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Lilac jelly captures the heady spring perfume of lilac blossoms in a pale, delicate preserve you can open long after the bushes have finished blooming. The petals steep into a fragrant tea, set with pectin and a little lemon juice, and the color shifts from turquoise to soft pink right in the pot.
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Lilacs are a New England fixture, planted in the dooryard of just about every old homestead, and you’ll still find them thriving beside crumbling stone foundations a century after the house came down. Ours greet us for a couple of weeks each spring right beside the front door, and with the windows open, the breeze carries that scent through the whole house.
We cook with lilacs pretty often, and I have a list of more than thirty lilac recipes that I’ve gathered all in one place so I can make a few new ones each year.
Flower jellies have been the stars of our breakfast table lately. With dandelion jelly and violet jelly already on the shelves, peony jelly and lilac jelly were the natural next jars, and it’s since become a spring standby. Last year lilac wine was the hit with the grown-ups while lilac donuts won over the kids, so the jelly rounds out a good lineup. If you like the idea of cooking with blossoms, there’s a whole world of edible flowers that come and go each spring.
A quick word on names, since a lot of folks go searching for lilac jam. Because you’re working with petals steeped into a tea rather than crushed fruit, lilac sets up as a jelly rather than a jam, but it’s the same spread either way.
Notes from my Kitchen
Lilac season is so short up here that I feel a little pressure to make the most of it while the blooms last. Putting up a few jars is how I stretch that smell past the couple of weeks the bushes are actually flowering, and cracking one open in the dead of a Vermont winter brings the whole spring right back.
The flavor varies a surprising amount from bush to bush. We have several varieties on our land, and most make a lovely jelly, each leaning its own way, some toward berry and some more floral. One just isn’t good, so I never use it for anything edible. My daughter has cleaned so many batches of flowers over the years that she flies through a bowl of lilacs in about five minutes, and she taught me to always taste a small cup of the tea before committing to a full batch.
Ingredients for Lilac Jelly
Lilac jelly uses the same short list as most flower jellies. You steep fresh blossoms into a tea, then set it with sugar, pectin, and a bit of lemon juice for both balance and safety.
- Lilac Blossoms: Use only the fragrant petals, with the stems and green sepals removed, since those green parts turn the jelly bitter. Common lilac (Syringa vulgaris) is the one to reach for, picked from a bush you know hasn’t been sprayed. Fully open, strongly scented clusters carry the most flavor.
- Water: Water steeps the petals into lilac tea, the base for the jelly. Filtered water is worth using if your tap has a strong chlorine taste, which can muddy the delicate floral flavor.
- Lemon Juice (bottled): The lemon does several jobs at once. It brightens and balances the floral sweetness, helps the pectin set, and lowers the pH enough to make the jelly safe to can. It’s also what flips the turquoise tea to pink, so don’t skip it. Use bottled lemon juice for its steady, reliable acidity, or swap in citric acid for a more neutral flavor.
- 1 box (1.75 oz) powdered pectin: This recipe is built around regular powdered pectin like Sure-Jell, which gives a dependable set. Don’t substitute liquid pectin, and note that lilacs contain no natural pectin of their own, unlike some fruit jellies such as blackberry jelly that can set on their own.
- Sugar: Regular pectin needs plenty of sugar to gel, so this recipe follows the current Sure-Jell ratio of 5 cups sugar to 4 cups of lilac tea. That full measure of sugar is what gives you a reliable set. If you’d rather cut it back, there’s a lower-sugar route in the Pectin Options below.
- Blueberries or Blackberries (optional): Lilacs don’t give up much color on their own, so a few berries muddled into the steeping water tint the jelly a soft purple without changing the flavor.
Thank you for this recipe. I am now on year 2 of making it and love it! I’ve even left the lilac flowers in my fridge for up to a week and they were still good to use.
How to Make Lilac Jelly
Making lilac jelly runs like any other flower jelly, once you’ve pulled the petals free of the green parts. You steep the blossoms into a tea, set it with pectin and sugar, and add lemon juice along the way. Most of the time here is hands-off while the petals steep, so have your jars and lids ready before you start.
