Making sweet honey-flavored jelly is as easy as picking a few weeds and cooking up the yellow blossoms…into Dandelion Jelly. Yes, really!
This recipe was originally published in 2014 – and has become our most popular recipe. I’ve updated the post with new photos and retested the recipe to make certain it comes out just right. Please try it!
Here are the reasons you MUST make Dandelion Jelly:
- Fun: The funnest (I know it’s not a word) recipe I’ve ever made!
- Green thumb not needed: Even urban dwellers can find dandelions growing…somewhere.
- Try our foraging: No fear that you might get a deadly dose of a poisonous plant. Dandelions are easy to identify.
- Farm to table: Taking a product from farm (or lawn) to table is rewarding to do with your kids.
- Surprisingly easy: Almost as easy as finding dandelions.
- Sweet honey flavor: This Dandelion Jelly tastes EXACTLY like honey. After all, bees take nectar from dandelions to make honey – in this recipe, you just steep nectar-rich petal, add sugar, a little lemon and you’ve got Dandelion Jelly.
Each spring, as the first dandelions pop up on lawn, I’m somewhat enchanted by this lovely recipe header from my cookbook Cider Beans, Wild Greens, and Dandelion Jelly by Joan E. Aller (a gift from Deanna.) “Dandelions are not weeds…According to the USDA, dandelions are more nutritious than broccoli or spinach…They have a delicate flavor and are still enjoyed in southern Appalachian dishes today…from wine to jellies to greens.”
This year I finally made the jelly – and really, it was as easy as picking a few blossoms, steeping them, adding sugar and cooking for 5 minutes. I actually used the recipe in the book only as a starting point and changed all parts of the recipe including the ingredient amounts and instructions (my recipe below.) I shared it with several friends, including a 75-year old neighbor who brought over his rototiller to plow up a garden patch for me. (I’m beyond excited to finally have an official 5-foot x 12-foot garden. Now CAN I keep it weeded??)
All my tasters (including my 9-year-old’s little friends who helped me pick dandelions) had the same response: “It tastes just like honey!”
PrintHow to Make Dandelion Jelly: Cooking With Weeds
Forage for dandelions, then make this easy Dandelion Jelly.
- Yield: 5 half-pint jars 1x
Ingredients
3 cups packed very fresh dandelion blossoms – from unsprayed plants! (about 4 oz)
4 cups water
4 cups sugar (don’t use less)
1 box powdered pectin for less sugar recipes
2 tablespoons bottled lemon juice (fresh lemons have varying acidity – so use bottled)
1 drop yellow food coloring if desired (without this coloring is a bit more greenish)
Instructions
- Using your thumb fingernail, cut and pluck the yellow blossom out of the tiny green leaves holding it. (Your thumb will get sticky and the flower will separate into petals.) Remove as much of the green as possible because green is bitter and turns the jelly green; I had just a tiny bit of green on almost each blossom. (See photo below.) By now, your blossoms will weigh about 2.35 oz.
- In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil. Add half the blossoms, stir. Cover. Turn off water and steep for 20 minutes. Using a fine mesh strainer, strain out and gently push on blossoms to remove some of the water. Add the same dandelion water back to saucepan and bring to a boil. Add remaining blossoms; cover. Steep 15 minutes. Strain out blossoms, pressing to remove water.
- Measure steeping liquid to 3 cups; add sugar, pectin, lemon juice and (optional) food coloring and bring to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Boil for 1 minute, then skim off foam with a wooden spoon.
- Pour into hot sterilized half-pint jars leaving 1/4-inch headspace and store in the refrigerator – or process according to canner manufacturer’s instructions.
Notes
This recipe does not gel to thick jelly. It is the consistency of honey – which we like – as we use it just like honey. If you want it to gel to thick jelly, add an additional 1/2 cup sugar, for a total of 4 1/2 cups.
