Are Roses Edible? Can You Eat Rose Petals? Know All About Edible Roses!

Rajnandini Roychoudhury
Jan 18, 2023 By Rajnandini Roychoudhury
Originally Published on Oct 27, 2021
Are Roses Edible? Can You Eat Rose Petals? Know All About Edible Roses!
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Age: 3-18
Read time: 10.8 Min

The rose is the queen of flowers, and probably one of the most beautiful flowers too.

Can you eat this stunning and fragrant flower? What are the types of roses that you can eat or put in your food?

If you have ever wondered if you can use roses in your food, then this article is just for you. Not only do roses look and smell wonderful.

They are also used in many dishes and drinks all around the world. They add amazing flavors to any food and they also have some good nutritional values.

In this article, we are going to talk about everything there is to know about edible roses, rose petals, rose hips, rose leaves, and much more.

So if you have ever wondered whether you can eat roses and what exactly do roses taste like, we are going to answer all your questions about this edible flower right here in this article.

If you want to read more educational articles like this, please check out are pumpkins fruit? And are strawberries a fruit? Right here on Kidadl.

What varieties of roses are edible?

Edible flowers have been used in many recipes over the ages. They add a unique taste and fragrance to the food and make them delicious. Are roses one of them?

If you are someone who wants their garden to look beautiful but still wants to grow something edible, roses are perfect for you. Unlike what most people think, almost all of the varieties of rose flowers are edible.

So if you have ever wondered 'are all roses edible?' The answer is yes, or almost yes. Almost all rose varieties can be consumed safely.

Of course, some of them taste better than others, still, edible rose petals can be an amazing addition to your cooking prowess. The scientific name of the rose is Rosa as it is the Latin name for this perennial flower.

Roses grow almost everywhere in the world for their beauty and fragrance, they are now also grown in places that they are not native to. Naturally, with their increasing popularity, came the question of their edibility.

We found out that these delicate, beautiful flowers are completely safe to eat even raw. So if you do harvest roses, you can very easily put some petals in your dishes or cup of tea for a little extra flavor.

Funnily enough, not only the rose petals, but almost all other parts of the plant are also edible. They can be used in many dishes, desserts, salads, soups, and teas.

Like we said, even though almost all rose varieties are edible, some taste better than the others; some of them have great health benefits that you might have never heard of. They are related to cherries, almonds, and many other plants and fruits that you have probably eaten.

Not just humans, turtles can also eat roses, along with many other flowers.

Here are some of the best rose flowers to consume for their flavor and health benefits.

  • Firstly, there is Rosa moyesii. These have a very strong rosy scent, and have very large and flavorful rose hips that are orange-red.
  • The generous gardener is the second type of edible rose. They have large, pale pink, cup-shaped flowers. The fragrance is delicious and strong. They also have large, orange rose hips.
  • Lady of Shalott is the third type of edible rose on our list. This is a type of disease-resistant rose plant. It has apricot-yellow flowers. This rose should be added to your cup of tea for its unique smell and taste.
  • Wild roses also produce edible buds that are tasty. They also produce good hips.

Most of these edible roses that we listed were the first cultivars developed by David Austin. David Austin was a famous British rose breeder.

Other than these, there are many other edible roses. Rose flowers are used in all kinds of food. Rose is a pretty popular flavor in ice cream across the world.

Rose petals can also be used in a variety of salads. Roses are also very popular as a form of garnish. You must have heard about rose water being good for the skin. Rose can help with other problems such as headaches and indigestion.

Roses truly are a versatile plant. Not only can you give them to someone special, but also use them in dishes that impress everyone. Talk about multi-talented!

Are Knock Out roses edible?

The Knock Out rose or Rosa Knock Out is a type of shrub rose first bred by William Radler. Radler was an American rosarian who first bred this plant in 1989.

The Knock Out rose was introduced in America by Star Roses and Plants in the year 2000. In the same year, the plant won the All America Rose Selections competition.

It is a hybrid rose grown by breeding two other types of roses. The parent plants for the Knock Out rose are Carefree Beauty and Razzle Dazzle. The Knock Out rose is red in color and blossoms from early summer to late fall.

They are one of the roses that are completely safe for human consumption. They also produce rose hips. If you have ever wondered if Knock Out roses are edible. The answer is an absolute yes.

You can make jelly and jam from the fragrant Knock Out rose petal. You can also put them in salads, as they make a fragrant addition to your dish. You can also pickle them, make rose water from them and use them in your cup of tea. The possibilities are never-ending.

Are moss roses edible?

The moss rose, also known as the sun rose, the Mexican rose, purslane, rock rose, and more is mostly cultivated in gardens. This flower is native to Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay. If you have ever wanted to know if moss roses are edible, the answer is yes, they are.

Weirdly enough, these plants are a weed and can grow in your garden on their own accord. They are very juicy and tasty.

You can also eat them in various ways and put them in many dishes. You can use the moss rose petal to make several types of tasty and healthy salads.

The Portulaca grandiflora also has edible roots, leaves, and seeds. You can eat them raw, but you can also use them in various dishes, for example, a rose-flavored frosting for your cake or other desserts. You can ground up the seeds of the plant to put them in soups.

These plants are very nutritious. They contain very high levels of vitamin C and are also rich in Omega-3 fatty acids.

