DIY Lavender Sugar for Baking

If you grow lavender in your garden, there are so many ways to bring that harvest into the kitchen. Lavender sugar is one of the easiest.

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It’s simply granulated sugar infused with the delicate floral flavor of dried culinary lavender.

You can use it in baking, tea, lemonade, coffee, and desserts whenever you want a subtle lavender flavor without having to make a separate syrup.

I especially love making a jar of lavender sugar after harvesting and drying lavender from the garden. It makes a pretty homemade gift, too.

What Is Lavender Sugar?

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Lavender sugar is granulated sugar combined with dried culinary lavender. As the sugar sits, it absorbs the fragrance and flavor of the lavender.

You can use the sugar with the lavender buds still mixed in, or strain them out after the sugar has infused.

For cooking and baking, use culinary lavender that hasn’t been treated with pesticides or other garden chemicals that aren’t intended for food.

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What You’ll Need

2 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons dried culinary lavender buds
A clean glass jar with a tight-fitting lid

That’s it!

How to Make Lavender Sugar

1. Combine the Sugar and Lavender

Add the granulated sugar and dried lavender buds to a clean glass jar.

Put the lid on tightly and shake the jar to distribute the lavender throughout the sugar.

2. Let It Infuse

Place the jar in a cool, dry cupboard for at least 1 week.

Give the jar a shake every day or two to help distribute the lavender and keep the sugar from settling.

The longer it sits, the stronger the lavender flavor will become.

3. Strain the Lavender

After the sugar has developed the lavender flavor you want, you can leave the lavender buds in or strain them out.

If you want a smooth sugar for baking, pour it through a fine-mesh strainer to remove the lavender buds.

If you’re using it in tea or as a finishing sugar, I like leaving some of the tiny lavender buds mixed in. It looks beautiful sprinkled over desserts.

4. Store Your Lavender Sugar

Transfer the finished sugar to a clean, airtight jar and store it in a cool, dry place.

Keep moisture out of the jar so the sugar stays dry and free-flowing.

How to Use Lavender Sugar

There are so many ways to use this simple homemade ingredient.

Try it in:

Tea and herbal tea
Coffee
Homemade lemonade
Sugar cookies
Shortbread
Scones
Muffins
Cakes
Cupcakes
Whipped cream
Buttercream frosting
Fruit desserts
Homemade ice cream
Crêpes
French toast
Oatmeal

You can also sprinkle a little over cookies or scones just before baking for a pretty floral finish.

Lavender Sugar for Baking

Lavender has a strong flavor, so a little goes a long way.

When you’re experimenting with a recipe, start by replacing some of the regular sugar with lavender sugar rather than replacing all of it.

This gives you more control over how strong the lavender flavor becomes.

It’s particularly lovely paired with lemon, vanilla, berries, honey, and white chocolate.

Can You Make Lavender Sugar With Fresh Lavender?

I recommend using completely dried lavender rather than fresh lavender.

Fresh lavender contains moisture, which can cause the sugar to clump and can shorten its storage life. Drying the lavender first also concentrates its fragrance and makes it much easier to infuse into the sugar.

If you’re harvesting lavender from your garden, let it dry completely before making your sugar.

What Kind of Lavender Should You Use?

For anything you’re going to eat, use food-grade culinary lavender.

Not every lavender plant sold for landscaping or ornamental use is appropriate for cooking, and you don’t want to use flowers that have been exposed to pesticides or other chemicals.

English lavender is commonly used for culinary purposes because of its milder, sweeter flavor.

Make a Pretty Homemade Gift

Lavender sugar makes a wonderful little homemade gift.

Put it in a small glass jar, add a simple label, and tie a piece of ribbon or twine around the lid. You could even give it along with a jar of homemade lavender tea, lavender shortbread, or another lavender treat.

It’s such a simple way to turn something from the garden into something useful in the kitchen.

From the Garden to the Kitchen

This is one of the things I love most about growing herbs and flowers that can be used in the kitchen.

You get to enjoy the lavender when it’s blooming, harvest it, dry it, and then find new ways to use it throughout the year.

A little jar of lavender sugar is such a simple thing, but it’s exactly the kind of garden-to-table, simple homemade living project that makes growing your own plants so much more rewarding.

More Lavender Ideas

If you have lavender growing in your garden, try some of these other projects:

Follow my lavender board on Pinterest.