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How To Make Rose Water Using Fresh Flowers

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How to Make Rose Water using fresh flowers is much simpler than you may think!  All you need are flowers and distilled water. This recipe doesn’t get any easier and is a wonderful addition to your pantry

This jar full of DIY rose water is finished and ready to be used!

How To Make Rose Water

This bright ruby red rose water is stunning!  It may look like food coloring, but it isn’t! This is just the actual roses dying the water!

I’ve always wanted to learn how to make this for use in some of my favorite recipe recreations.  

As I experiment more and more in the kitchen, I love adding new ingredients, and this was an ideal fit for my recreation of some popular Middle Eastern recipes. 

Since I didn’t find it in local specialty stores, I knew I had to learn how to make rose water at home. 

I wasn’t disappointed when I whipped up this batch of rose water.  Not only was it one of the easiest DIY projects I have ever made, but the result was also even better than what I would have found in the store. 

A great addition to my pantry!

How to make rose water (for recipes) using fresh flowers! #diy #recipe #rosewater | www.thefoodieaffair.com

Is Rose Water For Cooking?

Yes!  Rosewater is ideal for adding to recipes, but it’s also something that adds a wonderful floral scent. 

While it is great for adding to beverages like used in this gin cocktail, cakes like my Persian love cake recipe, and meringue cookies.

Rose water is also known to be used in skin and hair care products. 

Making a batch of this is easy enough that you will start using it daily not just in recipes, but in skin face toner and hair care products as well as for other benefits.

It has gained more popularity in recent years due to some mainstream brands creating special sprays and products featuring rose as an ingredient.

Fresh rose petals for homemade rose water #diy #recipe #rosewater | www.thefoodieaffair.com

How To Use Rose Water

Adding rose water to recipes only requires a teaspoon or two. Rose water acts similarly to extracts and in this case adds a simple floral flavor. 

  • Add to recipes for floral flavor and coloring
  • Use as a facial toner
  • Add to teas or lemonades for flavor and antiseptic properties
  • Spray on cuts and wounds to help aid in healing
  • Use for aiding in digestion
  • As aromatherapy use to help relieve headache pain

As you can see, this isn’t just about adding a floral scent or flavor to a recipe. 

Adding this to your pantry or refrigerator is ideal for cooking, skincare, and some relief of medical symptoms.  While not a cure for anything, it’s a great addition to homeopathic tools in your arsenal. 

Clear jar with homemade rose water.

How Long Does Rose Water Last?

When stored properly in an airtight container, can last up to 6 months when refrigerated. 

If making larger batches, you can also can with a pressure canner to last longer periods of time.

Here we see all the ingredients needed to make rose water at home.

How To Make Rose Water

There are several methods for making rose water, but I opted for a simple option using fresh flowers, and I am definitely happy with the result. 

  1. Start with 2 cups distilled water and clean rose petals from 2 roses. 
  2. Add 1 teaspoon of vodka as a preservative. 
  3. Simmer ingredients until the color of the rose petals is pale.  This takes around 30 minutes. 
  4. Allow the rose water to cool, then bottle and refrigerate for future use. 
  • This image shows the beginning of the process for how to make rose water.
    Gently clean and place petals in a saucepan
  • Now we can see that the rose petals have cooked a bit and their essence is imparted for us to enjoy.
    Simmer in distilled water with vodka
  • Straining the rose water before it is used makes it great for any application! It's great for rose water for cooking!
    After 30 minutes drain into a clean container
  • Now that we have strained the rose water we can learn how to use rose water in a variety of ways!
    Discard rose petals
Rose water steeping in a glass bowl #diy #recipe #rosewater | www.thefoodieaffair.com

If making homemade items is something of interest, make sure to check out my recipe for homemade stir fry sauce, homemade low carb barbecue sauce, red enchilada sauce, and my homemade vanilla extract.  

This jar full of DIY rose water is finished and ready to be used!

How To Make Rose Water Using Fresh Flowers

Yield: 1 3/4 cups
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Simple instructions on how to make your own rose water. Use in recipes or any diy skincare regimen.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups distilled water
  • 1 cup (about 2 roses) petals cleaned
  • 1 teaspoon vodka (optional)

Instructions

  • In a small saucepan add distilled water and rose petals. Cover and bring to a simmer. Simmer until petals are pale (25-30 minutes).
  • Remove from heat and drain liquid though a cheesecloth into a clean container. Discard petals.
  • Add vodka to prepared rose water (optional).

    • Notes

    Use fresh roses that are free of pesticides and fragrant for best results. Keep refrigerated and use within one week. If you are adding the vodka this will last longer , but I haven't test how much longer.

    Nutrition Information:
    Yield: 16 Serving Size: 1
    Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1Total Fat: 0gSaturated Fat: 0gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 1mgCarbohydrates: 0gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 0g

    Please note that the nutritional information provided are guidelines and may vary based on the brand of products used. For your specific nutritional goals use My Fitness Pal or Verywell Fit recipe calculators. All content within this site is not intended as medical diagnosis or treatment and should not be considered a substitute for professional medical expertise.

