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Lilacs are one of the most wonderful parts of spring. And yet, they are also so very fleeting. Thankfully, we can save them by making lilac sugar.
Lilac recipes are a great way to save those gorgeous edible blooms for later in the year. Lilacs have a delicate, floral flavor that adds dimension to many sweet treats.
This easy recipe is just 2 ingredients. This uncomplicated project is a simple way to save a bit of the season for later in a glorious way.
Use Only the Lilac Blossoms
The stems and leaves of lilacs tend to be tough and bitter. Use only the blossoms to make lilac sugar.
To do this, simply clip the blossoms from the stems with a pair of scissors or pull them from the stems with your fingers. I simply do this standing over a bowl to catch the falling blossoms.
Admittedly this takes a little time but it’s not hard or drudgery by any means. Do it outside on the porch and listen to the birds sing for an especially pleasant seasonal activity.
After clipping, do give the blossoms a quick rinse and spin through the salad spinner. This will remove any dirt and bugs.
After rinsing, let them sit on a towel for an hour or more to remove any surface water before proceeding. Extra water in the sugar is not a good thing so do make sure they are dry before adding the layering.
Layering vs. The Dehydrator
In the past, I’ve simply layered sugar and lilac blossoms in a jar and let it dry this way. It can very hard and clumpy with this method, especially if you don’t shake it every day. The blossoms also lose their color with this method.
These days, I opt to use the dehydrator instead. Simply mix the lilac blossoms and sugar in a bowl or baking tray. Place in a dehydrator, turn it to about 100 degrees Fahrenheit and let it dry for a few hours. Do give it a stir every now and then to reduce clumping.
The dehydrator method keeps the flowers a more vibrant color reduces chances of huge hard clumps of sugar, and is obviously much faster.
To Keep the Flowers or Strain
Once the flowers have dried to a crisp, remove the container from the dehydrator. At this point, you can leave the flowers in or remove.
This is completely a personal decision, you could just place the sugar in a fine mesh sieve and shake it to let the sugar sift through, leaving the flowers for the compost heap.
You could leave the flowers for added bits of color and texture in future recipes, as well.
I choose to leave the flowers and then strain later if it feels necessary for a particular recipe.
How to Use Lilac Sugar
In short, use lilac sugar anywhere you’d use plain sugar for a light lilac flavor. Simply replace granulated sugar with lilac sugar at a 1:1 ratio in baked goods like cookies or cakes.
Don’t forget to add it to pancakes or waffles for a floral breakfast.
Sprinkle the lilac sugar and bits of sugared and dehydrated lilac blossoms on the tops of cookies or muffins for a floral infused sweet crunch.
Use a little of it to sweeten tea for a floral flavor that is sure to delight.
Make lilac hot cocoa by using lilac sugar instead of plain. Trust me, this is such a delight on a winter night.
Dissolve the sugar in hot water for a simple syrup to flavor cocktails and mocktails.
An Amazing Floral Gift
Sugar lasts a long time. Which means this can easily make for a great gift.
Make a big batch of lilac sugar this spring. Then divide it all into smaller, decorative jars and give it away during the holidays or for birthdays all year long.
More Recipes with Lilac
Try these tasty recipes for more ways to eat lilacs in season:
Lilac Infused Sugar
Make lilac sugar for a floral infused sweetener to add to drinks, baked goods, and more.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1 Cup Lilac Blossoms
Instructions
- In a small baking dish or cake pan, mix together the sugar and lilac blossoms.
- Tossing the blossoms well to coat in the sugar.
- Place the dish in a dehydrator and turn the dehydrator to 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Stir the sugar every now and then to prevent clumping.
- Let dry until the flowers are crisp - about 4 hours.
- Remove the dried flowers by shaking through a fine mesh sieve, if desired.
- Store the infused sugar in a tightly sealed jar until ready to use.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
25Serving Size:
1 TablespoonAmount Per Serving: Calories: 46Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 0mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 0gSugar: 12gProtein: 0g
We try our best but cannot guarantee that nutrition information is 100% accurate.
Hi Kathy! Lilacs are a favorite spring flower of mine, though we won’t have them out until mid-May in the Northeast. It’s such a brief season, I’m happy to capture their lovely fragrance with this great idea! Quick question, do you wash the lilacs first? (Assuming that’s a given.. :) Thanks!
