38 Gluten-Free, Paleo, & Keto Recipes with Essential Oils (Instant Pot, too!) (2024)

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.

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!