Last February on a whim I bought two pounds of dried rose petals. (In my defense they were practically a steal at less than $7 a pound…with free shipping!) Valentine’s Day was approaching and I had high hopes for them, with ideas like heart-shaped rose petal tea cakes, white chocolate rose petal mousse, rose petal sorbet, and rose petal punch dancing around my head. Since I posted no such recipes here, you can probably see where I’m going with this. :)
Pick a pretty color because your jelly will be *about* the same color as the petals.
Time eluded me and I put my rose petal ideas on hold…until now (well, a couple weeks ago, anyway ;) )! I finally decided it was time to make something with my rose petals, and the first thing I wanted to try was jelly…first of all because I’ve always wanted to try rose petal jelly, second because I didn’t feel like making something that required turning on the oven and heating up the house in the middle of the gruesome heat wave we were in, and third because there’s a ton of stuff you can do with jelly.
In the beginning I was a little skeptical to use dried rose petals (since I had only heard of jelly being made from fresh petals), but I soldiered onward, thinking all the while of the two pounds of rose petals in my pantry. I was glad I did since the jelly ended up being really pleasant; it was sweet but not overly so, and subtly scented and flavored of rose. The color was gorgeous – a deep burgundy – even richer in color than my rose petals looked. If you have fresh, organic petals you can use them instead of dried, just be sure to trim off the pointy white base of each petal since it has a bitter flavor.
Rose Petal Jelly (Adapted from Rose-Works and Creamer Chronicles)
(Yield: About 1 pint)
1 3/4 cups water
1 oz (about 1 1/4 cups) dried culinary rose petals
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons powdered pectin
1 cup sugar
Bring water up to a rolling boil in a medium saucepan; add rose petals and boil 1 minute. Cover the saucepan, turn the heat off, and steep the rose petals 30 minutes. Strain the water through a cheesecloth-lined sieve, making sure to wring the cheesecloth to squeeze all the liquid from the petals; transfer the steeped rose water back to the saucepan.
Stir in the lemon juice, then whisk in the pectin and sugar until dissolved. Bring to a boil on high heat and boil 5 minutes (stirring frequently), turning heat down as necessary so it doesn’t boil over. Transfer to sterile jar(s), cool to room temperature, and then store refrigerated.
I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, cook, and photographer behind An Edible Mosaic. My goal is to inspire you to get in the kitchen and try something new! Feel free to 
Jay says
June 17, 2011 at 5:19 amyou are truly amazing…jus wanna reach thro the screen n have a piece..:P
Tasty Appetite
Rosa says
June 17, 2011 at 5:49 amA beautiful jelly! It must be very fragrant.
Cheers,
Rosa
Averie @ Love Veggies and Yoga says
June 17, 2011 at 5:52 amThat just looks so amazing and I can only imagine how wonderful it TASTES! I love rose petal tea; jam? WOW, I want that!
Mia Summer Rose says
June 17, 2011 at 6:03 amI ”find” myself baking lods of stuff too :-)))
Ha ha , and yeah i can be quite a hoarder too , and i love it , and more so if there were these rose petals , wish i could buy some too :-)
And it was worth the wait , this rose petal jam is deliciously amazing!
Pretty pink too!
Barbara says
June 17, 2011 at 6:16 amThe color is wonderful, Faith. As long as the flavor is not overly perfumey I’d love it!
donna says
June 17, 2011 at 6:58 amthe jelly looks absolutely beautiful, gorgeous color. So talented!
aipi says
June 17, 2011 at 7:51 amNever cooked with them but have heard about the exotic dishes made of rose petals n this is surely one of them! The color of the jelly is spot on ~ You have a real talent with food.
US Masala
Sweet Artichoke says
June 17, 2011 at 8:10 amYour pictures are as beautiful as a poem!
I am a total rose-addict! Your rose jelly looks and sounds gorgeous!
