Are Pumpkin Flowers Edible?

Can you Eat Pumpkin Flowers?

We all love pumpkins during Fall and just recently lots of my readers have asked me are pumpkin flowers edible after seeing all my delicious pumpkin recipes.

During Fall we are so used to seeing lots of pumpkins everywhere! We can get them from the grocery store, and use them for carving or cooking! However in the past I have only ever seen whole pumpkins and none of the pumpkin plant for sale.

I guess this is why so many actually question are pumpkin flowers edible and if so how can they be modified for pumpkin recipes.

The moment of truth, can you eat them or not?

Yes pumpkin flowers are edible, and surprisingly so is every part of the pumpkin plant! This is why it is recommended you learn to grow pumpkins in your own backyard. You really are missing out on lots of goodness (like pumpkin fruit these are stuffed full of nutrients) and taste by just buying the actual pumpkin fruit.

If you want to know more about healthy pumpkin flowers are you ned to check out the video below:-

A word of advice here if you like to have a nibble in the garden. While pumpkin flowers are extremely tempting to eat be careful when snacking on the male ones! No they don't have a sharp taste, BUT they are needed to ensure the female flowers get pollinated.

Yep the bees need to get to the stamen on the male pumpkin flowers to transfer pollen to the female flowers so that the pumpkin fruit can grow!! I tell you all you need to know about no female pumpkin flowers and how to solve this!

I would never take any male pumpkin flowers off the vine until I am 100% sure my females have been pollinated. Basically I wait until August time before checking them.

So if they are edible, what do pumpkin flowers taste like

The taste slightly sweet and naturally like the actual pumpkin fruit itself, but perhaps they are not as strong. Everyone tastes different things when they eat the same foods so your experience might be different from mine.

If you like the sound of edible pumpkin flowers and you think you might like the taste you may want to check out some recipe ideas below.

Pumpkin flower recipes

Currently I do not have any pumpkin flower recipes of my own but I have found some other foodies who have delicious nutritious offerings for you to try. The good news is you can eat them as they are, raw.

Perhaps you might consider doing this on a hot Summer's day while you are relaxing in the garden. I love it when you do not have to cook pumpkin as it is a quick snack idea!

Bright yellow pumpkin flowers look stunning in the garden and in your salad. Your friends will be extremely impressed if you serve up a delicious bowl of pumpkin salad alongside some pumpkin flower leaves.

They will certainly brighten your dinner plate. Hint hint, this can be a great way to get kids interested in eating salad!

Tyrant Farms suggests mixing pumpkin flowers with pancake batter and cooking them in a skillet. I have to confess I have only ever made mine with pumpkin puree before but I love pancakes so I am going to give this a try!

I sometimes serve my pumpkin pancake with fresh cream and berries or apples!

If you fancy something a little more exotic you can try pumpkin flowers stuffed with prawns or in a stirfry. Asian recipes really bring the best out in pumpkin flowers!

I have even heard of people making pumpkin flower sauce and soup so there are new ideas for your recipe book!

Cooking Pumpkin Flowers

If you like the sound of these recipes you might want to know how to cook pumpkin flowers. The most common way of doing this is frying in the pan with some oil, until they are crispy. It is best to fry them when they are fresh and add salt as well as oil!