30+ Sea Buckthorn Recipes

Sea buckthorn recipes showcase this delightfully bold and colorful berry, packed with intense flavor and subtle tropical notes. It can add excitement and color to just about anything, savory or sweet.

Sea buckthorn is a bright, nutrient-packed berry often found in coastal areas. Native to Europe and Asia, sea buckthorn or seaberries (Hippophae rhamnoides), were introduced to North America nearly a century ago. It commonly grows along the northeastern coast of the US and eastern Canadian provinces, as well as Alaska, British Colombia, and the Pacific Northwest.

The plant grows well in sandy and poor soil conditions, and has been used in some places to stabilize soil and prevent erosion. In some locations, it has become so bountiful as to even be considered a pest. Its roots spread underground, popping up like raspberry runners, sometimes resulting in a dense thicket.

We grow sea buckthorn on our Vermont homestead, and it was tricky at first to find ways to use seaberries as there just aren’t all that many recipes out there (at least on the internet). It has, however, been eaten in Europe, especially Scandinavian countries, for centuries.

Luckily, this colorful fall-toned berry is a delightful addition to many dishes, desserts, and drinks.

Choosing the Best Sea Buckthorn

There are multiple varieties of sea buckthorn and they may ripen at different times. Some cultivars ripen in July and August, while others may be as late as September and even October. Different varieties will have slight variations in flavor, color and shape, but almost all varieties will be thick and thorny.

Harvesting sea buckthorn can be a bit of a task. If you harvest the berries early enough, you may be able to pick them off the branch by twisting the berries off the branches or using a fork to pull them. Doing this may result in berries that burst while picking though, leaving bright orange stains on your clothes and hands.

The preferred option for harvesting sea buckthorn is to use pruning scissors or secateurs to snip off entire berry branches and freeze them. The frozen berries will then be much easier to remove from the branches without bursting. Just be sure to watch out for the thorns!

Seaberries are becoming available at niche farmer’s markets as more permaculture farms spring into existence. You just might find them for sale if you’re lucky.

Sea Buckthorn Recipes

Sea buckthorn’s marking feature is an extreme tartness. When its sour flavoring is tamed with other ingredients, you may also pick up notes of orange, mango and a little pineapple.

As this berry is so tart, it’s often juiced or pureed and used in recipes in liquid form. Seabuckthorn can enhance a variety of recipes provided they are paired with the correct ingredients.

Fresh Sea Buckthorn Recipes

Fresh sea buckthorn berries can be used in quite a few recipes. Berries can be combined with other fruits for a delicious chutney. Consider pairing with pumpkin and spices for an autumnal treat to pair with cheese platters and cold meats.

You can try sea buckthorn in soups and salads as well. Combine sea buckthorn pulp with pureed carrots for a beautifully hued, creamy soup, or simmer fresh berries stovetop for a tangy salad dressing to pair with salad greens topped with chicken or salmon.

Preserving Sea Buckthorn

Occasionally, you may find yourself with more fruit than you can handle, in which case storing the fruit for later use may be the best bet. Preserving sea buckthorn berries gets the berries off your hands in the short term, while still leaving plenty of opportunities for using them in future recipes.

The most recommended method is freezing sea buckthorn berries, but the berries can also be canned whole as outlined in the below honey-infused recipe by Vital Fairs Living. Juice can be canned or frozen as well. Jams and jellies are yet another option for preservation, as well as sea buckthorn-infused vinegar.

Sea Buckthorn Breakfast Recipes

Looking to add this berry to breakfast recipes? Try blending with honey and chia seeds for a healthy breakfast pudding. In a hurry? Sea buckthorn can be added to breakfast shakes with banana and orange for a revitalizing morning meal.

You can also layer a blend of sea buckthorn and other fruits like mango into a yogurt parfait or cook berries into oatmeal for a healthy and colorful breakfast. A sea buckthorn sauce can be made as well to drizzle over toast, pancakes, or yogurt and porridge.

Sea Buckthorn Savory Main Courses

Savory recipes using sea buckthorn are less common, but there are a few! A sweet-savory chutney can be made to pair with meat and cheese boards – simply combine berries with pearl onions, spices, celery, garlic and apples, among other ingredients.

A sea buckthorn sauce can also be made to pair with duck and pork. For lighter fare, consider trying a creamy dressing made from sea buckthorn juice atop a smoked salmon salad. Toss in some capers for added bite.

Sea Buckthorn Drink Recipes

One of the easiest ways to use sea buckthorn is in the form of drinks, be it as an added juice or cordial. A good dose of sweeteners like sugar and honey will be needed for most. A simple juice can be made by washing and pureeing the berries and adding sweetener. The mixture can then be strained, diluted and served chilled.

A cordial can be made as well to add to spirits and cocktails by boiling the berries with vanilla and cane sugar. Sea buckthorn can also be made into a tea or juiced and added to hot toddies or hot chocolate. A sea buckthorn daiquiri can even be made with sea buckthorn jam!

Sea Buckthorn Snack Recipes

Getting little ones to enjoy the taste of this extremely tart berry can be a challenge – but really all you need are the right ingredients so sea buckthorn doesn’t overpower your creation. Sorbet can be made with sugar and vanilla extract or blended popsicles sweetened with honey, pineapple and coconut milk.

Even healthy sea buckthorn jello is an option, sweetened with liquid stevia or monk fruit sweetener. Fruit leather and vitamin jellies can be made as well for kid-friendly snacks.

Sea Buckthorn Dessert Recipes

Sea buckthorn can be added to a variety of desserts lending them a beautiful golden-orange hue. Most recipes will require juicing or pureeing the berries.

Creme brulee, cake, tarts and even cheesecake can be made using sea buckthorn, as well as a sweet curd for filling cakes or topping other desserts. For baked goods, try substituting sea buckthorn for lemon juice for exotic results.

Cultured & Fermented Sea Buckthorn

Sea buckthorn can be fermented in the form of a low-alcohol cider made with wine yeast to be used as a health tonic. For regular imbibing, a sea buckthorn wine can be made as well as a berry mead.

Flavoring fermented beverages with sea buckthorn can be done with both the berries and leaves. The leaves of sea buckthorn can actually be used in kombucha-making. Tips on making Canadian-style kombucha by Revolution Fermentation are provided below.

Sea Buckthorn Cider Tonic
Sea Buckthorn Wine
Canadian Kombucha (with info on using sea buckthorn leaves and berries)

Seasonal Fruit Cooking Guides

Looking for more ways to use fresh seasonal ingredients?