From breakfast and dinner ideas to baked goods, here's the scoop on how to get more flaxseed recipes into your days.
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Smoothies
Flaxseed is jam-packed with heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. Since most fruits are not great sources of omega-3s, adding flaxseed to your favorite smoothie recipes is an easy way to increase your daily intake. If using whole flaxseed, pulse a few tablespoons in your blender to break them down before adding the rest of your ingredients, or simply use ground flaxseed.
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Granola
Most Americans fall well below the daily recommendation of 25 to 35 grams of dietary fiber. Since 2 tablespoons of flaxseed have 4 grams of dietary fiber, flaxseed can help you reach that goal. Boosting fiber can be as simple as mixing 2 to 4 tablespoons of ground flaxseed into your favorite homemade granola recipe. The earthy taste of flaxseed pairs well with oats, nuts and dried fruits.
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Baked Goods
Flaxseed has a high fat content, so it can replace some of the oil in your favorite baked goods, such as quick bread recipes or muffin recipes. Use three parts flaxseed for every one part oil you are replacing. For example, instead of 1 tablespoon of oil, use 3 tablespoons of ground flaxseed. If a recipe calls for 1/2 cup oil, use 1/4 cup oil and replace the remaining 1/4 cup with 3/4 cup ground flaxseed. Since flaxseed may help lower blood cholesterol, it can make baked goods a little more heart-healthy.
In gluten-free baking recipes, flaxseed can also help hold the batter together, as flour usually does. This will help prevent cookies or cakes from becoming overly delicate or crumbly after baking.
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Egg Replacement
You don’t have to be allergic to eggs or vegan to try this simple swap. Flaxseed thickens in liquid and creates a viscosity similar to a raw egg. To replace one egg, mix 1 tablespoon of ground flaxseed and 3 tablespoons of water, then let it stand for about five minutes to thicken. While you can’t scramble this mixture, it’s the perfect egg replacement for baking, helping bind batters together.
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Crispy Breading
Incorporating flaxseed into crispy, crunchy breading for everything from chicken to vegetables is an easy way to get more flaxseed into your day. For every 1 cup of bread crumbs, replace 2 tablespoons with ground flaxseed. Try it in recipes like zucchini fries and coconut shrimp.
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Veggie Burgers
Adding flaxseed to veggie burger recipes is a great way to create a meaty, umami flavor in a meatless meal. Flaxseed can be used instead of bread crumbs to help bind the ingredients together so the patties hold their shape. Bonus: Flaxseed is gluten-free!
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Salad Dressings
Flaxseed provides an impressive amount of minerals, including phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, zinc, selenium, calcium, copper and iron. Whisk ground flaxseed into your favorite homemade salad dressing recipes for a nutritional boost—it tastes great in both creamy and vinegar-based dressings.
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Mix into Nut Butter
Flaxseed, like sunflower seeds and nuts, contains enough healthy fats to be ground into a creamy spread for toast. If the taste of flaxseed butter is too intense, try mixing a bit of ground flaxseed into peanut butter (we found these to be the best peanut butter brands) or your favorite nut butter.
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Soups
Instead of heavy cream or milk, stir 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed into cozy, creamy soup recipes for a velvety, thickened texture without any dairy. For a finishing touch, add a dash of crushed flaxseed on top for a pop of crunch.
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Oatmeal or Yogurt
The easiest way to incorporate flaxseed into your daily meals is to add ground flaxseed to your morning oatmeal, as in this peanut butter oatmeal recipe, or to your yogurt bowl. Try topping apple yogurt parfaits with a tablespoon of ground flaxseed for a nutritional boost. If you meal prep, try adding flaxseed to your favorite overnight oats recipes for a thick texture and subtle, nutty taste.
Flaxseed Recipes FAQ
What are the best ways to use flaxseed?
Flaxseed is extremely versatile, so the best ways to use it include sprinkling the flaxseed raw over yogurt, soups and salads, or adding it to cake and cookie batters before baking. Whole flaxseed has a tough shell that can be challenging to chew through and digest, so it’s best to grind it first in a blender or spice grinder, or purchase ground flaxseed.
How do you use flaxseed in smoothies?
Using flaxseed in smoothies is as easy as adding it to the blender with the other smoothie ingredients, although whole flaxseed should be ground first. This may require an extra pulse or two if you don’t have a high-speed blender or you may end up with flecks of flaxseed in your smoothie. Since flaxseed has strong thickening power, add a little extra liquid to the blender to compensate.
How long does flaxseed last?
Whole flaxseed lasts up to one year in a cool place, such as a pantry, and ground flaxseed lasts at room temperature for a few weeks. Since flaxseed has a high oil content, it will spoil over time; however, the protective shell on whole seeds extends their shelf life. If you don’t use flaxseed frequently, store it in the refrigerator or freezer, which will extend the life of whole flaxseed by another year and keep ground flaxseed fresh for 3 to 12 months. Spoiled flaxseed will have a sour or rancid smell and should not be used.
