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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, peony 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!
More Ways To Use Lilacs
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.
Gerri
Saturday 19th of August 2023
Hi. Question. Can you leave in some of the lilac flowers, or add some reserved fresh flower petals into the jelly right before canning to add texture and beauty?
Kathleen
Sunday 30th of April 2023
Mine turned out much pinker. I don't know if it's because I used bottled lemon juice, are picked the lilacs right after a storm, but, definitely much pinker. The change was instantaneously visible as soon as I put the lemon juice in. A much more subtle floral flavor than rose jam.
Lindsay
Thursday 20th of April 2023
Holy Smokes!! I Made this last evening and it's absolutely DELICIOUS!!!! I was so skeptical Boy ol boy!! I'll be making another batch of this over the weekend. Thank you for sharing:)
Angelika
Tuesday 7th of June 2022
Ive made this before but came over to compare prep directions! My jelly is a light reddish tint! I used a lot of DARK purple lilacs!
Kimberlee O'Neal-Schultz
Monday 23rd of May 2022
This was my first time making (or tasting) flower jelly and it's so delicious that I couldn't wait for it to gel before drizzling it on sourdough bread with kerrygold butter 💕💕
I think the older, wilted lilacs are far easier to remove from the stems than the fresh ones. I made sure to have absolutely no green in my batch. I accidentally forgot about it in the fridge until it made a nice, dark tea. So my jelly is especially floral flavored. I LOVE IT and I can't wait to try this recipe out with other flowers!