Nearly every part of the common dandelion, from its brilliant yellow petals, to its roots have been foraged throughout history for food, drink and medicine.
A rich source of beta-carotene, dandelions are also packed with vitamins and minerals including calcium, iron, potassium and zinc. Young dandelion leaves are fantastic to eat raw and the roots can be roasted, ground and used in place of coffee. Dandelion extract and tincture is used all over the world to treat ailments from high blood pressure and diabetes to liver complaints. Here you can find another 78 edible flowers to forage.
Dandelions are so easy to gather and it’s worth finding out how many ways you can use them. Pick them somewhere that hasn’t been sprayed with herbicides and is not too close to busy roads. Your own garden is probably perfect!
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Give them a quick wash and shake before using to be on the safe side. This recipe is easy for the kids to help with and tastes great. Although it’s called Dandelion Bread, in truth it’s closer to a loaf cake. Not too sweet, it’s delicious spread with honey and maybe topped with a thin slice of cheese.
You’ll need:
- A good handful of clean dandelions to make up around 1 cup
- 2 cups of flour
- 2 tsp of baking powder
- 1 egg
- Pinch of salt
- 1 1/4 cup of milk
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- ½ cup honey
Method:
#1. Cut the yellow part of the flower away from the stem. 
It’s easiest to simply slice across the flower head where the petals meet the green part. It doesn’t matter if you have a little green in there as well.
#2. Pre-heat the oven to 400 F. Place the flour, baking powder and dandelions into a large mixing bowl, together with a pinch of salt and stir lightly.
#3. Next, whisk the oil, egg, milk and honey together until combined.
Add honey. Here are 23 survival uses of honey that you didn’t know about.
#4. Pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients and stir roughly until incorporated but not over-mixed. 
#5. Line a loaf pan with baking parchment and pour the batter into the pan, then bake for 15 minutes before lowing the temperature to 350 F and baking for a further 20 minutes.
#6. Leave the loaf to cool a little in the pan before removing and serving in slices while still just slightly warm. 
The loaf is tastiest served immediately but can be stored in an airtight container for up to 5 days. It’s possible to freeze the loaf, but it’s best to do so while still whole. You can improve the taste and texture of frozen dandelion bread by rewarming it in the oven before serving.
Related: How to Make Homemade Bread in a Can
If you’ve gathered more dandelions than you need, try dipping the heads in pancake batter and frying in a little oil with the heads face down in the pan and the stems in the air. The kids will love them drizzled with honey!
Forget trying to beat the dandelions in your yard; the bees love them and this free foodstuff has the potential to become a valuable, nutritious and delicious part of your diet.
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I am so excited about the dandelion bread recipe as I grow dandelions in my perennial garden and make dandelion honey. I have not made dandelion wine yet but my mother did.
Please pass on the recipe for the wine! I’ve heard so much about it, but have never found any to try.
If you do a google search, you can find a recipe for dandelion wine. I came across one but do not remember the source.
This is my Uncle Cliffs recipe-he would have been 107 this year!
Dandelion Wine
1/2 gallon blooms
2 Oranges
2 Lemons
Cut oranges and lemons into wedges.
Then cut off the peelings and discard or save for other recipes.
Combine blooms and wedges in a stone jar,
Bring 1 gallon of water to hard boil and pour over mixture.
Stir & Cover
Let sit for 24 hours.
Drain Only (do not squeeze)
Add 3 lbs sugar to mixture and stir until sugar is dissolved.
Put in jugs.
Let stand until October.
Bottle using corks ~ but not tight.
This looks like a great recipe! As one who is mostly paleo, and trying to avoid bread, I wonder how dandelions would taste in a veggie egg scramble. I just might have to live dangerously and give it a go, since the dandelions do grow in abundance in my pesticide free lawn (err, perhaps I should say meadow)!
My morning scrambled eggs or omelet almost always include dandelion leaves and chopped root. I have enough dandelion plants that I can harvest some for the roots.
I also tincture the leaves and roots as I believe dandelion to be a gift to us from Nature.
Zephyr, very good to know. Thanks for sharing! I’ll give it a go and report back to you my impressions.
Fresh young Dandelions, picked while still close to the ground barely opened are awesome in scrambled eggs or veggie stir fry’s.
Fantastic! We used to have dandelions all over our farm in Kent, Ilinois and did not know that it had any value.
I love this article on making Dandelion Bread. Just yesterday my girlfriend and I were discussing Dandelions, which she called “WORTHLESS WEEDS” and as much as I attempted to tell her that many so called “weeds” were only a label for many plants that people these days simply fail to understand. So I’m taking great joy in sending this article to her! Haha!
A pity your gf is ignorant of the value of dandelions, but she is certainly not alone. It is insane that so many people poison one of Earth’s most nutritious foods.
Sunhawk, my husband says the same thing. When I was growing up my mom made greens from weeds she gathered. She wilted them with vinegar and spices and bacon grease, they were great. I wish I knew what they were but alas I was too young to remember.
I’m very excited to learn about Dandelions!
I’m sending this recipe to my brother in Puebla, México!
I actually buy dandelions for my lactating animals. Works for humans too. My next home will have a dandelion patch. Humans have been picking for salad as it is usually the first fresh green after winter.
I definitely have to try this recipe! I have more dandelions in my yard than blades of grass, and I know the neighbors hate them. I can’t see killing them with pesticides because I don’t like pesticides, and the bees need them. I don’t like to eat dandelions alone, but the bread seems like a great alternative.
I have not done it in yrs. but during the summer we would collect them and make Dandelion wine out of the flowers and stems. Excellent , we also made elder flower wine both good for stomach aches.
as a child we gathered dandelion greens and steam like any other greens for a vegie and if you like cut up a boiled egg or two in with the greens. During the depression we enjoyed having them for extra veggies.
have been using dandelions for years, since the early 70’s. I am still dumbfounded by the number of people that consider them “worthless weeds”. I used my dried and roasted dandelion root tea to cure my Crohns disease. 3-4 cups a day for about 8 months and I was symptom free. it beat the alternative of having to use a “bag” for the rest of my life
that’s awesome Steve!
I have read about natural healing with food but dismissed it to someone wanting to make money writing books. I would very much like to know how to dry and roast the roots.I know people think you simply dig them up, lay them out to dry and then put them in your oven to roast. But there has to be more than that.
Steve, I would love the recipe you used for the tea. I have a brother in law with Crohn’s, and I’m sure he would be willing to try it
could i have your recipe for Dandelion tea please.
What does dandelion bread taste like? And, what does dandelion wine taste like?
I am trying to find out information on a plant that I have growing. the plant is called Hajo Santa can you give me information on this plant.
Made this recipe today – May 16, 2018. It was a lovely light texture, and was a super easy make. Unfortunately it lacked some flavour, mostly tasting of honey. I would add personally, more dandelions, and walnuts for an extra kick.
Not to be the party pooper, but I recently purchased some dandelion tea that was in the health food section of a local market.
It was a bit too earthy for my tastes. In other words, it tasted as if I had eaten a turnip that had not had all the dirt washed off it. YMMV
However, under survival circumstances, a little dirt isn’t all that bad. During the starvation by the Russians of the Kazakhstan region in the 30s and 40s, many people were compelled to eat handfuls of dirt in order to stave off hunger pangs.
I wish! It’s hard to get chicory to grow here. Sounds interesting, tho. niio
in France many people raise them in there garden, look in inter net for French danderlion seed. last i bought were about $3 for a pkg. ive used them in the pass in wine, fritters n bread n roasted root n made a tea.