Love lavender? Maybe you’ve enjoyed the scent but didn’t realize this delightful edible flower is incredible in cooking as well. Whether you’ve tried recipes with lavender or not, this collection of lavender recipes will give you plenty of inspiration to try using lavender in sweets, drinks, and lots more. Plus some gorgeous homemade beauty products like soaps, salves, and bath salts.
Lavender’s one of those herbs even folks not too into herbs can get on board with. Who doesn’t love the soothing smell of lavender? If you’re wondering what you can do with lavender besides enjoy its scent, you’ll find tons of creative inspiration in this roundup of more than 25 lavender recipes.
Cooking With Lavender
Before diving into the lavender recipes, it’s important to know a little about cooking with lavender. Most of the lavender we grow in our gardens isn’t meant for cooking and may add a more bitter flavor than you want.
For cooking, most experts recommend English lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) if you’re choosing what to grow in your garden. If you’re purchasing lavender buds, look for organic culinary lavender.
I grow whatever lavenders can survive our extreme climate and add some in small amounts to my favorite herbal tea blend for sleep. Lavender is among many herbs for sleep if you want to sip something in the evening that encourages better quality sleep. It’s also a great calming herb for relieving stress.
Since I can’t grow enough to keep me in lavender all year, I keep these organic lavender buds on hand.
As is the case with most herbs, dried lavender is stronger than fresh, and you use about a third of what you would when working with the fresh plant. You’re most likely to be using to be dried lavender in recipes, but if you do use fresh lavender, you’ll want to triple the amount called for.
Note that lavender has a very strong flavor, and a little goes a long way. Go easy when you start adding lavender to cooking, or you may find it overwhelms the dish.
Where to Get Lavender to Use in Recipes
I always think it’s the most fun to harvest ingredients from a medicinal herb garden, but of course, if you’re not growing lavender, you can certainly buy it instead.
Here are some options for buying dried lavender online:
FGO Organic lavender flowers (I buy the 1 pound bag, which lasts a VERY long time)
There are other well-rated options available on Amazon as well. Just be sure to check the botanical name as “culinary” just means it’s meant for consumption, but it’s Lavandula angustifolia that’s generally recommended for food purposes. If you’re making body products or crafts, you can use any type of lavender.
You can also get organic lavender from Mountain Rose Herbs and Starwest Botanicals.
You can also find lavender buds in the bulk section of many natural foods stores.
If you do want to grow your own lavender, here’s how to grow lavender from seed.
Fun fact if you grow your own lavender:
The leaves also have that beautiful lavender scent and can be used in cooking or medicinally as well. Check out this post on how to use lavender leaves for more details and ideas.
Lavender flowers or lavender extract?
Extracts are simply herbs or other ingredients left to steep in alcohol for a period of time, like tinctures. I’ll be adding a recipe for lavender extract soon, but if you want to make your own rather than buying it, you can follow these instructions for making tinctures (the same thing, just used medicinally rather than in cooking).
Most of the lavender recipes below use lavender flowers, but a few call for lavender extract.
What Goes Well with Lavender?
Lavender’s lovely floral notes pair beautifully with both sweet and savory flavors. In addition to the traditional lemon, you’ll find vanilla, blueberry, and chocolate coming up again and again. If you’ve never tried lavender with chocolate, you need to!
Lavender and rosemary are quite similar when used in cooking, so lavender works well with savory dishes featuring cheese or chicken, among many others.
25+ Lovely Lavender Recipes
So many delightful ways to use lavender in cooking and crafts from creative bloggers. Check out all the tempting lavender recipes!
LAVENDER DRINKS
Lavender-infused lemonade, lattes, and cocktails
This quick and easy Lavender Mint Lemonade from Pure and Simple Nourishment elevates this summer refresher with hints of lavender and mint.
This Blueberry Lavender Lemonade recipe from Style and Grace combines the bold flavors of blueberries and lemons with lavender to create a refreshing, tangy summer cooler.
This citrusy latte from Little Spice Jar is made with earl grey tea, lavender, vanilla, and frothy milk. A lovely way to warm up on a cold day!
This Vanilla Lavender Latte from An Off Grid Life combines espresso and steamed milk infused with vanilla and lavender for a unique flavor in your mug.
