![Jar of honey infused with lavender buds](https://mommypotamus.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/lavender-honey-recipe-800x534.jpg)
When my husband first brought home a jar of wildflower honey from our local beekeeper, I subsequently gave him the look . . . you know, the one that says “Honey is honey. Why is this the bees knees?”
Then I opened the jar – it smelled faintly of tender flower buds and was absolutely delicious drizzled over figs and goat cheese.
If you’re new to wildflower honey, here’s what you need to know. It’s a type of varietal honey, which basically means it’s unique because honeybees mostly make it from the nectar from a single variety of flower (aka the varietal). Orange blossom, clover, blueberry, and alfalfa are all popular ones.
Another varietal, buckwheat, was found in one study to ease nighttime coughing, which is why I use it in my homemade cough syrup.
In Southern France’s fields of Provence, bees make a famously delicious lavender honey. I’ve been super curious about it but prefer to buy honey locally whenever possible, so I decided to make this herbal honey infused with lavender blossoms.
Therapeutic Benefits of Herbal Honey
Although delicious drizzled over warm biscuits and many other ways we’ll discuss below, herbal honeys are more than just culinary delights. According to Herbal Medicine for Beginners:
Herbal honeys are profoundly medicinal – and they taste great. When herbs are infused into honey, the honey absorbs all the water-soluble components of the herb and all the volatiles (essential oils), as well. This yields an excellent extraction of the herb’s complex chemistry and preserves it very well.”
Lavender in particular is well-known for it’s stress-relieving, sleep enhancing properties, making this particular honey perfect for unwinding at the end of a long day.
They can be taken straight off the spoon, stirred into tea, or used to make homemade cough syrup, or other herbal preparations like syrups, elixirs or oxymels.
Below you’ll find recipes for lavender, lemon-ginger, and rosemary-thyme infused honey. They each bring unique flavors (and therapeutic components) to the table, and all make delicious housewarming, birthday or holiday gifts.
Lavender Honey Recipe
This recipe can be:
- Stirred into tea
- Slathered over warm gluten-free biscuits
- Drizzled over brie and crackers
- Stirred into coconut yogurt
- Drizzled on fresh fruit
- Used externally to soothe skin irritations (for example, as a burn salve)
- To make a clarifying and moisturizing face wash
Here’s what you’ll need:
- ¼ cup dried lavender blossoms (Lavandula augustifolia)
- 1 cup light colored raw honey
Instructions:
- Pour the honey over the blossoms and then stir to make sure the honey and blossoms are well-combined.
- Place the jar in a warm spot away from direct sunlight. The top of the fridge is a good, warm spot.
- Allow the honey to infuse for 1-4 weeks, turning the jar over every day to redistribute the blossoms.
- When the honey has reached the flavor intensity that suits you, place a mesh strainer over a medium bowl and pour the honey mixture into the strainer. Because honey is so thick it will take a long time to strain, so wait a few hours before checking on it.
- Once you’ve finished straining out the lavender buds, don’t toss them! Store them in the fridge and stir them into tea for an extra flavor boost.
![how to make lavender honey](https://mommypotamus.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/how-to-make-lavender-honey-683x1024.jpg)
How To Make Lemon Ginger Honey
Lemon and ginger are excellent herbs for soothing a sore throat. Stir this honey into tea or take directly off the spoon to help coat an irritated throat.
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons dried, chopped ginger root (not powdered)
- 2 tablespoons organic dried lemon peels
- 1 cup honey
Instructions:
Make according to the lavender honey instructions listed above.
How To Make Rosemary-Thyme Infused Honey
Rosemary and thyme are both excellent herbs for respiratory support, so stir this blend into a cup of tea and inhale deeply.
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons dried thyme
- 2 tablespoons dried rosemary
- 1 cup honey
Instructions:
Infuse according to the lavender honey instructions listed above.