Karen says
June 17, 2011 at 8:21 amWow, interesting! I’ve never tried rose petal jelly but I bet it has a lovely and delicate flavor. Great for afternoon tea. :-)
Erica says
June 17, 2011 at 8:52 amhow neat! I had no idea you could even do something like this! I love it.
Evelyne@CheapEthnicEatz says
June 17, 2011 at 10:16 amOh rose jelly is lovely, an Iranian restaurant here serve it with a fun jam selection at brunch. I think the secret of rose jelly is for it to not be overpowering like you said. OK so you ara at 1 pound 15 ounces now in rose petals?
Carol @ There's Always Thyme to Cook says
June 17, 2011 at 10:33 amYou come up with such interesting recipes. I’ve cooked with rose water, the petals must make a lovely jelly, it sure does look fantastic. Have a great weekend, Faith!
Heavenly Housewife says
June 17, 2011 at 10:39 amThose rose petals are so pretty, I’d buy a bunch too :D. I’ve never made my own jam, but I do buy some great rose petal jelly from Fortnum & Mason.
*kisses* HH
Laz says
June 17, 2011 at 11:27 amNow that would be perfect in a doughnut. Sounds like a plan to me!
Lisa says
June 17, 2011 at 12:02 pmOh my gosh…what an amazing idea! I always get sucked in by deals like that…I once bought 25lbs of coconut flakes :)
BeadedTail says
June 17, 2011 at 12:30 pmI would never have imagined rose petal jelly! You are so creative!
Stevie says
June 17, 2011 at 12:48 pmThe rose petal jelly looks scrumptious. And you’re right, the color is stunning. I recently made a spice mix using dried rose petals. It was wonderfully aromatic and lovely. I can only imagine your jelly.
deana@lostpastremembered says
June 17, 2011 at 12:53 pmI love floral jellies these days… I think they are remarkable! Rose from dried roses is new to me… good for those of us without a rose garden! The color is just spectacular!
Priya says
June 17, 2011 at 1:10 pmWow jelly looks extremely glossy and fabulous..
Megan'sCookin' says
June 17, 2011 at 1:47 pmI bought some Rose Petal jelly in a cheese store and LOVED it. We ate it with cheese but I envision French Macarons.I remember it was 5 bucks for a tiny little jar. I would love to make this recipe. I see you bought your petals on line. Where did you buy them?
Nutmeg Nanny says
June 17, 2011 at 3:54 pmThis jelly is so beautiful! Did you can a few jars too? I’m going to be making some jelly with strawberries this weekend. I picked them up this afternoon at a local farm.
Winnie says
June 17, 2011 at 4:22 pmAwesome recipe- I can’t wait to make this beautiful jelly (hoping I can dry rose petals from my garden to do so)…ps I am adding this to a spring recipe round up I just posted on my blog ;)
Priscilla - She's Cookin' says
June 17, 2011 at 6:32 pmYou certainly chose a stunning color! Beautiful photo of the dried rose petals. I’ve never had rose jelly and would love to try it!
Priyanka says
June 17, 2011 at 7:39 pmMy mum sent me rose petal preserves last summer and it is the most amazing thing ever. I love eating a scoop every morning with some cold milk. Love that you have a recipe for the jelly.
Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella says
June 17, 2011 at 8:01 pmI’ve always wanted to make a rose petal jelly but didn’t know how! Thanks so much Faith! :D
kim says
June 17, 2011 at 8:36 pmI can just smell the floral aroma over the computer screen. :)
Veronica says
June 17, 2011 at 10:57 pmLove it! I’ve never even heard of rose petal jelly but it sounds sooo lovely, perfect for an elegant English tea…or any time. :)
Angie's Recipes says
June 17, 2011 at 11:23 pmLove rose petals! I love them in my tea too. Your jelly looks marvelous.