Preparing the Blossoms
Harvest full sprays of lilac with scissors, choosing clusters that are fully open and free of browning or insect damage. The little trumpet-shaped blooms pull free easily, so you can strip them by the handful, then go back and pick out any stray green sepals. Leave the stems and green bases behind, since that’s where the bitterness lives. It goes faster than you’d think, and a few sprays give you plenty, no afternoon of cleaning the way there is with dandelions.
Making the Lilac Tea
Measure the petals into a heatproof bowl or quart mason jar. Bring the water to a boil and pour it over the top, pushing the petals down so they’re fully submerged. If you want a hint of color, drop in four or five blueberries or blackberries and crush them gently with a spoon. Cover and steep for 15 to 20 minutes.
The water often turns a startling turquoise green as it steeps, which is exactly what you want, since it flips to bright pink the moment the lemon juice goes in. Strain the tea through a fine mesh sieve, pressing gently to draw off all the liquid, and measure it. You’re aiming for 4 cups, so top it off with a little water if you come up short.
Cooking the Jelly
Pour the lilac tea into a jelly pot and stir in the lemon juice, watching the color change as it goes in, then bring it up to a boil over medium-high heat. Once it’s boiling, whisk in the powdered pectin until it’s completely dissolved and let it boil hard for 1 full minute. The pectin goes in before the sugar, which is what lets the jelly set, so hold that order.
After that minute, add all the sugar at once and stir until it’s fully dissolved. Bring the jelly back to a full rolling boil for exactly 1 minute, then pull it off the heat and skim away any foam with a spoon. Ladle the hot jelly into prepared jars right away, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.
Don’t Overcook Pectin Jelly
Fresh out of the pot, pectin jelly looks thin and syrupy, and that’s just how it should look. It firms up as it cools, not on the stove, so resist the urge to keep boiling it down.
- Boil the jelly for exactly 1 minute after the sugar goes in, no longer. A long boil breaks down the pectin and keeps it from gelling.
- Skip the thermometer and the cold-plate test here. Those belong to old-fashioned no-pectin jams, not to a boxed-pectin jelly like this one.
- Give it time. Pectin jelly can take a full 24 to 48 hours to firm up, so don’t call it a failure the next morning if it still looks loose.
Canning Lilac Jelly
Canning is optional. If you’d rather not, let the jars cool completely on the counter and keep them in the refrigerator for up to a month, or the freezer for up to 6 months in freezer-safe jars with a little extra headspace. Even for the fridge, still add the full amount of lemon juice, since it earns its place in both the flavor and the set.
For shelf storage, I run the jars through a water bath canner so the jelly keeps at room temperature all year. Make sure you’ve used the full amount of lemon juice, because that acidity is what makes water bath canning safe.
If you’re new to the process, my beginner’s guide to water bath canning covers everything before you start. After ladling into jars and leaving 1/4 inch headspace, wipe the rims with a clean damp cloth, set the lids, and tighten the bands to fingertip tight.
Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude as needed. Let the jars rest 5 minutes in the turned-off canner, then cool them undisturbed on a towel for 24 hours before checking the seals.
Refrigerate any that didn’t seal and use them within a month, and sealed jars will keep quality on the pantry shelf for 12 to 18 months.
Altitude Adjustments
For water bath canning, processing times increase at higher elevations:
- 0 to 6,000 feet: 10 minutes
- Above 6,000 feet: 15 minutes
Yield Notes
A single batch is sized to set reliably, so it helps to know what to expect before you start:
- You’ll need 2 to 4 cups of petals, roughly five or six full sprays, to make 4 cups of tea.
- Four cups of tea plus 5 cups of sugar yields about 5 to 6 half-pint (8 oz) jars.
- Don’t double the recipe. Pectin jelly sets on a precise balance of liquid, sugar, and pectin, and a doubled pot often refuses to gel. Cook batches one at a time instead.