This plant is not only tasty but also healthy. Much like the other different types of roses, the moss rose is not only pretty to look at but can make a very useful addition to your kitchen.

As edible garnishes, rose petals can add flavor to a variety of foods.

Are the fruits of roses edible?

The fruits of the roses, better known as rose hips or rosehips can be used in many dishes. In most cases, like the petals and leaves of the rose plant, the hips are also safe to eat and taste very good.

Some of us have questioned if the fruits of roses are edible. We are here today to answer that question for all you curious people.

As we have already mentioned, roses are edible, and multiple parts of them are edible too. This includes rose petals, rose leaves, and rose hips. The rose hips are similar in looks to apples and crabapples because they belong to the same family.

Not only do they have a resemblance in looks but also taste. Rose hips have a similar tart taste as crabapples. Rose hips are also rich in vitamin C. Rugosa roses are known to provide the best-tasting rose hips.

They are also the largest and found most commonly. They have an amazing scent and taste. Unlike pear blossoms, whose only edible part is the petals, you can eat a lot of parts of the rose plant.

However, you must remember to not eat rose hips that have come into contact with pesticides. The best way to avoid pesticides in your rose petals and rose hips is to avoid store-bought roses and hips, as they probably have come into contact with pesticides.

The best way for you to get healthy and clean rose hips is to grow and harvest them yourself.

When your rose blossoms, you can use it in dishes to impress everyone. You can also find out how to grow amazing roses and rose hips so that you can use every part of your rose plant and not let anything go to waste.

The rose hips are almost as versatile as rose petals. We are going to tell you some of the ways you can make your rose hips into delicious food items.

Firstly, you can always make jams and jellies by cooking and extracting the juice of rose hips. These jams and jellies have amazing floral scents and flavors.

They can be stored for up to a year. You can also make a mixed fruit jam with rose hips and other fruits. You can always make very tasty teas with rose hips; the tea will have amazing flavors.

There are many other uses for rose hips in your kitchen. They can be made into delicious syrups, sauces, seasonings, and soups.

These truly versatile plants are not only beautiful to grow in your garden and emit a magnificent scent, but they are also edible and can add an amazing flavor to your food. You can look up and find many recipes that will taste better with roses.

Dishes Where Roses Are The Most Commonly Used And Some Other Uses of Roses

If you grow rose plants in your garden and want to harvest and use them in some dishes, we have good news for you. We have some of the best ideas for dishes that you can make with roses, and we guarantee that the flavor of the rose will only make them better.

Roses are one of the most commonly used edible flowers available. Even if you know that roses are edible, you might not know the best uses for them. So we are going to help you today. Here is a list of dishes that you can add various parts of roses to and they will taste amazing.

  • Firstly, you must have seen that many people and restaurants use fresh rose petals for garnish. Red roses are seen as a declaration of love, but these roses have other tasty uses too. You can add red rose petals to any dish as a garnish to make it fit for a romantic meal.
  • These edible flowers also make for amazing ice cream. Rose flavored ice cream is very popular across the world. Many popular desserts use rose flavors in them.
  • As we mentioned before, Rugosa roses are one of the most commonly found roses. These delicate flowers can be used in cooking many things. You can make some amazing tea with rose petals, rose hips, and rose leaves.
  • You can also make jams, jellies, and syrups out of rose hips and petals. They taste amazing.
  • You can also put rose petals in several different kinds of salads.
  • Adding roses will make your tea and other drinks more flavorful.

You can even eat a petal of rose raw. Rose tastes similar to what it smells like, but it has a slightly bitter aftertaste.

You can add a little sugar to your rose recipes to balance the taste. You can make rose chutney, rose cakes and cupcakes, rose cookies, rose-infused lemonade, and even rose chicken. You can add roses to so many of your recipes and their floral, sweet scent will make it all taste better.

What Types of Roses to Eat and What to Avoid

Until now, we talked a lot about the culinary possibilities of roses. Now we are going to tell you about what to avoid when it comes to this sweet-smelling flower.

As we said before, you can use almost all parts of a rose plant in many of your recipes. Which roses can you use? We already listed some of the best-tasting roses you can find.

Be aware, however, of the fact that you should never use store-bought roses in cooking. Because often these roses have been treated with pesticides and can be harmful to us, even potentially fatal. Even though these store-bought flowers smell sweet, they are often not safe for consumption.

The best way to acquire food-grade rose plants is to grow them yourself. If you grow them in your garden without chemicals and pesticides, they will be safe to consume and you can use the flowers to add some sweet flavor to your dishes. Do not forget to mix some sugar as roses have a bitter aftertaste.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked our suggestions for are roses edible? Can you eat rose petals? Know all about edible roses!

Then why not take a look at, know your food better: how is margarine made? Cool, fun facts for all, or have you ever asked yourself how is paper made? Fun facts for kids!

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Written by Rajnandini Roychoudhury

Bachelor of Arts specializing in English, Master of Arts specializing in English

Rajnandini Roychoudhury picture

Rajnandini RoychoudhuryBachelor of Arts specializing in English, Master of Arts specializing in English

With a Master of Arts in English, Rajnandini has pursued her passion for the arts and has become an experienced content writer. She has worked with companies such as Writer's Zone and has had her writing skills recognized by publications such as The Telegraph. Rajnandini is also trilingual and enjoys various hobbies such as music, movies, travel, philanthropy, writing her blog, and reading classic British literature. 

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