Bitterness is one of the essential flavors in our taste palette, and lots of bitter foods are especially healthy. However, you might find bitter tastes off-putting or have a dish that you accidentally added too much bitterness to. Don’t worry, you’re in luck! There are lots of tricks and strategies to mask or counteract bitter flavors and help you enjoy whatever meal is in front of you.
StepsMethod 1Method 1 of 10:Balance out bitterness with some fat.
03COMING SOON1Fat naturally masks bitter tastes and makes them more palatable. This is why adding some milk or cream to coffee makes it taste better. Try using a cream sauce, milk, fatty cheese, olive oil, or similar fatty ingredients to help cover bitter tastes.XThis is a great trick to get kids to eat more bitter vegetables like broccoli, brussels sprouts, or cabbage. Add some cheese or cheese sauce to their veggies and they won’t notice the bitterness.XMethod 2Method 2 of 10:Cover the flavor with sweetness.
01COMING SOON1Who doesn’t love some sweetness in their food? Again, think about coffee—there’s a reason we like sweetening it a bit. The sweetness naturally covers bitter tastes. Throw a pinch of sugar or some honey into bitter foods and drinks to enhance the flavor a bit.XPairing bitter tastes with sugar or chocolate also makes a unique dessert flavor.Don’t overdo it with the sugar! The American Heart Association recommends having no more than 25-36 g of sugar per day for good health, so watch how much you’re using and don’t exceed that limit.XTrustworthy SourceAmerican Heart AssociationLeading nonprofit that funds medical research and public educationGo to sourceMethod 3Method 3 of 10:Sprinkle some salt over your food.25COMING SOON1A pinch of salt makes everything better, including bitter foods. The saltiness naturally counteracts the bitterness, so don’t be shy about using a bit of salt in meals that are too bitter.XThis is an especially good trick if you’re cooking bitter vegetables, like with roasted broccoli or brussels sprouts. Toss them in some olive oil and salt before cooking to introduce new flavors.XJust like with sugar, you have to watch your salt intake to maintain good health. The recommended salt intake per day is 2,300 mg, or just about 1/2 tsp.XTrustworthy SourceCenters for Disease Control and PreventionMain public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human ServicesGo to sourceMethod 4Method 4 of 10:Try a pinch of baking soda.
14COMING SOON1This might sound a little weird, but it works! Baking soda is very alkaline, which is a good way to correct overly bitter dishes. Sprinkle just a pinch into your food and mix it in well to see if that helps.XThis is a good trick for if you’re cooking and realize that you added too much of a bitter ingredient. Mix in a pinch of baking soda before the dish is done to fix that.Be very careful not to add more than a pinch or two! Any more than that and your food won’t taste very good.Method 5Method 5 of 10:Squeeze in some vinegar or lemon juice.
07COMING SOON1Sour, acidic tastes like these naturally counteract bitterness. Try squeezing some fresh lemon juice or adding a spoonful of vinegar to bitter dishes to neutralize the flavor a bit.XUsing acidic or sour dressings is a great way to enhance the taste of bitter vegetables in your salads like kale, radishes, or arugula.If you make a mistake and add too much vinegar or lemon juice to a dish, some baking soda can help fix that flavor too by eliminating the acid.XMethod 6Method 6 of 10:Add some spice to your foods.19COMING SOON1Good news for spice lovers! Spices mask bitter flavors, so don’t be shy. Add some spicy peppers or powders to your cooking, or sprinkle some onto your dishes for a little bit of extra heat.XBlack pepper in particular has compounds that counteract bitterness.Some other great spices include cayenne, red pepper, paprika, and chili powder.Method 7Method 7 of 10:Cook with herbs to cut through the bitter taste.
08COMING SOON1Herbs distract you from bitterness by activating other taste receptors. Mix some basil, coriander, sage, and rosemary into your cooking for great, bitter-free flavors.XMixing fresh herbs into a stir-fry or roasted dish adds a whole new flavor element to your cooking.You can also get dried herbs like basil, ginger, and oregano to sprinkle onto your meals. These last a lot longer than fresh varieties.Method 8Method 8 of 10:Chill the food to reduce bitterness.
02COMING SOON1If you don’t mind eating cold food, this is the choice for you. It’s a fact that colder food and drinks are less bitter, which is why you might find iced tea or coffee easier to drink. Try leaving bitter meals in the fridge before eating them to see if that improves the flavor.XThis is a good trick for bitter vegetables. Leave them in the fridge for a few hours to cool off before eating them.You could also combine this with other tricks, like adding some salt or fat to the meal.Method 9Method 9 of 10:Mix bitter ingredients into larger dishes.
01COMING SOON1When in doubt, just cover the bitter tastes. Make dishes with lots of different ingredients and only add in a little bit of the bitter ones. This should mask the bitter flavors while still allowing you to get all the health benefits from bitter foods.XSome non-bitter foods include beans, carrots, corn, eggplant, lettuce, and potatoes. Try hiding some bitter foods in a dish with these ingredients.XThis trick works well with salads. You could mix bitter ingredients like arugula with more neutral tastes like romaine. Top the salad with a lemon vinaigrette to mask the bitterness even more.Method 10Method 10 of 10:Eat more bitter foods to get used to them.
18COMING SOON1You can actually teach your body what kinds of foods to like. If you just keep eating bitter foods, you’ll eventually desensitize yourself to bitter tastes. It might not seem fun right now, but it can make a big difference in the long term!XThis is a good strategy because some other tricks to make bitter food taste better, like adding sugar or fat, aren’t the healthiest. This would help you eat bitter foods without adding other ingredients.