Jessica says
June 18, 2011 at 3:01 amThe color is absolutely gorgeous! I am sure it tasted amazing too! But I must say, I do love the idea of white chocolate rose petal mousse and rose punch dancing around your head =)
Joanne says
June 18, 2011 at 5:43 amI have some dried culinary lavender that has suffered the same fate! I love this jam and it’s a great way to use the rose petals and be able to enjoy them for days on end!
Michele | Cooking At Home says
June 18, 2011 at 6:17 amHow beautiful that is!
A Canadian Foodie says
June 18, 2011 at 7:11 amWell, do you have any left over petals… you can still conjure up some of those magic recipes you listed… there is no deadline! The jelly looks superb! The first time I tasted it was in Nice, and I love it. Love the violet jelly, too – but the violets we grow here don’t have any flavour. Our roses do – thank goodness. I sugar my petals and save them for topping truffles and sweets…I do the same with some violets. They look gorgeous, but haven’t any flavour.
Great idea, to make your own jelly. It would be beautiful with cream cheese, too.
:)
Valerie
PS: I do apologize. I can’t seem to get out of my blogging slump. I am always inspired when I read your work, Faith. I am forcing myself to catch up on my own posts just recently and have posted about 4 posts in three months until very recently – not at all like me. And, I do miss this kind of exciting motivation!
XO
shooting star says
June 18, 2011 at 11:36 amwow!!..i really didnt knew one can make rose petal jelly!!!!…
Maria @ Scandifoodie says
June 18, 2011 at 5:45 pmBeautifully special and tasty jelly!
Raina says
June 18, 2011 at 8:55 pmI have never tried rose petal jelly or anything with rose petals but would love too. The color is gorgeous and it sounds delicious:)
Rinku Naveen says
June 19, 2011 at 12:43 amLoved the colour of the jelly..Would love to taste it..
LeQuan says
June 19, 2011 at 2:06 amSo cool! I never even knew rose petal jelly even existed. Hey, any time you get something at a huge bargain price and put it to use, it’s always justified to me. Glad you soldiered on and finished making the jelly because it looks beautiful with the deep burgundy colour in the jar. Glad you were satisfied with the end results.
Ambreen says
June 19, 2011 at 7:49 amSounds very interesting. Delicious jelly and the color is so beautiful!
Simply Life says
June 19, 2011 at 7:53 amwow, how creative! everything looks beautiful!
Anna Johnston says
June 19, 2011 at 8:07 amI’m super excited to learn you can make jelly from dried rose petals, thank you Lovely Faith for sharing this one, it sounds delicious & I’ve been thinking lots about doing stuff with rose petals for ever so long. Tick Tock…. I do believe the time has come. :)
Monet says
June 19, 2011 at 12:12 pmHow beautiful! This looks and sounds divine. As always, I love reading your posts. They always make me smile…and they make me want to get into my kitchen! Thank you for sharing all that you do. I hope you have a wonderful week!
cooking varieties( wan maznah) says
June 20, 2011 at 1:01 amhi faith, i came to visit you to say congrats for getting the wonderful awards from ambreen.
She gave the awards to me too. You do have a great blog . Have a nice day
roses…thats a real luxury..yum yum
admin says
June 20, 2011 at 7:57 amMegan, I bought them on Amazon…wish I could remember the seller’s name! :)
FOODESSA says
June 20, 2011 at 3:45 pmIt seems that we certainly have that in common…great intentions and time eluding us. I can’t begin to list the products I purchase with certain culinary adventures in mind ;o)
This jelly is certainly one that would be eaten by me only if you offer it to me Faith. LOL I’ve unfortunately never been a fan of Rose petal fragrance in my food. You never know, my palate could change at some point ;o)
Flavourful wishes,
Claudia
coco says
June 21, 2011 at 8:19 amI’m so amazed by your cooking skill Faith! Rose petal jelly? that’s soooo cool!!!!
Susan says
June 21, 2011 at 9:21 amWhat a gorgeous color and wonderful idea. I can only imagine how luscious it must taste.
tasteofbeirut says
June 21, 2011 at 11:12 amLovely jelly and I have just learned that one can indeed make it with dried rose petals! Relief!
