30+ Forsythia Recipes (Yes, it's Edible!)

Edible forsythia is an early spring blossom that grows in abundance in many gardens. Use this bright, sunny flower in syrups, jams, baked goods and drinks.

Forsythia is a cheerful flower, blooming in early spring. Its bright yellow flowers burst forth even before their leaves do, blossoming for just one to two weeks in March to mid-April.

Forsythia (forsythia spp) is a deciduous flower shrub of the Oleaceae family. Named after the British horticulturist William Forsyth, the shrubs were brought from China to England centuries ago. Now you’ll find them in many-a-garden across North America, particularly in USDA zones 5 to 8 with some hardier varieties surviving in zones 3 and 4.

The flowers of the forsythia plant are edible, with many people using the blossoms atop salads or as a decorative garnish for cakes and drinks. Additionally, the buds can be used to make syrups, jellies, tea and other floral concoctions.

Forsythia flowers can even be used to make a handful of skincare items as well including flower lotion, skin toner and floral soap.

Forsythia Flowers

Choosing the Best Forsythia

Forsythia blooms in early spring, with the yellow blossoms filling the still-brown shrubs before their leaves come in. Forsythia flowers bloom on old wood, with the tiny buds developing during summer and fall. After flowering and picking, the bushes should be pruned shortly after, as pruning too late can remove the next year’s flower buds.

The blossoms begin to fall off as leaf buds open in late spring. The flowers of forsythia have four petals that join at the base; in wet weather, the blossoms hang down like dew-covered, yellow bells.

Choose blossoms from a source that is organic and pesticide-free. Gardens are a great source to select flowers from. After picking your flowers, be sure to remove any stems, leaves, and lingering debris from the flowers and give the blossoms a gentle wash.

This is best done by swishing the blossoms in a bowl of water and placing on a paper towel to dry.

Removing Forsythia Sepals from the flower blossoms.

Forsythia Recipes

Some find the taste of forsythia to be bland, others bitter. It can be sweetened with additional ingredients as in jelly and syrups, or used as a garnish to add variety to simple dishes.

Using forsythia in cooked recipes will lessen the strength of the flavor. Eating the flower raw will impart more of the blossom’s taste to the dish.

Forsythia Salad Recipes

Forsythia blossoms make an appealing salad topper with their bright yellow petals in contrast to the greens of spinach, arugula or even dandelion leaves. Since dandelion greens are also edible – try a dandelion and forsythia salad. An apple cider vinaigrette works well with this mix.

Do you have other edible flowers growing in your garden like nasturtium, pansy or calendula? Try a colorful edible flower salad. The addition of thinly sliced cucumbers, spring onions and goat cheese make these salads a springtime delight. Top with green goddess dressing or your favorite vinaigrette.

You can even add blossoms to a fruit salad for a sweet sensation. Combine with fruits like honeydew, kiwi, berries and grapes for pretty and nutritious results.

Forsythia Breakfast Recipes

To make use of forsythia in the form of breakfast, consider making a forsythia flower syrup. Made with just honey, water and a little lemon zest if desired, forsythia syrup can be used to top toast, waffles and pancakes, or to add to your morning tea.

You can even add forsythia syrup to batter to make breakfast delights like scones. Add fresh or dried fruits like cranberry or cherry for appealing flavors. Hoping to use whole blossoms? You can top miniature pancakes with edible flowers for some decadent floral pancakes or pop the flowers directly into crepe batter for a delightful spring breakfast.

Forsythia Flower Honey Syrup (With Just Honey)
Lemon and Forsythia Syrup (With Honey and Lemon Zest)
Forsythia-Cherry Scones
Cranberry Forsythia Scones
Edible Flower Crepes

Forsythia Drink Recipes

Forsythia can also enhance the flavor and appearance of several drinks. You can add forsythia drink syrup to many cocktails and mocktails. You can use the previous syrup recipes or the one provided below, specially intended for drinks – this one uses sugar as opposed to honey.

You can then add this syrup to vodka and sparkling water, scotch and seltzer, or gin, yogurt and lemon juice in a Yogi Bear Cocktail. You’ll find forsythia also makes a delightful drink garnish as shown in this bee’s knees cocktail or spring wine spritzer.

And last, but not least, there is forsythia tea. Sweeten with honey or sip plain to drink up the flavor of this fair spring flower.

forsythia tea

Forsythia Snack Recipes

To snack on forsythia blossoms consider making an edible flower cheese log to serve to friends and family – accompany with crackers and crostini. Feeling ambitious? Take it up a hostessing notch and try a floral cheese board. Add forsythia blossoms to a plate of meats, cheeses, fruits and other edible flowers for a show-stopping charcuterie. Once your guests know these little flowers are edible they won’t be able to help trying them.

Edible flowers like forsythia can also be used to make a floral herbed butter. Combine with mild garden herbs like dill, thyme, parsley, tarragon and chervil. Spread atop baguette slices for a savory, herbal-floral snack.

For sweeter snacks, press fresh blossoms onto cookies. Both shortbread and vegan recipes have been supplied below.

Preserving Forsythia

Preserving flower blossoms is not an easy task as the blooms are best used fresh. Once plucked, they last only a short while. For longer storage, you can dry the flowers to be used later in teas. If you have far more forsythia blossoms that you can dry, you can also infuse them into an herbal honey or use them to make flower jelly.

This jelly can then be added to all manner of goods, be it toasted English muffins, jam-filled cakes or jam thumbprint cookies. Combine with other herbs and flowers like dandelion, or keep it simple with forsythia, lemon juice, and pectin – this golden-hued jelly will be delicious either way.

Forsythia Dessert Recipes

Baked desserts containing forsythia often use the blossom as a garnish, but there are a few recipes that use the flower in baking. This lemon blueberry cake has forsythia blossoms baked right into the batter as well as topping this cheery yellow cake. Another option is to use forsythia syrup in frosting, as done in this dandelion cake with sugared violets.

Furthermore, forsythia blossoms make a delightful addition to cakes and desserts as a garnish. Decorate cakes with edible flowers to create creations like wildflower carrot cake or honeybee cake. You can also explore using forsythia blossoms to make sugared flowers for cupcakes and other treats.

Cultured & Fermented Forsythia

Forsythia blossoms are one of many flowers that can be used in cultures and fermented recipes. You can include forsythia flowers in blossom wine or mead. The bright color may not make it into the final product, but the flavor will. Combine with honey and other flowers for unusual and floral flavors.

Similarly, forsythia blooms can be used to make an herbal kefir soda. Like kombucha, this fermented drink is acclaimed for its health benefits. Simply use forsythia blossoms to make a floral tea and add water, brown sugar, raisins and water kefir grains. Try pure forsythia or add in other herbs and flowers like lavender, chamomile or elderflower.