    Did you make this recipe?

    If you like this recipe, don't forget to leave a review on the blog or share a photo and tag on @thefoodieaffair on Instagram

    © Sandra @ The Foodie Affair
    Cuisine: American, Mediteranean / Category: DIY

    Dessert Recipes

    Persian Love Cake Recipe

    Decorated Persian love cake topped with rose petals and pistachios on a cream serving cake plate.

    Meringue Cookies With Rose Water

    Mini cake plate and small teal bowl filled with rose meringue cookies.

    PIN TO YOUR DO IT YOURSELF BOARDS

    Don't throw those beautiful rose petals away! Make fresh rose water that can be used in recipes and in diy beauty products like a homemade toner. #diy #rosewater
    Hugs Sandra Signature

     

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Jolina

      This is so interesting! I’ve never thought of this as an ingredient, is it more for sweet or savoury dishes? It is perfect for Valentine though 🙂

      Reply

    8. Erica Schwarz

      I’ve never heard of rose water either, but I totally get when you go to make a recipe and are missing something, and going to WkikiHow for ideas on how to do it yourself! I have done that countless times too lol. LOVE the color of your rose water. I bet the smell is amazing.

      Reply

      • Sandra Shaffer

        Hi Jennifer! Freshly made this should be stored in the refrigerator and used within a week. If you add the vodka it will last longer, but I’m not sure how much longer. Still in testing 😉

        Reply

      • Counts Nancy

        Between 6 months to a year with the vodka or another natural preservative like organic Rosemary essence. Rosemary has natural preservative properties. Since this is a Water based DIY product and not oil based (like body butter or soap) I find these are the two easiest and best preservatives that won’t change what you are trying to accomplish as far as scent and color. I have actually been growing roses for over 20 years and use mostly Pink varieties for my Homemade Rosewater. It sells like Mad at the Farmers Markets in my area! 🙂

        Reply

    15. Rocio

      I do something wrong! the liquid turn into something like blue 😮
      Do you have any idea what could i miss?

      Reply

      • Sandra Shaffer

        Hmmm, what color were your rose petals to begin with? The color comes directly from the petals, so the only thing I can think of is maybe the roses were spayed with something.

        Reply

    16. Kim

      Oh THANK YOU for this recipe. I have many recipes n things that call for rose water, which I have had a hard time finding. Now I can make my own!!

      Reply

    17. Byanka

      So when I made rose water I always did it with regular drinking water and seems to help but does the type of water make a difference with it the outcome. Also I never rinsed my rose pedals before putting them in water to boil because I thought the heat of the water will kill anything thing bad . Am I wrong for that?

      Reply

      • Sandra Shaffer

        Hello Byanka! You will get the same results with drinking water (out of the facet). Distilled is preferred because there may be bacteria in tap water that isn’t good for florals. You could boil the tap water before using it. I rise the flower petals like I do my vegetables. The water will rinse off any pollen or light residue. You need to boil the water to kill bacteria. Hope this helps.

        Reply

    19. Asia

      Thank you for the recipe. Every year a festival comes & it’s the first stop to get rosewater. So delicious like roses in your mouth. Found at health food store but without the color was a disappointment. Will try your recipe.

      Reply

    21. MariTere

      We are having a bit of a heatwave in the UK this Summer and I am emptying a spray bottle to fill with rosewater for my face, neck and wrists – to keep me feeling fresh through the day. I have distilled my own water to follow the recipe but you could also put the petals in the water and distil everything at once. Not sure when to add the vodka though?

      Reply

      • Sandra Shaffer

        Hello! The vodka is just a preservative, so I add it at the end when ready to bottle. I’ll clarify in the post. Thank you for trying making this homemade rose water. Stay nice and cool! Sandra

        Reply

        • Ferment4Life

          Your recipe says to add the vodka to the distilled water and rose petals and then boil for 30 minutes. I was thinking this was incorrect, because boiling the vodka would make the alcohol evaporate and then it would no longer act as a preservative. It’s been over a year and not corrected. I imagine a lot of people are making it incorrectly.

          Reply

    23. Lesslie

      Regularly I used rosewater in my daily skincare routine. This homemade rosewater toner is more effective for skin. So this article very useful and informative. Thank you for this amazing article.

      Reply

      • Sandra Shaffer

        Hi there! Actually, there is a lot of alcohol listed in the ingredients for toners and several other beauty products. Since you use so little I don’t think this will be harmful. It just preserves the rose water longer, but it’s definitely your choice. Thank you for stopping by.

        Reply

    28. kitty Clark

      Hello, I love this recipe. I have been trying to figure out how to use my roses for Rose water. I definitely will be trying this in the summer when my roses start blooming.

      Reply

    29. Laurel Fitch

      Since alcohol evaporates druing boiling, I would suggest adding the vodka after straining the petals into the bottle. May help it last a bit longer.

      Reply

    30. Kenny

      I had no idea making rosewater was so easy. I’ve been buying it from my health food store for a crazy price for way too long. Awesome!

      Reply

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