Find the Best Flowering Basil Plants on our list. Now, the question remains What to Do with Basil Flowers? Read on to find out.
Basil comes from the mint family, Lamiaceae, with over 40 known varieties. Most gardeners grow it for its flavorful and aromatic foliage, redolent of clove, and mint with subtle peppery hints. Read about the Best Flowering Basil Plants here and know What to Do with Basil Flowers.
Check out the Best Basil Varieties here
Best Flowering Basil Plants
1. Cardinal Basil
Botanical Name: Ocimum basilicumL.
You cannot miss the beautiful red flowers and the spicy fragrance of Cardinal Basil. It is the biggest reason it deserves the top position in our list of Best Flowering Basil Plants.
2. Cinnamon Basil
Botanical Name: Ocimum basilicum ‘Cinnamon’
With purple-colored flowers, stems, and broad green leaves, Cinnamon Basil looks quite pretty in any garden. It also has a spicy and fresh taste and scent. It is best used in jellies, vinegar, and baked goods mainly because of its sweet, unique flavor.
3. Green Ruffles Basil 
Botanical Name: Ocimum basilicum
Another excellent choice for a Basil plant that flowers are the Green Ruffles. With fringed and ruffled leaves, it looks stunning with the spikes of huge blooms in shades of dark purple.
4. Purple Ruffles Basil
Botanical Name: Ocimum basilicum var.purpurascens
It is a lovely, colorful kind of Basil that you can grow in your garden. With a more robust flavor, the bushy herbal plant can add charm to any space with heavily textured leaves and purple-colored tiny flowers.
5. Christmas Basil
Botanical Name: Ocimum americanum
Christmas Basil is a Genovese and Thai Basils hybrid and has a distinct flavor. It is best known for its elegant purple flowers and mulled wine, fruity taste that comes with a subtle hint of pine.
It is best used in sauces, salads, herbal dishes, pestos, teas, and soups.
6. African Blue Basil 
Botanical Name: Ocimum kilimandscharicum × basilicum ‘Dark Opal’
This is one of the types of Basil that holds a unique position among other known varieties. It could grow as tall as 3-4 feet in height and bears a spicy, sweet fragrance.
Though it’s slow to bloom, it comes with an excellent taste and aroma famous in Southeast Asian cuisine.
7. Holy Basil
Botanical Name: Ocimum tenuiflorum
Holy Basil is also called Tulsi, and it is found to be very relevant in the Hindu religion for its spiritual and healing characteristics. The plant bears slender purple flowers against light and dark green colored leaves that make it very attractive.
Basil Leaves Turning Black or Brown? Learn the Remedies here
What to Do With Basil Flowers? Are They Edible?
The pink, white, or purple Basil flowers could be eaten, and though different flowers taste differently, they could be used to make quite a few things in the kitchen. For instance, the white flowers taste sweet and could make some meals you would enjoy.
1. For Salads
You can pick a few Basil flowers of your choice for your salads, particularly for fruit and tomato salad. It not only tastes excellent but helps to make it look lovely, too.
2. Make Herbal-Flavored Salt
You can put a handful of Basil flowers and leaves into a food processor, mix 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt and allow it to dry in the oven. The Basil-flavored salt will be ready once it dries out.
3. Make Tomato Sauce with Basil flowers 
Add Basil flowers while making Tomato sauce, as it lends a more subtle taste to the sauce. It can taste really good with pizzas!
4. Basil Flowers Pesto 
You can make Basil Flowers Pesto just like you make the one with Basil leaves using salt, garlic, pine nuts, parmesan cheese, and extra virgin olive oil. Make Basil flower Pesto and use it on pasta or bruschetta, marinade for beef, chicken, meat, or even topping for fish.
5. Infuse Oil with Basil Flowers 
If you like the idea of mixing olive oil with Basil flowers, you can make it at home very quickly. After you have dried out some clean Basil flowers completely, put the flowers in a glass jar and cover them with olive oil.
Allow it to infuse for 4-6 weeks in a dark place. After the infusion takes place, strain the oil into another jar. Enjoy the infused oil with the Basil flowers as a salad dressing and in other dishes.
6. Make Basil Flowers Vinegar
If you are a big fan of herb-infused vinegar and love to add the same to your salads, you can make your own using Basil flowers.
- Fill a glass jar with fresh flowers.
- Pour red or white vinegar on top of the flowers until they are all completely submerged in the vinegar.
- Put the pot in a safe, dark place and allow it to get infused for 4-5 weeks.
- After the infusion has taken place, strain out the flowers.
- Pour the vinegar into another jar and preserve it for future use.
7. Basil Tea
The flowers could be used to make tea in just a few steps. You only need to add a few flowers to your teacup and pour boiling water. Allow the flowers to steep for 2-4 minutes and enjoy!
Learn the Best Basil Harvesting Tips here
Does Basil Die After Flowering?
If you wonder if your favorite Basil plants would die after flowering, the answer is no. Basil plants would move from the growth phase to the reproduction stage. This would also slow down or pause the development of newer leaves as the plant would need to focus on all the energy to reproduce.
If you grow the plant for leaves, pinch off the blooms to boost more leaf growth. Please note that the flavor changes and becomes more bitter after the plant flowers.
Learn the Best Tips to Make Basils Lush and Busier here
Other Basil Flower Uses
1. Display
Basil flowers could be the perfect additions to the cut flower arrangements and make for beautiful bouquets. Your Basil flowers are inexpensive and would also lend a sweet fragrance to any bouquet.
You can use different shades of the Basil flowers or use a single one. Some varieties even have purple-colored stems along with purple flowers.
2. Culinary
When growing Basil at home, it is best to use lovely flowers to make dishes. As mentioned above, you can use the flowers in your summer salads, pasta, meat, and veggie roasts or brew tea.
3. Potpourri
If you love making Potpourri at home, add a handful of these lovely flowers and make the existing one better without it becoming any expensive.
