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With just enough sweetness and that beloved lemony flavor, this homemade lemon balm syrup is a delicious way to cool down and unwind on a hot day! It’s the secret to the best lemon balm sodas, iced teas, and lemonade, and will be a go-to all summer long! This version relies on fresh lemon balm, so give your plant a good pruning and enjoy!
Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is one of my all-time favorite herbs. I often find myself grazing my hands over it, plucking a leaf or two, and savoring that bright, citrusy aroma.
This special herb has so many benefits beyond its scent, although that’s not the main focus here.
Lemon balm is a member of the mint family, which you can tell by the square stem, except it couldn’t be more different. Instead of that refreshing mint scent, it smells like fresh lemons and is the ultimate refresher during the hot summer months. Perfect for homemade Lemon Balm Lemonade!
If you love lemon balm, try it in this savory Lemon Balm Pesto. It’s lovely as a spread, pasta sauce, and more! You can also dehydrate lemon balm to preserve all year long.
Why you’ll love this lemon balm syrup recipe
- Great addition to cocktails, iced tea, lemonade, soda, and more
- Relies on just 3 ingredients
- Delicately lemon flavor that works with a range of other flavors
- Can last in the fridge for up to a week
- Easy way to use up some of that overgrown lemon balm plant!
Ingredients
- Fresh lemon balm leaves: This recipe is best with fresh lemon balm leaves, not dried ones. Since the leaves don’t store very well, it’s best to pick them fresh or use them quickly. Wash and dry them before using them to remove any bugs or pollen.
- Sugar: Use regular organic cane sugar as the sweetener.
- Water: To make a simple syrup, you’ll need equal parts water and sugar.
How to Make Lemon Balm Syrup
- Rinse and dry the lemon balm leaves. Remove the leaves from the stem.
- Add all of the ingredients to a small saucepan and heat over medium-high heat.
- Once the sugar crystals dissolve, remove the pan from the heat and let the leaves steep for 30 minutes to an hour for a stronger lemon balm flavor.
- Add the funnel and strainer to a glass jar and pour liquid through the strainer to sieve the leaves out of the hot syrup.
- Use the lemon balm simple syrup as desired or store the leftover syrup in the fridge for about one week.
Storing Suggestions
Store your leftover syrup in an airtight container, like a canning jar for easy storage. It should be kept in the fridge to keep it fresh and will last for about a week.
Tips & Variations
- Scale this recipe up or down using the 1x, 2x, and 3x tool in the recipe card. Simple syrups are always a 1:1 ratio of sugar to water, so it’s easy to adapt as needed.
- Lemon balm tastes wonderful with mint since the two plants are related. Try serving your lemon balm syrup with a little mint for an even more refreshing beverage.
- To keep your lemon balm plant happy, try not to trim more than 1/3 of the plant at a time. This will allow it to keep growing and producing lots of leaves for future recipes!
How to Use Lemon Balm Simple Syrup
Once you have a bunch of lemon balm simple syrup, you can use it in a variety of ways!
- Make a lemon balm soda
- Mix it with lemon juice and water for a lemon balm lemonade
- Add it to your favorite alcoholic drinks (try it with vodka with lemon and mint!)
- Brush it over freshly baked cakes to lock in the moisture
How to Make Lemon Balm Soda
Once you’ve made your lemon balm syrup, you’re ready to make lemon balm soda! This is such a refreshing beverage on a hot day and you can add however much syrup you’d like.
- Fill a small glass with ice.
- Measure out 5 ounces of sparkling water and top with 1 oz of lemon balm syrup.
- Stir and garnish with a lemon slice, fresh mint, or fresh lemon balm leaves.
Note: The typical ratio of syrup to sparkling water for homemade sodas is 5:1, so you’ll need 1 ounce of syrup to every 5 ounces of sparkling water. This is just a suggestion; feel free to use however much syrup you’d like!
FAQs
Absolutely! You can use honey or maple syrup instead of cane sugar, however, you’ll want to be cautious not to over-heat the honey. It’s best to stir the sweetener to taste into hot water, then let the lemon balm leaves steep. I haven’t tried this to be able to offer ratios, but you can always add more water if you make it too sweet. If you try this, let me know how it goes!
Yes! Fresh lemon balm tastes delicious in homemade simple syrup. It has a lemony flavor that tastes great in cocktails or served over sparkling water. You’ll just need some water, sugar, and fresh lemon balm leaves.
If you’re lucky enough to have fresh lemon balm, the leaves can be used to make the best tea and this delicious lemon balm syrup. You can also dry the leaves with a dehydrator, in the oven, or by air drying to use them in a variety of recipes later.
Related Recipes
If you love infusing herbs and making your own simple syrups, try these delicious recipes!
- Jalapeno Simple Syrup
- Blackberry Simple Syrup
- Cardamom Simple Syrup
- Blueberry Simple Syrup
- Brown Sugar Simple Syrup
If you made this recipe, please leave a comment or ask a question below! I’d love to hear what you think or troubleshoot any issues.
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Lemon Balm Simple Syrup {with Fresh Leaves}
Equipment
- 1 half pint mason jar
- 1 small funnel
Ingredients
- 1 cup cane sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 to 1 cup fresh lemon balm leaves, washed and dried
Instructions
- Rinse and dry the lemon balm leaves. Remove the leaves from the stem.
- Add all of the ingredients to a small saucepan and heat over medium-high heat.
- Once the sugar crystals dissolve, remove the pan from the heat and let the leaves steep for 30 minutes to an hour for a stronger lemon balm flavor.
- Add the funnel and strainer to a glass jar and pour liquid through the strainer to sieve the leaves out of the hot syrup.
- Use the lemon balm simple syrup as desired or store the leftover syrup in the fridge for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Scale this recipe up or down using the 1x, 2x, and 3x feature in the recipe card. Simple syrups are always a 1:1 ratio of sugar to water, so it’s easy to adapt as needed.
- Lemon balm tastes wonderful with mint since the two plants are related. Try serving your lemon balm syrup with a little mint for an even more refreshing beverage.
- To keep your lemon balm plant happy, try not to trim more than 1/3 of the plant at a time. This will allow it to keep growing and producing lots of leaves for future recipes!
Nutrition
Did you try this recipe?
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Rachel, I’ve recently just learned about lemon balm. So I’m really excited to try this.
Visiting today from April’s #42&65.
Can you make this with stevia instead? Sugar free household here.
Great question! Technically, yes. If using a stevia sweetener that can be used as a 1:1 replacement for sugar, you can use the same amount. Otherwise, you’ll want to combine the lemon balm and water, then add stevia drops to taste. It won’t be as viscous as a syrup and will look watery, but it will be sweet and have that lemon balm flavor.