Storage Options
Lilac jelly keeps well however you store it, so it really comes down to whether you want it on the shelf or in the fridge:
- Refrigerator: Store uncanned jelly in the fridge for up to a month.
- Freezer: Ladle into freezer-safe jars, leaving extra headspace, and freeze for up to 6 months.
- Canned: Properly sealed jars keep on the pantry shelf for 12 to 18 months. Refrigerate after opening.
Recipe Tips
A few things I’ve picked up across a lot of batches, plus some ways to change it up:
- Taste before you commit. Lilac flavor varies a lot from bush to bush, so steep a small cup of tea, stir in a little sugar, and taste it before you gather a full batch.
- Add berries for a lasting color. Some varieties hold their pink and some fade to gold, especially through canning. A few muddled blueberries or blackberries in the steep give a stable purple that survives the water bath.
- Steep a little longer for a deeper flavor. A 15 to 20 minute steep is plenty, but a longer infusion in the fridge pulls out more flavor and color if you have the time.
- Dissolve the sugar fully before the final boil, and don’t add it until the pectin has boiled for its minute, or the jelly won’t set.
- The same pectin method carries over to fruit jellies like strawberry jelly, blueberry jelly, and grape jelly, so a knack for flower jelly translates straight over.
Pectin Options
This recipe is written for regular powdered pectin, but you have a few choices depending on how sweet you want the finished jelly.
For a standard set, use a regular powdered pectin such as Sure-Jell or Ball Classic Pectin with the full 5 cups of sugar. This is the most reliable route and the one I reach for most often.
For a less sweet jelly, reach for a low-sugar pectin like Sure-Jell Low Sugar or Ball Low Sugar Pectin, which let you drop the sugar to as little as 1 to 2 cups. The yield will be a little lower with reduced sugar.
You can also use Pomona’s Universal Pectin, a two-part low-sugar pectin that comes with calcium water and behaves a bit differently. Follow the mint jelly directions on the box, and bump the lemon juice up to 1/2 cup, since Pomona’s doesn’t include the added citric acid that most other pectins do. If it’s your first time using it, it helps to read through how to use Pomona’s pectin first.
Skip liquid pectin for this one. It’s formulated for a different order of operations and won’t set a flower jelly reliably.
Ways to Use Lilac Jelly
Lilac jelly is gentle enough to let the floral note come through, so it shines in simple settings. Spread it on warm biscuits, scones, or toast, swirl a spoonful into plain yogurt, or set it out with a mild cheese like brie or fresh chèvre on a cheese board, where the flowery sweetness plays off the salt.
It also makes a thoughtful gift, especially the berry-tinted version with its soft purple color, tucked into a spring basket for whoever shared their lilac bush. If you catch the preserving habit, there are hundreds more ideas waiting in my collection of canning recipes for when the lilacs fade and the fruit comes on.
Lilac Jelly FAQs
Not many, which is part of the fun. A few full sprays give you the 2 to 4 cups of petals you need for one batch, and they pull free quickly by the handful. That steeps down into 4 cups of tea and makes about 5 to 6 half-pint jars.
The pink color comes from the lemon acid reacting with pigments in the petals, but not every lilac holds that color, and some fade to pale gold, especially after the heat of canning. If a lasting color matters to you, muddle a few blueberries or blackberries into the steeping water. They give a stable purple that survives the water bath without changing the lilac flavor.
Lilac jelly tastes mild and floral, somewhere near honey or lavender without being overpowering, with a little tang from the lemon that keeps it bright. It’s more delicate than a fruit jelly, and the flavor varies quite a bit from bush to bush, so the most fragrant blossoms make the most flavorful jelly.
The usual causes are adding the sugar at the same time as the pectin instead of after it boils, boiling the finished jelly too long, cutting the sugar too low with regular pectin, or trying to double the batch. Give it a full 24 to 48 hours to set before deciding it failed, and if it’s still loose, enjoy it as a floral syrup or read through my guide on troubleshooting jellies that didn’t set.
