Sweet blueberries, tart lemon, and floral lavender are the perfect combination for a cool & refreshing drink in this blueberry lavender lemonade. It's great for summer days, when you're craving a cold, sweet refreshment!
I love making a batch of this blueberry lavender lemonade to sip on while working during the day, or while relaxing in the evening. It's not too sweet, and it's really refreshing, so it's hands-down my favorite drink throughout the summer.
When it comes to the blueberries, both fresh or frozen blueberries work in this recipe. I've tested both & frozen blueberries work just as great as fresh ones, since the berries are cooked on the stove into a syrup. As a bonus, it turns a gorgeous natural pink color!
Now, you may or may not be familiar with infusing drinks with flowers. But trust me on this one! Either fresh or dried lavender creates such a unique and aromatic flavor in this easy summer drink.
Lavender in the Kitchen
My husband and I started an annual tradition in 2022, to go lavender picking at a nearby farm. It's so relaxing to walk amongst the buzzing bees and swaying lavender.
If you get your hands on fresh culinary grade lavender, I'd suggest to also bake lemon lavender scones and lavender chocolate cake. Or make DIY homemade lotion bars!
When Life Gives You Lemons...
This lemonade recipe is versatile, so you can make it as sweet & tart or as light & mild as you like.
For a milder, light lemonade, add an additional cup of water. Or for a stronger lemonade, add one less cup of water.
And if you like your lemonade tart enough to make your mouth pucker, add more lemon juice and add some lemon zest.
Ingredients
- Water - dilutes the lemon juice and syrup to make a delicious lemonade
- Granulated sugar
- Lavender buds - use culinary grade lavender, and remove any stems or leaves
- Blueberries
- Lemon juice - use juice from freshly squeezed lemons for the best flavor
How to Make Blueberry Lavender Lemonade
Mix the syrup ingredients: In a small saucepan, add the water, sugar, lavender buds and blueberries.
Simmer the syrup: Bring to a simmer on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until all the sugar is dissolved and the blueberries have broken down and the water turns dark purple (after about 5 to 10 minutes).
Steep the syrup: Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow to steep and cool to room temperature, for about 1 hour.
Strain the syrup: Strain the syrup through a fine mesh strainer or a cheesecloth to remove the lavender buds and blueberry skins.
Juice the lemons: Juice about 3 large lemons or 5 medium lemons to get one cup of lemon juice.
Combine the lemonade ingredients: In a large pitcher or bowl with a spout, combine 5 cups of cold drinking water, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and the cooled blueberry lavender syrup.
Mix the lemonade and serve: Stir with a large spoon. Pour into glasses over ice, or store in the fridge to chill it.
Recipe Tips
- Use a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth to strain the blueberry lavender syrup. If you use a strainer with too big of holes, the lavender buds will go straight through it, into your drink.
- For extra flair, add a sprig of lavender, a few fresh blueberries, or a lemon wedge to your lemonade glasses.
- If you normally drink filtered water, then use your filtered drinking water in the lemonade for the best flavor. If you don't like the taste of your tap water, you won't like the taste of it in your lemonade.
- If you don't want lemon pulp in your lemonade, strain the lemon juice.
Storing
Fridge: Store in a pitcher or jar with a lid in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freezer: Pour the blueberry lavender lemonade into ice cube trays. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
You can add the ice cubes into a glass and allow them to melt. Or serve the lemonade ice cubes with sparkling water for a unique drink.
Syrup: The cooled syrup will keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container, if you want to add it into other recipes.
Blueberry Lavender Lemonade
Ingredients
Blueberry Lavender Syrup
- ¾ cup water
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoon lavender buds (culinary grade)
- 1 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
Lemonade
- 5 cups cold drinking water
- 1 cup lemon juice (freshly squeezed, from about 3 large lemons or 5 medium lemons)
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, add the water, sugar, lavender buds and blueberries. Bring to a simmer on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until all the sugar is dissolved and the blueberries have broken down and the water turns dark purple (after about 8 to 10 minutes).
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and allow to steep and cool to room temperature, for about 1 hour.
- Strain the syrup through a fine mesh strainer or a cheesecloth to remove the lavender buds and blueberry skins.
- In a large pitcher, combine 5 cups of cold drinking water, lemon juice, and the cooled blueberry lavender syrup. Stir with a large spoon.
- Pour into glasses over ice, or store in the fridge to chill it. Enjoy!!
Notes
- Use a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth to strain the blueberry lavender syrup. If you use a strainer with too big of holes, the lavender buds will just go straight through and back into your drink.
- If you don't want lemon pulp in your lemonade, strain the lemon juice.
- For a milder, light lemonade, add an additional cup of water.
- For a stronger lemonade, add one less cup of water.
- For more tart lemonade, add more lemon juice and add some lemon zest.
- For sweeter lemonade, increase the syrup ingredients to one cup water and one cup suga
Carissa Erzen