Lavender recipes: 5 sweet and savory Provence ideas

Lavender from Provence in cooking surprises a lot of guests. For us, it’s obvious: a small dry bouquet in the pantry, and we put it everywhere — in honey, on cheese, in biscuits, in a summer vinaigrette. But careful: lavender is a treacherous herb. Too much, and the dish goes soapy. Wrong variety, and it smells like a bathroom. Here are the 5 recipes we actually cook at home, with the right proportions and the right varieties.

In 30 seconds

• The right lavender: culinary-grade fine lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) organic, never lavandin
• Dose for 4 people: 1 teaspoon (sweet), ½ teaspoon (savory)
• Method: always infused in a hot liquid, never crunched whole
• Where to buy: AOP producers on the Sault Plateau — €3–6 per bag
• Storage: dried buds in an airtight jar, 2 years

Which lavender to cook with

Not all lavenders are edible. Here’s the comparison table:

Variety	For cooking?	Taste	Where to find
Culinary fine lavender (L. angustifolia) organic	✓ Yes	Floral, slightly sweet, complex	AOP Haute-Provence producers
Lavandin (L. × intermedia)	✗ No	Camphorous, soapy	Lowlands, cosmetics industry
Garden-center lavender	✗ No	Variable, often treated	Garden stores
Supermarket “herbes de Provence”	⚠ Caution	Lavandin 9 times out of 10	Supermarkets
Fresh flowers	✓ Yes (in season)	More powerful, more subtle	Fields in July–August

Our favorite source: the shop at Distillerie Aroma’Plantes in Sault sells 30 g bags of AOP-certified fine lavender buds for about €5. Another reliable address: Le Château du Bois at Lagarde-d’Apt. At markets, target Apt on Saturday or L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue on Sunday — there’s always one or two honest producers (ask to see the AOP label).

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Recipe 1 — Lavender crème brûlée

The comfort recipe, the one our guests keep asking for. Make it the day before.

Ingredients (for 6 ramekins):

• 500 ml heavy cream
• 6 egg yolks
• 60 g sugar + 6 teaspoons for the crust
• 1 heaped teaspoon of culinary fine lavender buds
• 1 vanilla bean (optional)

Method:

1. Heat the cream just to a simmer (without boiling) with the lavender and split vanilla bean. Let it infuse off the heat for 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, whisk the yolks with the sugar until pale.
3. Strain the infused cream to remove the lavender (very important — a stuck bud kills the magic).
4. Pour the strained hot cream over the yolks, whisking gently.
5. Pour into 6 ramekins, bake in a bain-marie at 100 °C (210 °F) for 1h to 1h15.
6. Cool, then refrigerate at least 6 hours.
7. To serve: sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of brown sugar, caramelize with a torch.

Our tip: add a lemon zest to the infusion — lavender loves lemon.

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Recipe 2 — Lavender honey on fresh goat cheese

The July apéro. Seven minutes, zero cooking, and all our guests come back for more.

Ingredients (for 4 people):

• 1 fresh goat cheese (Pélardon, Banon, or a simple log)
• 4 tablespoons lavender honey (ideally AOP Provence)
• ½ teaspoon culinary fine lavender buds
• 1 tablespoon toasted sliced almonds
• A few mint leaves
• 4 slices of grilled country bread

Method:

1. Mix the honey and lavender in a small ramekin. Let it infuse 20 minutes at room temperature — no need to heat.
2. Arrange the fresh goat cheese on the grilled toasts.
3. Drizzle with the strained lavender honey (or leave the buds for visual appeal).
4. Sprinkle with toasted almonds and chopped mint.

Warm variation: pop the toast under the oven broiler for 3 minutes, the honey turns syrupy. Serve warm with a chilled glass of rosé.

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Recipe 3 — Lavender shortbread (the famous “navettes”)

The biscuits we offer at check-in. The recipe is my grandmother’s, adjusted for modern palates.