Tastes like honey! Impossibly easy to make: How to Make Dandelion Jelly via @TspCurry Click To Tweet
Have you ever foraged for your food? What about dandelion greens – might you eat them in a salad? I ate these above – when small and tender they have only a slightly bitter bite.
Mmm I’m going to have to try this!
Gemma Critchley recently posted..Reviewing the Clean 9 diet
Let me know how it turns out Gemma! It really is a sweet, slightly floral taste …like nothing else – but honey!
I’m so impressed!
I will never likely be this brave, but impressed nonetheless! Serena… you never stop amazing me 🙂
Bravery doesn’t have a lot to do with it…it’s more like I have too many cookbooks!
How fun is this?! Love it! I never knew you could make dandelion jelly, but I have made dandelion greens pizza before 🙂 This would definitely be a fun project to do with the kids. Have fun with your garden!!!
EA Stewart recently posted..What I Ate Wednesday, RD Edition at The Spicy RD #WIAWRD
Thanks EA! One thing I didn’t put in the post was how excited my daughters’ dandelion ‘harvesting’ friends were to try the jelly…they were jump-up-and-down excited.
What a fun and neat idea! Today I learned that “dandelions are more nutritious than broccoli or spinach” – wow!
Shashi recently posted..Healthy Chocolate Scones!
Kinda fun fact to impress all your friends, right Shashi?! (:
Headed over to check out your Chocolate Scones…Hello!
i’m totally fascinated! i love making jelly but would have never thought of dandelions…. i wonder what other “weeds” would make a nice jelly!!?
gretchen | kumquat recently posted..Grilled BCT Sandwich
Gretchen, try using wild violets! So very sweet and yummy!
I just made some from redbuds, it’s very tasty and a beautiful color! Thanks for your recipe!!
Jodie that is SUCH a great idea. Now I have to try that too! Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know. It totally makes my day!
Quick question: For the second round of petals, are you re-boiling and re-using the original steeping water? Or are you using more, fresh water and making another batch of the dandelion-steeped water??
Lee- For the second round, use the same dandelion-steeped water from the first batch of petals. You want to concentrate as much flavor as possible! Let me know if you make it and how it turns out!! We’re still waiting for dandelions to pop up this year…then will be making another batch!
Made this last year, and in the process of making it again! LOVE IT!!
Thanks for letting me know Kirstin! (And for disclosure – you are no relation to me! 🙂 We have no dandelions yet here – but I’ll be making as soon as they pop up!
So, this was different than the recipe I used last year. This is way more bitter than what I was expecting. I assume it’s from the extended steeping of the petals. It’s good jelly, but I prefer to have mine sweeter.
Thanks for the feedback Kirstin! I’ll bet your flowers may have been more mature than mine? I used very new blossoms. That’s a good reminder for me this year – when I make it. If my blossoms are older, I’ll do the straining only once. To sweeten your jelly now, you can always mix in a bit of honey when serving.
I’ve never heard of dandelion jelly before – this is such a creative recipe!
Dandelion jelly! I NEVER thought about this. This jelly would give you the health benefits of dandelions as well as a nice tasty spring-time meal.
I will be cooking this up, as well as sharing it out to my readers, thank-you so much!
Kevin recently posted..Harvest Dandelions and How to Store Them
Thanks for taking the time to comment Kevin! And i’ll be checking out your post for how to store dandelions. I’ve frozen the blossoms til I have enough to make the jelly…but maybe you have another idea!
Serena, I’m so thrilled you shared this dandelion jelly recipe! As a herbal medicine student, I’ve been learning so much about the health benefits of dandelions. I made a similar dandelion syrup a while ago, but I didn’t use pectin so it didn’t gel – I’m going to try that next time! It’s such a fun activity with the kids, hey? 🙂
Kyra @ Vie De La Vegan recently posted..Passionfruit Pumpkin Pie & Chickpea Shortbread Crust
How interesting to hear about your dandelion syrup experience, Kyra. Honestly I don’t know a lot about the health benefits of dandelions – but here’s the thing, dandelions have to fight off a lot of other plant predators. And usually plants that have a lot of predators contain lots of antioxidants as their ‘defense mechanisms’ – thus the bitter taste of dandelion greens. I’ll keep reading…and you keep experimenting …and we’ll report back. Deal? (:
My first batch didn’t thicken even though I followed the instructions as printed. Second batch used my normal way( Bluebook) and it thickened nicely.
