Our world is chock full of beautiful hues and shades of blue, and this includes the food that we consume! Blue foods can come in all shapes and sizes, ranging from fruits, vegetables, and even fish products from the sea.
When you think of blue foods, the first things that come to mind are probably blueberries, but there are plenty of other naturally blue foods out there that we can incorporate into our meals. Here are 19 delicious foods that are blue.
1. Blueberries
Blueberries are small, round berries you can find in your local grocery store and grow in your backyard. Although small, these little fruits pack an acidic yet sweet punch.
Always ensure your blueberries are completely blue before eating. Otherwise, they might be sour. They typically have dark blue skin and squishy fruit that ranges from white to light green.
You can have these tasty berries by themselves, with yogurt, or bake them into things, such as muffins, pies, scones, and pancakes. They’re also healthy for you, as they have tons of antioxidants and vitamins, including vitamins C, K, and manganese, which help keep your immune system healthy.
2. Blue Corn
Blue corn is a starchy vegetable that can come in multiple varieties. It looks and has the same texture as yellow corn, except the kernels come in shades of dark blue.
People don’t typically eat blue corn off the cob, but it is usually ground up to make cornmeal for recipes. Blue corn tends to have a sweeter taste when compared to yellow corn.
While regular corn is healthy, blue corn is slightly better for you because it has about 20% more protein, which helps keep you full for longer. It also has a low glycemic index, meaning it won’t spike blood sugar drastically. Blue corn works best in tortillas, tortilla chips, and cornbread.
3. Blue American Lobsters
Blue lobster tastes and feels exactly like the red lobsters you can get at your local fish market or grocery store. The meat is tender, slightly chewy, and has a slight sweetness to it. Some people compare it to shrimp, but sweeter.
It’s a tasty shellfish found around New England, and they grow to 44 pounds. Blue American lobsters have about 28.2 grams of protein per cup and only 1.28 grams of fat, making them a healthy and filling food.
The meat tastes great on its own, but to make it more interesting, you can make recipes such as the following:
Lobster bisque
Stuffed lobster (lobster stuffed with seafood stuffing)
Lobster salad, which is perfect to put into a roll
Lobster mac and cheese
4. Blue Crabs
Blue crabs taste similar to red crabs with their sweet and briny flavors. The texture of the protein-filled meat inside the shell is squishy and a little stringy similar to lobster and red crabs.
You can find these crabs in the Gulf of Mexico and along the east coast of the United States, and they’re usually under a foot in size.
You can eat blue crab on its own by simply boiling the shellfish, but the meat works well in crab cakes, Crab Imperial, crab bisque, and crab dip.
5. Blue Lingcod
Lingcod is a five-foot fish you can find on the west coast of the United States. They’re often gray or green. However, sometimes they can turn completely blue, including their meat.
There is little known about this phenomenon. Lingcod is a mild-tasting fish similar to cod, and the texture is quite firm, keeping the filets together after getting cooked.
Lingcod tastes best when seared in a pan with herbs or baked in the oven with crunchy bread crumbs on top. It makes the perfect dinner for any day of the week, as it isn’t fish-tasting and has a good amount of protein.
6. Concord Grapes
Concord grapes are a tasty, dark blue fruit found around the United States that grows in large bunches on vines. They have a waxy skin that encases soft balls of fruit inside. You can usually rub or wash the waxy coating off.
The squishy inside of these grapes tastes slightly sweet with a very tart aftertaste. For this reason, these grapes are often used in wines, jams, and juices.
However, you can use them in tarts, scones, frozen yogurt, and pies. You should use them in the fall, as they ripen in September.
7. Elderberries
Elderberries are tiny, dark blue, tart berries that historically cure illnesses, including the flu and inflammation issues. They originate from Europe, but you can find them growing all around the world.
These berries are a great source of vitamin C, fiber, and other antioxidants. You shouldn’t eat elderberries raw, as they can cause stomach upset. Instead, you should cook them first and use them for syrups, wines, jellies, and pies.
8. Adirondack Blue Potatoes
Adirondack blue potatoes have inside flesh that can come in a variety of shades ranging from dark blue to different shades of purple. Their outside skin is often a very dark blue that looks almost black.
The round, starchy vegetable tastes similar to a typical Yukon gold potato, making it great for things such as mashed potatoes, potato salad, or just plain roasted potatoes.
Blue and purple potatoes have quite a few vitamins in them, including B6 and C, and a lower glycemic index than normal-colored potatoes. Because of this, they’re better for diabetics.
They also have the potential to aid in healthy blood pressure.
9. Huckleberries
Huckleberries are slightly larger than elderberries and typically come in dark blue. These little fruits grow in shrubs, and you can find them naturally on the eastern side of the United States, as well as grow them yourself.
The fleshy fruits look and taste like a cross between blueberries and elderberries, as they’re a little acidic but still sweet. Huckleberries typically have the same antioxidant properties as blueberries since they are in the same family of Ericaceae.
These berries are perfect for pies, crumb bars, crisps, buckles, and jams.
10. Damson Plums
Damson plums are small oval-shaped, dark blue-skinned plums with yellow fleshy fruit and a pit. They grow on trees and almost look like large grapes, but they have a distinct sweet and sour taste to them.
The flavor of these fruits makes them great for jams, preserves, and delicious plum crumbles.
