Recipe: Lavender Lemonade

There’s nothing more refreshing on a hot day than a glass of ice cold lemonade. We love making pitchers of this lavender lemonade recipe all summer; lemon and lavender make a delightful flavor pairing. 

Is there anything more refreshing on a hot summer day than a tall glass of lemonade? We don’t think so! Making lemonade at home not only tastes fresher than store-bought lemonade, but you can also adjust the amount of sugar that goes into it. We are putting a fun twist on a traditional homemade lemonade recipe with this lavender version.

We love making a big pitcher of this refreshing lavender lemonade almost every week from June to August. A little bit of fresh lavender goes a long way and adds a subtle floral flavor that is a delicious pairing with the lemon. 

If you are looking for more refreshing homemade beverages, we love these healthy and hangover free mocktail recipes! For those who love lavender, you’ll want to check out our lavender honey iced coffee recipe. Serving these at a BBQ this summer? This lemonade would be delicious with some burgers from the grill. We rounded up our favorite beef free burgers!

Ingredients You’ll Need

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• Fresh Lavender: we prefer to use fresh lavender for this recipe, but dried lavender works too, you’ll just need to use less. Since you are straining the lavender when making the simple syrup, don’t worry too much about carefully picking all the flowers off of the stems. Just cut the top with the lavender buds off from the woody part of the stem and add to your sugar. You want to avoid using lavender essential oil or lavender extract for this recipe as it will be much too strong.
• Lemons: use freshly squeezed lemon juice (try my favorite juice press!) for your lemonade as the store-bought lemon juice is much too tart. When purchasing fresh lemons at the store, look for meyer lemons if you can find them since they are less tart than other varieties.
• Granulated Sugar: to sweeten this lemonade, you’ll make a quick simple syrup with granulated sugar, water, and lavender. You can substitute honey if you’d prefer. 
• Water: you’ll need boiling water for the simple syrup and ice cold water for the lemonade. We really like using our countertop electric water kettle for heating up the water for the syrup. You can also warm it up in the microwave or on the stovetop.

Variations

• Make it a Cocktail: add gin or a splash of vodka to make this into a delicious lavender lemonade cocktail! 
• Make it Sparkling: Instead of the 2 cups of ice water added at the end, use up to 2 cups of plain sparkling water instead for a bubbly version of this homemade lavender lemonade.
• Make it Purple: add a couple drops of purple or blue food coloring to the pitcher of lavender lemonade to turn it a fun purple color.

How to Make Lavender Lemonade

• Make the Lavender Simple Syrup: Add the sugar and fresh lavender flowers to a bowl. Rub the flowers into the sugar with your fingers until fragrant. Pour boiling water over the flower/sugar mixture and stir well with a spoon until the sugar is dissolved. Allow the mixture to steep for about 20-30 minutes then strain through a fine mesh sieve or strainer. Transfer to a jar and refrigerate until ready to use. Lavender syrup can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. 
• Make the Lemonade: add ice, lemon juice, 2 cups of cold water, and simple syrup to a large pitcher and stir well with a spoon. Pour into glasses (we love these pretty glasses or these ones!) and garnish with fresh lemon slices and a few sprigs of fresh lavender sprigs.

What Does Lavender Taste Like?

Lavender has a lovely slightly sweet, floral flavor with hints of mint and rosemary (two related herbs). It is a popular addition to a variety of dishes from sweets to cocktails. A little lavender goes a long way as too much can make a recipe taste soapy or bitter.

Is Lavender Edible?

Yes, all varieties of lavender are edible, but culinary lavender varieties like English lavender and Provence lavender are the two varieties most often used for recipes. Try to avoid using lavender that has been sprayed with pesticides and always rinse your lavender well before using it in a recipe.

Does Lavender Lemonade have Caffeine?

No, this non-alcoholic summer drink does not contain any caffeine.