How To Make Peony Jelly
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Learning how to make peony jelly is a great way to use up your peony flowers as they start to fade in your flower garden.
Peonies are beautiful flowers in your early summer garden. Although the blooms don’t last long, you can make a wonderful jelly from the flower petals.
Hey, you need to deadhead those flowers anyway as the blooms start to fade, so why not make a yummy jelly that you can enjoy all year with them?
What Does Peony Jelly Taste Like?
Peony jelly is a delicious-tasting flower jelly that is really hard to find for sale. It has a lightly floral taste blended with peach and strawberry flavors. It’s one of many edible flower recipes I love to make in the summer.
Are Peony Flowers Edible?
Peony plants have been used as food and for medical uses for many years. However, it’s one of those funny plants that turn up on both lists of edible and toxic plants.
My Health Albert lists peonies on their non-toxic list of plants.
While this article talking about eating peony petals in the New York Times references the National Poison Center Network in Pittsburgh as saying “there is nothing to indicate that peony petals are troublesome.” It goes on to say there is “no evidence that they are toxic”
The ASPCA does list peonies as toxic to dogs, cats, and horses, so make sure you keep your pets away from these plants and anything made from them.
So my best advice to you is to do your own research and to never eat plants that you don’t feel safe eating.
But I personally love this recipe, it’s so easy to make and tastes amazing. It’s quickly become one of our favourite jelly recipes.
How To Make Peony Jelly
1. Select Your Flowers
You can use peony flowers that are in full bloom, but if you want to enjoy your flower garden and have a yummy jelly, then it’s best to wait to collect the flowers until the blooms start to wilt.
Cut the flowers from the plants just before they start to turn brown.
Now, if you’ve ever brought cut peony flowers inside before, you know these pretty flowers are full of bugs. Ants, earwigs, and spiders all love to hide inside these large flowers.
So make sure you rinse the flowers before using them. I like to have a container of cool water sitting outside and dunk the flowers in.
After the flowers have been cleaned, start picking off the flower petals until you have 2 cups worth.
2. Steep The Flowers
Place the flower petals into a quart-sized mason jar or a saucepan and cover with 4 cups of boiling water.
The flowers will start to shrivel up and shrink quickly while their color starts to turn the water a light pink. The color can depend on what color your flowers are to start with.
Cover and let the liquid cool then place in your fridge for 24 hours to steep.
3. Strain
Line a fine-meshed strainer with two layers of cheesecloth, then pour the peony infusion through it. Squeeze the cheesecloth to remove as much liquid from the flowers as possible.
You should have 4 cups of liquid, if you are a little short add enough water to make up the difference.
4. Cook
Pour the peony infusion into a heavy-bottomed pot, then add the lemon juice. The color will change from a pale yellow to a pretty pink color.
Then, add the powdered pectin.
Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, then add the sugar. Return the mixture to a boil, stirring constantly, and boil for 1-2 minutes.
Remove the jelly from the heat and skim off the foam. Then, ladle into your canning jars if you want to keep it in your pantry. If you plan to use it up soon then you can let the jars cool and place them into your fridge.
Remove any air bubbles, then wipe the jar rims clean and place the lids and rings on finger tight.
Process in a water bath canner for 10 minutes or according to your altitude.
After processing, remove the jelly jars from the canner and place them on a towel in a draft-free place. Let them sit undeserved for 24 hours for the seal to harden.
Any jars that haven’t sealed in 24 hours need to be reprocessed or refrigerated.
Jelly will normally set within 24 hours but sometimes it does take a few days. If your jelly doesn’t set up nice and firm use these tips for fixing runny jelly.
If you’re getting hooked on making flower jellies, don’t miss this easy violet jelly. It’s perfect for making in the early spring from wild violets or later in the spring with pansies.
Dandelion jelly is another amazing flower jelly that tastes just like honey, and this easy dandelion syrup is delicious, too. If you are growing lilacs then you must try lilac jelly, it’s one of our favorite jelly recipes.
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Peony Jelly
Ingredients
- 2 cups peony flowers
- 4 cups water
- 4 cups sugar
- 2 TBS. lemon juice
- 1 box powdered pectin
Instructions
- Rinse your peony flowers and remove petals. Make sure to check and remove any bugs that could be hiding in the flowers.
- Place 2 cups of petals in a large canning jar and cover with 4 cups of boiling water. Cover and let them steep for 24 hours in your fridge.
- The next day drain the peony flower liquid through a cheesecloth-lined strainer. You should have 3 1/2 to 4 cups of liquid. Add water to make up the difference.
- Place the liquid in a large heavy-bottomed pot, add lemon juice, and pectin. Bring the mix to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Add the sugar and return to a boil.
