Make Rosewater with Steam and Heat.

The following post, titled "How to Make Rose Water," was adapted from content originally published on the bMAKER blog.

A reasonable amount of time to read this: 6 minutes

You can find recipes online for making rosewater. Rose water, with its lovely, subtle floral aroma, can be used in countless culinary and cosmetic applications as well as at home via the heat and steam method.

Recipe for Rosewater

Hello, has anyone here ever wanted to know the secret to making rose water?

I've always been partial to fragrant toiletries, and they're surprisingly simple to whip up in the kitchen.

Rose water can be made using either the heat (or simmer) method or the steam (or distilling) method, both of which are performed on the stovetop.

Rose Water's Many Benefits

One could never exhaust rose water's potential applications.

The rose flavor and aroma can be added to any dish simply by replacing the water in the recipe with this.

You could use this as an ingredient in cocktails or sweets.

You can improve your mood by using rosewater, which can be sprayed on your sheets before bed or added to your bath water.

In the image above, the "Heat" method is on the left and the "Steam" method is on the right.

Using Heat versus Using Steam as a Means

Simmering rose petals over a flame is how the heat method produces rose water.

By using a filter or cheesecloth, you can make a rosewater "tea" in a pinch.

Colorful rose water (as seen in the photos) and more of it can be obtained in less time.

If I could extract rose water in this way, I would use it in cooking.

the use of heat

By using steam, rose water can be distilled into a hydrosol.

It's slightly more complicated to set up, but it works over a heat source as well.

For rose water, you boil rose petals in water and then strain the resulting vapor into a bowl set high above the liquid.

When steam collides with the inverted lid, condensation forms on the lid and drips down into the bowl.

To facilitate droplet formation, ice or ice packs placed atop the lid are recommended.

By using this method, the rose water is either completely clear or nearly so. A usable quantity requires at least 30 minutes to obtain.

If stored properly (in a dark, covered glass container for up to 6 months), it will maintain its freshness.

Since the rose water produced in this manner retains its quality for a longer period of time, I plan to use it in cosmetics.

The Use of Steam

superior rose petals that can be safely consumed

Ingredients

• One-fourth cup of dried rose petals (edible variety)
• Water, distilled, 1 1/2 cups

• pot (with a cover)
• You can use cheesecloth or a paper filter like I do to strain the mixture.
• funnel
• a wet measure or other container in which to collect the rose water after filtration
• glass spray bottles in either amber or cobalt blue (16 ounce capacity)

• a tall pot with a curved lid (one that is see-through is ideal, as it allows you to monitor the condensation process and determine when it is time to replace the ice).
• something to keep the bowl off the water and rose petals, like a grate, a vegetable steamer (what I use with the middle unscrewed), or an upside-down small metal colander.
• small metal bowl for rose water collection
• ice

Please share your rose water uses in the comments.

To help others, if you've tried this recipe and found it to be successful, please leave a star rating in the recipe card and a comment letting us know how it went.

A big thank you to everyone who has read and followed along

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• Originally published on July 29, 2018, this post has since been revised and republished on December 5, 2018, February 27, 2020, July 29, 2020, and January 9, 2023.