Your nasturtium plant is completely edible. From the beautiful flowers to the green leaves — even the seeds can be utilized! Here is how you make a delicious and beautiful nasturtium salad with a healthy and hearty homemade dressing.
Nasturtium Salad
I have an amazing summer salad recipe that I think you'll really enjoy! It features the delicious taste of nasturtium flowers and leaves, and it's very simple to make.
The creamy dressing is packed full of healthy ingredients, and it's going to become your new favorite salad dressing. It nearly turns this salad into a satisfying meal in and of itself.
The flowers, leaves, and chopped stems are combined with mixed salad greens of your choice and a creamy dressing made from tahini, avocado, and other basic ingredients. Chopped walnuts finish it off.
Pair it with all sorts of grilled meats and fish like Mediterranean octopus or smoked trout. Or have it alongside a bowl of soup like my simple fish stock and soup recipe or liver dumpling soup.
Eat this salad alongside other summer side dishes like my recipe for blitva, a traditional Croatian recipe of potatoes and Swiss chard, with smoked tomatoes and smoked onions.
Jump to:
Is Nasturtium Edible?
Yes! Every variety of nasturtium is edible, and the flowers, leaves, and seedpods can all be eaten.
The flowers. leaves and seeds have a peppery taste that is quite similar to mustard or radish.
Nasturtium flowers make a stunning addition to salads and other dishes as a raw garnish. The leaves are also edible, either raw or cooked, but they are best when mixed with other salad greens due to their slight bitterness.
The seedpods have the strongest flavor, and they are often pickled and can be used as a substitute for capers. Additionally, the stems are also edible and have a bit more 'bite' than the rest of the plant.
Nasturtium Salad Ingredients
For The Salad
- Nasturtium Flowers | whichever variety you're growing of this Peruvian native — it's edible. Flowers are kept raw.
- Nasturtium Leaves | slightly bitter but with a peppery radish-like kick, the younger leaves are more tender and milder in flavor.
- Nasturtium Stem | chopped and optional.
- Mixed Salad Greens | whatever you're growing in your garden or can buy that you like — kale, romaine, iceberg, mustard, endive/frisee, radicchio etc.
- Olive Oil | the leaves will be dressed and tossed with a subtle coating of olive oil and salt and pepper before the actual dressing is added.
- Salt & Pepper
For The Dressing
- Olive Oil
- Avocado
- Tahini
- Mustard
- Vinegar or Lemon/Lime
- Salt & Pepper
- Walnuts (garnish)
Instructions
- Ensure all your flowers, leaves, and salad greens are clean and dry.
- If using the nasturtium stems, chop them finely as you would chives.
- Add all of the greens to a large bowl, but set the flowers aside.
- Add a drizzle of olive oil into the bowl, along with a big pinch of salt and pepper.
- Using your (clean) hands, toss and coat the salad with the olive oil, making sure it's evenly distributed, and set aside.
- Make the dressing by combining all of the ingredients except for the walnuts in a food processor or blender and pulsing until creamy and combined.
- Add the dressing to the salad bowl and toss. Conversely, you can serve the dressing on the side and drizzle it onto your salad instead.
- Serve the salad and add the chopped walnuts on top and the nasturtium flowers to the individual bowls last.
Substitutions & Variations
- Add more edible flower varieties.
- Add fruits like raspberries and chopped strawberries.
- Use your favorite homemade or store-bought dressing.
- Add diced cooked pancetta or bacon on top with the walnuts.
- Add your favorite herbs like parsley and cilantro.
📖 Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 cups nasturtium leaves small and tender is better.
- 8 Nasturtium Flowers 1 flower per plate
- 8 cups Mixed leafy greens suggestions: kale, mizuna, baby spinach, lolita lettuce endive, radichio.
- 1 tablespoon Olive Oil
- Salt & Pepper just a pinch
For The Salad Dressing:
- 1 Avocado
- ½ cup Olive Oil
- ½ cup Tahini
- ¼ cup Maple Syrup can also use honey
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or the juice and zest of 1 lemon or lime
- 1 tablespoon mustard I prefer dijon or grainy
- 1 teaspoon fresh garlic chopped
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- 1 cup Walnuts chopped
Instructions
- Ensure all your flowers, leaves, and salad greens are clean and dry. If using the nasturtium stems, chop them finely as you would chives.
- Add all of the greens to a large bowl, but set the flowers aside.
- Add a drizzle of olive oil into the bowl, along with a big pinch of salt and pepper.
- Using your (clean) hands, toss and coat the salad with the olive oil, making sure it's evenly distributed, and set aside.
- Make the dressing: Combine all of the ingredients except for the walnuts in a food processor or blender and pulse until creamy and combined. Taste for salt and adjust, but remember that you also added a bit of salt when you dressed it.
- Add the dressing to the salad bowl and toss. Conversely, you can serve the dressing on the side and drizzle it onto your salad instead.
- Serve the salad and add the chopped walnuts on top and the nasturtium flowers to the individual bowls last.
- Store leftover salad dressing in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for 3 days.
Notes
- Add more edible flower varieties.
- Add fruits like raspberries and chopped strawberries.
- Use your favorite homemade or store-bought dressing.
- Add diced cooked pancetta or bacon on top along with the walnuts.
- Add your favorite herbs like parsley and cilantro.
Nikki says
It’s so satisfying to use every part of the garden! This salad was bright, fresh, and absolutely delicious!
Julia Loja says
This was delicious and the dressing is something that I’ll be adding to many salads now. Love the peppery kick from the leaves!
Ned says
I just made these earlier today and I really enjoyed it! Great flavor and just really delicious.
Cathleen says
This almost looks too pretty to eat! I have never had anything like this before, so I am so excited to give it a go this weekend. 🙂
Adie says
It is funny how I can relate to SO many recipes on your blog. Being an open-minded eater, I try recipes that I find online and make my mom and wife try them to see if we can include it into our family cookbook. Nasturtium is a popular winter flower in northern India, however, not many people add flowers to their salad. We use Nasturtium flowers and seeds, but not the leaves in our salad, We add fresh grapefruit pulp, almonds and some cold-pressed mustard oil to it. Mustard is a winter crop in north India so almost everyone enjoys its wonderful taste during wintertime. We slice the Nasturtium seeds lengthwise before adding them to the salad. Usually, a mix of carrots, tomatoes and lettuce is added to this to reduce the tartness.
peasantsdaughter says
Oooh this is really interesting. I love the various mustards you can find, I grow some varieties in my garden and it is such an underappreciated crop here. I've seen the oil in grocery stores but I haven't tried that yet, maybe I will next time. Thank you.
Alexandra says
I love the delicious flavour of nasturtium - not to mention, they make a dish look so gorgeous!
Beth Pierce says
What a sweet and unique salad recipe! I will have to give this a try this weekend; looks lovely!
Taylor Kiser says
Simply gorgeous! I need this salad in my life!
Sharon says
I've never heard of using nasturtium in a salad and not I can't wait to try it! This would be perfect for a summer afternoon get together.
Patty at Spoonabilities says
What a beautiful salad! I had no idea that these gorgeous flowers were edible. So lovely!