Did you know that Essential Oils Can be Used in Cooking??!
One of my favorite things in the world is cooking and baking. I mean, you get to create a beautiful, healthy, or at the very least, least tasty dish for your family to enjoy out of a pile of ingredients that are nothing on their own!
It’s pretty incredible!
One of the things that surprised me most in my essential oils journey is what a great addition these oils make to food!
Nope, oils aren’t just for soap making anymore.
Yes, I know about the controversy of ingesting essential oils. The truth is, oils are very potent. But you have to know that any time you eat a plant, you are eating essential oil. That’s where the flavor is! The question is quantity.
One of the best things about using essential oils in your recipes is that it doesn’t take much oil at all to get your desired flavor. We’re talking one drop of oregano oil to replace two teaspoons of dried leaves.
Or a drop of orange oil to replace the zest of an entire orange. I don’t know about you, but I’ll save myself the time of zesting an orange any time I can!
As always, I only recommend using oils that are specifically labeled for internal use – such as the Young Living Vitality line – in your cooking.
Here are some great essential oil cooking tips, straight from my favorite oil company’s website:
Breakfast
- Waffles: Add 1–4 drops of Orange essential oil to wet waffle mix (I use a gluten-free waffles recipe).
- Oatmeal: Add 1 drop of Cinnamon Oil and 2 drops of Orange essential oil to a bowl of oatmeal or oat bran, and then sweeten with Blue Agave or honey.
- Lemon with Berries: Add Lemon essential oil to berry protein shakes or to plain yogurt and top with berries.
Snacks
- Cream Cheese Spread: Put cream cheese into a bowl and mix in Lemon essential oil to taste.
- Olive Oil: Add various culinary herb essential oils to your olive oil, such as Rosemary. Pour over a plate of balsamic vinegar and use foccacia bread for dipping.
Dinner
- Tomato Pasta Sauce: Add 2 drops of Basil essential oil and 1 drop each of Rosemary and Thyme essential oil to tomato sauce base – usually, with the quantity of sauce I make for our family’s dinner, I just dip the end of a toothpick in the sauce, and stir it around – yes, it takes that little!
- Potato Salad: Add 1–2 drops of Dill essential oil to potato salad.
- Rice Pilaf: Add 4 drops of Lemon essential oil to water before adding rice.
- Salad and Fruit Rinse: Use 3 drops of Lemon essential oil in a bowl of water when rinsing lettuce, grapes, berries, and greens.
- Tuna Salad Sandwiches: Add 2 drops of Lemon essential oil per can of tuna and mix with mayonnaise and freshly ground pepper. Spoon onto bread and serve topped with alfalfa sprouts.
Beverages:
- Hot Lemon Tea: In 1 cup of hot water, or hot herbal tea (peppermint tea is my favorite), mix in 3 drops of Lemon essential oil and Blue Agave to taste.
- Horchata with a Twist: Add 1 drop of Cinnamon Bark essential oil to a tall glass filled with ice and vanilla rice milk.
- Vanilla Protein Shake: Add 2 drops of Lemon or Peppermint essential oil to any vanilla protein shake.
- Flavored Water: Add 1 drop of Peppermint essential oil to your gym water bottle.
- Lavender lemonade: Combine 6 juiced lemons, 1/2 cup honey, 2 drops lavender oil, and 10 cups of water. Stir, chill, and enjoy!
There are also a ton of possibilities for dessert! My favorites include:
- Flavoring homemade ice cream with peppermint (such as with this peppermint ice cream cake), or orange.
- Adding peppermint or orange to anything chocolate
- Paleo peppermint patties (clearly, I have a thing for peppermint)
- Replacing the lemon zest in lemon recipes with a drop of lemon essential oil
I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea. 😉
A few years ago, Young Living came out with a line of oils specifically for internal use (eating/drinking), call “vitality oils”, after being informed by the FDA that an oil may not be labeled for both internal and external/topical/cosmetic use.
Whatever your opinion of government regulation may be, I think one huge benefit came out or the ordeal – there’s a lot more awareness now that we can use our oils for more than just our favorite lotions and hand sanitizers!
If you haven’t taken the plunge into the world of essential oils, may I recommend that you make that investment into your family’s health?
If you’re still not sure, click here to read about why I chose Young Living oils, or here for the short version.
Recipes everyone can make!
Nourish your body with ingredients you already have in your kitchen!
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