Yes, and it’s a handy way to save a short bloom. The surest route is to steep the tea with fresh, fragrant petals, strain it, and freeze the strained tea, which holds its flavor and color for several months. You can freeze the whole blossoms too, though they lose some scent and color, so make the jelly fresh from the thawed tea for the liveliest flavor and color.
More Flower Jelly Recipes
If you tried this Lilac Jelly recipe, or any other recipe on Practical Self Reliance, leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know what you think in the 📝 comments below!
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Lilac Jelly
Equipment
- Canning Jars, Lids, and Rings
Ingredients
For the Lilac Tea:
- 2 to 4 cups fresh lilac blossoms, petals only, no stems or green parts
- 4 cups water
- 4 to 5 whole blueberries or blackberries, optional, for color
For the Jelly:
- 4 cups lilac tea, strained
- 1/4 cup bottled lemon juice, or 1 tsp citric acid
- 1 box Powdered Pectin, regular, such as Sure-Jell (1.75 ounce box or 6 Tbsp if bulk)
- 5 cups granulated sugar
Instructions
- Pluck the lilac petals from the clusters, leaving behind all stems and green parts, which are bitter. Place the petals in a heatproof jar or bowl.
- Pour the boiling water over the petals so they’re fully submerged. For color, muddle in a few blueberries or blackberries. Cover and steep 15 to 20 minutes.
- Strain the tea through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth to remove the petals and berries. Measure, adding water if needed to reach the full amount.
- Pour the tea into a large pot and stir in the lemon juice. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat.
- Whisk in the pectin until fully dissolved and boil hard 1 minute. Don’t add the sugar yet, or the jelly won’t set.
- Add all the sugar at once and stir to dissolve. Return to a full rolling boil and boil hard exactly 1 minute. Remove from heat and skim off foam.
- Ladle hot jelly into prepared jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rims, center lids, apply bands fingertip-tight.
- Process in a boiling water bath 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Rest 5 minutes with the heat off, then cool undisturbed 24 hours before checking seals.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Jelly Recipes
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I used one package of original surged powder and mine did not set at all. I got syrup only
Can you tell me exactly what type of pectin you used and the exact steps you took to make the jelly? Maybe I can help.
Gonna try this but as far as dandelion tea you only need a loose cupful of petals per batch.
Our lilac jelly did not set up. We made the lilac tea and added the lemon juice and then froze the tea to use when we had more time to make jelly. We later thawed the tea and followed the directions, we did not add additional lemon juice. After 3 days, the jelly did not set up. What could we done for a better result?
What kind of pectin did you use?
Why do t you ever mention POSSIBLE health benefits and POSSIBLE side effects to making floral jellies. Most flowers have both I mentioned. I found out about vitamin k in dandelions the hard way. Never crossed my mind. To many people see everyone making floral jellies and don’t know about the benefits or risks from just eating flowers.
This particular post is focused on how to actually make Lilac jelly but the medicinal benefits of edible flowers is discussed in this post. https://practicalselfreliance.com/edible-flowers/
I was in the middle of boiling the pectin and realized I didn’t have lids for the jars. I ended up tying cloth over the mouth of the jars and I guess I will keep them in the freezer.
Do you rinse the lilacs to make sure there are no little bugs on them or anything?
You can if you want. I usually just give them a little shake before I bring them in.
This sounds amazing and I’m looking forward to trying this year. What do you put this jelly on? What is it good to eat with? Thanks!
You can use it on any kind of bread or baked good, basically anything that you would normally put jelly on.
My MIL just made a batch of lilac jelly and while the jar she didn’t process stayed pink, the jar she DID process looks more of a whitish yellow- it essentially lost all the pink color. These are from the same batch. Has this ever happened to you? Thanks!
It may just be the variety of lilacs that you’re using. Some lilacs retain color better than others.
Made lilac jelly just now. Everything went great with a light pink color but when I took them out of water bath canning the color was a light yellow. ?? Did I do something wrong ?
It may just be the variety of lilacs that you’re using. Some lilacs retain color better than others.
