How to Make Rose Water at Home

I have another DIY post for you on how to make rose water at home. Here I’m making BOTH true rose water or rose hydrosol and infused rose water.

They are both made in the same pot and take roughly 15 minutes to produce (excluding cooling time!).

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Rose hydrosol vs infused rose water

To explain a bit further, rose hydrosol is made by steaming fresh rose petals. The volatile compounds in the roses that are responsible for their smell are released into the steam. And with some ice, the steam can be cooled down to form rose hydrosol. This is also called true rose water.

The hydrosol is colorless but takes on the wonderful smell of the roses and has a floral taste, much like its smell.

Infused rose water is made by boiling the petals in water before straining themout. The resulting water takes on the color of the petals – in my case it has a wonderful light red color. It smells very similar to the rose hydrosol and has a similar floral taste, but there are bitter undertones to the water.

Personally, I prefer cooking with the rose hydrosol and use both for skin care and beauty treatments.

Ingredients for making rose water

For this recipe, I used:

• roses: These large red roses are from my garden, though I don’t know the exact variety they are. My roses are organic and pesticide free, which are perfect for making rose water for cooking and skin care. If you are purchasing roses for this recipe, be sure to get organic ones. You can even forage for them or use dried petals. Also, you don’t need to use red roses either; but the color of the petals will influence the color of the rose infused water.
• water
• ice cubes

Equipment for making rose water

For this recipe, I used:

• large pot: any large pot will work for making the rose water as long as it can be covered and air tight. A tall stock pot or a pressure cooker are ideal for this recipe. Here I am using my Hawkins pressure cooker that I absolutely love.
• heat resistant dish: I use a small, oven-safe bowl in the center of the pressure cooker so the condensate that develops on the underside of the cover can drip down and into the bowl (I’ll explain more about this below).
• tall trivet or rack stand: I prefer raising the heat resistant bowl above the water and flower petals to reduce its direct contact with the base of the pot and heat source. When in direct contact, some of the rose water tends to boil again which reduces your yield and slightly changes the taste of the water.
• cover: use a cover that has a single metal or glass knob in the center. This knob will direct the condensate into the little heat resistant dish.
• strainer: to separate the rose infused water from the petals.

How to make homemade rose water

Prep the petals

Step 1: If you are using fresh roses, harvest the flowers when they have opened fully and their yellow centers are exposed. You can also add them to a small vase filled with water and place them in the fridge until you are ready to make the rose water. Otherwise, you can use dried petals for this recipe.

Step 2: Pluck the petals off the flowers. Rinse them thoroughly in cold water to remove any dust, dirt, and possible bugs (there was a tiny spider and grasshopper in my roses).

Boil the petals

Step 3: Add the tall trivet to the center of the large pot – or pressure cooker in my case. Place the small heat resistant dish on top of the trivet.

Step 4: Sprinkle the petals around the trivet and pour in the water over the petals.

Step 5: Place the large pot on the stove on medium heat.

Step 6: Turn the cover upside down and place over the top of the pot. Add ice cubes to the top of the cover.

Step 7: Boil for 12 to 15 minutes. Turn off the heat after the time and allow to cool for 10 minutes.

Remove the hydrosol and infused water

Step 8: Remove the cover carefully to prevent any of the melted ice from getting into the rose water.

Step 9: Remove the heat resistant dish containing the colorless rose hydrosol. Allow to cool, bottle and refrigerate. This can last for 6 months to 1 year in the fridge, sometimes longer.

Step 10: Strain the petals out of the remaining liquid. This is the colored rose infused water. Like the rose hydrosol, allow to cool, bottle and refrigerate. It can last for over a year.

Making rose water

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