18 Edible Flowers And How To Use Them

Per Dictionary.com, ambrosial is defined as exceptionally pleasing to taste or smell; especially delicious or fragrant; worthy of the gods; divine. So, if you're not yet cooking with edible ambrosial flowers in your recipes, the only question we have for you is ... why not? Flower cookery, as it's called by What's Cooking America, may have had its heyday back when Queen Victoria occupied the throne (and are we surprised?), but that's no reason to dismiss it as a thing of the past. Edible flowers add class to any dish they encounter. They also give us novice chefs a fun challenge as we experiment with colors, flavors, and quantities.

There are two important factors to stay on top of whenever you're cooking with edible flowers. First, be absolutely certain you have the correct plant because many flowers resemble each other, and while some are edible, others are actually poisonous. Check botanical classifications and make purchases from reputable outlets before heading off into the woods to forage on your own. Second, steer clear of plants that have been sprayed with harsh commercial pesticides and always wash petals before adding them to a dish. One final tip from What's Cooking America: Try not to overdo it when it comes to edible flowers. Even the most delicious of these has the potential to cause mild gastrointestinal distress when consumed in large quantities.

With all that said, it's time for some culinary exploration. Below we give you 18 flavorful, edible flowers that go well beyond pretty garnish status, with a slew of new ideas for incorporating them into drinks, side dishes, savory entrées, and desserts.

Bee balm (Monarda didyma) is part of the mint family and is often referred to as bergamot. Its richly textured profile layers hints of mint, oregano, and orange for a taste reminiscent of Earl Grey tea. Per Plant Addicts, it was Oswego Indigenous Americans who first thought to use bee balm leaves and flowers for tea. The concoction yields medicinal benefits, including improved digestion as well as relief of nausea and sore throats. A bee balm plant would be an easy-to-grow addition to a garden considering it is winter hardy in almost every region. The fragrant, stringy crimson flowers bloom from summer to fall.

There's also a pale purple variety called Monarda fistulosa that grows as a wildflower clear across North America. It's relatively easy to find and popular amongst foragers for its similarity to oregano. For a zesty, almost savory biscuit option, you can add it to baked goods, like cookies.

Calendula is well known for its anti-bacterial, -oxidant, -inflammatory, and -viral properties (via The Kitchen Apothecary). It's a popular addition to soothing balms, lotions, and fizzy bath bombs. Internally, calendula has an ancient history of being consumed as a medicinal herbal tea.

From a culinary perspective, calendula flowers can bring a peppery note to tarts and sauces. The pigment in their petals will dye whatever it's combined with reddish-orange, so use them to enhance the vibrancy of egg yolks and cheeses. In addition to scrambled eggs and frittatas, the Chestnut School of Herbal Medicine suggests mixing calendula blossoms into salsas, soups, and saag paneer. Dried flowers can be stored for use in the winter months to boost the body's immunity through tonics and bone broths with seaweed and mushrooms. One word of caution here: As an herbal folk medicine, calendula is used to encourage menstrual cycles. Therefore, this flower should be avoided by people who are pregnant or trying to become so.

Regular and Chinese chive blossoms can be added to dishes that call for a hint of onion or garlic. In particular, blossoms from Chinese chives will add a kick as a garlic substitute even more than the plant's leaves can. The buds open up into a small purple pompom. They can be eaten as is, cooked into a recipe, or used for garnish. As noted by Garden Betty, chive blossoms even taste good pickled or deep fried. They also go a long way to flavor up an herb-infused vinegar.

Use them on their own for chive blossom vinegar or include them in a larger mix of herbs. It'll only take a few minutes to set up; then, you'll let it steep for about four days. The purple from the flowers will transfer to the vinegar, giving it a blushy lavender tint. Home cooks can use chive blossom-infused vinegar to brighten up a simple vinaigrette salad dressing that you'll want to mix and shake just before serving. The remaining vinegar will be a shelf-stable item you can store in a cool, dry place and use for other meals later.

If you're not growing them in a garden, you may find chive blossoms at a farmer's market or your local specialty produce store.

The name daylily is a bit of a misnomer because these robust and brightly colored blooms are not true lilies. This is a good thing when it comes to dining because true lilies are poisonous and should not be ingested. Daylilies (Hemerocallis), on the other hand, are so delicious that James Beard Award-winning chef Hank Shaw goes on about them at length on his Honest Food blog. On their own, unopened flower buds need little more than a few minutes sautéeing in oil with a dash of salt to create a delectable side dish. You'll also find them pickled or as an ingredient in Chinese hot and sour soup.

