63 Easy Beltane Recipes Everyone Will Love

Beltane is the fire festival that marks the midpoint between spring and summer. The pagan holiday is celebrated every year on May 1st. The holiday dates back to ancient Celtic traditions when it was one of the primary holidays on their calendar. This greater sabbat honors fertility, abundance, and passion—themes reflected in the vibrant Beltane feasts and foods shared on that day.

The pagan holiday is traditionally celebrated with bonfires, Maypole dances, outdoor revelry, and getting it on the woods, all of which symbolize the figurative (and sometimes literal) union of the divine masculine and feminine. Food plays a big role too, with traditional Beltane recipes incorporating ingredients tied to the season. Many recipes include grilled meats, dairy, red fruits, honey, and fresh spring vegetables.

Whether you’re gathering for a festive feast, making offerings to the fae and the May Queen, or simply embracing the joyful energy of Beltane, these recipes will help you celebrate the season’s bounty in delicious ways.

What Is Beltane?

Beltane is one of four Celtic fire festivals. This one marks the transition from spring to summer. The name Beltane (pronounced Bel-tin-ah) means “bright fire” and is linked to Belenus, a sun god worshiped by the ancient Celts who protected their cattle herds. Beltane is traditionally celebrated with bonfires, dancing, and fertility rituals to welcome abundance and protection for the coming season.

For Wiccans, Beltane is when the God and Goddess are equal in power, symbolizing the sacred balance of masculine and feminine energies. The holiday is also when the May Queen and Green Man come together, representing the Earth in full bloom and the wild vitality of nature. The May Queen embodies youth, beauty, and renewal, while the Green Man symbolizes growth, strength, and the untamed forces of nature. Their union is a reminder of the cycle of life, love, and creation.

What Are the Traditional Foods of Beltane?

Beltane is a festival of fire, fertility, and abundance, marking the transition to the warm season. As a time of celebration and indulgence, traditional Beltane foods include grilled meats and other foods cooked over the fire, honey, red fruits, and seasonal herbs—all symbolizing fertility, prosperity, and the sun’s growing power.

Many of these foods were used in ritual offerings or feasts enjoyed by the bonfire. Dairy and butter, for instance, honored livestock fertility and honey represented sweetness and abundance. Mead, a honey-based drink, was commonly consumed to celebrate joy and passion.

Foods symbolizing the sun, the warm season, and fertility are all welcome during Beltane celebrations.

Some traditional foods of Beltane include:

• Bannock bread
• Caudle
• Dairy (milk, butter and cheese)
• Grilled meats (goat, lamb, and beef)
• Honey and mead
• Wild-foraged seasonal greens and berries (nettles, dandelion greens, rowan berries)
• Red fruits

Beltane Recipes

Some of these Beltane recipes are rooted in ancient traditions, while others are inspired by the seasonal foods available around the holiday. Dairy, bannock, caudle, and fire-roasted meats were central to the Celtic feasts, as was honey and mead. Whether you’re honoring the ancient ways or the joyful energy of summer’s arrival, these recipes will help you celebrate Beltane.

1. Bannock Bread

Bannock cakes are one of the most traditional Beltane foods, made with oats, butter, and milk and traditionally cooked over an open flame. Similar to scones, they are best enjoyed warm with honey.

In his book A Tour of Scotland, Thomas Pennant documented that communities in the Scottish Highlands would bake a nine-knob scalloped bannock, passing it around and tearing off pieces to toss over their shoulder as an offering for a successful harvest and healthy livestock.

• Beltuinn Bannock
• Irish Soda Bread Bannocks
• Gluten-Free Bannock Bread

2. Caudle

Caudle is a traditional Beltane recipe similar to custard. It is made with eggs, milk, oatmeal, alcohol, sugar, and spices. The combination of dietary staples (eggs, milk, oats) and luxury foods (alcohol, sugar, spices) set the intention for future prosperity and abundance.

In addition to being enjoyed at Beltane, the Celts would pour some of the custard onto the earth as an offering to the fae and other spirits of the land.

• Caudle
• Spiced Egg Custard
• Instant Pot Crème Brulee
• Roasted Figs in Goat Cheese Custard

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3. Dairy

Dairy was a staple of Beltane feasts and held deep symbolic meaning in Celtic tradition. As the festival marked the beginning of the summer grazing season, fresh milk, butter, and cheese were enjoyed in celebration of the livestock’s fertility and abundance. Offerings of milk and cream were often left for the fae and spirits to ensure their favor.

• Chive Butter
• Garlic Butter Sauce
• Cinnamon Butter
• Floral Compound Butter
• Brown Butter Mixed Berry Crumble Bars
• Vanilla Rose Moon Milk
• Nutmeg Milk
• Rose Latte
• Spiced Vanilla Custard Milk
• Strawberry Toast with Goat Cheese and Balsamic Vinegar

4. Grilled Meats

Roasting meat over an open flame was a natural part of the fire festival’s celebration. Lamb, goat, and beef were among the most traditional choices, symbolizing strength, vitality, and the transition to the warmer months. In some traditions, meat was offered to the fire as a blessing for livestock protection and abundance.

• Flank Steak Marinade
• Pepper-Crusted Roast Beef
• Wagyu Beef Cheeseburger
• Habanero Beef Jerky
• Slow Cooker Beef and Noodles
• Grilled Tomahawk Steak
• Instant Pot Beef Stew
• Roast Beef Tenderloin with Horseradish Sauce
• Goat Masala

5. Seasonal Greens

Fresh spring greens and wild herbs played an important role in Beltane feasts, symbolizing renewal, vitality, and the abundance of the land. Foraged plants like nettles, dandelion greens, wild garlic, and sorrel were eaten to promote health and strength as the seasons changed. Many of these greens were also used in rituals and offerings, honoring the fertile earth and its gifts.

• Roasted Radishes
• Lemon Herb Roasted Asparagus
• Ivy and Crow Garlic Cheese Rolls
• Veggie Pesto Pasta with Zucchini and Asparagus
• Instant Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes
• Air Fryer Artichokes
• Grilled Vegetable Salad

• Wild Garlic Potato Soup
• Wild Ramp Pesto
• Lemon Nettle Tart
• Homemade Pesto
• Parsley Fritters
• Mint and Pea Soup
• Mint Syrup
• Mint Chutney
• Fresh Mint Ice Cream

6. Honey and Mead

Honey was considered a sacred and luxurious food, representing sweetness, prosperity, and the blessings of the land. Mead, a fermented honey wine, was commonly enjoyed during Beltane feasts and celebrations, often shared in ritual toasts to honor the gods, spirits, and the turning of the Wheel of the Year.

• Honey Cake
• Ginger Honey Cake
• Honey Butter Biscuits
• Honey Scones
• Honey Lavender Cookies
• Honey Donuts
• Honey Cherry Crumble Cake
• Mead
• Strawberry Mead

10. Red Fruits

Red foods were highly symbolic at Beltane, representing passion, fertility, and the fire’s energy. Seasonal red fruits like strawberries, raspberries, and rowan berries were eaten or used in ritual offerings, while red meats and fire-roasted foods connected the feast to the sun’s growing power.

• Strawberry Rhubarb Galette
• Strawberry Cupcakes with Vanilla Frosting
• Cherry Pie Bars
• Vegan Cherry Cheesecake
• Cucumber Strawberry Salad
• Easy Raspberry Sauce
• Easy Cherry Sauce
• Frozen Cherry Overnight Oats
• Raspberry Shortcake Popsicles
• Cranachan Trifle
• Strawberry Pie
• Bourbon Cherry Cocktail