25+ Ways to Put Edible Flowers on the Table ~ flowers are one of the joys of spring time, and they’re also back in vogue as garnishes and ingredients in all kinds of recipes. From cocktails, cheese plates and salads to main courses and desserts, you can do a whole lot more with flowers than just admire them in your favorite vase.
It’s not all about wedding showers and tea parties ~ there are lots of ways to include edible blossoms in your everyday meals. I love the idea of snipping a few flowers from the garden to turn a plain salad into a celebration of spring, but you can buy containers of edible flowers in the produce section of lots of markets now, too, so nothing should stop you from getting in on this fun trend.
Common varieties of edible flowers ~
- pansies
- roses
- carnation
- jasmine
- geranium
- violets
- nasturtiums
- marigolds
- primrose.
- elderflower
- honeysuckle
- lilac
Some are used whole, but with others you can just pluck the petals. The key is to use clean, pesticide free blossoms. Here are some gorgeous ways to use them—
FEATHER LIGHT CAKE WITH LILAC INFUSED CREME PATISSIERE ~ Twigg Studios
WILDFLOWER AND ARUGULA SALAD ~ Harvest & Honey
ELDERFLOWER POPSICLES ~ Chew Town
SALTED CARAMEL ROSE CAKE ~ Adventures in Cooking
MATCHA FLOWER COOKIES ~ Crumbs and Cookies
ROSE PANNA COTTA WITH EDIBLE FLOWERS ~ Boulder Locavore
ASPARAGUS LINGUINE WITH CHIVE FLOWERS ~ Cygnet Kitchen
LEMON POLENTA CAKE AND ELDERFLOWER WHITE CHOCOLATE GANACHE ~ In the Mood for Food
LILAC COCKTAIL ~ Holly & Flora
AMAZEBOWLS WITH EDIBLE FLOWERS ~ Design Love Fest
GOAT CHEESE WITH EDIBLE FLOWERS AND ARUGULA ~ Martha Stewart
VIOLET EYES (LAVENDER COCONUT SOUR) ~ Broma Bakery
PURPLE KALE AND PANSY SALAD ~ The View From Great Island
ROSE ICE CUBES ~ Let’s Mingle
CAKE WITH EDIBLE FLOWERS ~ Design Love Fest
LILAC SCONES ~ Kitchen Vignettes
SPRING FLOWER LOLLIPOPS ~ Sprinkle Bakes
LAVENDER AND ROSE SIMPLE SYRUPS ~ The View From Great Island
CREAM CHEESE AND CHIVE SANDWICHES WITH EDIBLE FLOWERS ~ Buttered Side Up
CHIVE BLOSSOM VINEGAR ~ Food 52
NORDIC OPEN FACED SMOKED SALMON SANDWICHES ~ The View From Great Island
ELDERFLOWER SYRUP ~ Gathered Threads
EDIBLE FLOWER SPRING SALAD ~ Lauren Kelp
ZUCCHINI COCONUT SOUP ~ True Foods
FLORAL POP TARTS WITH ROSE ICING ~ By Gabriella
EDIBLE FLOWER INFUSED VINEGAR ~ The View from Great Island
27 Comments
Emily
March 16, 2018 at 8:26 amWow! I love this post! I have an edible flower guide on my blog with types of flowers and how to use them – just linked this post because it’s truly beautiful :)
Sue
March 16, 2018 at 9:26 amThanks Emily, it was fun to put together!
renu
March 28, 2015 at 11:03 amlove your fotos and edible flower recipes.Pl.send tem to my inbox.thanks.renu
Sue
March 28, 2015 at 12:00 pmI’ve added you to the mailing list, Renu — you will get a confirmation email, just click on it and you’ll be set to go! Thanks for reading :)
Lindsey | Cafe Johnsonia
April 10, 2014 at 2:01 pmSo lovely, Sue! I was eyeing some edible flowers at Whole Foods this week and debating back and forth. I am never quite sure what to do with them and they end up going to waste. But I am feeling inspired after looking at all of these gorgeous ways to use them!
Sue
April 10, 2014 at 4:59 pmThanks, Lindsay, I may do another one of these roundups, it was fun.
Winnie
April 7, 2014 at 8:52 amThis is such a beautiful post. Thank you for including my Ukranian preserved rose petals :)
Sue
April 7, 2014 at 9:24 amThanks Winnie, I had such fun doing it.
Julie
April 5, 2014 at 5:22 pmThese are stunning! Thank you for your consistently inspirational and tasty posts.
Sue
April 6, 2014 at 2:08 pmThis was SUCH a fun post to put together, I might need to do a new one every year!
Laura (Tutti Dolci)
April 4, 2014 at 8:55 amSo gorgeous, I’m feeling inspired for spring entertaining already!
Sue
April 4, 2014 at 9:22 amThanks Laura!
Joanne
April 3, 2014 at 3:54 amI love the idea of edible flowers but I’ve never actually done anything with them. Thanks for all this inspiration! I feel happier and more like it’s spring just from going through these!
Sue
April 3, 2014 at 5:46 amI know — the lineup is so colorful. I think that’s what I love about using flowers, they give you a chance to play with colors you don’t normally see in food. For a start you can just experiment with scattering some petals in a salad for the visual effect. Yay for spring :)
Mireya @myhealthyeatinghabits
April 2, 2014 at 10:39 amThese foods are just too beautiful to eat!
Monique
April 2, 2014 at 9:57 amANYTHING with blooms!
Tricia @ Saving room for dessert
April 2, 2014 at 9:13 amSue – this is an amazing post! I always love your flower-infused recipes. This is total inspiration! I need some springtime on my table! Sorry to be MIA lately – 1,200 miles in the car took it’s toll on my productivity. I’m playing catchup now. Hope you had a great visit with you dad.
shannon weber
March 30, 2013 at 12:09 pmomg so inspiring! you know, i usually see edible flowers in the fresh herb section of my market by now, and they haven’t shown up yet; this makes me anxious for them. i LOVE that first salad, that last cake, and those ice cubes! gorgeous…flowers are just the best part of spring and summer.
The Café Sucré Farine
March 27, 2013 at 9:49 pmWhat a beautiful post! Yes I want to give this a try too, it’s going to be pestering me till I do! :)
Abbe Odenwalder
March 28, 2013 at 2:12 amLove this collection! What a great curator you are!
Natalie G
March 27, 2013 at 5:49 pmSo pretty! Such great ideas.
Carol | a cup of mascarpone
March 27, 2013 at 5:05 pmThanks for sharing these beautiful edible flower ideas…lovely!
SavoringTime in the Kitchen
March 27, 2013 at 8:56 pmHow beautiful they all are! I really love those violets.
Sue/the view from great island
March 27, 2013 at 9:27 pmI tried sugaring flowers once and it didn’t work, but seeing those makes me want to give it another try!
Gerlinde in Dallas
March 27, 2013 at 3:52 pmFlowers on a plate look so amazing. I used to grow nasturtiums just for salads, but haven’t in a very long time. Looking through your links I’m feeling inspired to pick up a package or two of seeds. :)
Sue/the view from great island
March 27, 2013 at 9:30 pmMy yard has very few flowers, but I do have a patch of brilliant orange and red nasturtiums, and the leaves are so pretty, too. Once you plant them, they just return every year.