- Boil for 1-2 minutes string to help keep the jelly from burning.
- Remove your pot from the heat and skim off the foam.
- Ladle into canning jars and process for 10 minutes in a water bath canner or place the cooled jars into your fridge for short-term use.
These values are from a nutritional database and automatically calculated, and should only be used as an approximation.
Kim Mills is a homeschooling mom of 6 and lives on an urban homestead in Ontario, Canada. Blogging at Homestead Acres she enjoys sharing tips to help you save money, grow and preserve your own food.
Maybe I’m missing something obvious (other than ‘choose the saucepan method’), but how are y’all using a quart mason jar to do the infusion?? A quart is 4 cups, so how do you add 4 cups of boiling water to 2 cups of packed petals and get it all to stay in the quart jar?
turned out amazing! I did boil until it reached 220° to make sure the jelly would set. It did and everybody loved it!
HI! Which type of pectin did you use? Low sugar or regular? I just made Daylily jelly and it didn’t set- I’ve been having trouble with jellies in general not setting lately and I’ve canned for 30+ years.. Thanks!
How many grams does a pack of pectin have? I have 500 grams…
@Monika, a standard box of pectin in the US has 49 grams, or 1.75 ounces.
Normally, I make Grape jam, not jelly. I had people tell me, you need liquid pectin not powder. They were so wrong. Last year, I made Violet, Rose Petal and Clover jellies. This year I’m adding Dandelion and hopefully Peony. Your recipes are super easy and delicious. Thank you for the guidance.
You would hope that a homeschooling parent/teacher would know how to form a simple plural if she’s going to teach it to her children. The plural of “peony” is “peonies”, NOT “peony’s”. “Peony’s” is the possessive. As in “The peony’s scent is lovely.”
Apostrophe s is never a plural when at the end of a word (although it’s occasionally used in number abbreviations such as “the 1990’s”, though that’s no longer used much anymore).
@An actual teacher,
Uhhh, I’m pretty sure she is in possession of said peonies, so she can use the possessive is she wants to. This is a cooking/recipe blog. Not English Grammar class. You might want to tuck that crazy back in. It is unbecomming, makes you look like a jerk, and if you are an actual teacher, I would pull my kid out of any class led by someone who is so clearly miserable and demeaning.
@Rachel Marie, PERFECT!!!
@An actual teacher, you could not possibly have said this in a more rude and unbecoming fashion. Grammar is pretend, kindness and manners are real.
@An actual teacher,
This comment is so rude, and frankly unnecessary. It didn’t contribute anything. It clear purpose was to embarrass and bully. It comes off as just plain mean. Pick your battles …it’s just jelly!
Hi, Are Peonies safe to eat. When I google peonies says they are poisonous. Thanks
@tammy, they are poisonous to cats and dogs, perfectly safe for humans!
Most peonies in North America are safe for human consumption. There are a few varieties around the world that are less stomach friendly (causing g.i. distress.) Like all things, enjoy in moderation.
HI,
can I substitute the powder pectin for liquid pectin?
@angela, Yes, but make sure you do the conversion correctly. It is typically 2 liquid pouches to 1 powdered. Check the mfg website.
@Kadee R, What a horrible way to answer someone… powdered and liquid HAVE to be done totally different.. it is FAR from a simple substitute..
Powdered pectin HAS to be hard boiled (full rolling boil for 1 full minute) into the fruit/juice BEFORE sugar or it will not set…
Liquid pectin can only be added AT THE END after sugar or it will not set…..
Below is a copy/paste from another site about conversions:
A pouch of liquid pectin and a pouch of powdered pectin can not be substituted 1-for-1.
1 pouch liquid = 2 Tb powdered
2 pouches liquid = 4 Tb or 1 pouch (1.75 oz) powdered pectin
A typical pouch of powdered pectin (1.75 oz.) contains 4 tablespoons of powdered pectin.
I made Dandelion jelly last year and was excited to try your recipe for Peony jelly. I have a beautiful pink peony bush. But when I went out to gather petals to make it, I found that my peonies have no smell! I assume that no smell means no flavor, right? Any ideas why this happens or what I can do to fix my bush? I would hate to have to rip it up and start over.
Hi Kim,
I made dandelion jelly for the first time using your recipe and LOVE it! (For variety we added some jalapeños to some subsequent batches- highly recommended!). I just love the labels you created for the dandelion jelly. Do you have any for the peony jelly as well? Thanks!
@Wendi, please share how you added in the Jalapeño. We’re they raw, or cooked, how were they cut and importantly did you add the seeds? Sounds delicious!
Just made a double batch, beautiful color as I used more dark pink with some white. It’s just out the the canner but the bit I tasted from the pot was delicious. Never in my mind would I have thought this would be good, I was so wrong.
