Are you wondering what to do with edible culinary lavender? Desserts using lavender abound, but you can add it to meals as well! Try this lavender recipe for peach blueberry lavender overnight oats and give your breakfast a little pop of floral goodness. This colorful parfait has more fruit than oatmeal, offering up plenty of sweetness with no sugar added. It’s a delicious way to start your morning!
If I haven’t made it clear by now, there are quite literally thousands of ways to dress up your plain morning oatmeal. The flavored packets of oatmeal can really end up limiting your creativity. When you choose the unsweetened, plain varieties of oatmeal, the sky is truly the limit.
I’m not just saying this as a way to sneakily push you into making a better choice. It is true the flavored oatmeal packets typically contain a bunch of added sugar. However, the variety of flavors offered are extremely limited.
For example, how often do you see savory oats offered in a flavored packet? It's difficult to put ingredients like sunny-side-up eggs and fresh spinach into a shelf-stable oatmeal packet. (That is, of course, unless the eggs and spinach were freeze-dried or treated in some other way that radically alters the flavor.)
But even if you chose to purchase the flavored packets to make some savory oats, the flavors offered likely won’t work. I know we all have different taste preferences. That said, I don’t think many would want to put sweet raisin oatmeal under a savory egg and cheese dish.
Your sweet options for oatmeal dishes are limited when you stick to the packet offerings as well. When was the last time you saw a packet of peach blueberry lavender oatmeal?
Another edible lavender recipe? You bet!
This actually isn’t my first overnight oats recipe using lavender on the site. A few months ago, I offered up a recipe for blueberry orange lavender overnight oats. Now that peaches are in season, I knew I wanted to try a version using this popular stone fruit.
I’ve tailored this recipe to be more appropriate for the summer. Unlike the overnight oats recipe using oranges, we’re not going to use the stovetop to create a blueberry chia jam. Layering the blueberries in the jars as-is prevents us from having to stand over the hot stovetop unnecessarily.
What is the same between the two recipes is the use of dried lavender. And it is important to use culinary lavender when you use lavender in recipes.
I used these dried culinary lavender buds, which are sold on Amazon. At the time of this writing, it appears that this product is no longer in stock. However, a quick Amazon search will provide a plethora of other buying options.
If you are following a lavender recipe, remember that a little of this floral ingredient goes a long way. This dish includes ¼ teaspoon of culinary lavender. I know it smells heavenly, but please do not add more!
Edible lavender can quickly take a dish from pleasant and floral to overly perfumed. If you aren’t careful with your measurements, the taste of your dish may begin to remind you of lavender bath soap. Yuck!
So, keep your taste buds happy by breaking out your measuring spoons and sticking with the amount of lavender recommended here. There are some ingredients where you can get away with using approximate amounts in cooking. Lavender really isn’t one of them.
Not a fan of lavender or oatmeal? No problem!
If you don’t like edible lavender or don’t want to go to the trouble of finding it, you could always skip it in this recipe. That said, I feel like its inclusion is what makes this humble dish of oats and fruit unique, so I’d keep it if you can!
Sometimes when I post an oatmeal recipe, I receive messages from people that they don’t like oats. There seems to be a misconception among some people that they should start their morning with oatmeal. I enjoy oats, but that’s not true.
There are many, many ways to improve your diet. You don’t ever have to eat oatmeal if you don’t want to.
That said, if you do like oatmeal, it is a bit of a flavor sponge. You can make it taste like whatever you like simply by changing around the fruits, herbs, spices, etc. used in the recipe. If there is a particular combination of fruits that you like, they might work well in oats!
I haven’t tried these (yet!) but some other fun and unusual overnight oat combos might include:
- Strawberries, mango, and cardamom
- Watermelon, cucumbers, and basil
- Pineapple, coconut, and curry powder
What are some combos that you think might work? Oatmeal is such an inexpensive ingredient; it is the perfect base for culinary experiments. You might discover a new morning favorite!
Some other foods that pick-up flavor really easily include rice and tofu. Eggs don’t absorb flavor quite as easily as these, but they can also be incorporated into endless dishes.
If oatmeal isn’t your thing, see how many morning meal combos you can create with eggs. When you consider all of the types of veggies, cheeses, meats, herbs, and spices you could add, the possibilities are limitless. You’ll never be bored with breakfast again!
