Prepare this beautiful blue tea with wild violets! Learn the best tips to forage your own wild edible violets and how to make wild violet tea either hot or iced! This violet tea recipe is so easy and delicious!

Cooking and baking with edible flowers has become quite popular and it’s no wonder! They are beautiful, nutritious, and often very flavorful! Violets have a gorgeous purple color and are lovely in a cup of tea.

Table of Contents

Wild Violet Tea

The beautiful blue common violet (viola sororia) has many names and grows wild and well in most areas. You can find it blooming in spring and into early summer. These flowers are edible and are often used to brighten up dishes such as salad, jelly, and even candies.

Foraging Your Own Violets

There is nothing like the feeling of gathering your own tea ingredients. And foraging for your own wild violets can be as simple as a walk in your backyard. The common blue violet can be found growing wild in most of the United States. This delicate flower likes shade so hunting under trees and shady spots is where you will most likely find success. To make this tea you will need quite a lot of violets. The more petals you use the darker your tea will be.

Tips for Foraging the Common Violet

Be 100% sure of your identification. There are a lot of plants that look alike that can be harmful and even poisonous. Use a field guide or consult your local naturalist to identify these flowers correctly.
Only harvest flowers that are organic and have not been treated with any chemicals.
Gather what you can use and leave the rest.
Only consume in small amounts.

Foraging Tools

Sharp Scissors
Basket
Gloves
Edible Flowers Field Guide

Ingredients

Violet Flowers – Read on below for my tips on foraging your own wild edible violets!
Filtered Water – The best tea starts with good water. Freshwater full of oxygen aids in the aroma and taste of the tea.
Honey (optional) – I like honey, but use whatever sweetener you like best. Violets are beautiful but do not contain a lot of flavor. A sweetener like honey helps to enhance the taste.

How to Make Violet Tea

You can make this tea two ways- as a hot tea or iced. I personally prefer to cold brew my tea if I want it iced. It does take a bit longer but the results are a beautiful smooth cold and refreshing tea! For either hot or cold tea, start with cleaning your flowers by rinsing and patting them dry. Be sure to clean off any bugs or dirt. Here you will want to gently bruise or crush your petals a bit. This is how the flowers will release their beautiful blue color. I have tried to skip this step and my tea never turned blue despite steeping for an extremely long time. Next, boil your water and add in flowers. Steep for up to 10 minutes. Add in a bit of honey if desired.

To cold-brew violet flower tea, rinse and gently bruise petals. Add flowers to a jar and top with water. Secure the lid and refrigerate for 24 hours. Strain out flowers and enjoy. For cold brewing, it is best to sweeten with a simple syrup that will mix well.

Sweet Violet Flower Tea Recipe

Kitchen Tools

Tea Strainer
Saucepan or Kettle

Ingredients

Wild Violets
Filtered Water
Honey

Step by Step Instructions

Rinse flowers and pat dry.
Gently bruise petals. (This will release the blue color. If you don’t your tea will not turn blue!
Boil Water.
Drop-in flowers.
Steep for at least 5 minutes.
Strain out flowers.
Add honey if desired and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

Wild violet tea, while very beautiful, has a rather dull and uninteresting taste. To add more flavor try a bit of sweetener and a lemon slice. You can also mix it with another herb such as mint.

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I hope you enjoy this herbal tea recipe. Leave a comment below and let’s connect! If you try this recipe, please come back and leave a review!