Turn Dandelions Into Honey With This Recipe (2024)

Foraging
American Sides

Peggy Trowbridge Filippone

Peggy Trowbridge Filippone is a writer who develops approachable recipes for home cooks. Her recipes range from Grandma’s favorites to the latest food trends.

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Updated on 02/20/24

Tested by

Carrie Parente

Tested byCarrie Parente

Carrie is a freelance food stylist and culinary producer who loves having a table full of guests.

Learn about The Spruce Eats'Editorial Process

Turn Dandelions Into Honey With This Recipe (2)

Prep: 75 mins

Cook: 90 mins

Steep and Soak: 6 hrs 5 mins

Total: 8 hrs 50 mins

Servings: 16 servings

381 ratings

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Dandelion honey isn't honey made by bees, but rather it is really dandelion syrup made from the flowers and sugar. You're the bee converting flowers into sweet goodness. You can weed those pesky dandelions from your lawn and make a treat from the flowers.

Dandelion honey is a good substitute for honey for vegans or anyone who may have an allergy to traditional bee's honey, with a surprisingly similar flavor. The consistency is thinner than most honey. It has a very similar appearance in color.

If you have a lawn dotted with dandelions and you are sure there haven't been any chemicals applied, you can forage for the flowers. If spring has sprung but the bees aren't yet buzzing enough to make honey, this is a fun seasonal substitute.

Dandelion honey is great on toast, muffins, pancakes, and biscuits. You can use it much as you would use honey in tea and beverages. The tender greens are also good for salads and are tasty cooked with garlic, too. If you find that you really enjoy this process and you have a lot of dandelions in your yard, you can also make dandelion wine and dandelion jelly.

What You'll Need to Make This Dandelion Honey Recipe

A Heavy Saucepan

A Sharp Paring Knife

A Fine Wire Sieve

"Our yard is full of dandelions. So, I went outside and fought off the bees to pick LOTS of dandelion heads. I even got the hubs in on it because the kids are (finally) at school, so he was the only other person at home. Though this wasn't very hard prep, it took A LOT of time." —Carrie Parente

Turn Dandelions Into Honey With This Recipe (6)

A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

4 cups dandelion petals
4 cups water
3 lemon slices (1/4-inch)
1/2vanilla bean, split in half
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar

Steps to Make It

Gather the ingredients.
Soak petals in cold water for five minutes to allow time for any insects to exit, then drain.
Place petals in a heavy saucepan along with water, lemon slices, and vanilla bean.
Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes.
Remove pan from heat and let steep for 6 hours.
Strain dandelion tea through a cheesecloth and discard solids.
Place dandelion tea in a heavy saucepan and bring to a low boil.
Gradually add sugar to boiling liquid while stirring until sugar is dissolved.
Lower heat and let simmer uncovered until it reaches desired syrupy thickness. This may take about 1 hour. It will thicken more as it cools.

Tips

Some cooks leave the flower heads intact, but this can add a bitter note to the honey. It's best to use only the petals and eliminate any green parts.
If you're concerned about who or what was tiptoeing through the dandelions before you picked them, the rinsing and boiling processes should eliminate any lingering bacteria. However, it's best to avoid patches of dandelions that may have been treated with chemicals. Many aren't eliminated by boiling.
Picking the dandelion flowers will keep them from going to seed and propagating more dandelions. That's good news if you want fewer, but bad news if you discover you love dandelion honey and want lots more flowers the next season.
Pick dandelion flowers during the daylight while in full bloom. Remove the petals, then measure the petals only. Discard the center of the flower and the stem.

Recipe Variations

Try using orange slices in place of the lemon slices for a different citrus flavor.
You can add a little bit of fresh herbs such as thyme, sage, bay leaves or lemon verbena to the petal-water mixture. Remove them as soon as you're happy with the level of herbal flavor, before any delicate floral notes get overpowered.

How to Store Dandelion Honey

Store dandelion honey covered in the refrigerator. It should keep for about six months, and it also freezes for longer storage.

Make Your Own Dandelion Wine

Recipe Tags:

honey
breakfast
american
spring

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