Nasturtium flowers rewards a little know-how: how to choose them, cook them, store them, and substitute in a pinch. Browse 7 recipes to cook with them.

What are nasturtium flowers?

Nasturtium flowers are the bright funnel-shaped blossoms of Tropaeolum majus, in shades from cream to deep scarlet, a trailing garden plant whose every part above the soil is edible. They are one of the few flowers grown as much for the kitchen as for the border.

The taste is the surprise. A nasturtium flower is peppery and faintly sweet, closer to watercress or arugula than to anything floral.

That bite comes from the same mustard-oil compounds that give those greens their heat. The petals are soft and the throat of the flower holds a tiny bead of nectar.

Both the flowers and the round, lily-pad leaves are used the same way, with the leaves running sharper and more peppery than the blooms.

How to Use Nasturtium Flowers

Treat them as a fresh garnish, not a cooking ingredient. Heat collapses the petals and dulls the peppery oils within seconds, so they always go on at the end, raw and whole or torn.

Their best stage is the salad bowl. Scattered over greens, a few whole blossoms turn a plain plate into something like a Centrefold Nasturtium Salad, where the flowers are the point rather than a decoration. They also finish a herb-forward plate such as Grilled Snapper with A Herb Salad.

Beyond salads, lay them over soft goat cheese, float one on a chilled soup, or press a petal into the surface of a butter for a Garden Squash & Nasturtium Butter Pasta. The flavor is mild enough that a flower works on a sweet plate too.

Pinch the flower from the stem, give it a gentle shake to evict any insect hiding in the nectar, and use it within the hour. Cut blooms wilt fast.

Pairing and Common Mistakes

Nasturtium's peppery edge sits naturally with creamy and rich foods: fresh cheeses, avocado, eggs, smoked fish, and buttery pasta. It echoes other mustardy greens like arugula and watercress, and a squeeze of lemon sharpens the contrast between the heat and the nectar.

The seed pods are worth knowing too. Picked green and pickled in vinegar, they make a sharp homemade caper, sometimes called the poor cook's caper.

The most common mistake is cooking the flowers. Stirred into a hot dish they go limp and gray and lose their pepper, contributing nothing but a sad smear of color, so add them only once the pan is off the heat.

The second is washing them like lettuce. A hard rinse bruises the petals and rinses away the nectar; a gentle dunk and a shake on a towel is all they need.

Substitutes

If you want the look, any edible flower stands in for color: violas, pansies, calendula petals, or borage. None of them carry the pepper, so you get the visual without the bite.

For the flavor rather than the look, reach for the greens nasturtium tastes like. Young arugula or a few watercress leaves give you the same mustardy heat, and a sliver of radish works in a pinch.

To copy both at once, scatter arugula leaves with a handful of marigold or calendula petals. Never substitute a flower from an unknown plant or a florist's bouquet, since ornamental flowers are often treated with chemicals not meant for eating.

Buying and Storing Nasturtium Flowers

You will rarely find nasturtiums at a supermarket. They come from your own garden or a specialty grocer that stocks edible flowers in small clamshells, and they are easy to grow from seed in a sunny spot.

Pick or buy blooms that are fully open and firm, with no browning at the petal edges. Harvest in the cool of the morning after the dew has dried, when the flowers are most turgid and the nectar is highest.

They are among the most perishable things in the kitchen. Store them in a single layer between barely damp paper towels in a covered container in the fridge, and use them within two to three days at most. Do not wash until you are ready to plate.

For a longer hold, stand cut stems in a glass of water out of direct sun and pick blooms off as you need them. The leaves and green seed pods keep a few days longer than the open flowers.

Quick facts

In Chinese

金莲花花

British (UK) term

Nasturtium flowers

en français

fleurs de capucine

en español

flores de capuchina

Recipes using nasturtium flowers

There are 7 recipes that contain this ingredient.

All 7 recipes