Daylilies have naturalized themselves in most states across the country, which makes them incredibly easy to find throughout late spring and all of Summer. June is the peak season for these over-abundant bloomers that many now consider a weed, though an absolutely gorgeous one at that.

Lavender is such a pretty flower with a lovely perfumed scent that many of us wouldn't think of it as an herb. Yet it's actually a member of the mint family and a close cousin to common kitchen spices like thyme, sage, and rosemary. According to What's Cooking America, English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) rose in popularity during the 17th century and has since become the most commonly used culinary variety. Lavender has a strong floral scent, which is intensified when the flowers are dried, so it needs to be used in moderation.

Chefs like to get very creative with lavender and refuse to limit its uses to pretty desserts. This herb can be incorporated into just about every kind of recipe out there. From a surprising floral ingredient to add within your next latte to this refreshingly aromatic plum and lavender pie recipe — there are so many ways to utilize this edible flower. When you're ready to add it to entrées, the citrus notes of lavender pair well with oregano and thyme.

Nasturtium-infused vinegar is a popular way to use this radiant trumpet-shaped flower that comes in shades of red, orange, and yellow. Ask the Food Geek says all colors taste the same and describe its flavor as mild and a bit spicy, similar to arugula. The self-proclaimed food geek adds that nasturtiums' food dye capabilities are the main attraction, so have some fun infusing vinegar and clear alcohols with this one. You could also hang a bouquet of nasturtiums to dry, then crush the dried flowers and mix them into a savory, now-brightly-tinted seasoning salt.

As a garnish, nasturtium blossoms will vibrantly brighten up salads, cheese plates, and pasta dishes as well. Nasturtium leaves are just as tasty as the flowers. Including them alongside the blossoms will add an earthy layer to any dish. These flowers offer quite a few health benefits as well. They have a high vitamin content level and may help prevent everything from dermatitis to hair loss to cardiovascular disease.

Edible clove pinks, which are also called Dianthus, look a lot like carnations. They're from the same botanical family, but they stand apart when it comes to their culinary prowess. The flowers are equally beautiful, but the fragrance of a clove pink has a touch of spiciness to it. 

Per Gardening Know How, these peppy, bubblegum-colored flowers are easy to find blooming from mid-spring into mid-fall. If you add them to your garden, give them a spot with full sun exposure for part of the day. And if pink is just not your thing, check out some other varieties like Cheddar (Dianthus gratianopolitanus) or Cottage (Dianthus plumarius) for an array of color options.

While this ingredient can make any food beautiful, before tossing pink petals on top of a salad like Wolfgang Puck, you should cut off any white heels to avoid bitterness. One more reason to bring clove pinks into the kitchen is for their medicinal benefits. They've been shown to lower tension and relieve heartburn and gas.

Scented geraniums can be fun to experiment with because each variety will have a distinct flavor. Choose from peppermint, lemon, rose, and more to find just the right addition to baked goods. Some recommendations, like our scallop, pine, and grapefruit geranium recipe, offer complex options with which to layer your edible flowers. Then keep some flowers intact to use as edible decorations on the final product. You can also opt to drink your geraniums in the form of geranium gin. Hammer & Son came up with a semi-floral spirit that mixes citrus and rose flavors while maintaining the dryness expected in a traditional London Dry style gin.

According to Fine Gardening, the leaves of scented geranium plants offer a stronger smell and flavor profile, so be sure to use them as well. In fact, they grow a lot faster than the actual flowers, so you may start adding them to mixed green salads before the blooms even arrive. When finely chopped, buds and leaves can be sprinkled on anything from soups and pasta dishes to fish coming straight from the patio grill.

Almost every part of a yucca plant can be eaten, and Indigenous Americans have been doing so for centuries. Since a mature plant may only flower every other year or less, per Gardening Know How the flowers should be enjoyed whenever they're available. Your best bet in finding them is to head southwest during the spring of a particularly rainy year. Yucca blooms often last for more than a month, and fresh crunchy flower petals have a taste that resembles artichokes and green beans. Be on the lookout for old flowers, though, as they will start to taste bitter with age.

Yucca flowers are known to work well in combination with eggs and tomatoes (think frittatas and omelets). But as we head back over to James Beard Award-winning chef Hank Shaw's blog, you'll notice he suggests something very different. Shaw calls for deep frying them in a mesquite flour tempura batter. Get ready for some crispy, fried deliciousness that can be enjoyed on its own or served with your choice of hot sauce for an added kick.