Lavender Lemonade
This homemade lavender lemonade is slightly sweet, tart, and so refreshing that you’ll want to sip on it all spring and summer long.
Last week for date night, we went to this delicious tapas restaurant where I ordered a lavender margarita. Although it was very refreshing, I would have been unaware that it was lavender if it wasn’t for the dried sprig poking me in the face every time I took a sip.
This got me thinking that lavender lemonade would be a great drink to make at home as the weather starts really heating up. Especially for those days when you want to transition from water to something a little fancier.
It’s also perfect for brunches or any entertaining if you want an elegant yet easy drink to offer. You can enjoy it as is or turn it into a cocktail, whatever floats your boat.
Ingredients
- Fresh lemon juice – For this recipe, you’ll want to use fresh lemon juice, not the bottled kind. It really makes a difference in the overall flavor.
- Dried lavender flowers – We’ll be infusing the simple syrup with this, so make sure to use culinary lavender.
- Organic cane sugar – The sweetener we used to make simple syrup.
- Water – Water is used for making the syrup as well as diluting the concentrated lemonade mixture.
- Ice – to make it extra chilled and refreshing.
How to Make Lavender Lemonade
Make lavender simple syrup. To really infuse the lavender flavor into the lemonade, we need to make lavender simple syrup. To do this, we use the same method as we do in how to make simple syrup, but with the addition of dried lavender flowers.
Juice your lemons. While you’re waiting for your lavender simple syrup to steep and cool, juice your lemons. Any juicer will do, but my favorite tool for getting the most juice is a citrus reamer placed over a bowl with a fine-mesh strainer to catch the seeds and any pulp.
Mix & Chill. Combine the two together in a large pitcher along with filtered water. Stir to combine and place it in the refrigerator until chilled. Once cold, serve over ice and garnish with a lemon slice if desired.
Substitutions & Variations
Please remember that recipes are just a starting point.
How can you make this lavender lemonade using what you already have? Here are some ideas…
- No organic cane sugar? âžť you can also use raw honey, but because it’s sweeter than cane sugar, only use 1/3 cup, see helpful tips about other types of sweeteners.
- No lavender? âžť sub another dried herb such as thyme, rosemary, mint, or edible roses.
Recommended Tools
- citrus reamer
- small saucepan
- fine mesh strainer
- glass pitcher for serving
Frequently Asked Questions
Using sweeteners such as brown sugar, coconut sugar, or maple syrup isn’t ideal because it’ll make the lemonade look muddy. So for this reason, only use cane sugar or honey when making lemonade.
Due to the way in which it’s processed, culinary lavender is the only safe option for consumption. It can be found in the spice section at grocery stores, specialty stores, or online.
Although we often think of lavender in extremely potent smelling forms such as essential oils, dried culinary lavender is lightly sweet and floral tasting, which is how it tastes in this lemonade. It’s there, but not in an aggressive way.
More Refreshing Drinks
- Orange Carrot Ginger Juice
- Green Piña Colada Smoothie
- Frozen Watermelon Margaritas (Alcohol-Free Option)
Lavender Lemonade
Ingredients
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup organic cane sugar or ⅓ cup raw honey
- 4 tablespoons dried lavender flowers culinary grade only
- 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 3-4 cups filtered water
- ice for serving
Instructions
- Make the lavender simple syrup by heating the water and sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir the mixture until the sugar dissolves (it shouldn’t be boiling). Turn the heat down to low, add the dried lavender and let it infuse, stirring occasionally for 10 minutes.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow the simple syrup to steep for about an hour. Strain out the lavender with a fine mesh strainer and pour it into a large pitcher along with the lemon juice and 3-4 cups of filtered water.
- Store in the refrigerator until chilled. Serve over ice and a slice of lemon if desired.