Lavender Sugar Recipe

Take your baking up a notch by using lavender sugar in place of regular sugar!  This homemade lavender sugar recipe is easy to make, super versatile, and adds a hint of floral flavor to any dessert. Try it in cookies, cakes, muffins, and more!

💜 How to make homemade lavender sugar

This homemade Lavender Sugar adds a little “flower power” to just about any dessert. Adding a pinch of fragrant lavender to simple granulated sugar transforms even the plainest dessert into something more sophisticated and intriguing.

Here are just a few reasons you need to give lavender sugar a try:

• It’s made from real lavender, so the floral flavor is authentic and not overpowering.
• It’s fast, easy, and inexpensive to make: just 2 ingredients and 5 minutes!
• It keeps well, so you can make a big batch and then enjoy lavender desserts for months to come.
• Put it in a pretty jar with a gift tag, and it’s the perfect edible gift for the holiday season.

Give it a try and before you know it, you’ll be adding its subtle lavender flavor to all your favorite cheesecakes, cookies, muffins, cakes, pies, and more! You’ll also want to try Lavender Simple Syrup recipe; it’s is an easy way to add lavender flavor to all of your favorite drinks.

Looking for more ways to lavender your life? You’ll love my all inclusive Guide to Baking with Lavender where I explain everything you need to know about culinary lavender.

🧾 What You’ll Need

Ingredients

The ingredient list is in the recipe name (ha!), but here are a few things to know as you gather your supplies: (Links are affiliate links and I earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.)

• Granulated sugar: I recommend using standard granulated sugar. I have not tested this recipe with any alternative sugars, but I imagine it would work with something like Splenda, which is a cup-to-cup replacement for sugar.
• Culinary lavender: The lavender you use should be dried, “culinary grade” lavender. (Learn more about what culinary lavender is here!) Make sure the label specifies that it is intended for food use, as opposed to fragrance or decoration. You might fine it at specialty herb stores, upscale kitchen shops, and even the spice section of large supermarkets, and it can also be purchased online. If you have fresh lavender, check out the Tips section below for advice on using it in this recipe.

Equipment

• Food processor or spice grinder: you’ll need either a food processor or a coffee and spice grinder to prepare the lavender for this recipe.
• Glass jars: Glass jars are my preferred way to store this sugar. If you are making this for gifts, I’d recommend using mid-sized jars like these 8 oz mason jars.
• Gift tags:This is optional, but if you are making this for gifting, don’t forget the tag! You could use a simple plain white gift tag, or try a colored gift tag.

📋 Instructions

There are actually two ways to make Lavender Sugar. Here’s an overview of both methods, and you can find full printable instructions in the recipe card down below.

Chop the lavender

• Place the dried lavender in the bowl of a food processor and blend it for 10-15 seconds to chop it into smaller pieces.

Blend the sugar

• Add half a cup of granulated sugar to the processor and blend well, for 15-20 seconds, until the lavender is finely ground and mixed into the sugar.

Add remaining sugar

• Add the remaining sugar to the processor and pulse briefly until it’s well-mixed.

Grind and mix

• A coffee/spice grinder is my preferred tool for this recipe, because it does a better job of grinding the lavender buds into small pieces. If you have used your grinder for potent spices or coffee beans in the past, make sure it’s well-washed so the lavender doesn’t take on any other odors.
• Add the dried lavender to the spice grinder and run it until they’re in very fine pieces – it will almost be lavender “dust.”
• Whisk or sift the ground lavender into a bowl of granulated sugar, so that the lavender is evenly distributed. 

💭 Where to use lavender sugar

You can replace regular sugar with Lavender Sugar in most recipes. To get the most out of it, choose recipes with soft, subtle flavors (think vanilla instead of intense chocolate) so the lavender can really shine.

• Some of our favorite uses for lavender sugar are in sugar cookies, shortbread cookies, and pie crusts.
• It also pairs nicely with lemon desserts, like Lemon Madeleines and our Lavender Lemon Bars, a long-time reader favorite.
• Stir a spoonful into your iced tea, lemonade, or coffee.

💡 Tips and FAQs  

💜 Try Lavender Sugar in these recipes

• Lavender Lemon Bars
• Pistachio Shortbread Cookies
• Sugar Cookies with Royal Icing
• Lemon Madeleines