Mimi says
June 21, 2011 at 2:56 pmWhat a gorgeous jam. Every year I think I will harvest some of my rose petals for use in the kitchen, but I haven’t accomplished that yet.
Mimi
Magic of Spice says
June 21, 2011 at 5:03 pmWhat a lovely idea for a jelly! I bet it is delicious and great that it is not overly sweet :)
Carolyn Jung says
June 21, 2011 at 10:51 pmYou take the prize! In that top photo, you have managed to make something as ordinary as jam-smeared toast look like the most heavenly taste ever. Beautiful!
grace says
June 22, 2011 at 5:16 amhow lovely. count me among those who had no idea this was possible–it’s something i HAVE to try!
sheila @ Elements says
June 27, 2011 at 6:47 pmHow beautiful! I love anything made with rosewater and so does my husband so this rose petal jelly wouldn’t last long in our house! Have you ever had rose hip jam, Faith? It’s very popular in my husband’s country (the former Yugoslavia), and if you like rose jelly, I’m sure you’d love rose hip jam. We buy it at an International grocery store down the road from us. Anyway, your jelly would make perfect Christmas presents!
Diane says
June 30, 2011 at 9:00 pmWhere can I order the dried petals? I use to make rose petal jam years ago when I had lots of rose bushes. I also made rose petal sorbet. Thanks
admin says
June 30, 2011 at 9:58 pmDiane, I ordered mine on Amazon. That rose petal sorbet sounds really lovely!
Diane says
July 1, 2011 at 5:29 pmThanks I’ll check and see if they still have the dried petals. The sorbet I made have wonderful. I made it from the jam I made and thought was a little to sweet but was perfect for sorbet I also used rose hips tea in the recipe.
ButterYum says
July 10, 2011 at 8:52 pmThis is absolutely lovely – just look at that “rosey” color!
:)
ButterYum
Momochiyo says
August 26, 2011 at 12:38 amHi, my name is Momochiyo, a composer and musician.
I just wonder…
Would you mind if I use your beautiful “Rose petal jelly” picture for my website?
Because I just wrote the music is called “Rose petal jam” for 3 flutes.
Much appreciated if you give me permission. Please tell me if you have any condition.
Best regards,
Momochiyo
admin says
August 26, 2011 at 10:54 amMomochiyo, Hello and thank you so much for your kind words about my photo! Your work sounds lovely. I am honored and I would love it if you use my photo for your site. I would appreciate it if you could list my site (An Edible Mosaic) as the source of the photo, along with a link. Please be sure to send me a link to your site when the photo is up, I would love to see it! Best, Faith
Pippi says
September 10, 2011 at 3:52 pmI just tried your recipe, but with fresh petals from my garden. It is delightful! Thank you for sharing. :)
Pippi says
September 23, 2011 at 7:23 pmI am back. I made another batch of this jelly, and as I was picking the petals from my garden, I noticed that I had a lot of calendula flowers, too, so I made a batch using them as a substitute for the rose petals as well. Both are delightful! The calendula jelly is a lovely pale yellow with a delicate taste.
Christina says
October 28, 2011 at 6:18 pmDear Edible Mosaic,
After trying out some other rose jelly recipes without much success for one of my unusual orders , I have attempted your rose jelly and it came out beautifully. Would you mind if I mention your jelly recipe in my new (coming out in November) unusual cupcake recipe section? I will, of course, place a link to your site immediately after the recipe
Thank you,
Christina
admin says
October 29, 2011 at 9:02 amChristina, I’m so happy that you enjoyed my rose petal jelly recipe! You are absolutely welcome to mention my recipe in your recipe section, and thank you for the link!
Best,
Faith
marla says
July 15, 2012 at 8:07 amHi Faith!
Do you have a resource for organic edible dried flowers? If so please email me. If not organic still please send me a good vendor :)
thanks! M