And now for the disclaimer…
All recipes on this website may or may not be appropriate for you, depending on your medical needs and personal preferences. Consult with a registered dietitian or your physician if you need help determining the dietary pattern that may be best for you.
The calorie information is an estimate provided as a courtesy. It will differ depending on the specific brands and ingredients that you use. Calorie information on food labels may be wildly inaccurate, so please don’t sweat the numbers too much.
For more information on how the three recipe levels may help with a weight management goal, refer to this post. Let’s get cooking!
Edible Lavender Recipe (Peach Blueberry Lavender Overnight Oats)
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¼ teaspoon dried culinary lavender
- ⅔ cup plain, unsweetened Greek yogurt (low-fat)
- ⅓ cup rolled oatmeal, dry
- 1 teaspoon chia seeds
- 2 tablespoons milk, 2%
- ½ cup frozen blueberries (get the small wild blueberries, no need to thaw)
- ½ cup frozen or fresh peaches (peeled and chopped)
Instructions
- Stir the lavender, yogurt, oats, chia seeds, and milk together.
- Put half of the oat mixture into the bottom of a wide-mouth pint canning jar.
- Layer half of the blueberries on top of the oats in the jar.
- Layer half of the peaches on top of the blueberries.
- Add the rest of the oat mixture to the jar, followed by the rest of the blueberries, and finishing with the rest of the peaches.
- Put the lid on the jar and refrigerate overnight. Enjoy them in the morning!
Notes
This is a level 1 recipe (may help support fat loss). Like most oatmeal recipes I see, this one is on the low-end for protein. Add a hard-boiled egg or two as a side for a little more protein while keeping things low-calorie. As an alternative, you could add a glass of dairy milk. (P.S. I have a post coming up in the next few weeks that is going to cover all things protein oatmeal. If you need tips on getting more protein into your oats without protein powders, you don’t want to miss it!) Feel free to double or triple this recipe to use as a meal prep. It will keep in the fridge for a few days.
Nutrition
Did you try this edible lavender recipe and *love* it? Don’t keep it a secret! Send me some love with a five-star rating and feedback below!
Also, what are your thoughts on the number of oatmeal recipes I’ve been offering up here? I wouldn’t say this site is as oatmeal-licious as one of my favorite dietitian blogs, but what do you think? Would you like to see more or less oat-y goodness in the future?
Perfect, Summer! What a way to anticipate the glorious bounty headed our way in a few weeks. Peaches edge out even just-picked corn on the cob, raspberries still warm from the June sun and the spring's first tender asparagus shoots, to be the absolute highlight of the produce year. Just my opinion, of course, but I defy anyone to reach another conclusion!
The thing about these amazing concoctions is that there's no way I'd save them all for breakfast. One or two may end up being pulled to thaw in the evening, perfect movie-night fuel for binge-watching a Bond marathon, or some spaghetti Westerns (hey, I'm a guy). Or a run of classic Japanese "Iron Chef"s (hey, I'm a foodie).
Hard - no, impossible - to top today's combination, though I thought of couple that might work. Both of these take it for granted oatmeal and yogurt already are present:
- Peaches, red raspberries and cinnamon (I know, it's Peaches Melba, but that's the idea)
- Strawberries, mango and peppermint
Wow, those combos sound fabulous! That second one tends to be things I always have on hand, considering how Misfits Market keeps sending us mango every week. Also, I tend to keep a big bag of frozen strawberries in the freezer.
I usually save oatmeal for mornings, but why not enjoy at other times of the day? This one is a bit "dessert-y" and could definitely work as a snack! Great idea!
Thanks, Summer! Perfect time, when your namesake season is at peak, and so much flirts with perfection. Everything sounds (and is) divine just about now. Why, these combinations just dream themselves into existence!
I'm glad you liked this combo! I've been dreaming up a smoothie recipe with blueberries, peaches, and lavender that I'll hopefully get around to soon 🙂 One for the people who don't want the oatmeal. Haha
Such a fabulous way to spruce up the dull looking oats Summer. I love adding edible lavender to summer drinks to elevate the look and feel of the drink...now you have given me another brilliant way to add it to morning oats. Perfect.
Thank you so much! Adding lavender to summer drinks sounds wonderful as well!