The term edible flowers conjures pictures in my mind of cows and deer in the field, chewing. I may be dating myself here, but when I was a kid, a new cereal called Grape Nuts was introduced to us by a gentleman named Euell Gibbons. Gibbons was the first plant based diet guy. He was an authority on plant based eating and became famous for asking, “did you ever eat a pine tree.” Euell Gibbons made history as the first mainstream sustainable plant based diet guy.
I begged for this cereal at a young age and was warned that this cereal would not be to my liking. I insisted with the persuasion that could not be resisted, and sure enough, after the first few bites of what tasted like cardboard, my yearning was over.
It didn't take long for parodies to start popping up. Since then, we've fine tuned our knowledge that whole foods are the best way to get nutrition from plants. The closer to nature, the better food is for health. One of the best ways to enjoy fruits and vegetables is straight from the vine, but did you know that you can eat (many) flowers right from the plant?
I promise I am not going to ask if you’ve ever eaten a pine tree
Flowers on dishes as a garnish add a pop of color, especially for dull looking dishes. However, did you know that these flowers play another vital role in these dishes, being that they're entirely edible? Yes, gorgeous flowers such as marigolds, calendula, borage, bee balm, and daylily are also safe to be eaten.
You'll also find that different edible flowers provide different flavors and aromas, making experimenting with them even more tempting. This guide will talk about some of the most important factors to consider when using edible flowers in your cooking.
If you're nervous about trying flowers, try our Tupelo Honey with or without edible flowers! The velvety, fruity taste is amazing paired with flowers or on its own.
Tip #1: Beware of allergies
If you are prone to allergies, it is necessary to slowly introduce edible flowers into your diet, preferably one by one. This way, you'll be able to note any adverse or unusual reactions when consuming the flower and avoid using it in your diet if it's giving you an allergic reaction of any kind. Be extra careful with composite type flowers, including calendula, daisy, marigold, and chicory, as they're some of the most common allergy triggers among flowers in general. If you're already aware that you're allergic to a particular flower or its pollen, you should still not include it in your meals.
Tip #2: Use a small amount
While edible flowers are 100% safe for consumption, we wouldn't recommend adding a bunch of them right away, especially if you're introducing them into your diet. It is common for a more significant amount of some edible flowers to upset the stomach, especially if you're not used to them and you have a sensitive stomach to begin with. That being said, remember that a little bit goes a long way. With most edible flowers, you don't need a huge amount at all. Even a couple of edible flowers will add vibrance and color to your dish while releasing their herbal, vegetal aroma and unique flavors.
Tip #3: Double check if the flower is edible
With so many options of edible flowers, you may accidentally include a flower that is not edible. Luckily, you can always check whether a particular flower is edible online. It is also not recommended to use flowers that aren't edible, even as a garnish on a plate, as people may assume they're okay to eat since they're served with their food.
Tip #4: Distinguish between edible flowers to cook with and to garnish
When it comes to distinguishing between these two groups of edible flowers, we'd say it is a process of trial and error. It takes some time and experimenting to find out what you like in your cooking on the one hand and what flowers you'd instead use for garnish and a little bit of added aroma in your cooked dish on the other hand. For instance, we find that lavender is an excellent choice for cooking, especially baking. Lavender doesn't have dominant licorice or tart flavor that could ruin your dish, as long as you remember to use a small amount.
It will elevate your sweet dishes, including shortbreads, biscuits, and mousses, adding a fresh, herbal, floral flavor and aroma. However, adding too much can develop a somewhat off putting, soapy flavor, valid for many edible flowers.
Rose petals are often used in Middle Eastern specialties in fresh and dried forms. Keep in mind that fresh edible flowers will always provide a more robust, concentrated aroma.
Tip #5: Enrich ingredients with flower aroma
If you find it hard to determine the right amount of edible flowers you should use in your desserts, we have a convenient solution for you, especially if the edible flowers in question are dried.
If you'd like the flavor and aroma of the flower to stand out, you can blend the dried flower with sugar, creating your flavor infused sugar. You can do this with lavender, rose, and rosemary.
Another convenient yet highly effective method of blending your edible sugar with other ingredients is simply steeping the entire flower into your liquid, sauce, or filling of choice.
You can add the flower while you're still cooking the dish, then let it sit at room temperature to allow the flower to release all its natural oils fully.
An advantage of this method over the first one is that the edible flowers aren't blended into the ingredient. You can easily remove them after you're satisfied with the intensity of flavor and aroma.
Tip #6: Make flower infused ice cubes
Adding bits of edible flowers into the ice trays, then filling them up with water to get flower infused ice cubes must be the most aesthetically pleasing, easy way of implementing edible flowers into your beverages. These homemade flower infused ice cubes will also accentuate the flavors of your favorite mocktail, cocktail, or refreshing lemonade on a hot summer day, not to mention how instagram-able they are!
Neutral flavored edible flower options are something you can easily substitute with mint in your beverages (especially mojitos) if you're craving something more herbal and licorice.
Tip #7: Distinguish between strong flavored and mild edible flowers
Depending on the flavor profile you're going for, as well as your personal preferences, some flowers may be too intense and dominant for your taste. On the other hand, many of the neutral edible flowers won't cut it for those of you who appreciate a strong aroma.
