Candied edible flower petals are a sweet and beautiful way to garnish anything with nature's gifts. This simple homemade candy becomes a zen craft that is made from only egg whites, sugar, and a few minutes! These candied edible flower petals are a beautiful garnish for cookies, cake, popsicles, cocktails and more.
I already have a candied rose petal and candied herb recipes on the blog. If you've made those - you know exactly how to make these!
Ingredients:
- Flower petals of choice
- Granulated Sugar
- Egg whites
tools
- a fresh paintbrush for painting egg whites onto petals
- a cooling rack for your petals to dry
How do I know which flowers to choose?
Edible flowers to turn into candy can be used fresh or dried. I used a combination of both in my assortment of candied edible flower petals. Dried lavender made a beautiful addition to my cookies, and fresh pansies added so much beauty. Use whatever you would like that's safe.
Some popular edible flowers to try:
Check out our list of Most Popular Edible Flowers With Picture Chart (free download) or The Best Tasting Edible Flowers
- lilac
- rose
- elderflower
- chamomile
- calendula
- lavender
- jasmine
- tiger lily
- hibiscus
- chives
- passionflower
Safety tips:
- Not all flowers are edible. Even simply garnishing a dish with a flower that is not edible can make you very ill. Be sure you have properly identified your plant before consuming. If you are foraging in nature, use a plant identification app, which helps people identify harmful vs harmless plant species so they don't get sick from trying new things while hiking through nature. Identify the flower exactly and eat only edible flowers and edible parts of those flowers.
- Most store bought flowers are not safe for consumption. The type of flowers you plan to use for food should never come in contact with pesticides or other chemicals. The best edible flowers are ones you grow organically in your garden. The exception is the very seasonal food grade flowers sold in your local grocery store, more on this below.
- Never harvest flowers growing by the roadside, chemically treated lawns, or areas with lots of animals.
- If you haven't tried a particular flower in culinary uses, taste a small piece of the petal before consuming a whole petal. You can be allergic to flowers. Use flowers sparingly in your recipes due to the digestive complications that can occur with a large consumption rate.
Where can I find safe edible flowers?
I have an entire post on where to find edible flowers that are grown or safe for eating!
Now I don't know where you are in the world, but most of my readers are in the United States. I am a diplomat and have lived all over the world. And I have been able to easily source edible flowers easily in the places I've lived: the USA, Europe, Africa and Asia.
So if you're looking for fresh flowers near you, try these places first:
- Your own garden: If you are serious about decorating with edible flowers, the best place to get them is from your own organic edible flower garden. Now, I know not everyone has the time and space for an outdoor or even container garden. So, you can do what I do (now that we're living in the Middle East and there is no way I can grow flowers outdoors) and use an indoor garden system. This is how I grow my own lavender, pansies, and more. So - rule of thumb, the very best place to get fresh edible flowers is from your own garden. When I haven't been able to grow my own I've found it expensive to source the amount I need. For a one time project, keep reading.
- Organic farmers: The next best place is to source them from organic farmers. In every country I've lived in I've been able to find someone who grows organic flowers for consumption. They may be very seasonal, so keep reading to learn how to preserve your flowers and make them last as long as you need. But, it's very likely you can find someone who is already growing them.
- Farmers market: The farmers market will often have edible flowers due to their increased popularity. Before certain crops grow, they produce flowers - like squash blossoms, or cucumber flowers. And if you don't see any, ask the vendors. Maybe they'll bring some for you next time!
- Grocery stores: During spring, you will likely see them in your the produce section of your local grocery stores. What I do is buy more than I think I'll need, preserve them. The best way to do is is to and make pressed flowers to preserve them so I can still use their natural beauty when they're no long in season. Sprouts and Whole Foods market has sold edible flowers in their produce section.
- A local nursery: however you'd have to look for organic plants with edible flowers, these are the ones safe for consumption.
- Online sites: If you live in the United States, there are several websites dedicated to selling organic flowers.
- Gourmet sweet botanicals: Gourmet Sweet Botanicals sells high quality Edible Flowers and specialty items and ships direct to your door! These products are harvested, packed and shipped the same day from the farm to ensure the utmost in color, freshness & flavor. They ship nationwide and to Canada using FedEx and UPS overnight services.
- Cherry valley flowers: As a USDA certified organic farm, we take great pride in growing our edible flowers without the use of synthetic chemical pesticides, herbicides, or fungicides. This means that when you eat our edible blooms, you’re only tasting nature.
- Melissa's farms: Melissa’s Edible flowers complement many dishes, adding glamour and pure elegance. Varieties of edible flowers may include: Carnations, Hollyhocks, Daisies, Marigolds, Nasturtiums, Chrysanthemums, Chicory, Cornflower, Lavender, Snapdragon, Violets and Pansies. Few of the edible flowers have a lot of flavor; they are primarily added for color, design and aesthetic value.
variation inspiration:
- If you don't use refined sugar, you can use coconut or date sugar. And if you prefer, you can use sugar crystals like monk fruit or splenda.
- This recipe contains raw egg, so please do not serve to anyone immunocompromised, pregnant, or infants.
- If you are still concerned about using raw egg, use pasteurized egg white powder.
- For a vegan option, use aquafaba instead of eggwhites.
Frequently asked questions:
How can I use these candied petals?
Use them as a garnish, to decorate cakes, in cocktails, on charcuterie boards, in edible petal confetti, in rose petal jam, as a gift and wherever you see fit!
Can I make these ahead of time?
Although you can use sugar to preserve flowers, this method does not allow for them to store well. They will get soggy if not used within a day or two.
Do these taste good?
Pretty much anything covered in sugar tastes good to me! But I love the lightly flowers, especially rose and lavender, so depending on your taste - yes.
Recipes you may want to use candied petals for:
- Rose brownies
- Mini lemon basil curd tarts with shortbread crust recipe
- Lavender shortbread cookie crust tart with zesty lemon curd
- Candied edible flower lemon sugar cookies
Want to try this recipe later? Save it on Pinterest by clicking the image below!
Candied edible flower petals
Ingredients
- 30 fresh or dried flowers or petals
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 egg white
Instructions
- 1. Carefully pluck the individual petals from the plant.
2. VERY Gently mist your petals to clean them, I like to mist them with some water, place them on a towel, and gently place a paper towel on top of them for absorption.
3. Place a wire cooling rack on a baking sheet. Crack the egg white into a small bowl and whisk it with a fork. Dump the superfine sugar into a shallow bowl or onto a plate.
4. Using a soft bristle paintbrush, gently paint the egg white on both sides of the petals, and then dip your petal into a bowl of super fine sugar. Sprinkle on more sugar if necesary, until petals are cotated with sugar.
5. Space the candied petals apart on a wire cooling rack and leave until dry and hardened.
6. Use the candied petals quickly, within a day or two.
Enjoy as a garnish or on their own!
Notes
Nutrition
If you plan to make these candied petals, let me know what you'll use them for!
love edible flowers? these resources may be useful to you:
- Ways to use edible flowers
- Popular edible flowers chart and their meaning - printable chart
- How to store and preserve edible flowers
- Edible flowers to grow in your garden
- Where to buy or find edible flowers for cookies and cakes
I hope this recipe works beautifully for you and is enjoyed for many years to come. Thank you so much for reading. Your visit to my site helped support a small mama run business today. If you enjoyed it, I would be so honored if you would share with your loved ones.
Sending love, fresh baked cookies, and a bouquet of your favorite flowers.
