8 invigorating ways to infuse hibiscus into your life

Make everything stand out with hibiscus

Known for being packed with freshness and delicious flavor, herbal ingredients have been rising in popularity in recent years and hibiscus is no exception. Originally native to the tropics of Asia, it’s now more common than ever to see hibiscus juice in the aisles of your favorite market or infused cocktails and dishes on the menu. When designing your home, bright shades like hibiscus can invigorate your mood and bring a sense of liveliness to your style. Explore a collection of familiar and unexpected ways that spotlight hibiscus.

1. Add color to your kitchen

Get inspired by the ingredients you use every day and bring color to the forefront of your home. Bold color in the kitchen energizes your home, brings out your creativity and allows your personal style to come through. The color hibiscus allows you to create a space that explores your passion and turns heads. Choosing countertop appliances in a statement-making shade like hibiscus makes the color pop against neutral palettes, textiles and sleek stainless.

Different palettes can play off hibiscus to help express what you want to feel while creating in the kitchen. Lighter pinks complement fuchsia and add layers to the room, while rich greens and deep blues empower your inner maker to explore.

2. Create your favorite hibiscus herbal tea at home

Become your own barista. All you need is a KitchenAid^® kettle and dried hibiscus leaves to create the perfect cup of hibiscus tea. Just steep, strain, sip and enjoy.

3. Infuse your mocktails & cocktails

Switch up your usual and sip on something creative with a hibiscus cocktail, like the Hibiscus Sangria Mocktail. This recipe calls for hibiscus syrup, which is just as easy as making hibiscus tea—all you need to do is add a cup of sugar.

For warmer weather hibiscus drinks, use the Shave Ice Attachment on your KitchenAid^® Stand Mixer to create a dynamic herbal cocktail poured over fluffy snow-like ice.

4. Plus up your favorites

Hibiscus has a tasty and unexpected effect on traditional ingredients. This Hibiscus Glazed Wings recipe uses hibiscus syrup to add a sweet yet earthy finishing touch to a fan-favorite—a surprisingly fun twist for a casual gathering with friends.

Tip: getting hibiscus flowers

While hibiscus is a unique ingredient to add to your dishes, it’s easy to find at grocers and markets. Hibiscus in your local stores will likely already be dried and packaged among different herbs, spices and loose-leaf teas. Hibiscus plants can also be grown in your home, in a location that gets full sun for the most flowers to bloom.

5. Play off other flavors

The sweet herbal essence of hibiscus can also play up other flavors, bringing out captivating and delicious notes. Get inspired to add hibiscus to a variety of dishes, including desserts, appetizers and more, with these recipes.

Let your creativity bloom

The many uses of hibiscus extend far beyond the kitchen. Techniques like hibiscus flower drying and floral pressing let you get creative with your ingredients in areas outside of the kitchen, like entryways, powder rooms and more.

6. Make a trendy hibiscus simmer pot

Whenever your home could use a bit of a refresh, grab a saucepan and combine your favorite aromatics with some water to create a simmer pot. You can mix and substitute different ingredients, like herbs, florals and spices, to achieve an enticing fragrance. Hibiscus pairs especially well with herbal ingredients like mint, honey and orange. Start by filling a saucepan with water and bring it to a boil on your KitchenAid^® cooktop. Add your ingredients to the water and lower the heat, bringing your water down to a simmer. Be sure to check on your mixture about every 30 minutes or so, and add more water whenever needed to keep the water level at least halfway full.

The fragrance will have a lasting effect on your home, even after you’re done simmering. This all-natural alternative replaces burning candles in your home while filling the air with seasonal scents.

7. Add hibiscus to candles

Whether you make your candles or already have some at home, it's easy to add dried hibiscus for a finishing floral touch. Just sprinkle dried petals into the mold as you make homemade candles. For premade candles, decorate the exterior by lightly dipping a hibiscus bloom into some wax and pressing the flower to the sides of the candle.

8. Press the florals for prints & crafts

While fresh florals invigorate your space, pressed florals help ground it. Using materials found right in your home, like wax paper and books, you can press hibiscus flowers to preserve their beauty. This method requires patience, as it can take up to two to four weeks for your florals to be fully pressed and preserved.

Another method of hibiscus flower drying can yield similar results in just minutes. Start by placing the bloom between two pieces of paper towel with a heavy microwave-safe dish on top. Set your KitchenAid^® microwave for a minute and a half, and then check on your blooms. If they do not feel dry just yet, repeat the process until you have beautifully pressed florals. These preserved pieces can be used in frames, cards or a gorgeous dried floral arrangement.