I just made peony jelly for the first time and I am amazed.
I had my doubts about making peony jelly (especially when I tasted the peony-tea that would become the jelly), but I am pleased to report that the finished jelly is AMAZING! The sugar and lemon juice transform a dowdy, ill-tasting peony tea into a surprisingly delicious jelly! Thank you for posting the recipe!
My peonies are about to bloom! Can’t wait to try this!
I made Peony jelly last year and want to try again this year. Question though….after making the tea do you have to make it into jelly right away or can you just refrigerate it for awhile.
Is there a way to make the recipe with less sugar? I try to avoid a lot for health reasons.
@Lori Haselrick, you can make it with less sugar by using the sure jel that says “for less sugar” and cut the sugar by half. I’ve used that powdered pectin and made it with less sugar and I’ve made it with no sugar.
I made peony jelly last year and lived it. I got sick later and am afraid my peonies may have died If so I will be planting more!!
Hey Kim,
Do you ever double this peony jelly recipe?
Thank you!
Peggy
I made this jelly but it did not have much flavor. Any suggestions for a less bland jelly?
I’m not sure, ours always has a great flavor. You could try packing the flower petals down firmer when measuring to make a stronger infusion. How long did you let the flowers steep? I have the best results by letting them steep overnight.
@Katherine, I made fabulous Rose Petal jelly with this recipe. Tastes like strawberry-sour apple. Violet tastes like strawberry cotton candy. You can make tea from most edible flowers.
Followed the directions exactly after 24+ hours of resting undisturbed, jelly is not firmly set. Does it take longer in high altitudes?
Hi Sue, The 24 hours of resting undisturbed is so the seal on the jar lid can set. Many times the jelly will also be firm after this time but it can take a week or more sometimes. You can read more about problems with jelly and jams not setting and try these fixes if you need to. https://www.homestead-acres.com/how-to-fix-jam-or-jelly-that-didnt-set/
I am steeping 4 cups of petals in 4 cups of water. Will that work for the jelly? Will it make the flavor stronger? Or should I start over with 2 cups of petals? Thanks!
Yes, it will probably make the flavor stronger. 🙂 But you might like the taste that way. You could also try cutting the steeped liquid half and half with water and make two batches of jelly. I can’t say how that would turn out for sure as I normally steep one batch at a time, 2 cups flowers and 4 cups water.
This is an excellent jelly recipe! The flavor is very much like a cross between a strawberry and a peach, with some subtle floral notes. Quite good! I would definitely recommend you make this!
What if my petals are white can I add food coloring to get the pink
@Michelle, That’s what I did. I made a double batch, and ended up adding 5 drops of red food coloring. If you’re making a single recipe, I would recommend three drops. It won’t end up bright pink (or bright red) but more a peachy-pink color.
Yes, you can change the color using food coloring.
Can the finished tea product wait in the fridge for a few days before the cooking /jelly process? Or does it need to be done immediately?
@Candice, This reply is a little late, but since this was a question I had been looking for the answer to, I wanted to reply just in case it helps someone else. I steeped my peonies for the 24 hours, strained them and kept the finished infusion in my fridge for probably about a month (after making my first batch, I had more peony but no need for more jelly). It honestly tasted a little better than the first batch, in my opinion. It comes out fine!
Hi Kim,
I am new to your website and I really enjoy your blog/website! It’s the only one I will ever need because it has everything. Thank you for creating it.
Do you have a recipe for Dandelion Jelly and Dandelion greens with bacon?
Lastly do you have any recipes for clover?I remember growing up and picking the clover flower and eating the bottom of the white flower petals and it tasted sweet.
Thank you again for your blog/website resources. It’s the best on the web!
Thanks so much Mary! Yes I do have a recipe for dandelion jelly you can find it here: https://www.homestead-acres.com/how-to-make-dandelion-jelly/ I will have recipes using clover up this summer. Things are moving slowly this year being such a cold spring.
I’m excited to try this when my peonies bloom! Question though, can I use honey in place of the sugar? When I make chokecherry jelly, I like to use honey instead of regular sugar. Also, what about the dandelion jelly, can I use honey for that? My dandelions are steeping as I type! Can’t wait!
Hi Kerrie, yes you can substitute honey for sugar in jam and jelly recipes. 🙂
Hi there- I have pectin but it’s in a jar and I’m not sure how much I should use. Your help would be greatly appreciated. Can I also use less sugar?
It’s normally 6 tablespoons of pectin in a box. You can use less sugar but then you should use a type of pectin that is made for low or no sugar recipes. Regular pectin needs a certain amount of sugar or it won’t set.
@Kim, sorry just saw this – you have answered my question! Ciara