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Capture the sweet fragrance and delicate floral flavor of lilacs in this lilac jelly recipe. It’s Springtime in a bottle, and it tastes wonderful!

3 glass jars hold vibrantly pink lilac jelly

Lilac season is so beautiful, but it passes so quickly! This year, I’ve learned a few different ways to bottle up the scent, color, and flavor (yes, they’re edible!) of lilacs.

Lilac simple syrup is one of those ways. You can use it to flavor beverages, sweets and other dishes.

This lilac jelly recipe is another way to hold onto lilac season. Bottle a batch and enjoy it long after the flowers have faded. Great anywhere you would use a fruit or mint jelly. This stuff if gorgeous, unique and not something you’ll find at the average grocery store.

Mason jars hold a fresh batch of lilac jelly surrounded by clusters of lilac flowers

What do Lilacs Taste Like?
How to Remove Lilac Petals from Stems
Ingredients for this Lilac Jelly Recipe
Quick Note About Purple Yam Powder
How to Make this Lilac Jelly Recipe
Printable Lilac Jelly Recipe Card
Storing Lilac Jelly
More Kitchen Creations to Enjoy

Jars hold pink jelly made from a lilac jelly recipe

What do Lilacs Taste Like?

In my opinion, lilacs taste just like they smell – sweet, subtle, and floral. Some people even find them slightly citrusy, in a refreshing way. If you like a hint of delicate floral flavor in your foods, you’ll love lilac jelly!

Several branches of purple lilac flowers are gathered together in a basket on a kitchen table

How to Remove Lilac Petals from Stems

Don’t be intimidated at the thought of plucking hundreds of tiny flower petals from their stems. It’s actually pretty easy! Begin with giving your branches a good shake. Check for any bugs, dust or debris that might be hanging on.

If your lilac flowers are fully open, you can grab a cluster, pinch at the base of the stem, and run your fingers down the cluster while applying gentle pressure. If you find any big pieces of green parts or stem left in your harvest, just toss those out.

Note: Make sure you are using edible lilacs that have not been treated with pesticides!

A glass bowl holds lilac blossoms that have been plucked from their stems

Ingredients for this Lilac Jelly Recipe

4 cups of packed lilac petals
4 cups of water
1 box powdered pectin (I used original or standard pectin by Sure Jell)
4 cups of sugar (low sugar pectin options are available if you’d like to try them)
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
10 smashed blueberries or blackberries (optional, for color)
1/4 teaspoon sweet potato powder (optional, for color)

Someone holds a box of Sure Jell pectin that will be used to make lilac jelly

Quick Note About Purple Yam Powder

Depending on your lilacs, you may or may not get much color from them when they steep. That’s why I like to add berries and purple yam powder.

Purple yam or purple sweet potato powder isn’t necessary for this lilac jelly recipe, but it is a fun way to add extra color to your jelly without using artificial dyes. You only need a tiny bit to give great results, and I promise that you won’t taste any potato!

A resealable bag of purple yam powder that can be used to naturally color food

How to Make this Lilac Jelly Recipe

Start this lilac jelly recipe by gathering 4 cups of packed lilac blooms in a bowl. To the flowers, add 4 cups of boiling water. Add smashed berries and/or purple yam powder (if using for color).

4 cups of lilac blossoms are measured into a glass bowl

4 cups of boiling water are added to a bowl full of lilac petals to make lilac jelly

Allow the water and lilac mixture to steep for about 15 minutes. The longer you steep, the more color and flavor you’ll get in your finished jelly. You’re essentially making lilac tea or a lilac infusion at this point.

Lilac petals, purple yam powder, blueberries and hot water steep together to make a lilac tea

Strain the lilac tea through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth to remove all lilac blossoms, berries, and any other solids. Add in the lemon juice. You’ll see your liquid change to a vibrant pink color.

Lilac tea is strained prior to making it into lilac jelly

Transfer the liquid to a pot and bring the lilac tea to a boil, add the powdered pectin, and boil for 1 minute. Stir constantly.

Next, add in your sugar and continue stirring to dissolve. Bring the mixture back to a rolling boil and boil for 1 minute while stirring.

Pectin and lilac tea are boiling together to make lilac jelly

Sugar is added to a pot to make a lilac jelly recipe

Remove the lilac jelly from the heat and pour the hot jelly into clean, sanitized jars with lids or freezer safe containers. Leave 1/2-inch headspace at the top of the jar/container. The jelly will thicken as it cools.

Hot lilac jelly is poured into a glass canning jar

A metal lid is screwed onto a mason jar full of jell

Printable Lilac Jelly Recipe Card

Lilac Jelly

Created by The Keeper of the Home

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Ingredients

4 cups of packed lilac petals
4 cups of water
1 box powdered pectin (I used original or standard pectin by Sure Jell)
4 cups of sugar (low sugar pectin options are available if you'd like to try them)
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
10 smashed blueberries or blackberries (optional, for color)
1/4 teaspoon sweet potato powder (optional, for color)

Instructions

Start this lilac jelly recipe by gathering 4 cups of packed lilac blooms in a bowl. To the flowers, add 4 cups of boiling water. Add smashed berries and/or purple yam powder (if using for color).
Allow the water and lilac mixture to steep for about 15 minutes. The longer you steep, the more color and flavor you'll get in your finished jelly. You're essentially making lilac tea or a lilac infusion at this point.
Strain the lilac tea through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth to remove all lilac blossoms, berries, and any other solids. Add in the lemon juice. You'll see your liquid change to a vibrant pink color.
Transfer the liquid to a pot and bring the lilac tea to a boil, add the powdered pectin, and boil for 1 minute. Stir constantly.
Next, add in your sugar and continue stirring to dissolve. Bring the mixture back to a rolling boil and boil for 1 minute while stirring.
Remove the lilac jelly from the heat and pour the hot jelly into clean, sanitized jars with lids or freezer safe containers. Leave 1/2-inch headspace at the top of the jar/container. The jelly will thicken as it cools.

Did you make this?

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Storing Lilac Jelly

You can store your lilac jelly in the refrigerator for up to several weeks. You can also store the jelly in freezer safe containers in the freezer for up to a few months.

For the longest storage, process the jelly in canning jars in a boiling water bath canner and store it at room temperature. Follow the instructions on your pectin for how to do this.

2 mason jars hold lilac jelly that is a vibrant pink color next to some lilac flowers

More Kitchen Creations to Enjoy

Viola! You now have a gorgeous batch of lovely lilac jelly.

Enjoy your jelly on toast, pancakes, crepes, scones, crackers and anything else you can think of. It’s a sweet and unique treat that’ll take you right back to beautiful Springtime. Sounds nice, doesn’t it?

A kitchen table holds a vase of lilac flowers along with 3 jars of a lilac jelly recipe

Now, I’m thinking I need to try some more flower jelly recipes. Maybe next time I’ll try dandelion jelly!

If you enjoyed this recipe, I think you’ll love making some of these: