Peony jelly is a lovely floral jelly made from peony blossoms. Learn how to bottle up these delightfully fragrant flowers in a jelly you can enjoy year-round.
Our first batch of peony jelly.
Peonies are old-fashioned flowers that have been a part of summer flower gardens for generations. Like many old-time plants, they also happen to serve another purpose…peonies are edible!
Originally, they were grown as seasoning, and they were quite popular in the middle ages. The roots are made into medicinal teas in Eastern Medicine and the seeds were used as a flavoring in ales. The fragrant flowers were used to season all manner of savory dishes (including meat) and they also flavored sweet lemonade-like beverages in season.
These days though, the roots and seeds are ignored, but the flowers still make their way into the kitchens of adventurous gardens and cooks.
My kids are especially fond of floral jellies, and in the past year, we’ve made nearly a dozen varieties. Dandelion Jelly and Violet Jelly have been our favorites thus far, but I absolutely love the smell of fresh peonies, and I couldn’t wait to try my hand at making peony jelly.
(If you don’t have any peonies in your garden, you can get peony root divisions here, where they come in dozens of beautiful varieties.)
How to Make Peony Jelly
Making peony jelly is no different from making any other type of floral jelly, and it starts with gathering 3-4 cups of fragrant petals.
Gathering (and cleaning) that amount of dandelions or violets will take you all afternoon, but it’ll only take a few seconds for peony jelly. Each dense flower head is jam-packed with petals, and you’ll only need a few blossoms to make a batch of peony jelly.
Remove the petals from the base of the flower, discarding anything that’s not bright and fragrant.
Pour 4 1/2 cups of boiling water over the top of your peony petals, and allow the peony petal tea to infuse for about 10 minutes.
Strain the petals and you should have roughly 4 cups of brightly colored (and fragrant) peony flower tea.
Pour the strained peony tea into a jam pot (saucepan) and bring it to a boil on the stove. Add in 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice (for acidity) and a box of powdered pectin (like Sure-Jell). Stir in the pectin and bring the mixture back to a boil for 1 minute.
Add 4 cups of sugar and stir to dissolve.
Return the mixture to a boil for 1 minute and then ladle into prepared jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace.
Canning Peony Jelly
It’s perfectly fine to make peony jelly as a refrigerator (or freezer) jelly. The jars should last 3-4 weeks in the refrigerator or about 6 months in the freezer.
If you’d like a shelf-stable preserve that lasts 12-18 months, I’d suggest canning. If you’re not familiar with canning, I’d suggest reading this beginner’s guide to water bath canning before getting started.
If canning, prepare a water bath canner before making the jelly. Ladle the finished jelly into canning jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace and cap with 2 part canning lids.
Process in a water bath canner for 10 minutes (or 15 minutes if above 6,000 feet in elevation).
Remove the jars to cool on a towel on the counter and check seals after 24 hours. Store any unsealed jars in the refrigerator for immediate use. Sealed jars with keep on the pantry shelf for 12-18 months.
Note: The added lemon juice adds acidity to balance the flavor of the sugar in the jelly, but it’s not strictly required for a refrigerator preserve. It is, however, required if you’re canning the peony jelly.
Peony Jelly
Peony jelly is a simple floral jelly that tastes as good as peonies smell.
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 cups peony petals
- 4 cups water
- 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 box (1.75 oz) Powdered Pectin (Such as Sure Jell)
- 4 cups sugar
Instructions
- Bring the water to a boil and pour over the peony petals. Allow the petals to infuse for about 10 minutes (or longer if you choose). Strain and discard the petals.
- Place the peony petal tea in a saucepan along with the lemon juice and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Add the pectin, stirring to incorporate, and return the mixture to a boil for 1 minute.
- Add the sugar, stirring to incorporate, and return the mixture to a boil for 1 minute.
- Ladle the peony jelly into prepared jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace.
- If canning (optional), process in a water bath canner for 10 minutes.
Notes
Canning is optional but makes a shelf-stable jelly. If making a refrigerator jelly, allow the jars to cool completely before storing them in the refrigerator. Without canning, peony jelly will keep in the refrigerator for 3-4 weeks. If canned, it'll store on the pantry shelf for 12-18 months (refrigerate after opening).
Jelly Recipes
Looking for more tasty jelly recipes?
Lisa
Just made this. It smells gorgeous. I’m excited to try it. Only disappointment was that despite my petals being very dark pink my tea was more yellowish and barely colored at all. I cheated and added a few drops of red coloring to bring it back to the colour of my flowers. But nobody needs to know that. 😉
Administrator
It’s possible that the petals may have just steeped too long. How long did you let them steep?
Lisa
I thought about 10 min. But I’m making it again tonight with the remainder of my peony flowers so we’ll see if this batch turns out more coloured.
Administrator
Ok let us know how it works.
Lisa
Didn’t work at all. It still just turns yellowish and has no flavour of its own. I followed everything, and its so strange because the tea process is quite fragrant. But it seems to lose all it’s character in the process after that. Still a lovely sweet and pretty jelly. But if you don’t know it’s made from peonies you’d never guess.
Administrator
That’s very strange. So is the tea pink before you process it for the jelly?
