Learn how to bloom saffron once and forever. This technique never fails and has been in my family for years and years. There is so much you can do with bloomed saffron!
Saffron is used regularly in Persian recipes such as saffron rice, saffron chicken and of course, saffron ice cream. In order to make the most out of this expensive spice, I'm going to show you how to bloom it. My method is easy to follow and results in a golden and aromatic saffron concentrate that you can use in lots of different recipes.
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Saffron, a Persian staple
Persian saffron is my one and only "must have" spice. I grew up in a home where my maman started making food early in the morning and the mesmerizing aroma of saffron always surrounded me, making me run into the kitchen while hypnotized by the gorgeous show of ingredients, aromas and my maman's magical hands and all the love that held us together.
A new method to bloom saffron
The way we bloom saffron in my family could be surprising for many Iranians. A common approach is to bloom it with hot water, which, in my opinion, shocks the saffron and doesn't give it enough time to bloom well.
In my kitchen, we actually sprinkle saffron on top of ice and let it melt at room temperature. Our reason for doing so is to give the saffron enough time to release its color and aroma as the ice melts. This is a no-fail method that I've been using for years and it always results in the best concentrated saffron.
Frequently asked questions
Harvesting saffron in an extremely labor intensive task. Each saffron flower (known as crocus sativus) produces only 3 stigmas which are the saffron threads we use. The whole process should be done by hand because of the delicacy of the flowers. To make one ounce of saffron, 4000 saffron flowers need to be harvested.
There is so much you can make with just a little bit of bloomed saffron. Here are a few of our favorite savory and sweet recipes using saffron:
Joojeh kabab - Persian grilled saffron chicken kabobs
Saffron milkshake
Persian love cake
Tahchin – Persian savory rice cake
Zereshk polo morgh - Persian barberry rice with chicken
You can keep bloomed saffron in the fridge for up to 3 days. It's best to use it by day 3, otherwise it'll start losing its flavor and aroma.
To bloom saffron, you should always use ground saffron and never the threads. The traditional way to grind it is to use a pestle and mortar. Some would mix saffron threads with very little sugar and salt to make the process easier but I prefer to spend more time grinding it rather than altering the pure taste of it.
Step-by-Step Recipe
How To Bloom Saffron
Ingredients
- ¼ tsp ground saffron never use the threads without grinding them
- 2 ice cubes
Instructions
- Place the ice cubes in a small bowl or jar. Sprinkle ground saffron on top of the ice cubes and let it sit in room temperature until the ice is fully melted.
- Use immediately or cover the bowl or jar and keep it in the fridge for up to a week.
Notes
- It's advised not to use saffron during pregnancy. Please consult with your doctor before consuming saffron if you're pregnant.
Mary @ Fit and Fed
Hi Shadi, I had no idea, not only about the special method of blooming the saffron on ice, but on the basic of grinding it first. I'm glad I have a Persian friend to teach me this stuff! Time to replace my mortar and pestle (the pestle broke some time ago).
unicornsinthekitchen@gmail.com
Hi Mary! Yeah I've seen many don't grind saffron and then wonder why it doesn't give all the color it should. It's such a fun spice to work with! So glad this came helpful to you! <3
Michelle @ Giraffes Can Bake
This is such an awesome post! I've never cooked with saffron, in fact I've not eaten many things with it - but I love the smell! Now I'm wondering if I can bake with it.
I didn't know you couldn't have saffron when pregnant though. Not that I'm planning to be pregnant any time soon, but always good to know!
unicornsinthekitchen@gmail.com
Of course Michelle you can bake tons of stuff with saffron and I do say that they are really heavenly! I'm going to post some baked Persian goods for Persian Saturday sweet and savory, using saffron! 🙂
Celia Bolton
How much bloomed saffron does this make? I have a new recipe that calls for 8 tablespoons - was afraid at first that meant 8 T ground! Thank goodness I found this!
unicornsinthekitchen@gmail.com
Hi Celia! This recipe yields almost 6-8 tbsp bloomed saffron. I suggest that you use 3 ice cubes instead of 2 just to make sure you have enough. 8 tbsp ground saffron is enough for a crowd of 100! 😀 Saffron is very strong, therefore just a touch is enough 🙂 I hope this helps! 🙂
Calamity Jean
Why is it important to avoid saffron during pregnancy?
