Skip to content

Preserving

Dandelion Honey

May 5, 2026•Traci Cornelius
Dandelion Honey

A golden spring flower syrup with lemon & fresh vanilla

There is something rather lovely about turning something growing freely in the grass into jars of golden sweetness for the kitchen.

I’ve made dandelion honey before and it remains one of my favourite little foraging treats.

Is it quick?

Absolutely not. 

Sitting and separating around 200 dandelion flower heads is definitely one of those jobs that makes you question your life choices somewhere around flower number 87.

But is it worth it?

100%.

Dandelion honey has a beautiful floral sweetness and my version uses lemon and fresh vanilla. Once it has slowly reduced into that gorgeous deep golden syrup, all the fiddly preparation suddenly feels completely justified.

And there is something incredibly satisfying about looking at a jar on the kitchen shelf and knowing that just a short while ago its main ingredient was growing wild outside.

leaf motifAt a glance

KEY DETAILS FOR THIS RECIPE

 

SEASON:  Spring

MAKES:  Several jars

DIFFICULTY:  Easy but time-consuming

TIME:  30 mins + steeping and reducing

BEST FOR:  Toast, pancakes, yoghurt

TYPE:  Foraged syrup

What is dandelion honey?

Despite the name, dandelion honey isn’t honey as honey is made by bees.

This is a syrup made by steeping dandelion flowers in water, usually with citrus, before straining the liquid and slowly reducing it with sugar.

The result is a thick, beautifully coloured syrup that looks and behaves very much like runny honey.

Because it contains no actual honey, it can also be a lovely plant-based alternative for anyone who doesn’t eat bee honey.

Dandelions

Why make it?

Quite simply, because dandelions are everywhere at this time of year.

We can become so accustomed to seeing certain plants that we stop really noticing them. Dandelions are one of those.

They pop up in lawns, verges and gardens every spring and are so often dismissed as weeds.

But they’re also edible.

Learning to look at what is already growing around us and ask “Can I use this?” rather than automatically heading to a shop is something I’m increasingly drawn to.

There is also something about seasonal food that makes it feel more special. You can’t wander outside in December and gather a bowl full of fresh dandelion flowers.

This is a spring job. And I rather like that rhythm.

What’s in dandelions?

Dandelions are one of those plants that are so versatile, the leaves, flowers and roots are all traditionally used in food and herbal preparations. The plant contains naturally occurring compounds including flavonoids and other phenolic compounds, and different parts of the plant have been used in traditional herbal practice for generations.

For me, that is part of what makes dandelions so interesting. I don’t just use the flowers for this syrup. I also dry the flowers and the roots for tea, and use them in tinctures too.

 

So while this dandelion honey is very much a sweet seasonal treat, it sits within a much bigger picture of learning how useful one simple plant can be.

Nutritional Notes

The leaves are particularly nutrient-dense. Per 100g, raw dandelion greens provide around 45 calories, 3.5g fibre, 187mg calcium, 3.1mg iron, 397mg potassium and 35mg vitamin C. They are also especially rich in vitamin K, vitamin A compounds such as beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin, along with smaller amounts of magnesium, phosphorus, folate, vitamin E and several B vitamins.

The flowers are useful in their own right too. Research has identified a wide range of flavonoids in dandelion flowers and in foods made from them, including syrups and tinctures. Other studies have also found polyphenols and antioxidant activity in both the flowers and leaves.

The root contains a different profile again and has a long history of use in herbal preparations. Dandelion as a whole has traditionally been used as both food and herbal medicine. 

And this is one of the reasons I like using as much of the plant as I can. I make dandelion honey from the flowers, dry the flowers and roots for tea and also use the roots in tinctures.

And don’t forget the leaves. Young dandelion leaves can be added straight into salads, especially in spring when they are still tender. They have a slightly bitter flavour, which is lovely mixed with milder leaves rather than used on their own.

Before you start

Only gather what you can confidently identify

Dandelions are wonderfully distinctive but as with any foraging, don’t eat a plant unless you’re certain of its identification.

Think about where you’re picking

Choose flowers from a clean area that you know hasn’t been treated with herbicides or pesticides, I was fortunate enough to visit a field at my friends farm.

Avoid busy roadsides and places frequently used by dogs!

Leave plenty behind

I’m gathering around 200 flowers for this batch but I’m not stripping one area.

