• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Seasonal guide
  • All produce
  • About
  • Subscribe

Ask the Food Geek logo

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Seasonal guide
  • All produce
  • About
  • Subscribe
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Seasonal guide
  • All produce
  • About
  • Subscribe
×

Home » How To » How to make candied lilacs: detailed steps

Modified: Jun 15, 2022 by Vee

How to make candied lilacs: detailed steps

Lilacs are delicate, little edible flowers. To make candied lilacs, each flower has to be individually painted with an egg wash and then showered in sugar. It's quite time consuming, but the upside is they last a year in a sealed jar.

I tested faster methods but they all disappointed. I've shared the results from those tests so you can see it to believe it.

Different methods to candy lilacs
Different methods to make candied lilacs, described more below
Jump to:
  • When are lilacs in season?
  • What do they taste like?
  • Supplies
  • The best way to make candied lilacs
  • Candied lilacs
  • Best uses
  • Done? Make lilac sugar & other treats

When are lilacs in season?

They bloom for about 2 weeks in spring, usually between April and June (depending on where you live). A really hot spell can make the flowers fade much faster than usual.

Most lilacs grow in zones 3-7, since they need cold weather to force them into dormancy. There are a few newer varieties that can work in zone 8.

Flower Magazine's "7 things to know about lilac bushes" covers climate, varieties, and general care instructions.

What do they taste like?

Candied lilacs do taste like the actual flower: lilac-y and floral. Treat them like lavender: in small doses they are wonderful, but too strong of a flavor can be reminiscent of soap.

They can be just slightly bitter when eaten raw, but the sugar masks it entirely.

Supplies

To make candied lilacs you will need the following:

Supplies to make candied lilacs: flowers, egg wash, paintbrush, superfine sugar, and parchment paper
  • Freshly picked lilacs
  • 1 egg white
  • Superfine granulated sugar
  • A small paint brush
  • Parchment or wax paper

Lilacs

Pick lilacs with fresh, open blooms that aren't wilting. Flowers that start to wilt will be harder to paint & sugar (and won't look as pretty). To make sure the flowers stay in good condition, pick them no more than an hour before you start, because they can start to wilt fast.

Lilac flowers that are open bloomed, vs starting to wilt

When ready to begin, pluck the flowers from the stems. Doing this ahead saves time and prevents you from continuously setting down your paint brush to pluck more flowers.

Egg wash

Combine 1 egg white with 1 teaspoon of water and blend until frothy. You can do this with an immersion blender, food processor, or handheld beaters. The reason the egg white is frothed is to create a lighter, less viscous liquid that is much easier to paint onto the petals.

Superfine sugar

You will need about ¼ cup of superfine sugar. Superfine sugar is more finely ground regular, granulated sugar (but not so far as to make powdered sugar). Superfine sugar is also called baker's sugar or caster sugar. If you want a visual, The Kitchn shows the differences.

You can also make superfine sugar by running granulated sugar through the food processor until it is much finer.

Do not use powdered sugar.

Tools

  • A small, soft-bristled paint brush. I used a clean, angled, cheap eyeshadow brush.
  • Parchment or wax paper (for drying the flowers)
  • Optional: tweezers to hold the flower stems
  • A jar for storage. I used a clean glass spice jar (plastic jars hold smells), or a glass canning jar works as well.

The best way to make candied lilacs

The best way to make candied lilacs is to paint the egg wash on each flower, then shower it in sugar (sprinkle it from above, as opposed to dipping it). The picture below shows various methods that I tried.

As you can see, powdered sugar doesn't work. Dipping the flower in the bowl of egg wash creates a blob that doesn't resemble a lilac at all. I also found that dipping the flower in sugar makes the sugar-coating too thick and hides the pretty lilac shape.

The only method that I found worth doing is painting each petal, followed by dropping sugar onto it (pictured above, far right). This does take quite a bit of time - you can expect to do 150-200 lilacs in an hour.

Step 1: Paint the petals

If you haven't made the egg wash, combine 1 egg with with 1 teaspoon of water and beat until frothy. The frothing step makes it easier to paint on, as it is less viscous.

Hold a lilac flower by the stem and paint it with the egg wash. Paint the top and undersides of each petal. Do not dip the flower into the egg wash (it creates a giant glob).

Step 2: Shower with sugar

Continue to hold the lilac flower in your hand. Use the opposite hand to grab a pinch of sugar and shower it on to the top of the flower from above. Tip it over and grab another pinch of sugar to shower the underside of the petals.

This process will likely build up a little eggwash + sugar on your fingers over time. Be ready with a bowl of water or wet towel to clean your hands every so often.

Step 3: Dry for 24-48 hours

Place the candied lilac onto a sheet a parchment or wax paper to air dry. I placed them face down as this was easiest to let them dry. They need to be completely dry before you store them, or they will wilt.

Step 4: storage

Once completely dry, you can store them in an airtight container for a year. They don't need to be refrigerated as long as your house isn't getting really hot.

If you store them before they are totally dry, they will wilt in the jar very quickly. If this happens, spread them out onto a sheet of parchment or wax paper and they will likely crisp back up. They won't look as pretty though.