Damson plums, like other plum varieties, have antioxidants that can help with the following:
Inflammation
Heart disease
Constipation
High blood pressure
Reducing blood sugar
11. Blue Pea Flowers
You can often find blue pea flowers, also known as Asian pigeonwings, located in a few southern states but native to various parts of Asia. The perennial plant creates vibrant blue flowers with white and yellow hues in the middle.
Blue pea flowers have an earthy and slightly sweet taste to them. You can eat the flower from the plant or create teas, lemonades, pancakes, and even a tasty lime pea flower tart.
Blue pea flowers can offer helpful benefits when consumed, including anti-inflammatory, cancer-fighting, antiviral, and antimicrobial properties.
Research also shows that the flower might also help in stabilizing your blood sugar, aid in weight loss, and help with hair growth.
12. Indigo Milk Cap Mushrooms
Indigo milk cap mushrooms are edible mushrooms that you can find in various forests across the United States, as well as other places around the globe.
These blue-tinted fungi are beautiful to look at and can turn green when bruised or cooked. Each mushroom can grow up to six inches wide and about three inches tall in its natural habitats of pine and oak forests.
The indigo milk cap mushroom tastes different from typical grocery store mushrooms in the sense that they have a slight nuttiness and are rather mild.
Try grilling them with herbs and use them in scrambled eggs, egg tarts, and soups. Generally, mushrooms have cancer-preventing properties, can lower cholesterol, and provide you with vitamin D.
13. Haskap
Haskap, or honeysuckle berries, look like skinny grapes with dark blue to dark purple coloring. When you bite into the berry, you’ll get unique hints of sweetness and tangy sourness.
Their interesting flavor makes them a great ingredient to use in muffins, jams, ice cream, and tarts. You can also make them into a delicious immune-boosting tea.
Haskap berries have higher concentrations of vitamin C (186 milligrams) compared to other berries, making them perfect for keeping your immune system in top shape.
Their bioactive compounds can also help with inflammatory issues and prevent cell damage due to antioxidant properties.
14. Blue Marble Tree Fruits
Blue marble trees are native to Australia and are often sought after for their wood or seeds, as they’re great for crafting. However, the trees also grow bright azure blue, round berries that look like large marbles.
The fruits are edible, and their taste is reminiscent of dates with a hint of sourness. Use this fruit for jams, fruit salads, and pies.
The blue marble tree is in the Elaeocarpus family, where the fruits can offer some of the following health benefits:
Antifungal properties
Antioxidant properties
Antibacterial properties
Anti-inflammatory properties
15. Blue Tomatoes
There are a few varieties of blue tomatoes out there, and despite their odd coloring, they taste exactly like any other tomato you’ll find in your grocery store. Blue tomatoes look just like red tomatoes, but they have a dark blue color due to natural pigments called anthocyanins.
The anthocyanins in these tomatoes can provide extra health benefits, such as anticancer properties, anti-obesity properties, antimicrobial properties, and lowering chances of diabetes and heart issues.
You can use these beautiful tomatoes to create a colorful Caprese salad, margarita pizza, or tomato sauce.
16. Blue Cheese
Blue cheese is a nutritious dairy product that gets its distinctive dark blue spore coloring from mold in the Penicillium family, which is an edible fungus. Although the look of the cheese might be a little off-putting, the mold creates a nutty flavor that blends well with the milkiness of the rest of the cheese.
Cheese, such as blue cheese, has high amounts of calcium, which is good for your bones and teeth. It also has a range of other vitamins, including A, D, potassium, and zinc, which are vital in keeping your immune system healthy.
Blue cheese tastes great in salads, buffalo chicken dip, and cheese balls.
17. Juniper Berries
Juniper berries come from the juniper evergreen shrub, which grows in North America, Asia, and parts of Europe. Each berry looks like a small blue pearl, and they grow in small bunches. Juniper berries taste very earthy, slightly peppery, and a little fruity.
The berries have a healthy dose of antioxidants like other blue-colored berries and fruits. Researchers also consider them as a diuretic, and they have anti-inflammatory, antifungal, and neuroprotectant properties. Juniper berries pair well with salmon, stews, roasted potatoes, and even chocolate cookies.
18. Blue Sausage Fruit
Blue sausage fruit, also known as dead man’s fingers, comes from a tree native to China, India, Nepal, and a few other eastern countries. The tree produces edible fruits that are blue, long, and sausage-shaped.
The outer skin of the fruit is leathery and thick, while the inside fruit is soft and fleshy. You’ll also find that each fruit is chock full of round seeds. The inside fruit tastes sweet and almost like a melon.
These fruits have potential antioxidant properties due to their natural blue coloring, helping to improve your immune system. After removing the seeds, you can eat the fruit right out of the skin or turn it into a jam or jelly.
19. Blue Caviar
Blue caviar typically comes from scampi, which are shrimp-like crustaceans found in the Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean. Their roe, or what we know as caviar, looks like tiny blue marbles or pearls.
Caviar tastes like ocean water, and the texture of the eggs is quite smooth.
Caviar has over 236% of your daily intake of vitamin B12, which can help keep your blood cells healthy and prevent damage. These fish eggs can also keep your brain, heart, immune system, and skin healthy. Blue caviar goes well with smoked salmon, deviled eggs, and bagels. You can also eat it plain.
