Cooking with Dandelions (Dandelion Recipes)

Have you ever cooked with dandelions before? This post covers a collection of Dandelion Recipes that are a great way to utilize the plant. There’s even an EBook with even more information and lots of recipes you can’t find on the site!

Gone are the days of treating dandelions like a pesky weed to get rid of. Now you can put these plants to use in your cooking! Dandelion roots, flowers, and leaves can all be used in recipes.

Instead of killing off dandelions sprayed with pesticides, check out these tasty recipes and harvest dandelions to eat. You’ll love cooking with the unique and distinct bitter flavor of dandelions, and they’re a great source of vitamins and minerals.

And if you can’t get enough of growing and harvesting your own food, check out this guide on how to Grow Enough Food for a Year!

Why Cook with Dandelions?

If someone tells you that dandelions are merely a weed, don’t believe them. And whatever you do, don’t spray those dandelions with chemicals to get rid of them!

Dandelions are not weeds – they are edible and delicious. Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) is a plant that you’ll find all over the Northern Hemisphere. Dandelion flowers have a distinct yellow color, which makes them easy to spot. Cook with the flowers, leaves, and roots to infuse dishes with a slightly bitter and tangy flavor that’s not unlike spinach.

You can use dandelions to make a healthy side dish, to infuse things like dandelion jelly, dandelion honey, vinegar, dandelion syrup, and even ice cream! Once you get a taste of this versatile plant, you’ll wonder why you’ve been pulling and killing them all these years. Next time you spot a dandelion blossom, pick it and bring it home with you.

Want to start cooking with dandelions? Take a look at my ebook – Delicious Dandelions: A Recipe Collection.

 

Health Benefits of Dandelion

The health benefits of the lowly dandelion are quite astounding – take a look at just some of the vitamins, minerals and nutrients found in these plants. Read about just how good Dandelion Greens are for you to be eating! Dandelion blossoms contain lots of nutritious components like calcium, vitamin A, vitamin C, and more.

Historically, dandelions have been used for purposes like liver detoxification, healing skin problems, and fighting fever, among others. You can even make a dandelion salve to soothe aching joints and muscles.

Best of all, they are free! And they are probably in your yard every Spring.

I spent years (in the distant past) spraying my lawn to get rid of weeds and this included dandelions. What on earth was I thinking? That was when I was doing everything I could to have a beautiful lawn – you know, one that is green and lush. That was before I realized just how bad it is to be spraying chemicals to get rid of those weeds.

Now, I don’t even want a beautiful lush green lawn. I want a lawn that is healthy enough that it crowds out those weeds. But I do want some dandelion petals. And since we never use chemicals here on anything growing, I know I can safely pick those dandelions and start cooking with them!

 

Dandelion Recipes

I’ve put together a bunch of Dandelion recipes, all in one new ebook. Here’s just some of the recipes included:

• Dandelion Stir Fry
• Dandelion Cookies (yummy!)
• Fried Dandelion Roots
• Dandelion Fritters

And yes, I have also included our Dandelion Jelly and even one of our other favourites, Dandelion Wine!

But there are more recipes that don’t appear on our website. So grab the book!

Wondering just how to use the root of the Dandelion? There’s a recipe for that!

So when Dandelions are blooming in your yard, grab a shovel and dig in. Then use every single part of the plant for cooking. If you enjoy foraging for wild foods, you will also enjoy this recipe book.

For some other ideas, you can make dandelion cupcakes or even dandelion root coffee for a caffeine free alternative. For a simple side dish, make sautéed dandelion greens by cooking the leaves in some extra virgin olive oil (or homemade dandelion oil!) and about a teaspoon of salt. You can even pickle unopened dandelion buds to make homemade capers.

The possibilities when it comes to dandelion cuisine go on and on, so be sure to check out the EBook to learn how to use these flowers in the kitchen.

 

What Flavors Pair Well with Dandelion?

Because of their distinct texture and somewhat bold flavor that balances bitter and tangy, there are a number of ways you can soften the sharpness of dandelions and use them to enhance other flavors. Overall, you’ll get the best results when your dandelion leaves are young and tender, much like with other greens.

• Make a salad with cheese and sweet, fresh fruits to balance the dandelion flavor. You can use dandelion greens as a way to enhance just about any salad and add some more natural greens. Any citrusy dressing or other ingredients work wonders for counteracting the bitter flavor.
• Cook your dandelion greens in oil, butter, or even leftover bacon grease.
• Pair cooked dandelion greens with ingredients like Parmesan cheese and pine nuts.
• White beans like cannellini or navy beans pair well with dandelion greens.
• Cooked dandelion greens can be added to dishes like pasta or even eggs for breakfast as a way to incorporate additional nutrition and unique flavor. Dandelion greens are also a fantastic add-on to soups.
• Employ ingredients like garlic, ginger, black pepper, and lemon juice to enhance the taste of dandelion.

 

Grab your copy of Delicious Dandelions: A Recipe Collection today!

 

More Recipes You’ll Enjoy

Love cooking with home-grown ingredients? Try one of these other recipes that features fresh and organic produce.

• How to Roast Garlic with Oil – Turn home grown garlic into a delicious and flavorful delicacy by roasting in oil. Perfect for garlic lovers and a great way to ensure your garlic goes to good use!
• Homemade Chunky Salsa – You’ll love this flavorful salsa bursting with classic and fresh ingredients that you can grow in your own garden, buy from the farmer’s market, or find at the store.
• No Cook Strawberry Jam – A secret ingredient makes it so easy to make this strawberry jam without any cooking. Take your freshly harvested strawberries and turn them into a delicious jam that you can use for toast, as a topping for desserts, and more.
• Guide to Preserving Food – Not sure yet how you want to use all of your homegrown produce? Take a look at this guide on how to preserve food so you can safely store it until you’re ready to cook.
• Growing a Salad Garden – This helpful post from Savvy Gardening will teach you everything you need to know about growing all of the veggies you’ll need for the perfect garden salad!

 

originally published 2017; latest update April, 2023