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I Tried the “Blue Salt” Trick — Here’s What Worked (and What Flopped)

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Quick outline

  • What the blue salt trick is
  • Two ways to get blue salt
  • My step-by-step recipe
  • Real dishes I made at home
  • What I loved and what bugged me
  • Tips so you don’t waste salt
  • Final take

So… what’s the “blue salt” trick?

It’s two things, really.

  1. Coloring your own salt with butterfly pea flower. It turns a bright ocean blue. Then it shifts to purple or pink when it hits lime or lemon. Science moment: those flowers have a plant dye that reacts to acid. Fancy word: anthocyanins. Simple idea: blue now, purple later. If you want to geek out on the chemistry, check out this peer-reviewed overview of butterfly pea anthocyanins here.

  2. Using Persian blue salt. That one comes out of the ground with little blue crystals. It’s a finishing salt. It’s rare. It’s pricey. But it looks like tiny ice chips.

I’ve made the first one many times. I also bought a tiny jar of the second from The Meadow in Portland while visiting my cousin. I tasted both on real food at home.

The DIY Blue Salt Recipe I Actually Use

I keep this in a small Mason jar on my counter. It lasts a month, easy.

What you need

  • 4 tablespoons kosher salt (I use Morton)
  • 1 teaspoon butterfly pea flower powder (Suncore Foods is what I grabbed)
  • 1 teaspoon lime zest (optional, but smells amazing)
  • A squeeze of lime or lemon when serving (for the color change)

How I make it

  1. Put the salt and butterfly pea powder in a bowl. Whisk. It turns deep blue fast. No clumps.
  2. Stir in the lime zest. The salt stays blue. The zest adds a fresh pop.
  3. Spread the mix on a plate. Let it air-dry 15 minutes. (If it feels damp, it cakes up in a jar.)
  4. Store in a jar. Keep it away from steam. Don’t park it near the stove.

Rim trick for drinks

  • Rub the rim of your glass with a lime wedge. Dip the rim in the blue salt.
  • Pour your drink. When the drink hits the rim, the blue turns purple. It’s a party trick that never gets old.

Does it taste different?
The taste is salt-forward with a tiny floral note if you sniff hard. It won’t make your food taste weird. If you’re into experimenting with other homemade spice blends, you might like my test run of a Greek seasoning recipe—it turned out way better than I expected.

Real Things I Made With It (No Fakes Here)

  • Blue Margarita Night:
    I used Espolòn Blanco, fresh lime, a splash of agave, and Topo Chico for fizz. The rim turned from royal blue to bright purple with the first sip. My friend Jess actually paused and said, “Okay, show-off.” We laughed because it looked fancy, but it was easy.

  • Grilled Watermelon Salad:
    Cubes of watermelon, crumbled feta, mint, and a pinch of blue salt. A squeeze of lemon on top made the blue flecks go lavender. Sweet, salty, and a little tart. Great on a hot day.

  • Crispy Chicken Cutlets:
    I fried thin chicken cutlets and, while they rested, I finished with the blue salt and a squeeze of lemon. The color shift was subtle on the crunchy crust, but the lemon made it pop.

  • Chocolate Chip Cookies (Yes, really):
    I used my go-to recipe with Ghirardelli 60% chips. Right when they came out, I sprinkled a tiny bit of blue salt. When they cooled, I dotted on a touch of lemon zest. No heavy citrus, just aroma. The blue looked like confetti on top. Kids loved it. Adults pretended they didn’t.

  • Soft Scrambled Eggs:
    Butter, low heat, creamy eggs. A light sprinkle of blue salt and a few drops of lemon at the table. It went mauve in little specks. Looks fancy, tastes simple.

  • Smoked Veggie Platter on the Pellet Grill:
    I grilled zucchini, bell peppers, and red onion on my pellet grill after a month-long deep-dive (get the real scoop here). A sprinkle of blue salt plus a squeeze of lemon made the charred edges glow purple.

The Store-Bought Fancy Stuff: Persian Blue Salt

I bought a small jar of Persian blue salt from The Meadow. The crystals are pale and glassy with bright blue sparks. It’s mild and a little crunchy. A recent mineralogy report dives into why those specks turn up blue in the first place—turns out it’s the crystal lattice trapping trace minerals, not dye—worth a skim here.

Where it worked great

  • Seared scallops with brown butter and lemon. A few crystals on top. Clean snap.
  • Burrata with olive oil and strawberries. Sweet and salty. Very pretty.
  • Sliced heirloom tomatoes. No pepper. Just oil and the blue flakes. Summer on a plate.

Where it flopped

  • In soup or pasta water. The blue disappears, and you can’t tell it’s special.
  • On anything super saucy. The crunch dies fast.
  • Big roast with lots of spice rub. It gets lost.

Is it worth it?
For photos or a date dinner—yes. For everyday cooking—probably not. It’s not cheap, and it shines only as a finishing touch.

What I Loved (and What Bugged Me)

Good stuff

  • The DIY mix looks bold but tastes clean.
  • The color change with citrus is pure joy. It makes people smile.
  • It stores well if you keep it dry.
  • It’s fun for kids, but also feels chef-y for adults.

Not so good

  • If steam hits the jar, it clumps like wet sand.
  • Use too much powder, and it goes dusty on your tongue.
  • On dark meats, the color can vanish. Then it’s just… salt.

Tips So You Don’t Waste Salt

  • Start with less powder. You can always add more.
  • Dry your mix before you jar it. A quick 5 minutes in a very low oven (like 170°F) works if your kitchen is humid.
  • For drinks, rim only the outside of the glass. Keeps the salt from falling into the drink.
  • For food, finish at the table. Then splash a dot of lemon. Watch the color flip.

Quick FAQ I Wish I’d Had

  • Can I use table salt?
    You can, but it tastes sharper. I like kosher for better pinch control.

  • Can I use food coloring instead?
    Yes, but no color change. You lose the “magic.”

  • Is the powder safe?
    Butterfly pea flower is an edible tea. If you’re pregnant or on meds, check with your doc, like you would with any herbal tea.

Final Take

The blue salt trick is a keeper. The DIY version is cheap, fast, and cheerful. The Persian blue salt is lovely but niche. If you’d rather taste a chef’s spin on color-changing salt, the team at Bistro Le Clochard plates it with the kind of flair that’ll make you reach for your phone before your fork. Use it when you want a tiny “wow.” Honestly, this is one of those small kitchen things that makes a normal night feel special. And that’s the whole point, right?

Speaking of adding a playful spark to an evening, maybe you’re also curious about surprising your partner after dinner in the digital world—if so, this straightforward guide to Kik sexting breaks down how to flirt safely, set boundaries, and keep the conversation exciting so you can spice things up with confidence long after the dishes are done.

If you’re in or around Paragould and would rather share those purple-rimmed margaritas with someone new in real life—without endless swiping—take a peek at Skip the Games Paragould; the site curates local, no-strings-attached meetups, helping you connect quickly so you can spend more time enjoying great food and even better company.

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