This striking Lavender Matcha Iced Latte from Sugar Yums combines the earthy taste of matcha with the delicate floral notes of lavender.
This beautiful cocktail from Ugly Duckling Bakery is made from botanical gin, lime uice, and lavender simple syrup.
LAVENDER DESSERTS & SWEETS
Whether you'd like a lavender cookie, popsicle, or elegant cake, you'll love these impressive lavender desserts.
If you're looking for a flavor-packed dessert for a summer night, look no further than this gorgeous Blueberry Lemon Lavender Sorbet from Kenneth Temple.
Homemade lavender ice cream made with lavender-infused honey? Yes, please!
Made with just 5 ingredients, these Lavender Vanilla Popsicles from Pure and Simple Nourishment are dairy-free and vegan.
Tasty Cue's protein-packed popsicles made with lemon zest, vanilla, and lavender sound incredible!
This Lavender Panna Cotta from Salt & Lavender is made with Greek yogurt and infused with delicious lavender flavor.
Made with lavender-lemon infused cream, this Lavender Crème Brûlée from Champagne Tastes adds delightful lavender notes to the classic dessert.
Made with fresh blueberries and lavender extract, these Blueberry Lavender Scones from Elle & Pear are crispy on the outside, and soft and fluffy on the inside.
Lavender Coconut Tigernut Flour Cookies (Gluten-Free, Vegan, Paleo)
Lavender Coconut Tigernut Flour Cookies are a tasty treat that are gluten-free and vegan.
Orange Lavender Shortbread Cookies are light, buttery and can be iced with lavender icing for extra lavender deliciousness.
These Lemon Lavender Cookies from Pure and Simple Nourishment are soft, fluffy and chewy. A lemon glaze makes them extra special.
This decadent Lavender Earl Grey Cake from Sabrina Currie is sophisticated but easy to make. Iced with lavender buttercream frosting, it's sure to impress.
This lavender loaf cake from Mommy Evolution is topped with honeyed ricotta and crushed lavender. A unique, delicious dessert your guests will love.
Luscious blackberries complement floral lavender in this flavorful Blackberry Lavender Preserve from Baking Sense.
This easy pear jam is flavored with lavender and cardamom. Made without pectin, it's delicious on toast, or over ice cream or pancakes.
SAVORY LAVENDER RECIPES
Lavender isn't just for treats. Check out these savory recipes using lavender.
This roasted chicken from Rebecca Taig is glazed with lavender, thyme, lemon and honey. Sweet, savory, delicious and elegant!
This indulgent quiche has just a few ingredients and the subtle flavor of lavender.
If you need some new ways to liven up roasted veggies, lavender might be your answer! Better still if you've got surplus zucchini, this recipe for roasted zucchini from Healing Tomato uses large zucchini.
Ever wanted to make your own spice blend? Sabrina shares a DIY herbes de provence recipe.
LAVENDER BODY CARE & CRAFTS
Lavender's soothing scent makes bath salts, lip balms, and sachets delightfully relaxing.
These easy lavender bath salts take just a couple minutes to put together, but they will make your bath so much more relaxing. They make an excellent gift as well.
Soothing lavender makes a lovely addition to lip balms. Check out the tutorial from Grow Forage Cook Ferment.
This DIY deodorant from Grow Forage Cook Ferment will make you smell amazing with infused lavender and sage.
Though not a recipe, if you have some lavender on hand, you should definitely consider making some of these ridiculously easy DIY lavender sachets.
I hope you found some lavender recipes you love! If you try one, please leave a comment and let us know how it was.
Want more herbal inspiration? Check out these posts:
Save these delicious lavender recipes for later!
Susannah is a health and environmental writer focusing on gardening, foraging, medicinal plants, and sustainability. Her work has appeared in Mother Earth Living, Ensia, Northern Gardener, Sierra, and on numerous websites. Her first book, Everything Elderberry, released in September 2020 and was a #1 new release in holistic medicine, naturopathy, herb gardening, and other categories. Find out more and grab your copy here.
Hi, I'm Susannah, a garden geek, energy nerd, and fan of healthy food and natural remedies. Need some simple, practical solutions for living healthier and greener? You've come to the right place! More about me and my green projects
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