Ingredients (for ~25 biscuits):

• 250 g all-purpose flour
• 125 g soft salted butter
• 100 g powdered sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 level teaspoon of finely ground lavender buds
• Zest of 1 lemon
• A pinch of salt

Method:

1. Grind the lavender with 20 g of the sugar — this releases the aromas and breaks the buds.
2. Rub together the flour, butter, remaining sugar, salt, and ground lavender.
3. Add the yolk and zest, form a ball. Don’t overwork, or the biscuits will turn hard.
4. Wrap, chill 1 hour in the fridge.
5. Roll out to 5 mm, cut with cookie cutters (circles, stars, lavender shapes…).
6. Bake 12 minutes at 170 °C (335 °F) — they should stay pale, just golden at the edges.

Keeps for 2 weeks in an airtight tin. Perfect with Earl Grey tea or a black coffee.

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Recipe 4 — Lavender-honey vinaigrette (for summer salads)

For heirloom tomatoes, Carpentras melon with ham, peaches with goat cheese.

Ingredients (for 4 people):

• 3 tablespoons AOP Provence olive oil
• 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon lavender honey
• ¼ teaspoon fine lavender buds
• A pinch of fleur de sel
• Freshly ground pepper

Method:

1. Gently warm the honey + lavender for 1 minute (microwave or bain-marie).
2. Mix with the vinegar, salt.
3. Whisk in the olive oil.
4. Strain before using (unless you enjoy a bud caught between your teeth).

Keeps 1 week in the fridge. Pairs with: tomato-mozzarella, peach-arugula salad, melon-cured ham, grilled chicken salad.

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Recipe 5 — “Provence” cocktail (gin-lemon-lavender)

For the apéro on the terrace after a day in Sault.

Ingredients (for 4 glasses):

• 160 ml gin (ideally Provençal — Ferroni, Christian Drouin)
• 80 ml fresh lemon juice
• 60 ml homemade lavender syrup (recipe below)
• Sparkling water
• Ice, lemon zest, fresh lavender sprig for garnish

Homemade lavender syrup (make the day before):

• 200 g sugar + 200 ml water, bring to a simmer
• Add 1 tablespoon of dried buds, remove from heat
• Infuse 30 min covered, strain, bottle
• Keeps 3 weeks in the fridge. Also great over strawberries or in yogurt.

Assembly:

1. In a shaker with ice: gin + lemon + syrup. Shake 15 seconds.
2. Pour into a tumbler over fresh ice.
3. Top with sparkling water (40–50 ml).
4. Garnish: lemon zest + fresh lavender sprig.

Non-alcoholic version: replace the gin with 120 ml of tonic + 40 ml of white grape juice.

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Getting ingredients from Lavande Évasion / Lavande Dorée

To stock up at the source:

• Carpentras market (Friday morning): AOP melon, lavender honey, cheeses — 30 min by car
• L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue market (Sunday): AOP Vallée des Baux olive oil, culinary lavender — 30 min
• Distillerie Aroma’Plantes in Sault: AOP fine lavender buds — 1h30 by car
• At the foot of the apartment: the gourmet shop Le Comptoir Provençal on rue Bonneterie, for quick fixes

For full Provençal markets, see our markets guide.

A host’s note

When we host friends for the first time, we put on an all-lavender apéro on the terrace: crème brûlée from the night before (recipe 1), honey-goat-cheese plated in 5 minutes (recipe 2), “Provence” cocktail at the shaker (recipe 5), and the shortbread as a coffee mignardise (recipe 3). The whole thing costs about €15 for 4 people, and it turns a simple evening into a full Provençal experience. Guests often leave with the ingredient list and the Aroma’Plantes address — our welcome gift.

To go pick up ingredients at the source, read our lavender distilleries guide and our Provençal markets tour. And to book your foodie stay: Lavande Évasion or Lavande Dorée.