Jackie
Lisa, did you forget the lemon juice? That reacts to color and changes it, also with lilac jelly
Amy
It changes color when you add the lemon juice.
Christopher Schultz
My peonies were light pink so I put 1 red hibiscus pod (sorrel) you can find the whole ones at asian stores it lent a pretty jewel like ruby pink color naturally
Administrator
That’s a great idea. Thanks for sharing.
Lisa
Not at all. It’s so strange coz the petals all fade, but the water remains barely yellowish. I have to add coloring to make it look nice.
Theresa Walker
Mine was yellowish also☹️
Pamela
This worked. Lovely shade of pink. The lemon juice definitely helps keep the color. Made while having the flu so I could not smell or taste it very well.
Administrator
We’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe. I hope you saved some for when you’re feeling better and can enjoy it a little better.
Taija Noel
I’ve done three batches of peony jelly now. Two with pink/white peonies and one with yellow peonies. All turned out amazing. I went step by step like the recipe says and the color were very vibrant. The lemon juice is what actually makes the color pop!
Administrator
That’s great. So glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Steph T.
I just made these and let the petals infuse for 24hours. Great Flavor and also beautiful vibrant dark pink color.
Administrator
That’s wonderful. So glad it worked for you.
Rachel
I made it as directed but it did not get solid so not sure what went wrong
Administrator
I’m so sorry that happened. I haven’t heard of any other issues with the recipe. Did it firm up after it sat for a while?
Susan
I would love to try this recipe.
If white peonies are used what colour will the jelly be?
Administrator
It will probably be mostly clear or maybe a little on the yellow side.
Karen
Tried this yesterday!! Mine had very little color until I added the lemon juice! Now it’s such a pretty pink!. Mine seems to have not firmed up yet – quite jiggly still- not sure if this is normal. (It’s been sitting overnight) Hopefully after it sits longer it will firm up more!
Administrator
It’s definitely possible that it will firm up more as it sits.
Jen
Getting ready to make my second batch! Everyone loved the flavor, though there is a slightly bitter aftertaste. Is this typical? As for color, the tea was a vibrant purple but the jelly turned to a deep pink/light red while cooking. Would it be more purple if I put less lemon juice? How would that affect the results? Thanks so much for posting this recipe!!
Administrator
I’ve not found it to have a bitter taste. I’m not sure what would have caused that though. You really need to full amount of lemon juice for the acidity if you plan to can it. If you are going to keep it in the fridge, the lemon juice is not necessary. The acidity from the lemon juice is what causes it to turn colors.
Jen
Thanks for the response! I’ll use lemon juice so I don’t have to refrigerate it, but it’s good to know!
Administrator
You’re welcome.
Adell
I’ve done several batches and I also steeped for 24 hours which gave a beautiful color. My last batch steeped and strained, but it’s been sitting in the fridge for almost a week now and I’m wondering if it would still be good to prepare into a jelly or if it would end up being a huge waste of time and sugar. Any thoughts?
Administrator
I would be hesitant to use it after that much time in the fridge.
Jenni
Thank you so much for this recipe! I followed as directed except I steeped my petals for 72 hours in the fridge. I also multiplied the recipe by 4.5 times. It turned out such a lovely pink and is delicious! I can’t wait give some to my Grandmother. They were her peonies and, being a Depression baby, when she found out what I wanted to do, she offered all of the blooms that she had. LOL.
Administrator
That’s wonderful. I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe and hope your grandmother enjoys her jelly.
PAT sampson
My jelly is a pretty pink,but did not set up .Just made it today, will it set up later or do I need to can it over?
Administrator
I would let it sit. Sometimes it will thicken up. You can even put it in the fridge.
Maudie
Have you , or anyone else, made this without pectin?
Administrator
Peony do not have any pectin in them so you would need some kind of pectin source.
Tanya Trudeau
Can someone describe the flavour for me? While I love some flower jellies I’m not a fan of things with heavy floral tastes like roses do 😬
Jennfer
I found it to be sweet and fruity with a slight bitter aftertaste.
Gabriele
I get a hint of honey in the taste, not floral at all
Malia Fritz
Can I freeze the peony water to make jelly later? If yes for how long?
Ashley Adamant
Yes, you should be able to freeze the tea/water for use later. I’m not sure how long, but I’d guess several months? The flowers themselves will lose color and flavor when frozen, but the prepared tea will keep for longer.
Mims
How can I print these instructions? Have limited vision and reading/following from my phone is excruciatingly hard!
Thanks!
Administrator
You can always copy and paste the text into another document to print it out. Unfortunately we don’t have printable documents on the website.
Gabriele
Has anyone tried making this low sugar with either low sugar sure jell or Pomona?
Administrator
It should work just fine. Just follow any flower jelly recipe that uses Pomona’s Pectin. I believe they have several on their website.
Gabriele
Thanks, I did before I read your answer. But it did not gel. The leftover that I had kept in the fridge gelled just fine. But the jars I canned didn’t
Administrator
How long has it been since you processed them? Also you can try putting the sealed jars in the fridge. Sometimes that helps to get them to gel.
Gabriele
It has been about two weeks. I had put a couple of the jars in the fridge for a few days – to no effect
Administrator
That’s so bizarre. I’m honestly not sure why that happened. If you find any answers, I would be interested to know.