The same thing happened to me! Such a bummer! The small amount that I didn’t waterbath stayed a lovely light purple, the 11 ½ pints that I processed all turned pale yellow.
My pectin’s mint jelly recipe calls for 3 cups of mint infusion for 1 package of pectin and 4 cups of sugar; should I use 3 cups of blossoms and 3 cups of water with the pectin and 4 cups of sugar? Thanks!
Yup, sounds perfect. Use whatever the package says for mint jelly and you’ll be fine. Enjoy!
We have a Korean lilac, rather than the traditional ones. Do you think it would work just as well? We’ll have blossoms in a week or two and I’d love to try this jelly!
I’m not familiar with that particular variety. I would do some research to see if it is edible and if so then you could experiment and see how it works.
Thank you!
You’re welcome.
I noticed you didn’t put any measurements for the pectin nor the lemon juice. I already started straining my tea and I should have checked beforehand, I understand, but I would really appreciate you actually posting the measurements please.
If you scroll down to the bottom of the post you should see a recipe card that has all of the appropriate measurements.
Hi! If I steep it longer will the flavor intensify? I’ve read other recipes that steep overnight. Thanks!
A longer steep time will most likely intensify the flavor but you want to be careful to not steep it for too long either.
I forgot my steeping and strained it at 36 hours. Then at 48 hours I noticed bubbles and when I opened the jar it smells yeasty. Is it ok to use for jelly or something else?
Once the tea starts to ferment then it’s too far gone for jelly, sorry about that!
ok I’m totally going to try this shortly, but most other recipes I’ve seen for dandelion and lilac jellies have people steep the ‘tea’ for 24 hours. Yours doesn’t. I’m hoping this works out well! Cause I don’t want to wait!!! How did you figure this out?
The steeping time is really a personal preference. I have seen a huge range of steeping times in different recipes. You may want to experiment and see if you prefer longer or shorter steeping times. The amount of time can affect the flavor and the color of the finished jelly.
What point is optimal for harvesting the lilac flowers? When they first start opening or when they are nearly spent?
Thank you so much! This is a fabulous idea that I’m anxious to try
You want to harvest fresh, newly opened blossoms.
Thank you so much!!!! I’m on it then, right now!
You’re very welcome.
This will be my first time trying lilac jelly. Can I pick the flowers, freeze them and make the jelly later when I have time? If so, do I freeze them as jus the flower or should I make the “tea” and freeze the tea?
You should be able to do it either way but I haven’t personally tried it. Let me know if you try it.
I have left the lilac flowers in my fridge for up to a week and they were still good to use! Thank you for this recipe. I am now on year 2 of making it and love it!
You’re very welcome. So glad you enjoyed the recipe.
I first found out about lilac jelly last year, but unfortunately, it was after my lilac tree had finished flowering. I plan to make some jelly this year to make use of the lilacs. Can’t wait to try it.
That’s great! You’re going to love it.
Looks great! Just wondering if you can leave some of the lilac petals in the jelly?
I haven’t heard of that being done but if you do try it, let us know how it works.
I did not know that a Peony was edible! Although I see ants on them all the time. That is why I stopped bringing them into the house for a vase. The ants will get all over!
Thank You for all of this good information. Who doesn’t love home made jelly?!
God Bless and stay safe…
Spray your peony with water from the hose to remove all the ants before bringing them inside. If you have peonies, enjoy the heavenly scent and bring them in. I grew up with them and miss them. They are delightful
Thanks for this tip. I have also heard of bringing them in before they open and before the ants have gotten on them.
I read that the ant lick the sticky sap that the buds are covered in and help them open🤷🏻♀️
I did not know that lilac was edible/palatable
They’re quite lovely really, both edible and delicious. They taste more or less like they smell, and in the jelly it’s balanced well with sweetness and a bit of acidity from the lemon juice so the flavor is really well rounded.
My jelly tuned yellow after the first night, why does it do that?
It may just be the variety of lilacs that you’re using. Some lilacs retain color better than others.