It is very hard, in my opinion, to tell when they are completely dry and ready for storage. My suggestion is to put a couple candied lilacs into a jar, seal it, wait 12 hours, and see if they are still hard. If so, you are good to go. If not, wait another day.

I err on the side of caution and wait 48+ hours to let them dry out. The extra time exposed to the air isn't a problem.

If you've made them shortly before bringing them somewhere (like to a cocktail party, or on a plane), store them in a mason jar, covered with cheesecloth or a paper towel, secured with the metal ring. I did this once 12 hours after candying the lilacs, and they stayed crispy and didn't wilt.

Candied lilacs

Candied lilacs

5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Candying process: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 150 flowers
Calories:
Author: Vee

Equipment

  • 1 small, soft bristled paint brush or small, clean makeup brush
  • 2 sheets parchment or wax paper
Prevent your screen from going dark

Ingredients

  • 4 bunches lilacs as many as you want to candy
  • 1 egg white
  • 1 teaspoon water
  • ¼ cup superfine sugar aka casters or bakers sugar, or make your own

Instructions

Prepare ingredients

  • Whip egg white and 1 teaspoon water together until frothy. (This makes the consistency easier to paint onto the petals)
  • If needed, turn granulated sugar into superfine sugar by pulsing in a food processor until fine
  • Pull lilac flowers off the stems so you have a pile to work with

Make the candied lilacs

  • Paint the tops and undersides of one lilac with the egg wash. Then shower it in sugar, coating both the tops and bottoms of the petals. Set on parchment or wax paper to dry.
  • Repeat until all flowers are done.

Let flowers dry 24-48 hours

  • Let the flowers dry in the open air for 24-48 hours. They need to be completely dry before storing in an airtight container, or they will wilt from the humidity they release while drying. To test for dryness, place 1 petal in a small, airtight container and see if it wilts or stays stiff after 8-12 hours.
  • Once dry, store in an airtight container for up to a year at room temperature (or in the fridge if your house gets hot). I prefer glass jars, since plastic can hold odors.

Best uses

There are so many good ways to use candied lilacs:

  • Add to glazed pastries: sprinkle them on top of a wet glaze and they will stick to your baked good
  • Add on top of frosting (like a cake, cupcake, or brownie)
  • Top on ice cream or whipped cream (like on top of angel food cake)
  • Use for presentation: spread around a charcuterie tray or on top of a cheesecake right before serving
  • Gift them: put them in small, clean, glass spice jars for a super cute gift. You can even give them during the winter holidays, since they last a year after candying.

Done? Make lilac sugar & other treats

Layer sugar and leftover lilacs (ones you didn't candy), in a mason jar. Shake every day, for 1 week. After 1 week, strain the sugar to separate it from the flowers. Store the sugar in a jar for up to 1 year. Use in baked goods, to sweeten tea, or use as a sugar rim for a floral cocktail.

Brit + Co has several other recipes that use lilacs, if you're interested.

I also have several other recipes for edible flowers:

Candied lilacs
How to make candied lilacs
Nasturtium vinegar
All nasturtium parts are shown with text indicating what's edible: green seeds, leaves, stems, and flowers.
Nasturtium: what's edible?
Plate of pasta with asparagus and nasturtium leaves and flowers on the table
Pasta with nasturtium pesto and asparagus
chive blossom vingar in jars
Chive blossom vinegar - from the garden
Dinner recipes - Salad for Dinner | Arugula, lentils, couscous, lavender, lemon and a honey dressing. This salad also is great as leftovers / great for make-ahead. Vegetarian. Edible flowers, including lavender and marigolds.
Salad recipe with arugula, lentils, couscous, and edible flowers

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Ask me anything

I do a lot of research about produce to figure out why some fruits & veggies taste good and others bland. I also dig into the science of why some recipes work and others don't. No question goes unanswered, and I'm here to share the results with you.

January image with citrus fruits

The best (and worst) apples for pie

apple pie on a pile of red and green apples

The type of apple used to make your pie actually matters. So why do some apples make the best pies, but other varieties yield disappointing results? It comes down to their flavor, acidity, and texture after being cooked in a hot oven. I can confirm that these characteristics can greatly vary from one variety to...

Read More

Fresh fig banana bread

Fresh fig banana bread with a fig syrup swirl

A seasonal banana bread recipe with a homemade fig-maple syrup swirled into the batter that tastes like fig newton filling. This bread is a perfect way to use seasonal figs this summer and fall, even if they are slightly under or overripe. The recipe requires some extra steps to cook the maple-fig syrup, but it's...

Read More

Farmers market apple butter (Instant Pot)

apple butter recipe in the instant pot and canned

After using almost 100 pounds of apples to test apple butter recipes, I've found the best apple varieties, cooking methods and ingredients to produce the best results. Best apples: McIntosh for their cider-like flavor and smooth consistency with cooked Best cooking method: pressure cooking for its ability to caramelize the sugars Best flavor tip: keep...

Read More

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy

Newsletter

  • Sign Up for produce guides!

Contact

  • Contact

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.