Lilac & Lemon Infused Honey

This delicious infused honey was inspired by a favorite recipe, Ginger Lemon Honey Tonic, that I originally shared on this site several years ago.

One beautiful spring day when my lilacs were in full bloom, I wondered… what would happen if I used lilac flowers instead of ginger in the recipe?

What happened was the creation of a very yummy infused honey that can be taken by the spoonful for sore, inflamed throats and mild coughs.

Or, you can eat some just because it tastes great! Try it drizzled on desserts, or stir some into your favorite tea as a natural sweetener.

Ingredients You’ll Need:

You only need 3 ingredients to make this infused honey:

Fresh Lilac Flowers – Common lilac (Syringa vulgaris) has traditional uses over the world as an anti-inflammatory and wound healer, among other things. Modern research supports that that common lilac is a valuable source of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds.

1 Lemon, cut into slices – Lemons provide a ton of vitamin C and are rich in antioxidants and flavonoids. Slice these on the thin side; you’ll probably have a few slices leftover.

Honey – Use raw, local honey whenever possible. Honey has natural antimicrobial properties, and helps soothe inflamed tissue – like the kind you get with a sore throat. It’s also a natural cough suppressant, just remember that kids under age 1 shouldn’t have honey, since their immune system can’t handle it yet.

How to Make the Lilac & Lemon Infused Honey

1. Pour a layer of honey in the bottom of a half-pint canning jar. You could also repurpose a clean glass jelly jar or something similar.
2. Next, put a lemon slice in the jar, then a sprinkle of fresh lilac flowers.
3. Cover the flowers with another layer of honey, then repeat layering lemon, lilacs, honey, lemon, lilacs, honey…. until the jar is close to being filled.
4. Gently, press down on the top-most material in the jar with a spoon to make sure you don’t have any trapped air bubbles.
5. Now, wipe the rim and outside of the jar with a damp cloth (it gets a little messy making this!) then put a lid on your jar, label it clearly, and tuck it in the fridge for a couple days, to let the flavors meld together. You’ll notice that the honey thins out from the lemon juice.
6. After a couple days, spoon out the lemons and lilacs and you’ll be left with your finished infused honey!

Keep stored in your fridge for about a month. Take by the spoonful whenever you need relief for a sore, itchy, or irritated throat. Or, enjoy it as a food or dessert topping.

Resist the urge to drink the whole delicious jarful at once! :)

References & Further Reading

Tóth, Gergő, et al. Characterization of antioxidant phenolics in Syringa vulgaris L. flowers and fruits by HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS. Biomedical Chromatography. 2016 Jun;30(6):923-32. doi: 10.1002/bmc.3630. Epub 2015 Nov 17.

Woźniak, Marta, et al. Effects of Phytochemically Characterized Extracts From Syringa vulgaris and Isolated Secoiridoids on Mediators of Inflammation in a Human Neutrophil Model. Frontiers in Pharmacology. 2018; 9: 349. Published online 2018 Apr 11.

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