Dandelions are an important early food source for pollinators, so I spread my picking around and leave plenty of flowers behind.

And then comes the fun part…

Preparing the dandelions

This is where the lengthy but worth it warning comes in.

Give the flower heads a gentle shake first so any little inhabitants have an opportunity to relocate.

Then begin removing the yellow flower material from the green base.

You don’t have to become completely obsessive about removing every microscopic speck of green, but the more green you leave in, the more bitterness you can introduce.

So find somewhere comfortable, perhaps make yourself a drink, and settle in.

You’ll be there for a while. 

Dandelion Heads
Dandelion Petals

Dandelion Honey

Dandelion honey is a beautiful golden spring syrup made from foraged dandelion flowers, lemon, vanilla and sugar. Floral, sweet and gently citrusy, it takes a little patience to make but is absolutely worth it. Lovely drizzled over toast, pancakes, yoghurt and porridge or stirred into tea and used in baking.
Print Recipe
Ingredients Equipment Method

Ingredients
  

  • 400 Dandelion flower heads approximately
  • 1 litre Water
  • 1 Lemon, sliced
  • 1 Fresh vanilla pod, split in half
  • 800-1000 kg Sugar, depending on how thick and sweet you like it

Equipment

  • 1 Large bowl or colander
  • 1 Large saucpan
  • 1 Fine sieve
  • 1 Muslin or clean cloth
  • 6/7 Sterilised jars or bottles
  • 1 Wooden spoon

Method
 

  1. Prepare the flowers Gently shake the dandelion heads to remove any insects, then pull away as much of the green base as you reasonably can, keeping mostly the yellow flower parts.
  2. Make the infusion Place the prepared dandelion flowers in a large saucepan with the water, sliced lemon and split vanilla pod. Bring gently to a simmer and cook for around 20–30 minutes.
  3. Leave to steep Remove from the heat, cover and leave to steep for several hours or overnight.
  4. Strain Strain the mixture through a fine sieve, muslin or clean cloth, pressing gently to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the spent flowers and lemon.
  5. Add the sugar Return the strained liquid to the saucepan. Add 800g sugar to begin with and heat gently, stirring until completely dissolved. Add more sugar, up to 1kg, if you prefer a sweeter or thicker syrup.
  6. Reduce the syrup Bring to a gentle simmer and allow the mixture to reduce slowly until it begins to thicken and takes on a deep golden colour.
  7. Check the consistency Spoon a small amount onto a chilled plate and leave it for a minute. You are looking for a runny honey consistency. Remember that it will thicken further as it cools.
  8. Jar the dandelion honey Carefully pour the hot syrup into clean, sterilised jars or bottles. Seal and allow to cool before storing. Store

How to use dandelion honey

Once you’ve made it, you can use it anywhere you would enjoy a sweet floral syrup.

Try it:

  • drizzled over pancakes
  • on toast or crumpets
  • stirred into Greek yoghurt
  • over porridge
  • with granola
  • as a sweetener in tea
  • drizzled over fruit
  • in baking
  • as part of a salad dressing or glaze

 

And because it has its own distinctive flavour, I’d taste it before automatically substituting it one-for-one into every recipe calling for honey.

Notes from our kitchen

Don’t make separating the petals harder than it needs to be

Removing most of the green helps reduce bitterness but you don’t need to sit there with tweezers removing every microscopic piece.

Make the amount you actually have flowers for

This recipe scales beautifully.

You absolutely do not need to reproduce my slightly ridiculous 3kg batch, ps the recipe is not for 3kg!

Don’t judge the consistency while it’s boiling

The cold-plate test is your friend.

Keep some dandelions for other things

When I collected mine, I didn’t use everything for syrup. I divided the flowers between dandelion honey, other experiments and whole flowers for drying.

Dried Dandelions

Why I keep making it

I’ve made dandelion honey before and I’ll absolutely make it again.

It is one of those recipes that takes a little more time than you expect, mainly because preparing all of those flower heads is definitely a labour of love but the finished syrup is completely worth it.

Next time, I would actually make more. Dandelions are only around for a relatively short season, so if I am going to gather and prepare them, I would rather make enough to last us until I can harvest them again the following spring.

That is one of the things I love about seasonal making. You enjoy what is available while it is here, preserve what you can and then move on to whatever the next season brings.

 

And dandelion honey is definitely one I want plenty of in the cupboard!

Share this Facebook Pinterest
Keep exploring

You may also like