If you’ve ever taken a bath in lavender oil or used lavender in your air purifier, then you know how relaxing and soothing it can be. Whenever I can’t sleep, I put a diluted lavender solution onto the bottom of my feet and within a half hour I’m sleeping sound. So if lavender is so great for us topically, what about in our food? It turns out there’s a whole plethora of lavender-infused foods out there just waiting for us to discover them . . .
Lavender not only has the power to relax us, it also comes with some pretty potent health benefits, too. Adding lavender to your food can do the following:
It tastes great. By adding lavender to your food it will give it a subtle flavor without adding calories. Infusing foods such as maple syrup and honey with lavender will enhance the natural sweetness of the syrups.
It contains vitamin A. Vitamin A is essential for eye health, and by adding lavender you’ll be boosting your intake. Vitamin A also helps to prevent dry eyes, eye infections and it can also prevent cataracts. Vitamin A not only is good for eye health, it will also help to keep your skin nice and healthy.
It contains calcium. This may shock some of you, but lavender contains a small amount of calcium. We know that calcium strengthens our bones, and can ward off osteoporosis.
It’ll boost your iron levels. W need to eat between 8-11g of iron rich foods daily, and adding lavender to your foods will give you 2mg, which isn’t bad for this humble herb. If you feel lifeless and tired during the day then your iron levels could be suffering, so it’s a great idea to up your intake of foods containing iron.
12 lavender recipes that are seriously almost too beautiful to eat …
1. EASY LAVENDER + COCONUT ICED COFFEE
Find you can’t start your morning without a cup of coffee? I feel you, girl. Some of you may be thinking wow, slow down there. Lavender in my coffee?! Try it. You’ll be pleasantly surprised. The coffee is rich and creamy thanks to the dreamy coconut milk, but the lavender steals the show by adding a subtle floral taste.
Get the recipe here.
2. Blueberry Lavender Chia seed Pudding
When it comes to chia seed pudding I thought I’d made all the possible variations of the yummy puds, but turns out I was missing out when it came to lavender. Just check out that color! Hello, Instagram post. The soft and delicate flavor that comes from the lavender works to compliment the bright, sweet and almost tart flavor of the blueberries. Add in some coconut milk and you’ve got a creamy chia pudding that tastes just as good as it looks.
Get the recipe here.
3. Lemon Ricotta Stuffed Syrian Pancakes with Lavender Passionfruit Syrup
Okay, so these are a little bit of a treat. And will we feel any guilt while tucking into a pile of them? Nope. These would serve as either a breakfast, a brunch or even a dessert, and the lavender-infused passionfruit syrup is the perfect addition.
Get the recipe here.
4. honeyed lavender vanilla fruit dip
While I love fruit, sometimes you want to spruce it up a little, which is when dips are a fabulous creation. And I’m loving this lavender and vanilla fruity dip for your apple slices. It’s made with just 5 ingredients, which could easily be made dairy-free by using a vegan yogurt and subbing out the honey for a little maple syrup.
Get the recipe here.
5. lemon-lavender energy bites
Energy bites are such a wonderful snack to keep on hand. You can make them at the beginning of the week, store them in a lock tight container and they’ll power you through the week. They’ll give you the boost of energy you need without the sugar high (and crash) that comes from refined sugar. All the sweetness in these energy bites come from plant-based goodness, so you won’t feel bad going back for seconds.
Get the recipe here.
6. LAVENDER-LEMON BLACKBERRY & RICOTTA GRILLED CHEESE SANDWICH
This sandwich not only looks the part, it sounds fancy as heck, too. Perfect for re-creating to impress guests over for lunch. This sandwich combines a lemon, lavender and blackberry jam with homemade vegan ricotta cheese. The combination of sweet, tart jam against the cheese is INSANE. Go make this. Like, right now.
Get the recipe here.
7. lavender lemon cookies
I mean, who says no to a cookie or five when it’s offered? But these healthy cookies are ones you can snack on and feel zero guilt. Made from a list of plant-based ingredients, these cookies contain chia seeds, almond meal, maple syrup, coconut oil and a little lemon zest. But the lavender really brings these delicious cookies to life.
Get the recipe here.
8. honey lavender butter
With just three ingredients this recipe is super quick and easy to make. Just combine butter and honey with some lavender and leave in the fridge to infuse and for the flavor to deepen. If you’d like to make this dairy-free you could switch out the butter for a vegan-friendly version.
Get the recipe here.
9. BLUEBERRY WALNUT LAVENDER SCONES
Whether you omit dairy from your diet or not, make these scones and I promise you, you won’t be able to tell the difference. They’re made from mostly plant-based ingredients, and the end result is going to be a real treat for your taste buds. Top with the butter from the previous recipe to reach culinary perfection!
Get the recipe here.
10. LEMON + LAVENDER ‘YOGURT’ CAKE
When life presents you with a cake, you say thank you and tuck right in. And this lemon and lavender cake is going to go down super well if you decide to re-create it. It’s super moist, with a tangy and floral ‘yogurt’ coating. Of course the yogurt is dairy-free, but don’t let that hold you back. It’s DELICIOUS. And the zesty lemon works splendidly with the fragrant lavender.
Get the recipe here.
11. Vegan Maple + Lavender Cashew Ice-Cream
Who doesn’t love ice cream? The maple syrup is infused with lavender buds to give it a wonderful sweet, yet floral taste. The ice cream is made from cashews and offers a delicious combination of flavors.
Get the recipe here.
12. lavender, gin + cloudy lemonade
This is one for the adults; an alcoholic beverage with a healing effect. This is the perfect summer cocktail. If you’re looking to make this ahead of a weekend or get together, please note that it takes a week to infuse the gin with the lavender, so be sure to take that into account.
Get the recipe here.
Just a little wise word of warning: lavender can be incredibly pungent, as we’ve probably all witnessed firsthand when we’ve been a little too generous when using our lavender oil. So use sparingly in your cooking to be sure that you can enjoy the floral yumminess that lavender has to offer without being put off by it overpowering our palettes.
Bon appetit!
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