How to Make Lavender Sugar (From Fresh or Dried Lavender)

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One great way to preserve your lavender flowers is to process them into lavender sugar! You’ll have fun playing with that subtle lavender flavor and sweet fragrance in baking, teas, and more. The process is very simple and I’ll break down how to make lavender sugar with both fresh and dried lavender in this post!

What is lavender sugar?

Simply put, lavender sugar is sugar processed together with lavender blooms.

It has a sweet, floral fragrance and a subtle flavor of lavender. Feel free to use it as a substitute for sugar in any recipe.

Lavender sugar is absolutely delicious and incredibly easy to make! I made this recipe with my 4-year-old niece and we both kept sneaking little pinches as we made it. It has a lovely scent, and the flavor reminds me of Parma Violets. It makes a wonderful edible gift for the baker or tea connoisseur in your life!

And no, it definitely does not taste like soap. 🙂

How to use lavender sugar

• Add some to your iced tea for a light, floral scent.
• Use it to roll your sugar cookies
• Whip up a batch of lavender shortbread cookies
• Bake some lavender cupcakes
• Use it as the base for a sugar scrub
• Turn it into a simple syrup to make lavender lemonade
• Stir into a cup of hot tea
• Make lavender syrup for fresh sodas or cocktails
• Sprinkle on scones for a hint of lavender
• Toss with fresh berries for a sweet snack
• Caramelize on top of creme brulee

Is lavender really edible?

Yes! Technically all lavender is edible, although some types are so fragrant they’re unpleasant to eat. They’re typically used for making soaps and perfumes.

Culinary lavender is a better fit for baking and infusing. It has a milder scent and gives a lovely, slightly citrusy, floral flavor. We eat the buds and discard any leaves and stems.

Is the lavender in your backyard good for eating? The most popular type of edible lavender is English lavender and any of its cultivars. Fortunately, it’s also very common. Learn how to identify the different lavender varieties here.

Should I start with fresh or dried lavender?

You can make your own lavender sugar with either fresh or dried lavender. The recipe tutorial below walks you through using fresh lavender buds.

Since lavender plants only bloom during the summer, you may find yourself hoping to make lavender sugar during different times of the year.

How to make lavender sugar from dried lavender

To make lavender sugar from dried lavender, simply combine 2 tbs of dried culinary lavender with 4 cups of white sugar in your food processor. Pulse until the lavender pieces are small.

Feel free to scale up or down this recipe to make however much you need (1/2 tbs of dried lavender per cup of sugar).

As the ingredients are both dried, you can store the mixture in small jars right away! No baking or drying is necessary.

Although you will notice a slight lavender flavor at first, it’s best to let your mixture set for 1-2 weeks to really take on more flavor.

How to Make Lavender Sugar from Fresh Lavender

Equipment

• Food processor
• Parchment paper
• Baking tray
• Mason jars

Ingredients

1/4 cup fresh culinary lavender
1 quart pure cane sugar (4 cups)

Fresh Lavender Sugar Recipe

1. Remove the lavender buds from the stem. Measure out 1/4 cup worth of fresh lavender buds.
2. Combine half a quart (2 cups) of granulated sugar and the lavender buds in the food processor. Blend for about a minute or until the buds break down into small pieces.
3. Pour the mixture and the remaining half quart of sugar onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Stir together.
4. Bake at 170 for 30 minutes to an hour until the sugar clumps together.
5. Remove the sugar from the oven. Allow to cool.
6. Either break the clumps by hand or add them back to the food processor. Simply pulse one or two times until the clumps go away.
7. Store in an airtight container like a clean glass jar.

Storage notes

Since we’ve dried this sugar, it can last about a year in the pantry.

Store your lavender sugar in an airtight jar to avoid clumping. This would be an excellent hostess gift or housewarming present!

This recipe always makes a little more than a quart. You’ll need 4 half-pint jars, 2 pints, or 1 quart plus a container for any extra.

FAQs

Do I have to bake the lavender sugar?

When I first made this recipe, I did not dry it out in the oven. Even right away, I could tell the sugar was starting to clump.

As I thought about it, I realized that any moisture left in the buds could possibly contribute to mold. Plus, culinary lavender is typically dried before consumption.

To make sure this recipe is safe for long-term pantry storage, I recommend drying it at the lowest temperature your oven can reach (170 F for most ovens).

(This isn’t really baking – this is the same procedure I use to dry green onions in the oven and make green onion salt)

Do I need to wash the lavender before I use it?

Great question! There are some great reasons to consider washing the lavender like removing dust, pollen, etc.

However, all of those little buds may be hard to dry off fully before using in this recipe. I did not wash my lavender before using.

If you do, allow it to air dry for 12-24 hours before using.

How long does lavender sugar last?

Lavender sugar should last for between 6 months to a year. although both of these recipes are completely dried, they can take in additional moisture from the environment and begin to clump.

You may also find that the lavender flavor begins to break down over time. If this happens, try whipping up a sugar scrub or just use it to bake up a big batch of lavender scones!

What is lavender sugar good for?

Lavender sugar is a great way to use up too much lavender without simply drying it all.

In the kitchen, you can use lavender sugar for a wide variety of baking recipes, stirring into your cup of tea, lining your cocktail glasses, and more.

It’s also great to make a variety of homemade sugar scrubs to remove dead skin cells and nourish your skin.

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How will you use your lavender sugar?

Although I love using sweet sugar in my lavender recipes, it really makes such a nice gift! It’s such a thoughtful touch for Mother’s Day or to share with the bakers in your life. Share your experience in the comments below!