Shadi HasanzadeNemati
Hi Calamity, it's said that excessive use of saffron in the first few months of pregnancy might result in miscarriage. I don't have a medical proof for it. However, here is an article that explains it more: https://www.onlymyhealth.com/is-saffron-safe-during-pregnancy-1314690457
Victoria
Hi Shadi! I know this may sound like a stupid question, but the ground saffron dissolves in the ice/water and then can be poured directly into a recipe, correct? Also, on the Joojeh Kabab recipe, it calls for 1/4 cup of bloomed saffron. So, when following this method for blooming the saffron, how much ground saffron and ice would I use in order to yield 1/4 cup bloomed saffron?
Shadi HasanzadeNemati
Hi Victoria! No question is stupid! You're right, once saffron is dissolved in melted ice, it can be directly poured into the recipe. For 1/4 cup bloomed saffron, I would use 1/4 tsp ground saffron on 2 cubes of ice and if needed, just add more ice as it melts 🙂 Enjoy!
Abdus Sobhan Chowdhury
I like saffron
Nitish
We use saffron for religious purposes, we take few drops of Luke warm water to mix it up well.
Shadi HasanzadeNemati
That's so interesting! Thank you for sharing!
SAFAROMA
Nice blog! Thanks for sharing information
Ronald Hasler
My great aunt made redvelvet cakes using saffron and i am trying to find out how or how much to use in the recipe .it tastes so much better than a regular redvelvet cake
Shadi HasanzadeNemati
Hi Ronald, thank you for your comment. I also heard someone else saying the same thing. It's very interesting and I bet the flavor is better. I suggest you use about 3 tablespoons bloomed saffron (not ground saffron, but the liquid) for a 9 inch cake. I have not tried it myself, but that's usually the amount I use when making a cake using bloomed saffron. Hope this helps.
Hedi
hi
I have a question with regards to blooming the saffron. I was always taught to do it in very hot boiled water, can you please explain how melting it over ice is better. I find this quite interesting and can't wait to try it.
Shadi HasanzadeNemati
Hi Hedi, since saffron is a very sensitive spice, pouring hot water on it could give it a "shock" whereas sprinkling it on ground ice would give it enough time to release its color and aroma. Hope this helps 🙂
Ronald Hasler
I have been trying to find out how to use saffron in a cake
I recently received this email about blooming. Saffron on ice I am trying to find out how much of the saffron to use and how much ice to use I know I need two ounces for the cake
Chenée Lewis
I'm so glad I found this recipe! Now that I have this easy method of blooming saffron I'll be putting it in everything!
Angela
Thank you for the great information. I have been doing it wrong for years.
Shanna
I never knew that you could do this. I am definetly going to have to try this.
Carrie Robinson
I never knew that you should do this with saffron! Great tip. 🙂
Marlynn
I love cooking with saffron, and did not know this. Thank you for the helpful tip!
Jess
I never thought to make saffron at home. Genius! And now onto check out your Saffron Ice Cream!
Jess
I never thought to make homemade saffron Genius!
Gail Montero
I didn't even know you could do this so I am so happy to learn about this. Need to try this for sure!
Priya Lakshminarayan
Wow this is an eye-opener! I never knew that we have to bloom saffron. Thanks for this post.
Priya Lakshminarayan
Wow this is an eye-opener! Never knew this about saffron! Thanks for this post.
Priya Lakshminarayan
Wow this post is an eye-opener! Never knew this about saffron!
Jacque H.
Thanks for sharing this simple how to! I would have never known or tried to bloom saffron on my own. However, I will do it now.
Sara Welch
What a great recipe to have on hand, and easy too! Looking forward to giving this a try, indeed!
Pfunzo
Wow thank you for sharing this secret it make a whole lot of difference in spreading the quantity of Saffron. at first i was wondering what you meant by blooming, Ive learnt a lot thank you and greetings from South Africa Limpopo Province.