To make lavender lemonade, steep about 2 teaspoons of dried culinary lavender (or 4 teaspoons of fresh) per two glasses, strain it out, and mix the lavender water with fresh lemon juice and simple syrup. A little goes a long way. It’s a bright, cooling pitcher for summer, and it’s just as good warmed up on a cool fall afternoon.
Lavender lemonade is lovely when the lavender stays gentle, and easy to ruin when it doesn’t. Too much lavender, the wrong variety, or a long steep and the whole pitcher tastes like soap.
The fix is to use culinary lavender, strain it out, and treat it like a seasoning. Lemon should still lead. The lavender just makes the lemonade feel cooler and softer.
Quick Ratio
For two glasses of lavender lemonade, start here:
| Ingredient | Amount |
|---|---|
| Dried culinary lavender | 2 teaspoons |
| Fresh unsprayed lavender flowers | 4 teaspoons |
| Fresh lemon juice | 1/3 cup |
| Simple syrup | 1/2 cup |
| Cold water | 12 ounces |
That ratio tastes floral without tasting perfumed. For a pitcher, multiply everything by four: 8 teaspoons dried lavender (2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons), 1 1/3 cups lemon juice, 2 cups simple syrup, and 6 cups water, for about 8 servings.
Fresh vs Dried Lavender
Dried lavender is stronger than fresh because the water is gone and the oils are concentrated, so the amounts change.
Use:
- 2 teaspoons dried culinary lavender for 2 servings
- 4 teaspoons fresh unsprayed lavender flowers for 2 servings
Fresh lavender tastes softer and greener. Dried is more concentrated and floral. Both work, but dried is easier to measure and keeps in the pantry.
Skip decorative lavender bundles unless they’re labeled food-safe. Florist lavender may have been sprayed or treated, and it isn’t meant for food.
The Best Lavender for Lemonade
Use culinary English lavender, usually labeled Lavandula angustifolia. It’s the sweetest and has the least camphor.
Leave Spanish lavender and most ornamental garden lavender out of drinks. They smell pretty but taste sharp and resinous in a glass.
If your lavender smells like a cleaning product when you open the jar, use less or buy a different one.
How to Make Lavender Lemonade
With dried lavender
- Boil the water and pour it over the dried lavender in a mug.
- Steep for a few minutes, then strain out and discard the flowers.
- Let the lavender water cool completely.
- Stir in the lemon juice and simple syrup, add ice, and serve.
With fresh lavender
- Crush the fresh flowers in a glass with a muddler or the back of a spoon.
- Stir in the lemon juice and simple syrup.
- Strain out the flowers, add ice and the cold water, and serve.
For a flavored syrup version, use the lavender simple syrup recipe in place of plain simple syrup and keep this lemonade ratio beside it.
Don’t boil the lavender for long. A gentle steep gives you the soft floral note you want.
Pitcher Method
For a summer pitcher:
- Steep the dried lavender in boiling water, strain, and cool.
- Juice enough lemons for the full amount of lemon juice.
- Add the lavender water, lemon juice, simple syrup, and cold water to a pitcher.
- Stir, taste, and adjust with more lemon juice or syrup.
- Chill for at least 30 minutes before serving.
Serve over ice instead of adding ice directly to the pitcher. Ice in the pitcher waters down the last few glasses.
How to Keep Lavender Lemonade From Tasting Soapy
Soapy lavender lemonade usually comes down to one of four things:
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| Too much lavender | Measure it, and stick to 2 teaspoons dried per 2 servings |
| Steeped too long | Steep for a few minutes, then strain |
| Wrong lavender variety | Use culinary English lavender |
| Lemon is too weak | Use fresh lemon juice, not bottled |
The lemon matters more than you’d think. Bottled juice tastes dull and makes the lavender harsher. Fresh juice keeps the drink bright enough to carry the floral note.
Honey Lavender Lemonade
Honey goes well with lavender, but it changes the drink. Sugar keeps it clean and light. Honey makes it rounder and softer.
With the dried lavender method, you can stir 1 tablespoon of honey into the hot lavender water in place of the simple syrup, before it cools. It’s the same flavor as the lavender honey lemon mocktail , made as a pitcher instead of a single glass.
Common Questions
Can I use fresh lavender from my garden?
Yes, if you know it hasn’t been sprayed and it’s a culinary variety. Use the flowers, not the woody stems, and rinse them gently first.
Can I put dried lavender directly into lemonade?
You can, but steeping and straining tastes better. Lavender left in the glass keeps extracting and turns bitter.
What goes well with lavender lemonade?
Mint, basil, honey, blueberry, strawberry, cucumber, and sparkling water all work. For a party, set it next to a plain fresh mint limeade or a watermelon mint spritzer so guests can pick floral or green. A little basil or a splash of sparkling water is nice too.
Final Ratio to Remember
For two glasses, use 2 teaspoons dried culinary lavender, 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice, 1/2 cup simple syrup and 12 ounces of cold water. Taste, then adjust.
