The Popular Recipe So Tasty It Can Bring On A Marriage Proposal

How to make it as well as other love potions for Valentine's Day.

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Published February 02, 2024
illustration of dining table with food and love potions, recipe, marriage proposals
María Jesús Contreras

Sure, traditional dating and seduction methods are all fine and good.

But if you want to up the ante, you’re going to need a love potion. Meghan Markle allegedly used one to get Prince Harry to propose. And even Emily Blunt — the Devil Wears Prada actress — fired up a love potion to get John Krasinski down on one knee. So, if it’s good enough for them...

Here are a few tried and true love potions for this holiday and beyond.

Ina Garten’s Engagement Roast Chicken

One of Glamour magazine’s fashion editors passed this recipe down to her assistant and it led to an instant proposal. Three more Glamour women followed it with the same result. Ina Garten tinkered with it — and Engagement Chicken was born. Legend has it that this dish was responsible for Prince Harry's proposal, John Krasinski’s proposal and many others. Garten joked on social media after the royal engagement, “Congratulations to Prince Harry and Meghan! I always knew roast chicken had magic powers!!”

You’ll be in the kitchen for a little over an hour and it’ll leave the house smelling divine.

Love Dust

Max Turk, a "Jewish queer human" who studied medicine and botanicals before starting her apothecary line called Roots & Crowns, created Love Dust, a blend of eight aphrodisiac herbs that can be sipped with hot water or added to a cocktail. The desired result: An increase in sexual desire and mild euphoria.

The recipe is based on ingredients linked with an increased libido. The herbs in Love Dust include Shatavari and maca, which have been found to boost your sex drive; muira puama which increases your sexual desire; damiana which boosts stimulation and cacao which increases your serotonin and dopamine levels (and tastes good!).

Damiana

This ancient love potion dates back to 300 BC when the Maya civilization used it, and even 1100 BC when the Aztecs dipped their fingers into it. Damiana looks innocent. It’s a small yellow flower with green leaves that tends to grow in the Southwest, Mexico and parts of Africa. The leaves were made into a drink with added sugar, resulting in an increased sex drive. Damiana was even in the National Formulary (NF), established by the American Pharmaceutical Association in 1888, and some women have also used it in tea to help with infertility and hormonal issues.

Infuse 1-2 teaspoons of damiana in boiling water for 5 minutes. Add honey and lemon juice if desired.

Oysters

Oysters contain zinc, which is linked with sexual function — a single oyster has 5.5 mg of zinc, equal to half of the recommended daily amount for men and more than half for women. They also contain D-aspartic acid, which has been found to have a role in boosting testosterone production. Apparently, the French lover Casanova ate 50 oysters daily to keep up his stamina. And the Roman Emperor Aulus Vitellius was rumored to have eaten 1,200 oysters at dinner in 69 AD.

Toss raw oysters over ice, add some horseradish and slurp away. There is no official guideline for how many should do the trick, but about a dozen seems like a good amount.

Asparagus

The idea of asparagus may not initially have you running to the bedroom or getting down on one knee — but it truly is an aphrodisiac. This vegetable is very high in Vitamin E, so cook some up for an unsuspecting partner, and he’ll reportedly have a sudden increase in blood and oxygen *ahem* down there. Asparagus is also very high in potassium, which increases the production of sex hormones. Together, it’s a perfect combo.

Gently sauté your asparagus in chicken stock for a few minutes until the asparagus has softened. If you really want to achieve maximum results, serve alongside Ina Garten’s Engagement Chicken!

What's on YOUR menu for Valentine's Day dinner? Let us know in the comments below. 

Danielle Braff is a Chicago-based writer who knows how to find the heart (and humor) in everyday life. When she’s not reporting or crafting smart, relatable stories, she’s juggling life with her husband, two daughters, two cats, and one very lucky dog. A devoted traveler, lifelong reader, and unapologetic ice-cream enthusiast, Danielle brings curiosity, empathy, and joy to everything she writes. Discover more of her work at www.Daniellebraff.com.