure to check out the link in the body of the post for troubleshooting tips.
- Sealed lilac jelly should last up to a year or more when stored in the pantry.
- Do not reduce the amount of sugar suggested in the recipe, if you do, the jelly will not set.
Judy says
should I wait for the jelly to set up in the jars before I boil them?
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Judy,
I process them for 10 minutes as soon as I fill the jars.