More Ingredients To Consider for Herbal Honey
- Elderflowers
- Rose petals
- Lemon balm
- Chamomile
- Whole cloves
- Sage
- Cinnamon
- Vanilla
- Star anise
- Orange peel
Curious about the difference between herbal honeys, tinctures, teas, oxymels and more?
16 Ways To Make Herbal Remedies explains the differences between the most common herbal extracts and what each type is used for, plus recipes to get you started.
Lavender Honey Recipe (Herbal Honey)
Ingredients
- ¼ cup dried lavender blossoms (Lavandula augustifolia)
- 1 cup light colored raw honey or your favorite honey)
Instructions
- Pour the honey over the blossoms and then stir to make sure the honey and blossoms are well-combined.
- Place the jar in a warm spot away from direct sunlight. The top of the fridge is a good, warm spot.
- Allow the honey to infuse for 1-4 weeks, turning the jar over every day to redistribute the blossoms.
- When the honey has reached the flavor intensity that suits you, place a mesh strainer over a medium bowl and pour the honey mixture into the strainer. Because honey is so thick it will take a long time to strain, so wait a few hours before checking on it.
- Once you've finished straining out the lavender buds, don't toss them! Store them in the fridge and stir them into tea for an extra flavor boost.
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This article was medically reviewed by Madiha Saeed, MD, a board certified family physician. As always, this is not personal medical advice and we recommend that you talk with your doctor.
How long does this last and how should it be stored? Looking forward to trying it. Would love to know the answers like this to all your recipes. Thanks!!
According to Katja Swift and Ryn Midura, founders of the CommonWealth Center for Holistic Herbalism and authors of Herbal Medicine for Beginners, “Honey is an incredible preservative. You can expect your infused honey to last for years and retain its effects.”
Excellent article. I add a few drops of lavendar EO to honey and mix well. The plural of honey is honeys. Honey’s is possessive, as in the honey’s sweetness. 🐝
Do I need to strain out the lavender or can it be left in?
Do lavender leaves work as well as buds?
Love this idea. I’ve never heard of infusing honey with herbs, but it makes sense that it would be very healthy! The lavender sounds to die for and the stress relief benefits would definitely be beneficial for me! Thanks for the info. Can’t wait to try these recipes.
It is angustifolia.
OOOHHHH, So wonderful to see varieties that I hadn’t thought of or seen before! For a few years I’ve been regularly infusing our raw honey with (my own amazing blend) 1. Chai spices 2. dried rose petals 3. raw garlic 4. raw ginger. Once you start it’s hard to do without!! I find the garlic-infused and ginger-infused take less than a week compared to the petals or spices.
I have so much potted rosemary and am always looking for more ways to use it, honey-infused is about to happen!
Thanks so much!
@ Judy Bernes: do you infuse all of those into 1 batch, or are they separate flavors: Chai. Garlic. Ginger. etc?
I thought that garlic infused honey had to be refrigerated as it could get botulism if it wasn’t…or is that just oil infused garlic?
This does sound interesting. I can’t do much honey (shouldn’t do any at all, but I burned my throat when I accidentally left a cast iron pan boil dry and filled the house with acrid smoke, so I occasionally use a tiny spoonful to help with healing)
Love, love these recipes, gonna try them 💕
My close friend’s are beekeepers. I get a lot of honey! I love honey and look forward to new honey recipes. I’m making fermented garlic honey right now but my favorite honey recipe that is spicy comes from Kami McBride. She calls it Ginger-Fig Spiced Appetizer. I add walnuts to the mixture and love it on toast! Enjoy!
I wonder, I recently saw a recipe for Herbal Adaptogenic Hot Chocolate, and they infused the whipped cream with medicinal flowers: calendula, camomile, lavender, helichrysum, Elderflowers, rose petals, etc. I wonder if I could use all of those flowers to infuse honey? it might be delicious!
I think I may just put together a small jar of the mixed flowers and try a few recipes with them anyway…..
Judy Bernes Chai Honey sounds really good, too!
Oops, actually, they didn’t infuse the whipped cream, they blended the flowers into it and also topped it with more flowers.