For a refreshing twist, lavender lemonade uses culinary-grade lavender to add a sweet, floral flavor to homemade lemonade. It’s also incredibly fun to make, as the lemonade changes color from dark purple to a bright pink as you add the lemon juice! Lavender contains anthocyanin, a natural colorant that changes color depending on the pH level of its solution.
All you need to make this lemonade with lavender is lemons, sugar, lavender, and water. To ensure the sugar dissolves fully (and that the lemonade changes color!), I make a lemon and lavender-infused simple syrup. It’s based off of my lavender simple syrup recipe, just with lemon zest for a little extra brightness. Pair with my lemon lavender macarons for a celebration of all things lemon and lavender!
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Ingredients for Lavender Lemonade
Lemonade with lavender flavor is easy to make at home with just four ingredients! Dried, culinary-grade lavender is key for the lavender flavor and pretty pink color of this non-alcoholic lavender drink. I think I’ve struck a good balance between sweet, floral, and tart with this lavender lemonade recipe, but feel free to adjust the ratios slightly if you prefer your lemonade really sweet or more tart.
- Lemons. I prefer to use whole lemons so that I can use fresh-squeezed lemon juice and the zest for extra flavor. If you’re in a pinch or don’t want to go through the extra effort of zesting and juicing, bottled lemon juice will still work. (You’ll essentially just make lavender simple syrup in Step 2.)
- Granulated sugar. Sugar offsets the tartness of the lemon juice and sweetens the lavender lemonade.
- Culinary-grade lavender. Verify that you have culinary-grade lavender (usually sold in a spice jar or labeled as such). Culinary lavender is grown specifically for the taste, whereas some varieties of lavender are grown for the aromatics and can taste soapy. I use lavender from Harney & Sons in all my recipes, as its color and flavor is second to none!
- Water. Make lemonade stronger or milder depending on your preference: I include a suggested range of water in the recipe card.
Quick Tips to Make Lavender Lemonade
Even for simple recipes like this one, I share process photos so you know what to expect every step of the way! In short, to make lemonade with lavender, you’ll make a lemon and lavender-flavored simple syrup, then add lemon juice and water. That’s it! You can watch me make this lavender lemonade below, too:
To Make the Lemon Lavender Syrup
Each lemon varies in how much juice it contains, so I like to zest and juice each lemon one at a time. That prevents me from accidentally zesting too many and needing to find a recipe that uses only a little lemon juice.
You can use a handheld lemon squeezer like the one I have, or a measuring cup with a juicer attached. Both work; use whatever is more convenient for you! Once you have a full cup of lemon juice, set it aside.
Next, add granulated sugar, dried lavender buds, and water to the small saucepan. Place over medium heat and stir occasionally, until the syrup simmers. Remove from heat and let the lavender steep for at least 10-15 minutes.
The lavender flavor will continue to develop as it steeps, so don’t cut this step short! Steeping the lavender for only a couple minutes will result in a very mild lavender flavor and not much color.
To Make the Color-Changing Lavender Lemonade
Once the lemon lavender syrup has steeped long enough and has cooled slightly, pour it into a heat-safe pitcher, like glass. The syrup will be dark and may even be a little green from the anthocyanins in the lavender. Anthocyanins are a natural colorant, and their color changes depending on the acidity of the solution they are in. The lavender syrup has a pH level that’s fairly basic, so it appears mostly purple.
The lemon juice has an acidic pH level, so when you pour the lemon juice on top of the syrup, the anthocyanins will turn bright pink!
Then, add 3-4 cups of water, depending on your preference. I usually only add 3 cups, but if you like your lemonade a little less tart, you can add all 4.
If serving immediately, add ice. Garnish with leftover lemon zest from the simple syrup and a few sprigs of lavender, if desired. Refrigerate any leftovers in a covered container.