Am recooking first batch to see what happens.
Will make another batch using the Bluebook method.
Tastes like the honey you said it would. Thanks!
Thanks so much for letting me know Anna. It is a fickle recipe, Anna. I made it again last week and it got to the thickness of honey – which is what it tastes like – so it was rather fitting. What steps did you do differently to get it to make it thicken? I’d love to know!
Instead of adding all the ingredients at one time, I added the sugar last and then cooked for one minute.
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Wow! This is definitely the most unique recipe I’ve seen in a while. Love the idea of making something with ingredients you’ve foraged youself.
I didn’t know that dandelion is edible! This is an enlightening post, Serena! I will definitely give this jelly a try!
Agness of Run Agness Run recently posted..‘Barefoot Running’ – Silly Craze or the Future of Running?
Thanks so much for stopping by Agness! I would love to hear about your Dandelion Jelly results when you get a chance.
Thank you for the wonderful recipe. I am however surprised at your recommendation to use yellow food colouring???? Yellow food colouring is the worst, especially for children. You should ssseriously take a look at this.
Saffron will also add a nice tint without the bad side effects. I will supplement the sugar with unrefined coconut sugar so the colour will be more brown anyway.
Your thoughts?
Thanks for visiting Brigitta. The yellow food coloring is totally optional. And I figure one drop (and really that is all I needed for the entire batch of 5 jars!) is totally fine for my kids. But I do really love your idea of using saffron! Next time I’ll try that. I will try adding the saffron when I steep the second batch of dandelion petals. I’ll bet it will add a bit of earthy flavor and I’m afraid it might cover a bit of the lovely floral nectar flavor – and I may need to add a bit more sugar. But it would be fun to try.
Hi thanks for sharing this recipe! What kind of tricks can you use/do to get the recipe to thicken? Mine didn’t thicken at all 🙁 I followed exactly what it said. I’d like to open the jars back up and try to fix it but I’m not sure how!
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I’m so sorry it wasn’t what you were expecting Tiffany. But I greatly appreciate you letting me know – I always want my recipes to be even better than expected – especially when you went to the work of picking all those dandelions! I mention in the Recipe Notes that for a thicker consistency, use 4 1/2 cups sugar. But if you want to reprocess your current batch, you should be able to add 1 cup more of sugar and bring to a boil, then boil 1-2 minutes. Let me know how it turns out!
The problem some people had with getting the jelly to gel (thicken) almost certainly has to do with adding the pectin. It is CRUCIAL that the pectin be SLOWLY mixed into warm (not boiling!) liquid until fully dissolved, brought to a full boil (briefly), THEN you add the sugar. Adding the sugar and pectin at the same time does not allow for the pectin to hydrate, negating its effects. If in doubt, just read the general directions on the pectin box or package.
Totally going to try this. Thanks you for sharing!
You are very welcome Serena! Please note that my advice above about the proper point to add your pectin only pertains to the use of reduced-sugar pectins. If you are using the traditional (high sugar) pectin, or liquid pectin, then you should follow the advice given on the packages of those particular pectins.
Also, be aware that when using reduced-sugar pectins, if you batch does not turn out properly gelled, there is no way to “re-work” the jelly by adding more pectin and recooking it — once you add the full amount of sugar, there is no going back, and no way to salvage the batch. That is just inherent in the chemistry of these kind of pectins.
Thank you. This is very interesting and helpful.
I’m so dumb!!! I totally forgot to add the pectin!!! I’ve already jarred and had them in the fridge for a few hours.. anyway to save it?? Or should I toss. And try again tomorrow!?