I would yes wash them. Wash them and give them a spin in the salad spinner. Make sure they’re pretty dry before putting them in the sugar. I’ll update the instructions to say that, thanks for catching my omission.
A beautiful idea!! I love lilacs!!
How long will lilac sugar last in the pantry?
At least a year. Sugar is a great preservative.
Are the blossoms supposed to stay purple? I have tried three times now and they turn brown within 12 hours (not very pretty). The third time I tried laying the blossoms on a sheet tray and putting the sugar over the top so it wasn’t so wet. Then I forgot I had set it in the oven and went to make bread and by the time I realized what I had done the oven was preheated. My sugar now smells like soap. I hate to throw it out though. I think I should try a different way to use lilacs lol. I make jelly and love that though.
They will definitely lose color in the sugar. Even when I bake with them in cookies, etc. they lose color.
I have done this 3 days ago.y flowers are brown and have a pungent kind of smell (they are starting to ferment I think). They are also brown :( did I do something wrong?
I’ve never had them ferment, the flowers do lose color.
My blossoms also turned brown and it smells kind of like coconut oil, not lilac-y. Where did I go wrong?
I can’t explain the coconut oil smell at all. However, if it doesn’t smell right at all I wouldn’t eat it. Sugar is a pretty amazing preservative so nothing should spoil but be safe.
The blossoms do often turn burnish, they just give up their color but it’s not bad per say.
Hi, Kathie,
Have you ever made lilac infused oil? Is that even a thing? What if you used an oil with little scent of its own? Do you think the lilac scent would come through? Does it have any medicinal value? Thanks.
I have not made lilac infused oil – I’m not 100% confident the aroma would come through but there’s no harm in trying a small jar. There’s no medicinal benefit that I’m aware of – there could be of course just I haven’t read about it in my studies to date.
@Kathie Lapcevic, the scent of lilacs is too delicate to transfer to an oil, especially if it has a scent of its own. Lilacs are a long-lost medicine known for being astringent, high in volatile oils, and a bitter. This combination made it suitable for ceasing cycles of recurring disease and illness, as well as being antimicrobial, antibiotic, purgative, encouraging to gastric juices for proper digestion and assimilation, a respiratory tonic, and drying to excess mucous production. I’m an herbalist and lilac is one of my favorite medicinal revivals.
Do you cover the jar with a lid or do you let air escape? Like with cheeseloth? I’m having the rancid flowers after a few days experience. The flowers were dry. The jar is lidded. I’d imagine sealing is causing it maybe?
I haven’t had this problem and I do just seal it with a regular lid so that I can shake it every day.
@Mama Tried, I put a coffee filter over my jar and a ring. Works perfect. You can still shake it with out a problem.
Do not wash your lilacs! Even though I put them in a salad spinner then on a towel and dried for more than an hour my sugar still got lumpy. Other recipes do not mention washing them. That’s why I think people’s sugar is getting rancid smelling or fermented.
My lilac bushes are full of birds at all times, walking all over the flowers and branches, not to mention bugs. I’m going to wash, but people are welcome to do what they want.
Do you leave the lid on all week? Or do you remove the lid? It is so wet! I’m afraid it’s gonna mold or something.
I’m on day 4 and gave it a taste- so far it does have a very faint floral taste, I’m excited to finish the week.
I’m thinking something went wrong, too warm maybe? As the sugar smells really bad and the lilac flowers are brown. I’m in Minnesota and we’re in the midst of record-setting high temps.
It could be that it fermented…
So let’s say a person found this recipe in spring of 2020 and made a pint and a half in a ball jar with a ball leak proof lid…
Then that person boxed it up and moved across the country and forgot about it in said box until spring of 2024…
Say that person opened it and it smells like floral alcohol… what would a person do then???? Hypothetically of course 😬
Hypothetically, of course… this made me laugh so hard and may resemble things I have down.
Oy, it’s really hard to say here – if it fermented it might indeed be alcohol. Know anyone with a hydrometer for brewing beer / wine? You could test it… Did all the sugar dissolve?
I don’t have any real words of wisdom and I know that’s not helpful.
@Kathie Lapcevic, unbelievably the sugar is still very much sugar so I’m not sure if I should liquify it, dry it, burn it on a pyre…
The flowers have naturally gone brown but other than that it looks no different than it did four years ago.
In order to test with a hydrometer I would need to liquify it correct?
You would need liquify it and goodness, it seems crazy to think it turned to alcohol with becoming a liquid. I just can’t be sure.