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Try making this easy lilac flower jelly recipe and enjoy this unique floral treat all year long.
Flower jellies are so much fun to make! Each spring I enjoy making large batches of dandelion jelly, wild violet jelly and of course lilac jelly too.
Did you know lilac flowers are edible?
Yes really! They make a yummy jelly you just have to try.
If you’re wondering what lilac jelly tastes like, it has a mildly floral taste that definitely isn’t overbearing. It’s lovely to enjoy on toast, biscuits, or even with crackers and cheese.
How To Make Lilac Jelly
Prepare The Flowers
The first thing you’ll need to do of course is to go and gather your lilac flowers.
You can use any color of lilacs, the flavor should be the same but the color of the finished jelly will be a little different if you use light or dark purple, or even white lilac flowers.
Make sure to gather your flowers in a clean area that hasn’t been sprayed with any nasty chemicals.
After you’ve cut some nice bows of lilac flowers, you need to pull the petals off to separate the green parts of the flowers.
The green leaves and stems can make your jelly very bitter so trust me just pull off the petals!
They are actually really easy to separate so this step goes pretty fast.
Make Lilac Tea
Once you have 2 cups of packed flower petals it’s time to make the lilac tea. This is sometimes also called lilac infused water.
Pour the flower petals into a quart sized canning jar, then pour about 4 cups of boiling water over them. You’ll want the water to come up to the neck of the jar.
Cover the jar and let it sit until it cools down. Then place it in the fridge overnight to continue steeping.
The next day when you’re ready, strain the flowers well and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
Measure out 3 1/2 to 4 cups of liquid and pour it into a large pot. If you are short on lilac tea, you can use water to make up the difference.
Add the 1/4 cup of lemon juice and 1 pouch of powdered pectin and bring the mixture to a boil.
When it starts to boil add in the 4 cups of sugar and stir it well and return to a boil.
Allow the mixture to boil for 1 to 2 minutes and remove from the heat.
Pour the jelly into hot canning jars, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace.
Run a spatula around the inside edge to remove any air bubbles. Then wipe the edges of the jars clean, and place on the lids and rings finger tight.
Place the jars into a water bath canner and process for 10 minutes or according to your altitude.
Remove the jars from the canner and place them on a towel in a draft-free place. Let them sit undisturbed for 24 hours to let the seal harden.
Any jars that haven’t sealed after 24 hours need to be reprocessed or refrigerated.
This is definitely a wonderful flower jelly you must try when your lilac bushes are flowering!
Lilac Jelly
Try making this easy lilac flower jelly recipe and enjoy this unique floral treat all year long!
Ingredients
- 2 cups of packed lilac blossoms, leaves and stems removed.
- 3-4 cups of boiling water
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 4 cups of sugar
- 1 pouch powdered pectin
Instructions
- Cut the lilac flowers from your tree, then remove the flower petals until you have 2 cups of firmly packed blossoms.
- Add the blossoms to a quart-sized canning jar and cover to the jar neck with boiling water. Cover the jar and let it cool, then place in the fridge overnight to steep.
- The next day strain the flowers, pressing or squeezing to remove as much liquid as possible. You should have 3 1/2 to 4 cups of liquid, make up the difference with water.
- Pour the lilac tea into a large pot, add the lemon juice and pectin and bring it to a boil.
- When it’s boiling add the sugar, stirring until it has dissolved and return the mixture to a full boil for 1-2 minutes.
- Remove from heat, skim off any foam and ladle into jars.
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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.
Rach
Tuesday 2nd of June 2020
Could you replace the sugar with honey? 4 cups of sugar just seems like a lot!1
Cindy
Monday 1st of June 2020
Have made 5 batches now. Wonderful easy recipe. Question: can you mix fruit into the flower tea say, blueberry with lilac?
Jessica
Sunday 31st of May 2020
My first time making jelly. I’m not getting the runny part. Does it go jelly over time? I feel lost. Lol
Kim
Monday 1st of June 2020
Yes, it can take a few days for it to fully set sometimes. But there are many reasons why jelly doesn't set. You can see them here as well as how to fix it.
Lynn
Saturday 30th of May 2020
Your lilac jelly is yellow rather than pink like I've seen from other lilac jelly recipe sites. Your recipe seems to follow the same steps. I'm confused if I'm missing something.
Kim
Monday 1st of June 2020
Hi Lynn, the color will be a bit different depending on the color of your lilac flowers. Lilacs come in dark purple, light purple, white, red, and bicolor. The ones I grow are a very light purple color. Some people also add food coloring to make their jellies a brighter color.
Rachael
Monday 22nd of April 2019
Which do you prefer: violet, lilac or dandelion jelly. Are they much different in flavor? Have you made redbud jelly?