40+ Lilac Recipes

Lilac recipes make the most of edible lilacs in season. Lilacs are a highly scented spring flower, beautiful in bouquets, gardens, and atop a host of culinary creations.

Lilac bushes (Syringa spp) are part of the olive family. These deciduous bushes bloom in the springtime between April and June. Their smell is perfumey, strong and heady – an abundance of bushes can produce an almost overwhelming sweet, floral aroma.

A warm spring can bring flowers out early though, causing a shorter bloom period. In such cases, you may need to hurry and pick those fragrant floral blossoms before they fade.

Choosing the Best Lilac

Be sure to source lilacs from a place free of contaminants, pollutants or any chemicals and pesticides. Pick lilacs in the cool of the morning or the evening on a day that is free of dew and moisture. Use clippers to pick stems, removing woody bits once home.

Wash lilacs gently before using, shaking, or using a salad spinner to dry.

You’ll only need the blossoms, so when preparing, be sure to remove any leaves, stems and woody bits from lilacs. Some find a good way to strip a large number of lilacs from the stem, is to place them over a bowl and snip blossoms off with scissors.

Lilac Recipes

The flavor of lilacs is honeyed and floral with slight citrus notes. Although you can toss fresh blooms onto salads and other desserts for an elegant effect, you’ll find most recipes use lilac in infused forms.

The simplest way to incorporate lilac into desserts is to make a lilac-infused sugar. Lilac syrup is another infused option, wonderful for adding to drinks and cocktails. Lilac-infused honey and vinegar are two more stunning possibilities.

Fresh Lilac Recipes

For coconut cream tarts you’ll use fresh blossoms to create a lilac-infused milk as well as a lilac-infused whipped cream. Flavors of coconut blend perfectly with this delicate and fragrant flower. To make a salty honey pie using fresh lilacs, you’ll need to first make a lilac sugar with fresh blossoms as outlined in the recipe.

Fresh lilacs can also be added to salads. They pair well with lighter spring and summer flavors like lemon, cucumber and berries. You can even try your hand at a lilac salad dressing, using lilac-infused vinegar as your base. Fresh lilac and other edible flowers can be pressed into butter as well, adding subtle floral flavor to toast and crostini.

Lilac Breakfast Recipes

For a beautiful violet-hued breakfast treat, try blueberry oatmeal with lilac syrup. Top with lilac blossoms for the full effect. Use lilac sugar and lilac syrup to make coffee cake, sweet rolls or aromatic breakfast biscuits for breakfast goodies that last for days.

Lilac and honeycomb pancakes are another scrumptious option. Simply add lilac sugar to your favorite pancake, waffle or crepe recipe to add soft flowery notes to morning meals. Top with lilac syrup or lemon lilac sauce.

Lilac Drink Recipes

Lilacs make a lovely component to many drink recipes in the form of syrups. Be it a simple syrup or cold-infused honey lilac syrup, these lilac-infused liquids can add flavor to everything from lemonade to soda and seltzer.

Lilac blossoms can also be infused directly into water or made into a flower tea. Serve iced with lemon slices or warm with honey and a platter of lilac tea cookies.

Lilac Cocktails and Liqueurs

Cocktails and mocktails also benefit from fragrant lilac. Lovers of lilac can make lilac-infused spirits to create floral cocktails. Add a little lilac simple syrup for extra flowery flavor. A sweetened lilac liqueur can also be made using vodka to add to a wide variety of adult beverages.

Not sure which cocktails to try? Combine lilac syrup with vanilla liqueur and gin with a splash of lime juice, or try a bee’s knees cocktail made with lilac-infused gin, lilac syrup, honey syrup and fresh lemon juice. To use gin, you can also make a gin cocktail with lemon juice, lilac syrup, and an egg white, or go for a gin fizz, swapping the egg for carbonated water.

Looking for a lighter drink? Add lilac syrup to champagne and lemon juice to create lilac mimosas for a fragrant spring brunch.

Lilac Snack Recipes

For lilac-inspired snacks and appetizers, consider adding lilacs to crostini, baking sliced baguettes, and topped with ricotta and lilac-syrup-coated strawberries for a sweeter option. For a more savory snack, try incorporating lilacs into a cheese spread. Blend goat cheese with blackberries, lilac syrup, and fresh thyme to pair with crackers. The result is tasty and appealing to display.

For sweeter treats, bake lilac blossoms into shortbread cookies made from lilac sugar. Try adding lilacs and other edible flowers to hard candies like flower lollipops – little ones will be delighted by their pretty appearance. For healthier snacks, consider lilac popsicles made with muddled berries and juice.

Lilac Popsicles

Lilac Dessert Recipes

Desserts are yet another wonderful opportunity to make use of lilacs. Try adding lilacs to cakes and frostings. Honey and lemon are popular flavor pairings for this sweet, slightly citrusy blossom. For extra lilac flavor, try lilac eclairs made with lilac sugar and lilac-infused cream. Baked goods can also be topped with candied lilac flowers as in these lilac petits fours, topped with a lilac-hued icing glaze and crystallized lilac flowers.

For cooler desserts, consider infusing lilac into whipped cream to top goods like lilac cheesecake or pudding. Try adding lilacs to chilled panna cotta by infusing fresh blossoms into milk. Posset, a creamy dessert resembling custard is another dish that benefits from floral notes by infusing blossoms into cream. And don’t forget about ice cream – dairy-friendly and dairy-free options are both available!

Baked Goods

Chilled Desserts and Puddings

Preserving Lilac

When dozens of lilac bushes bloom all at once, you can end up harvesting far more than you need. Fear not, there are quite a few ways to use up these perfumey flowers so you can savor their delicate spring scent for months to come. There is lilac sugar, which will last for a year when stored in a cool, dry place.

Lilacs can also be infused into honey to add to teas and culinary dishes or infused into vinegar and alcohol. And don’t forget about lilac jelly – a tried and true method of extending this springtime flavor throughout summer and fall.

Cultured & Fermented Lilac

Lilacs can be added to fermented and cultured recipes as well. Homemade lilac wine is a lovely choice that captures the spirit of these spring blossoms in bottled form. Add blueberries for color or some plums for additional flavorings. Honey wine or mead is another alternative for preserving this floral flavor.

Try lilac kombucha or fermented soda to enjoy lilac along with other fruits and flavorings like blueberries or peaches, or consider a fermented cordial made with ginger, citrus, and lilac.

Lilac Wine

Edible Flower Recipes

Looking for more ways to use edible flowers?