Culinary Lavender, Lavendula augustifolia, is also called culinary grade lavender, food grade lavender, edible lavender, or lavender spice.

Culinary Lavender originated along the Mediterranean, and is a plant that prefers wet winters and dry summers. It grows easily in these conditions and can be found in many places of the world, through the Middle East to India, and even into southern Europe.

Culinary Lavender is popular with: 

• independent spice shops;
• manufacturers of chocolates, cocktail mixes, jams, honey, sauces, and condiments;
• American restaurants;
• brewpubs;
• sandwich shops;
• breweries; and
• distilleries

Make sure you are cooking with a culinary-grade lavender. Lavender that is intended for crafting and other non-culinary use typically contains high levels of toxic pesticides.

Flavor Profile

Culinary Lavender has an intense floral aroma with rosemary, pepper, mint, and lemon notes.

How To Use

Grind some Culinary Lavender into sugar to make a finely powdered lavender sugar. Put this in sweets, icings, tea, or even in a savory grilling rub for chicken or lamb. Culinary Lavender is especially good with black and red fruits such as blackberries, blueberries, cherries, plums, and strawberries. Try Blueberry Lavender Ice Cream or Lavender Cream Horns for dessert at your next dinner party. For a robust flavor to savory dishes, add to roasted meats like chicken, lamb, pheasant, and rabbit.

Lavender can easily overwhelm a dish, so use it gently, and don’t let it cook for an extended period or it can turn bitter.

Culinary Lavender pairs well with marjoram, Mediterranean oregano, parsley, rosemary, savory, thyme, basil, clove, chocolate, cinnamon, saffron, shallots, chives, fennel, star anise, rose, mint, coconut, and citrus.