If you're feeling bold and think that your dish or beverage could benefit from a strong flavored flower, go with chicory blossoms, daylilies, chamomile, roses, dandelions, and elderflowers. In addition to their characteristic, pronounced flavor, and aroma, these flowers are also visually appealing and ideal for garnishing your plate or glass.
On the more neutral side, we have options such as daisies, lilacs, cornflower (bachelor buttons), violets, and borage. While their flavor may be considered neutral, there is nothing neutral about their appearance, as they're equally as dazzling and eye catching as the “bold” category!
Tip #8: Turn your focaccia into a flower garden
Once you've got a feel for which flowers you like, the next step is putting them somewhere everyone can see them. That's exactly what happened when the Focaccia Art trend swept through home kitchens a few years back, and it hasn't lost its charm since. Instead of tucking flowers into a filling or a syrup, you press them straight into the surface of the dough before it bakes.
The technique is simple: dip your flowers and thinly sliced vegetables in lemon juice first to keep their color from fading in the oven, then brush everything with a little olive oil so the petals don't scorch. Press your design into risen focaccia dough, bake until golden, and you end up with a loaf that looks like a garden bed. We walked through the whole process, along with a bread machine shortcut for the dough, in our Focaccia Bread Art post. It uses the same lemon juice trick from Tip #5, just applied to a loaf of bread instead of a glass.
Tip #9: Some flowers are better brewed than eaten
Not every edible flower is meant for your fork. Dried butterfly pea flowers are one of the few ingredients that do more good steeped than chopped. Drop them into hot water and they release a deep, almost navy blue that has nothing to do with food coloring and everything to do with the anthocyanins inside the petal. Squeeze in a little lemon and watch the color slide toward purple, then pink, right in front of you.
It is mild and earthy on its own, which is exactly why it works so well in more places than a teacup. Use a strong brew to tint frosting, rice, or a pitcher of lemonade for a party trick that happens to be entirely natural. If you want to see the full effect for yourself, our Blue Butterfly Pea Flower Tea is whole dried flowers in a glass jar, no fillers, no extract. And if you want the full science behind the color change before you start experimenting, our guide to what butterfly pea flower tea actually is covers the chemistry.
Tip #10: Let honey carry the flower flavor
Flowers and honey were doing this together long before we started arranging petals on bread. A raw, minimally filtered honey already carries the flavor of whatever the bees were visiting when they made it, so pairing a floral dish with the right varietal amplifies what's already on the plate instead of fighting it. A lavender lemon cake wants something light like Spring Honey. A rose infused dessert leans nicely into Wildflower or Orange Blossom. Browse our Eastern Shore Honey collection and match the varietal to the flower you're cooking with rather than reaching for whichever jar is closest.
More ways to bring flowers into the kitchen
Once you start looking, edible flowers show up everywhere on our blog. Our Citrus and Honey Recipes roundup includes a Meyer lemon focaccia that pairs well with the same lemon juice preservation trick from Tip #8. If cheese boards are more your speed, our honey and cheese pairing guide will help you build a spread worth garnishing with a few strong flavored blossoms from Tip #7. And if this is your first time cooking with flowers at all, our rose honey infusion recipe is a gentle, low risk place to start.
Get creative in the kitchen and share your stunning works of edible art with us using #beeinspired on Instagram! So what are you waiting for? Unleash your culinary creativity, show off your knowledge of edible flowers, and enjoy some tummy soothing deliciousness.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are all flowers safe to eat?
No. Many common garden and floral shop flowers are toxic and were never meant for the plate. Stick to varieties confirmed edible, like marigold, calendula, borage, bee balm, daylily, rose, lavender, and violet, and always double check an unfamiliar flower before adding it to food. If a flower came from a florist or nursery, assume it was treated with pesticides and skip it entirely.
How do I know if a flower is edible before using it?
Cross reference the exact species, not just the common name, since two flowers can share a name and only one is safe. Grow or source flowers specifically labeled food grade, never ones treated with pesticides or fungicides. When in doubt, leave it out. A flower that looks similar to an edible variety is not the same as being confirmed edible.
How much edible flower should I actually use in a recipe?
Less than you'd think. A little goes a long way, both in flavor and in how your stomach handles it, especially the first time you try a new variety. Start with a small amount, whether you're steeping, baking, or garnishing, and increase gradually once you know how a flower behaves in your recipe and in your body.
Can I use dried edible flowers instead of fresh ones?
Yes, and for some uses dried is actually the better choice. Dried flowers work well steeped into liquids, blended into flavored sugar, or brewed for tea, since drying concentrates their aroma. Fresh flowers give a brighter, more delicate result and are the better pick for garnishing or pressing into dough, where color and shape matter more than concentrated flavor.
What's the best way to keep flower color from fading when I bake with them?
Dip the petals in lemon juice before they go anywhere near heat. The acid helps preserve the color so your flowers stay vivid instead of browning or wilting in the oven. Brushing the flowers and any accompanying vegetables lightly with olive oil before baking also helps keep delicate petals from scorching.
Do edible flowers have to be eaten, or can I just brew them?
Brewing is its own category, not a fallback. Certain flowers, like dried butterfly pea, are better suited to steeping than chewing, releasing color and a mild flavor into hot water that you can drink as is or use to tint other foods. Treat brewing and cooking as two different techniques rather than assuming every edible flower belongs in the same dish.
