Cilantro is prized for its bright, distinctive flavor, but it quickly changes form through a process called “bolting.” Bolting is the plant’s natural shift of energy from producing edible leaves to developing a tall stalk for flowering and setting seed. This survival mechanism is triggered by environmental factors, primarily rising temperatures above 75°F and increasing daylight hours. For cooks and gardeners, the question is whether this change renders the plant useless, or if there is still culinary value to be found once the flowers appear. This life cycle shift fundamentally alters the plant, but it also opens the door to harvesting a different kind of spice.
How Bolting Changes Cilantro Leaf Quality
The moment a cilantro plant begins to bolt, its biochemical composition changes significantly as it prioritizes reproduction over vegetative growth. This shift in energy causes the remaining leaves to rapidly lose their desirable, pungent flavor and instead develop a notably bitter or soapy taste. While the leaves are still safe to consume, their quality for fresh culinary use declines dramatically, making them much less appealing in dishes.
Visually, the leaves also transform from the familiar broad, flat shape to a more delicate, feathery, and needle-like appearance, particularly on the newly formed flower stalk. This change in morphology is accompanied by a tougher texture, which further diminishes the leaves’ utility in fresh preparations like salsa or garnish. Gardeners will also notice the plant becoming sparse and leggy as it shoots upward, concentrating its resources into the central stem instead of maintaining a dense cluster of foliage.
The Next Stage: From Cilantro to Coriander
Bolting transitions the herb from cilantro to the spice known as coriander. Once the central stalk is established, the plant produces clusters of small, lacy, white or light-pink flowers. These blossoms are beneficial to the garden, as they attract a variety of pollinators and beneficial insects, such as hoverflies and ladybugs.
After pollination, the flowers quickly fade and develop into small, round, green seed pods. This immature stage usually occurs within four to six weeks of initial flower formation in warm weather. As the plant continues its life cycle, these green pods will dry out and turn a light brown color, becoming the mature, aromatic coriander seeds used in cooking and baking.
Utilizing and Harvesting the Bolted Plant
Even after bolting, the entire cilantro plant remains fully edible and offers multiple harvesting opportunities beyond just the leaves. The young, immature green seeds, often called green coriander, possess a flavor profile that is a concentrated blend of both the fresh herb and the mature spice. These tender green spheres can be crushed and added to marinades or pickled for a burst of bright, fresh flavor.
To harvest the mature spice, allow the seed pods to fully dry on the plant until they turn brown and the stems begin to brittle. The seed heads can then be snipped and placed in a paper bag to finish drying, allowing the seeds to easily separate from the chaff. Even the flowering stems and roots can be used, as they carry the characteristic cilantro flavor, making them suitable additions to stocks or broths. If the goal is to maintain a continuous supply of fresh leaves, sow new cilantro seeds every few weeks, replacing the bolted plants before the summer heat arrives.