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Rose petals are great for potpourri, but they’re also really good for flavouring food. Whatever you want them for, this post is all about how to dry rose petals in a dehydrator. There’s also a recipe for rhubarb compote flavoured with rose. Serve with rose cream for a simple but sophisticated dessert.

A rose by any other name would taste as sweet, to misquote Shakespeare. We have one rose bush in the garden, it’s in a shady spot and rarely produces more than two or three blooms. But what fabulous blooms they are. The rose is red with a heavy scent and it makes fantastic rose syrup. Now I have a dehydrator, I thought I’d have a go at drying rose petals this year.

When I’ve tried drying roses in the past, it’s been a bit hit and miss. They don’t always keep their colour and often go brown. They’re best dried in a dark and airy place, which I didn’t have – until recently.

The Optimum P200 dehydrator* not only keeps the contents in the dark, but it has a fan to keep the air circulating. You can see more about this handy piece of kit in this dehydrator review.

As the rose petals dried, the house was filled with the heady scent of high summer. CT thought it was like living in a Turkish Delight factory. When the roses had dried, not only had the colour not faded, but it had deepened quite considerably. I was surprised to find that despite losing much of the scent, the flavour was still prominent.

How to Dry Rose Petals

Pick your rose when it’s just come into full bloom and is at its best – do make sure it has not been sprayed with any pesticides or other chemicals.
Your rose needs to be dry when picked. Any damp is likely to make the petals rot and turn brown. Mid-morning is the optimum time when any dew has had a chance to evaporate, but before the scent dissipates.
Pluck the petals carefully from the base of the rose.
Lay the rose petals out in a singly layer on mesh trays, placing them well apart so the air can circulate freely.
Put the trays in a dry, dark space which has plenty of air movement. A dehydrator is ideal for this. Leave for several hours, until the petals are crisp and have deepened in colour. I used my Optimum P200 dehydrator and put it on the lowest setting (35℃), the rose petals were ready after five hours.
Place in an airtight glass jar and store in a cool dark cupboard.
Ideal for decorating cakes and desserts, grinding into a powder to use as a flavouring or colouring or for making pot pourri.

What To Do With Dried Rose Petals

I ground a few of my rose petals into powder and blitzed the rest with some golden granulated sugar to make rose sugar. I used both the powder and the sugar to boost a couple of rhubarb recipes I was making. The flavour of rose combines incredibly well with tart rhubarb I’ve found.

The rose sugar added a touch of complexity and sophistication to this remarkable rhubarb cake and the rose powder gives a beautiful colour to the rhubarb and rose compote recipe below. I also scattered some of the powder over the accompanying rose cream.

Other Recipes with Dried Rose Petals You Might Like

Pistachio, cardamom and rose financiers via Baking Queen 74
Raw chocolates via Tin and Thyme
Rose cupcakes via Tin and Thyme
Orange and Rose Petal Biscuits via Green Gourmet Giraffe

Keep in Touch

Thanks for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you dry your own rose petals or have a go at making this rhubarb compote or rose cream, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. And do please rate the recipe. Have you any top tips? Do share photos on social media too and use the hashtag #tinandthyme, so I can spot them.

For more delicious and nutritious recipes follow me on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Flipboard or Pinterest. And don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to my weekly newsletter. Or why not join the conversation in our Healthy Vegetarian Whole Food Recipes Facebook Group?

If you’d like more rose flavoured recipes, follow the link and you’ll find I have quite a lot of them. All delicious, of course.

Choclette x

Rhubarb and Rose Compote. PIN IT.

Rhubarb and Rose Compote with Rose Cream – The Recipe

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5 from 1 vote

Rhubarb and Rose Compote with Rose Cream

Tart rhubarb simmered with rose syrup or rose sugar. Served with rose cream this makes for a simple but sophisticated dessert.

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Total Time20

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: British

Keyword: compote, rhubarb, rose

Servings: people

Calories: 175kcal

Author: Choclette @ Tin and Thyme

Ingredients

Rhubarb Compote

2-4 stick rhubarb cleaned and trimmed – number depends on how big they are
2 tbsp rose syrup or to taste (or 1 tbsp rose sugar)
¼ tsp rose powder

Rhubarb Cream

150 ml double cream (heavy cream)
1 tbsp rose syrup
1 pinch rose powder

Instructions

Rhubarb and Rose Compote

Cut the rhubarb into small batons, about 1 cm by 4 cm.
Simmer the rhubarb in the rose syrup for 5 to 10 minutes or until just soft. If using rose sugar instead, you’ll need to add 1 tbsp of water. Add the rose powder a couple of minutes or so before the rhubarb’s finished cooking.
Serve with a goodly dollop of rose cream.

Rose Cream

Whip the cream and rose syrup in a bowl until soft peaks form. Be careful not to over whip.
Spoon into a serving dish and dust with the rose powder.

Notes

Please note: calories and other nutritional information are per serving. They’re approximate and will depend on exact ingredients used.

Nutrition Estimate

Tried this recipe?Leave a comment below letting us know how you got on and do share a photo on Instagram. Tag @choclette8 or use hashtag #tinandthyme.

I’m a Froothie ambassador and this post contains affiliate links. Links are marked with an asterisk *. Buying through a link will not cost you any more, but I will get a small commission. This helps keep Tin and Thyme blithe and blogging. You can find out what other recipes I’ve made using Froothie equipment in my blender category. Opinions are, as always, my own.