What i do have tastes great though! Lol
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That’s something I’d do with a million thins going on! (:
You should be able to remove from the fridge, start at step #3 and proceed! Remember the final jelly product is not super thick. So if you want it thicker, you can just boil it down first, then add the pectin, then boil for 1 minute, then pour into CLEANED jars.
It is absolutely wonderful 🙂 I love it !!
Thanks Dorothy! We’re so glad you stopped by. Come back to visit! (:
After I steeped mine it was green and I took care to keep the green leaves out . What did I do wrong
Well the important thing is: how did it taste Patty?! You did nothing wrong! (: As I mentioned in the ‘Ingredients’ list, the jelly is more green-hued; to make it more yellow, it really needs that 1 drop of yellow food coloring mentioned in ‘Ingredients’.
I was hesitant at first, but now i’m a believer. I don’t know if it going to set up to jelly or not, but it’s delicious!!!if i don’t stop “taste-testing” the one I am leaving out, it will be empty before i know if it turns to jelly!! Thank you!
Oh! Thanks so much for letting me know Cloie. It totally makes my day. Isn’t fun how much it tastes like honey?!
Can this be frozen to keep for longer time?
Absolutely. This jelly freezes beautifully. I’ve kept it for over a year in a chest freezer (because I forgot about it!)
This is fabulous!!! Tastes just like honey with a touch of lemon. I used regular pectin. I used a candy thermometer and let it reach 225 degrees, boiled 1 minute. Thinner than regular jelly, but hubby loves it ,puts it in his oatmeal. I also made this recipe using some organic mint tea i needed to use up and it turned out fabulous as well.still thin. But thanks Alan, i now know what i must do.
Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know Paula! That’s a great idea to make mint tea jelly!
Do you know if this can be frozen for longer storage?
Thanks
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Yes! The jelly can absolutely be frozen. I’ve frozen in the jelly jars – just make certain there is enough headspace (room at the top of the jar) for the jelly to expand with freezing. Leave about 3/4-inch headspace. Thanks for visiting Alex!
This looks similar to the dandelion syrup we make every year. We don’t add food coloring or pectin. All we do is add sugar, the juice of a lemon and a pinch of cloves. It’s so good, very much like a vegan honey. Here’s our recipe: http://magicalchildhood.com/life/2018/02/15/how-to-make-dandelion-syrup/
I love the addition of the cloves Alicia! And you’re right – this does taste like honey. Thanks so much for sharing. (:
Have you tried freezing this jelly? Do you think it would be ok?
Rebecca – I have not tried it, but freezing it should work fine. Just make sure you leave at least 1/2-inch headroom between the top of the liquid and the lid to allow for expansion of the liquid when freezing. And let me know how it works!
This year is my first for using Dandelions for more than greens or for a pretty flower salad topping, and I went through a couple of recipes and settled on yours with a little bit of other recipes and my knowledge, we’ll see! We’ve cooked the leaves like you would greens in the past, but this year a friend told me get family makes sure to get the small bit of flower “crown” that’s just below the surface before the flowers come up at all, it’s the best part she said! You want to dig them up before anything but that one deep in the dirt flower shows. I dug up a small boat load to make capers from the hard young buds, fresh they remind me of cauliflower a bit, and they are good capered it turns out! Plus I roasted some of the root to try as a tea or coffee replacement and weirdly it does actually taste a little like coffee and was good with sugar and cream and done like a mocha. This one “weed” is even more amazing than I ever knew.
I did make Fireweed jelly once (I live in AK) and while it was okay it really just tasted like sweet pink jelly. I’m also going to try making wild rose petal jelly and spruce tip jelly… Wish me luck!
Oh my goodness! Thank you for all this fun info Sarah! You are amazing to make capers from the young buds. I would love to learn how to do that. And I’m headed to SC this weekend – maybe I can find some Fireweed – just to see what it looks like. I’ll bet that pink jelly was beautiful! And wow, spruce tip jelly: what fun! Bet that would be amazing to make cocktails!