Nothing says spring is here like blooming lilacs! Lilac infused honey is a great way to preserve these fragrant springtime flowers to enjoy long after lilac season has ended. Floral infused honey captures the aromas and flavors of the flowers, and can be used to flavor drinks, desserts, or even spread on toast.
Lilac honey is a fragrant lilac-infused honey that’s easy to make and delicious. Lilacs are not only beautiful and fragrant, they’re also edible! However, lilacs only bloom for a week or two, so you have to be prepared if you want to make something with them!
Preserving with honey is a method that’s been used for centuries. Honey has an “eternal” shelf life due to it’s acidity, lack of water, and the presence of hydrogen peroxide. It’s incredible medicine!
Floral infused honey works beautifully to capture the flavors and essence of other edible flowers and herbs, such a lavender, calendula, violet, rose, sage and rosemary. All you need are fresh flowers and raw honey.
How To Make Lilac Infused Honey
Harvest fresh lilacs or other edible flowers you will be using, and avoid using flowers that have begun to turn brown. Make sure to only use lilacs you are positive have not been sprayed with harmful chemicals!
Cut or pick the flowers of the green stems. Use scissors or your fingers to pinch them off the stems. The green stems are bitter, so remove as many as possible.
Fill a clean jar with lilacs, then pour raw honey to cover them. Allow the honey to settle to the bottom, and add more honey as needed to cover blossoms. The lilacs will float to the top, but that’s to be expected.
Close jar tightly and turn upside down to coat the lilacs with honey. Then, loosen the lid slightly to allow fermentation gases to escape. Place the jar in a bowl to catch any drips.
The honey will start to bubble as the fermentations gets active. You will notice the honey getting more liquid as it draws out the liquid from the lilacs. The bubbling will stop after a few days.
Once a day, tightly screw the lid shut and turn the jar upside down so all the flowers are covered in honey. Over time, the flowers will shrink as they lose water and end up floating to the surface.
Allow the honey to infuse for 1-2 weeks
Strain out the lilacs or leave them in if desired, since they are edible! To strain the flowers, scoop them off the top with a spoon or pour the honey through a mesh sieve.
Since the honey is more runny from absorbing the water from the lilacs, this process goes quickly. Store at room temperature, and the honey will last for months without needing to be refrigerated.
Voila! Beautiful, fragrant lilac infused honey that tastes like springtime.
How to Use Infused Honey
This sweet, fragrant honey is so delicious you will want to eat it by the spoonful! There’s so many ways to enjoy lilac infused honey, you’ll be so happy you made it.
Try using lilac honey to:
- Sweeten tea
- Drizzle on pancakes, ice cream, and deserts
- Make a lilac lemonade
- Add to sparkling water or spring cocktails
- On toast and oatmeal
Lilac Infused Honey
Lilac infused honey captures the essence of lilacs, and is a great way to preserve these fragrant springtime flowers!
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh lilacs, green stems removed
- 2 cups raw honey
Instructions
- Harvest fresh lilacs or other edible flowers you will be using. Avoid using flowers that have begun to turn brown. Make sure to only use lilacs you are positive have not been sprayed with harmful chemicals! Cut or pick the flowers off the green stems. Use scissors or your fingers to pinch the petals off the stems. The green stems are bitter, so remove as many as possible.
- Fill a clean jar with lilacs, then pour raw honey to cover them. Allow the honey to settle to the bottom, and add more honey as needed to cover blossoms. The lilacs will float to the top, but that's to be expected.
- Close jar tightly and turn upside down to coat the lilacs with honey. Then, loosen the lid slightly to allow fermentation gases to escape. Place the jar in a bowl to catch any drips. The honey will start to bubble as the fermentations gets active. You will notice the honey getting more liquid as it draws out the liquid from the lilacs. The bubbling will stop after a few days.
- Once a day, tightly screw the lid shut and turn the jar upside down so all the flowers are covered in honey. Over time, the flowers will shrink as they lose water and end up floating to the surface.
- Allow the honey to infuse for 1-2 weeks. Then, strain out the lilacs or leave them in if desired, since they are edible! To strain the flowers, scoop the flowers off the top with a spoon or pour the honey through a mesh sieve. Store at room temperature.
Notes
Lilac infused honey will last for months at room temperature.
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