I love lavender, even if my spring allergies don’t always get the memo. Although a delicious banana coffee is my favorite order at a local coffee shop, a good iced lavender latte is not far behind.
One of the many perks of working at Good Housekeeping is testing kitchen gear for the Good Housekeeping Institute. I’ve been slowly upping my coffee game, and now I consistently make a pretty mean latte. In fact, sometimes I pay $8 for a coffee and then grumble that it’s not as good as what I make at home.
The easiest (and cheapest) coffee swap I’ve made recently to level up my lattes is making my own flavored syrup. I picked and dried a beautiful bouquet of lavender a few months ago, and I’ve been dying to use it. With spring upon us, I decided it was the perfect time to try making a lavender simple syrup. It was so easy, it made my whole house smell amazing, and it tastes as good as (or even better than?) what I get at local cafés.
If you’re not a coffee fan, this syrup would be perfect for seltzers, London Fogs (which are Earl Grey tea lattes), or cocktails. It’s a fun weekend project to embrace analog living and the ritual of drink-making. If you can simmer water, you can do it, too!
Here’s how I made mine.
The lavender
It’s important to use the right kind of lavender, as only some varieties are good for cooking. The easiest option is to buy a package of culinary lavender, which includes dried blossoms ready for cooking.
Personally, I picked a bouquet of fresh lavender at a winery and lavender farm over the summer. I confirmed with the farm that it’s pesticide-free and meant for culinary use, and I dried it over the winter by hanging the bouquet upside down in a dry, cool place.
To get my dried lavender ready to cook with, I gently crumbled the dried flowers between my fingers to release the blossoms from the stem. This made a huge mess of dropped blossoms on my countertop and floor, but it smelled so calming that I wasn’t worried.
The syrup
Making the simple syrup is easy. I chatted with Susan Choung, a recipe editor in our Good Housekeeping Test Kitchen, to get her tips for making a flavored syrup.
She says the key is to steep the lavender off the heat, like a tea. Don’t boil the blossoms, or you will get a soapy taste. It’s also important not to halve the recipe, or there won’t be enough liquid. After 10 minutes of steeping, taste the syrup to decide how strong you want the flavor.
To make the syrup:
- Combine one cup water and one cup sugar in a small saucepan.
- Without stirring, let it simmer until the sugar is dissolved, 5-8 minutes.
- Give it a stir at the end and remove from the heat.
- Add 2 tablespoons of dried lavender. Let it steep for 10-15 minutes to taste.
- Strain into a heat-safe container. Store covered in a refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
I made two batches of syrup, one with 2 tablespoons of lavender and one with 3 tablespoons. After taste-testing, Susan and I agreed that 2 tablespoons is the way to go; the higher amount of lavender pulled in more tannins and was a little too strong.
The results
I’m obsessed with my lavender syrup. Making it was fun, and my lavender lattes taste so good that I’m not tempted to order one.
I’m keeping some syrup in the office fridge for morning pick-me-ups, and I’ve been brewing lattes to take with me on the go when I set out for weekend thrifting or a walk in the park.
Did my syrup meet the high standards of the GH Test Kitchen? I shared some of the syrup with Susan, who also grows and dries her own lavender, and she gave it a thumbs up!
“Sarah knocked it out of the park. She made a lavender syrup that’s beautifully balanced—just floral enough without veering into potpourri territory,” she said. “I tried it in a London Fog, and it gave the whole drink major spring vibes—cozy, fragrant, and a little more special than your usual latte. I would also mix this syrup into iced tea or seltzer for a super-refreshing, lightly floral drink that feels like a garden party in a glass."
I’m still finding all the delicious ways to use this syrup. I was feeling wild and added a light sprinkle of fine black pepper to the top of one of my lavender lattes, and it was an unexpected and fun twist. A jar of homemade syrup would also make a great gift!
This coffee swap was so easy and tasty that I will definitely be doing it again. More lavender syrup will be in my future, and I’m excited to try different flavors next.
