What is more gorgeous than a beautiful, crystallized flower topping your favorite recipe? These Candied Flowers are the perfect finishing touch for desserts, cocktails, and make a lovely accent to a charcuterie board.

They make everything better because they are so stunning!

Best of all, making them requires no cooking. So there’s nothing you can mess up in the process of creating Candied Flowers. It does take some time to make. Thus, they are best made the day before. They don’t require a much equipment or supplies beyond the edible flowers themselves!

Supplies to Make Candied Flowers

Edible Flowers
Organic Cane Sugar (the nicer the sugar, the better)
Meringue Powder
Vanilla Extract
Water
& A Clean, Disposable Paint Brush

The ingredients are quite simple! The only ingredient that can be challenging are the edible flowers. They can commonly be found at your local Whole Foods, Farmer’s Market or you can get +SIMPLY GORGEOUS+ Edible Flowers online on Etsy!

Always purchase and prep your edible flowers while they are super fresh. Keep them ice cold until you are ready to use them.

Egg and Egg Alternatives

Variations of a Sugared Flower Recipe will encourage you to use fresh eggs. Don’t! It’s an unnecessary health risk, since there is no cooking. Instead, I used meringue powder which helps stiffen the flower and help it harden.

There are also lots of vegan versions of Candied Flower recipes. To make it vegan, all you would need to do is leave out the meringue powder. The flowers will not be as stiff, but potentially, you could dry them longer to help them crisp.

How to Make Candied Flowers

Lay a piece of parchment or wax paper in a safe space where you can leave your flowers to cure and set for several hours without disturbance. Parchment or wax paper is essential because you need a surface that won’t stick to the flowers.

In a small dish, combine the meringue powder, vanilla, and water with a fork or small whisk. You will want the ingredients to be perfectly blended. Making it vegan? Just leave out the meringue but expect that your flowers will remain slightly more pliable!

Gently hold each flower by the stem. Using a clean, disposable paint brush, fully coat the top in a light layer of the meringue mixture. You will want the entire flower to have a light coat.

Next add the sugar. However, adding the sugar is just a touch different than how you add the meringue mix! Sprinkle all the flowers with the cane sugar. Give them a thorough sprinkle, but unlike the meringue – don’t coat the entire flower.

Once your flower is coated, just wait for them to dry at room temperature. Allow them to cure for 2-4 hours, or sometimes many hours longer. You can tell when they are done because the sugar looks dry to the touch and there are not pools of moisture underneath the flower. You can also touch them to know!

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Flowers that are Edible

Lilac
Violas
Pansies
Roses
Apple Blossoms
Nasturtiums
Borage
Orchids
Chamomile
Butterfly Pea Flower

There are so many gorgeous flowers that you can candy!

Flowers that are Poisonous

Azalia
Butterfly Weed
Clematis
Daffodil
Datura (Jimson Weed)
Foxglove
Iris
Morning Glory
Sweet Pea

Just to name a few!

How to Use Candied Flowers

Candied flowers can be used as a garnish in all your favorite desserts or cocktails. It’s creates the perfect finishing touch. These Fruit & Edible Flower Cupcakes just wouldn’t be the same without the gorgeous flowers!

They also make a lovely addition to a charcuterie board or any plated dish. Plus, imagine the possibilities of adding them to a tablescape for a Sweet 16 Party or Valentine’s Day.

How to Store Candied Flowers

Candied Flowers are best stored for one week but can be stored longer. They are crisp and delicate, so layer them in between your wax paper or parchment in an air tight container. If you live in a super humid environment like I do, you may want to store them in the fridge.

But note, that excess heat or cold could alter the color of the flowers!