Yes, you CAN cook with essential oils! To prove how amazing your flavors can be (and why it’s not a waste to cook with essential oils), here are 38 Gluten-Free, Paleo, and Keto recipes with essential oils.

Learn more about cooking with essential oils + get 10 essential oil Real Food recipes!
Download my FREE Guide to Cooking With Essential Oils

Are you cooking with essential oils yet??

If not, I highly recommend you give it a try!

Not only does it add amazing flavors to your sweet and savory recipes, you can also add health benefits (when you use them in raw recipes, that is).

So, let’s discuss why cooking with essential oils is cool and how to be sure you’re using them safely, ok?

P.S. Any essential oils you see linked throughout the post are from my favorite oil company, Spark Naturals. Save 10% on ANY purchase with my discount code NOURISHING10.

Why Cook With Essential Oils?

You can bake with ’em, cook with ’em, and use ’em in raw recipes, like salad dressings, smoothies, and no-bake desserts. But, why would you want to? Isn’t that a waste of expensive oils?

Ok, so first, no… I don’t believe it’s a waste of oils to cook with them, even if you’re going to be using them in baking or cooked recipes where their health benefits will be lost to the heat.

Essential oils are SO concentrated and potent that you’ll use a lot less than you think. And the flavors you can achieve? Out. Of. This. World.

For example, I think extracts taste fake — because they are fake. When I stopped using extracts and tried subbing essential oils instead, holy wow. I leveled up!

For instance, I use peppermint essential oil — and usually 1-3 drops — in place of a whole teaspoon of fake-tasting peppermint extract. The flavor is SO real.

Also, I use lemon, orange, and lime essential oils in place of those extracts. The flavor is just so much better.

Another reason to cook with essential oils? Health benefits!

When the recipe is raw, the health benefits of the oil are infused into the food or drink!

Cooking with Essential Oils Is Safe (but here’s how to be SURE)

Ok, so it’s not safe to cook with essential oils 100% of the time. Like, certain oils can’t be consumed during pregnancy or while breastfeeding. Some oils can’t be mixed with medications.

Allergies to the herb, fruit, or flower with which essential oils are made is another reason. Obviously, if you have a true lemon allergy, then consuming or using lemon essential oil in any way isn’t safe for you.

Finally, children need to be a certain age before you use or feed them food containing essential oils. (Like, it’s generally not recommended to use peppermint essential oil with children under 6.)

Learn more: Download my FREE Guide to Cooking With Essential Oils!

Furthermore, it’s handy to have a good aromatherapy guide on-hand to check things like this. I recommend Essential Oil Safety: A Guide for Health Practitioners.

But, once you’ve ruled out pregnancy, breastfeeding, allergies, and other contraindications, it IS safe to use essential oils in cooking.

In cooked recipes, they simply impart flavor. Any anti-bacterial or anti-fungal or astringent properties are lost in the heat of cooking.

When you’re using them in your raw recipes, be mindful of how many drops you’re consuming. My general rule for adults is no more than 4 drops TOTAL of any and all essential oils per day. 

If you’re using the oils medicinally — say, in oregano essential oil capsules to treat an infection — then it’s wise to be mindful of how and when you’re consuming oils in other ways and keep your total to no more than 4 drops per day total.

Finally, only use essential oils in recipes containing FAT.

This is the best way to dilute the oils — not in water! Just like you wouldn’t rub straight cinnamon bark oil on your skin because it could irritate or burn the skin — you’d use a carrier oil to dilute it, right?

Well, you don’t want to consume the oils without properly diluting them, and this must happen in fat. 

Recipes with Essential Oils

I admit, I’ve been cooking with essential oils a lot longer than I’ve been blogging about cooking with essential oils. And, I’m not the only Real Food blogger who’s discovered the deliciousness of adding essential oils to recipes.

So, I’ve gathered up almost 40 of the healthiest gluten-free, paleo, and keto recipes with essential oils!

You’ll find a wide assortment — from burgers to granola, from cookies to fudge, and from muffins to chocolate recipes!

Pumpkin & Zucchini Fritters from Becoming Ness

Gluten-Free & Paleo Recipes With Essential Oils

Black Pepper Burgers

How to Make Flavored Salt with Essential Oils

Easy Paleo Orange Muffins (nut-free, dairy-free, coconut-free)

Simple Grain Free Granola with Essential Oils from Becoming Ness

Simple Grain-Free Granola

Pumpkin & Zucchini Fritters

Frosted Chocolate Mint Cookies (gluten-free, dairy-free, egg-free)

No-Bake Chocolate-Orange Quinoa Granola (nut-free, oat-free, sugar-free option!)

Raspberry Chocolate Freezer Fudge from Recipes to Nourish

Paleo Dessert Recipes With Essential Oils

Paleo White Chocolate Peppermint Shortbread Cookies

Lemon-Vanilla Coconut Butter Bites

Honey Peppermint Patties

Coconut & Avocado Grasshopper Bars (dairy-free, egg-free, GAPS)

Easy Homemade Healthy Chocolate Bars from Oh The Things We’ll Make!

Raw Peppermint Slice Bites 

Easy Raspberry Chocolate Freezer Fudge 

Healthy Chocolate Peppermint Marshmallows

Homemade Healthy Vegan & Paleo Chocolate Bars (with peppermint & orange options) 

15-Minute Keto Greek Bowl from Eat Beautiful

Keto Recipes With Essential Oils

15-Minute Keto Greek Bowl

Blender Batter Keto Lemon Blueberry Bread

Keto Turmeric & Essential Oil Fat Bombs

Caprese Salad with Lemon-Basil Vinaigrette

Keto Lavender Cupcakes

Keto Avocado Lemon Ice Cream with MCT Oil from All The Nourishing Things

Probiotic Pomegranate & Clementine No-Bake Cheesecake

Keto Avocado Lemon Ice Cream with MCT Oil

Keto Cinnamon Spice Muffins

Healthy Low-Carb Cranberry Orange Muffins

Keto Lemon Poppyseed Bundt Cake

Keto Instant Pot Sesame Orange Chicken from All The Nourishing Things

Instant Pot Recipes With Essential Oils

Instant Pot Keto Sesame Orange Chicken

Grain-Free Instant Pot Peppermint Cheesecake

Instant Pot Orange Creamsicle Custard Cups

Nourishing GAPS Diet Soup with a *Secret* Ingredient

Instant Pot NO-Mato Sauce (nightshade-free, paleo, GAPS)

Orange & Dark Chocolate Instant Pot Cheesecake

Healing Adrenal Cocktail (The Singing Canary) from Whole New Mom

Smoothies & Drinks With Essential Oils

Cool Vanilla Mint Cashew Milk

Chocolate Orange Smoothie with a Secret Green Ingredient

Lavender White Chocolate Steamer (paleo, primal, GAPS, raw milk versions)

How to Make Earl Grey Tea (with bergamot essential oil)

The Candida Diet-Safe Shamrock Shake

Healing Adrenal Cocktail (The Singing Canary)

Health-Boosting Lavender Lemonade

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Do you cook or bake with essential oils? What are your favorite oils to use in recipes?