FAQs about Lavender Lemonade
Lavender contains anthocyanins, which change color based on the pH level. At high or basic pH levels, the anthocyanins turn green. At low or acidic pH levels, the anthocyanins turn reddish pink!
Four teaspoons of lavender seems like a lot, but it’s the perfect amount for lavender lemonade. The lavender is present, but it’s not overwhelming.
I always use lavender from Harney & Sons. It has the best balance of flavor and color that I’ve tried without being soapy. Flavor and strength can vary depending on the brand, so if your lemonade is more floral than you’d like, it may be the brand of lavender you used.
Other Lavender Recipes You May Enjoy
If you’re a lavender lover like me, I’ve been posting lots of lavender recipes for Lavender Month (the theme ingredient for all my recipes in April 2024).
Another favorite non-alcoholic lavender drink recipe, my iced lavender London fog is made with Earl Grey tea, milk, and lavender syrup.
I’ve also developed a no-chill lavender madeleine recipe that’s perfect for tea parties and afternoon snacks, just like my lemon lavender macarons and lavender chocolate chip cookies, made with white, dark, or milk chocolate.
Dish Cleanup: Not Too Bad
I rate my recipe cleanups on a scale of 1 to 5. 1 is only a handful of dishes, and 5 is everything including the kitchen sink.
This lavender lemonade recipe has a cleanup rating of a 2. There’s a small pot, a knife and cutting board, and some juicing/zesting tools, but nothing too terrible. The small pot and strainer are best rinsed out immediately to prevent the syrup from drying on. If you can’t get to them right away, feel free to let them soak!
Color-Changing Lavender Lemonade Recipe
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Lavender Lemonade
Sweet, tart, and floral, this lavender lemonade makes for a refreshing twist on homemade lemonade. Bonus: You get to watch the lemonade naturally change color from dark purple to a beautiful pale pink as you add the lemon juice!
Ingredients
- 1 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, from 4-5 lemons (240 ml)
- Zest from 4-5 washed lemons
- 1 cup granulated sugar (200 g)
- 4-5 cups cool water (950-1180 ml), divided
- 4 teaspoons culinary-grade lavender
Instructions
- Zest* and juice one lemon at a time until you have 1 cup (240 ml) of lemon juice. Set aside.
- To a small saucepan, add the lemon zest, granulated sugar, lavender, and 1 cup of water. Place over medium heat and stir occasionally, until the syrup begins to boil. Remove from heat and let cool for 10-15 minutes to allow the lavender to steep.
- Once cooled, strain the syrup into a large pitcher.**
- Add the lemon juice and 3 cups of water to the pitcher and stir together. Taste, and if desired, dilute with another cup of water.
- Pour over ice if serving immediately, or store in the fridge without ice until serving time.
Notes
*I usually use my vegetable peeler to quickly zest larger quantities of lemons, but you may also use a microplane or grater.
**The syrup is usually purple, but it may be tinged green here, depending on the kind of lavender you used. Even so, it will still change color to pink once the lemon juice is added!
To make this lemonade faster without any zest, you can use bottled lemon juice! Just leave out the lemon zest in Step 2 and proceed with the recipe as written.
Homemade lavender lemonade will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days when covered.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
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Harney & Sons French Super-Blue Lavender -
Zulay Kitchen Lemon Squeezer Stainless Steel - Premium Quality, Heavy Duty Solid Metal Squeezer Bowl - Large Manual Citrus Press Juicer and Lime Squeezer Stainless Steel
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OXO Good Grips Swivel Vegetable Peeler
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Microplane Master Series Wood Handle Stainless Steel Zester Grater
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
8 ozAmount Per Serving: Calories: 178Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 45mgCarbohydrates: 49gFiber: 4gSugar: 37gProtein: 2g
The nutrition facts are estimated and may vary based on specific ingredients used.
I’d love to see how your lemonade with lavender turns out: Take a photo and tag me on Instagram @floralapronblog to share with me, or use the hashtag #floralapronbakes.