Are Oregano Flowers Edible? [Full Guide]

Oregano is a hardy perennial plant that provides many uses for us. It’s easy to grow, sturdy during the winter, and produces many leaves and flowers that we can use. But are the flowers just as useful as the oregano leaves? This article will answer that question and more. For example, we’ll first talk about what oregano flowers are before we dive into the answer to the big question, are oregano flowers edible? Then, we’ll discuss what they taste like and when the flowers bloom. 

Finally, we’ll go more in-depth about the many uses for oregano flowers.

THIS POST MAY CONTAIN COMPENSATED AND AFFILIATE LINKS. MORE INFORMATION IN OUR DISCLAIMER

What Are Oregano Flowers?

The oregano plant is a herb that grows in the early spring or all year round if kept indoors. It’s a herb that produces leaves for many different recipes. The leaves have a strong taste.

With the help of its flowers, you can tell when the leaves have the strongest taste, right before the flowers bloom. This is when people harvest their oregano leaves. Otherwise, the leaves will have a more bitter taste. In the meantime, they pluck the flowers off to make room for more leaves to grow.

But did you know that, in addition to the oregano leaves, you can use the flowers from the oregano plant?

Oregano plants produce white, pink, or purple flowers. These flowers have more uses than leaves.

For example, oregano flowers can attract pollinators to your garden to help out the other plants. In addition, the flowers make the oregano bush look eye-catching in your garden. Also, you can use the oregano flowers in cooking.

Are Oregano Flowers Edible?

Believe it or not, yes. Oregano flowers are edible.

They do not have as strong a taste as the oregano leaves, but the flowers can still add a lot to a dish.

Like the leaves, oregano flowers can be used fresh or dried out. For example, you can dry out the flowers for their mild flavor later, depending on the season.

Oregano plants can survive in the winter outside. However, they won’t produce any more flowers. So, if you plan on using the flowers for recipes all year round, you can dry out the flowers to save them, similar to how you would dry out the leaves.

Learn more about drying oregano leaves here.

Even if you keep your oregano plant indoors, the flowers tend to bloom only during certain parts of the year. So, once those flowers bloom, hold onto them. Or else, you won’t be able to get them again for another year.

What Do Oregano Flowers Taste Like?

Oregano flowers taste similar to oregano leaves. However, the taste is more subtle.

So, if you’re looking to add the oregano flavor to a dish but need something milder, then it’s best to use the flowers over the leaves.

In addition, the flowers from an oregano plant have an aromatic scent. So, it’s a stronger smell than the leaves, which can make your dishes more enticing. 

When Do Oregano Flowers Bloom?

These flowers typically bloom in late spring or early summer. They’re small, being only about three to four millimeters big.

If you snip the flowers off to use them or make room for more leaves to grow, don’t worry. Oregano is a perennial herb, which will grow back again the following year.

How To Use Oregano Flowers

The oregano flowers are beautiful on the plant, but did you know that you can use them in many different ways?

Similar to the oregano leaves, you can use its flowers for cooking. However, even though they’re edible, you don’t always have to use them for your meals.

Use Oregano Flowers In Cooking

So, if the flowers are edible, can you eat oregano flowers? The quick answer is yes. You can certainly eat oregano flowers and use them within your recipes.

The flowers are not toxic, and they have an aromatic taste. They taste similar to the leaves, which resemble thyme’s flavor, but the flowers are more subtle. They have a milder taste than the leaves.

So, if you don’t care for how strong the leaves taste, you can always use the flowers as a substitute. 

You can use the flowers in various dishes such as pizza, salad, pasta sauce, or a garnish on a plate. 

In addition, similar to the leaves, you can use the fresh flowers in your cooking or dry out the flowers first. Drying them out will also allow you to keep them longer.

Use Oregano Flowers In Tea

One of the best uses for oregano flowers is to make yourself a fresh cup of tea with the flowers. This type of tea can be made with oregano leaves but it will have a more pungent taste.

So, if you want a cup of tea with a milder taste and a strong aromatic smell, then use the oregano flowers. Dry the flowers out first to use them in a tea infuser.

Oregano tea has many benefits for your health in addition to tasting good. For example, oregano tea can do the following:

• Aid cough, sore throat, and digestive issues
• Reduce stress and anxiety
• Provide antioxidants
• Has anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and antibacterial effects

In most cases, the leaves are typically used for cooking while the flowers are an excellent substitute for tea. However, it’ll depend on how strong you like the taste to be.

On the other hand, the oregano tea will have a stronger scent if you use the flowers over the leaves. 

Use Oregano Flowers To Grow More Oregano

Oregano plants can produce a lot of herbs and have a long lifespan. So, if you’re looking to grow more oregano then you can use the seeds from the flowers.

You can pluck the flowers off your oregano bush and dry them out. When dried, you can rub the flowers in your hand over a bowl, and the seeds will fall out into the bowl.

You won’t need to worry about buying seeds or fresh oregano from the store and you’ll have your healthy seeds to grow for the following year.

Use Oregano Flowers In Crafts

In addition, you don’t need to use the flowers in any sort of cooking but use them as decoration. Oregano flowers can come in white, pink, or light purple, and they’re beautiful.

So, you can pinch the flowers off and dry them out to use in various DIY crafts. For example, you can put them together as a wreath.

Finally, you can simply keep the flowers as is and put them in a vase to display them.

Preserve The Oregano Flowers For Display

Alternatively, you can preserve them in resin in various molds to create other house decors.

For instance, you can turn them into paperweights, coasters, and more. Or, you can press them in a book or a frame.

You can preserve the oregano flowers as gifts for a friend, or you can use them to decorate your own house, especially for the springtime. 

Let Oregano Flowers Remain On The Bush

Alternatively, you don’t need to do anything with your oregano flowers. While you can snip off the flowers to make room for more leaves (to produce more herbs), you can also leave the flowers as is.

The leaves will lose some of their taste, but they’ll still be strong enough to use in dishes.

On the other hand, the flowers will continue to help your oregano plant grow and thrive. Also, the flowers will help out the rest of your garden.

The flowers attract bees, butterflies, and other pollinators to your garden. They’ll help out your oregano bush, and these pollinators will also be attracted to the surrounding plants.

In addition to attracting pollinators, the flowers remaining on your oregano bush are attractive. It makes your garden look great as people pass by. 

Final Words On Whether Oregano Flowers are edible

Overall, oregano flowers are just as useful as the leaves. You can use the flowers in your cooking, in tea, or turn them into home decor for yourself or a loved one. Oregano itself has many uses and it’s a low-maintenance plant to care for. So, if you like the taste of oregano, then it’s a great herb to have at home.

Want to learn more? Click here to learn when to plant oregano or here to learn how much water oregano needs. You can also find all my oregano guides here.

Gardening Chief is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.ca. Amazon and the Amazon logo are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates