Whether you're looking to create galactic desserts, moon inspired drinks or rainbow sweets, here are 18 ways you can take advantage of the natural blue dye in butterfly pea flowers. These recipes use the flowers in either the dried flower or powder form.
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What are Butterfly Pea Flowers?
You may recognize these gorgeous indigo flowers similar to flowers from actual pea plants.
This wildflower is not related or visited by butterflies but is part of the pea family. The word 'butterfly' is in the flower's name due to its similar appearance to a butterfly.
Some also refer to it as blue matcha powder.
It is most commonly found and used in Thailand to color sticky rice and drinks. It is also used as a therapeutic flower in spa treatments.
Savory Recipes
Butterfly Pea Flower Rice
Whether you want to add a pop of color to your plate or just have some extra dried butterfly pea flowers or powder on hand, you can easily make this beautifully hued rice, traditional to Southeast Asian cuisines.
Kingfish Sashimi Salad with Butterfly Pea Flower Pickles
How about making pickles with a bold purple hue? In this recipe, white radishes are thinly sliced and then steeped in a mixture of vinegar, sugar, and water dyed with the butterfly pea flowers. After steeping overnight, the radishes are removed from the liquid and served with slices of kingfish sashimi.
You could also use this same technique with other vegetables, such as cauliflower, turnips, daikon, or anythiing else you’d like to give the royal purple treatment.
Butterfly Pea Flower Multigrain Sourdough Bread
What about making purple tinted bread? Instead of adding plain water to make the dough, you can add water that's been tinted with butterfly pea flowers.
This sourdough bread recipe calls for a combination of bread flour, multigrain flour, and rye flower. A cold ferment of the dough for 12 hours in the fridge allows that sour flavor to develop. The dough is then placed in a dutch oven, covered, and baked in a very hot 475 degree oven.
Vegan Desserts
Vegan Blue Chia Seed Pudding
What about a blue chia seed pudding to match your blueberries for breakfast?
You can stain chia seed pudding blue by mixing butterfly pea flower powder with chia seeds and a plant based milk. Refrigerate the mixture for at least 2 hours or overnight to let the chia seeds thicken the milk. Layer the thickened chia seed pudding with coconut yogurt and fresh berries. Serve for breakfast or even dessert.
No Bake Vegan Mini Purple Cheesecake
These mini vegan cheesecakes with a chocolate crust are sweetened not with refined white sugar but rice syrup and maple syrup. The chocolate crust is made out of almond flour, cocoa powder, coconut oil, and rice syrup. The filing is made with cashews, lemon juice, butterfly pea powder, coconut butter, and maple syrup. The cake is frozen to set instead of being baked.
Vegan Mini Rainbow Ice Cream Cakes
You can make your very own vegan ice cream with plant based milk, sugar, arrowroot powder, vanilla extract, and an ice cream maker.
Make the rainbow colors by using all natural food powders including pitaya powder, spirulina powder, and butterfly pea flower powder.
Instructions are also provided for making ice cream without an ice cream maker, in case you don’t have one.
Cake
No Bake Coconut Strawberry Cheesecake Jars with Butterfly Pea Flower Whipped Cream
These no bake cheesecake jars are just about mandatory for any 4th of July or American celebration.
A simple coconut crust made of graham cracker crumbs, desiccated coconut, and melted butter is pressed into the bottom of each jar. A coconut cheesecake layer is added by whipping together cream cheese, coconut milk, and powdered sugar. A fresh strawberry gel is layered on top, and the whole affair is crowned with blue whipped cream, colored with butterfly pea powder.
White and Blue Butterfly Cake Roll
By mixing butterfly pea flower powder in a little bit of water, you can make a concentrated dye to mix into whipped cream for a blue colored filling. Spread onto a simple white jelly roll cake layer for a two toned colored cake.
Ice cream
Galaxy Ice Cream with a Charcoal Chocolate Magic Shell
Who knew you could enter a whole other galaxy with the help of dried butterfly pea flowers?
You don’t even need an ice cream maker to enjoy this intergalactic treat. Instructions are also provided for making a charcoal chocolate magic shell, in case your scoop of ice cream needs protection in outer space!
Cookie Monster Ice Cream
It wouldn’t be a proper list of blue colored recipes without paying homage to the cookie monster. This homemade ice cream inspired by the blue monster himself includes not one but two kinds of cookies.
The ice cream base is made with heavy cream, milk, sugar, and vanilla and is tinged blue with the help of dried butterfly pea flowers.
Drinks
Blue Moon Milk
This celestial recipe is the nighttime concoction to lull you to sleep before bedtime.
Butterfly pea flowers are ground to a powder along with calming chamomile flowers and fragrant lavender buds. Mix the flower power powder with your choice of milk and sweetener. Add ashwagandha powder too to help reduce stress and improve sleep.
Galaxy Lemonade Slushie
Bring the whole galaxy together in a glass with this color changing lemonade slushie.
First, make magic ice cubes by freezing butterfly pea flower water into ice cube trays. Blitz the cubes in a blender to get a crushed slush you can scoop into a glass. Fill the glass with lemon syrup, club soda, and more crushed blue ice.
The parts of the blue ice that mix with the lemon syrup causes a chemical reaction that will change the slush to a magical purple color.
Rainbow Fruit Sparkling Water
Drink the rainbow with this colorful sparkling water made from all fresh fruit.
The blue comes from butterfly pea flower tea, red from sliced strawberries, orange from orange juice, yellow from sliced lemons, and green from sliced kiwi. Top the glass with sparkling water and mint leaves for garnish.
Alcohol Free Tie Dye Gin Cocktail
You can still enjoy cocktails without the alcohol with this colorful mocktail.
Butterfly pea flowers are mixed with water to make a deep blue “tea.” The drink is then layered with grapefruit soda, pomegranate juice, and alcohol free gin.
Because the various liquids in the drink have different viscosities, the layers remain separate in the glass.
Butterfly Pea Flower Boba Milk Tea
Care for a naturally colored blue boba tea? Boil boba tapioca pearls until chewy, rinse in cold water, then toss in a caramel sugar syrup. Add ice, milk, and swirl in a rich tea made with butterfly pea flowers.
Butterfly Pea Flower Lemonade
There is yellow lemonade, pink lemonade, and now purple lemonade.
This version of butterfly pea flower lemonade is a deep royal purple due to the chemical reaction between the blue butterfly pea flowers and fresh lemon juice.
Dual Color Butterfly Pea Flower Lemonade
Instead of mixing the lemon juice with butterfly pea flower water entirely, you can layer the lemonade and butterfly pea flower tea to make separate layers in the glass.
Butterfly Pea Flower Syrup
Finally, you can flavor and sweeten any drink of your choice by making a simple syrup colored with dried butterfly pea flowers.
It's not just the sky but the galaxy that is the limit when it comes to coloring food with butterfly pea flowers.
Whether you try one of these recipes or one of your own creations, I hope you are inspired by this bright blue butterfly pea flower that really can take your recipes to new heights!
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