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    Home » Recipes » Desserts

    Dandelion Honey Recipe

    Published: Apr 23, 2020 · Modified: Jun 23, 2022 by Petra Kupská

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    Every early spring, full-blooming dandelions illuminate the Czech meadows. Let's gather their flowers before they wither and turn them into delicious dandelion honey!

    Dandelion honey in mason jars.
    Table of Contents hide
    ➜ What is dandelion honey?
    ➜ Ingredients
    ➜ Instructions with photos
    ➜ How to store dandelion honey?
    ➜ How long does dandelion honey last?
    ➜ Picking dandelions
    Homemade dandelion honey

    Dandelion belongs to the edible flowers. It’s a well-known herb, which also possesses medicinal properties. In traditional herbal medicine, yellow petals, green parts of the dandelions, and roots, in fact, the entire plant, are commonly used. 

    Dandelion is called pampeliška or smetanka lékařská in the Czech language.

    MY TIP: If you want to try another Czech recipe, bet on these fruit dumplings (they taste divine!)

    ➜ What is dandelion honey?

    Dandelion honey is not real honey, but a dandelion syrup with a distinctive floral scent made by boiling dandelion heads in water and sugar. The dandelion honey taste resembles true honey and has a similar consistency, although it is a bit thinner. Its color, though, remains the same - a lovely golden brown.

    Dandelion honey enhances the flavor of yogurt, oatmeal, and tea; or gives a dandelion aroma to other hot drinks.

    Vegan honey recipe: If you are looking for vegan alternatives to bee honey, the dandelion syrup is an ideal substitute as it contains no animal components.

    ➜ Ingredients

    bee on dandelion

    This floral honey is made in spring when the meadows are overflowing with wild dandelion flowers. All you need are these three ingredients:

    • Fresh dandelion flowers
    • Lemon
    • Granulated sugar

    TIP: Instead of white sugar, use brown sugar for an even richer taste.

    Keep in mind the place where you pick the flowers. Your own backyard is ideal. If you don’t have one, go somewhere clean in the countryside, which isn’t ‘contaminated’ by dogs’ excrement and isn’t too close to any roads.

    ✅ You’ll find the exact amount of ingredients below in the recipe card, which you can also print out.

    ➜ Instructions with photos

    Preparing homemade dandelion honey is very easy, just follow the instructions:

    STEP 1: Collect dandelion flowers without the green stems, only the whole dandelion head from each plant.

    dandelion flowers for making honey

    STEP 2: Soak the flower petals in a few cups of water for a while, so the insects come to the surface, and you can remove them.

    STEP 3: Pour over the washed dandelion flowers with fresh cold water. Add sliced lemon.

    STEP 4: Bring the water with herbs and lemon to boil, reduce the temperature and let the liquid simmer for twenty minutes. Put the pot aside and let it sit at room temperature.

    STEP 5: Sieve the liquid through a piece of clean cotton cloth, then wring it out. Discard the rest of the dandelion petals and lemon slices.

    STEP 6: Bring the strained liquid to a boil, then turn the temperature down. Add the sugar gradually, and mix it in until it all dissolves.

    STEP 7: Simmer at a very low temperature for a further 2 hours for the right consistency, collecting the occasional foam on the surface formed during simmering.

    STEP 8: Let the finished dandelion honey cool down a little, then pour it into clean jam jars. Seal each glass with a lid.

    ➜ How to store dandelion honey?

    Storing dandelion honey is easy, you just need a dark place. The pantry, where you keep other foods that don't need to be in the fridge, will do just fine. Store in lidded canning or mason jars.

    ➜ How long does dandelion honey last?

    If you pick dandelion flower heads in spring, the honey will last until winter of the same year.  

    ➜ Picking dandelions

    • Pick up the dandelions when they are in full bloom. The dandelion season lasts from the middle of April until the middle of May in the Czech Republic; it depends on the local weather and your geographical area.
    • A good time to pick dandelions is the morning on a sunny day when the yellow petals are fully open. Only then are they an important source of nectar.
    • Later in the day, bees hungry for nectar tend to swarm in the flowers. However, we need the dandelion nectar for our homemade honey, so it’s good to be quick and pick the dandelion blossoms up before noon. Don’t be so mean; leave some flowers for the bees, too!

    More tasty recipes:

    • Medovnik Czech honey cake
    • Zucchini spice cake
    • Cold strawberry sauce

    Tried this recipe?

    Leave a review down in the comments! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

    Follow me on Facebook and Pinterest. Subscribe to my newsletter. Send me any question about Czech cuisine to my e-mail. I love hearing your feedback!

    Homemade dandelion honey

    Every early spring, full-blooming dandelions illuminate the Czech meadows. Let's gather their flowers before they wither and turn them into delicious dandelion honey!
    Print Pin
    Prep Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 2 hours hours
    Infusion:: 12 hours hours
    Total Time: 14 hours hours 20 minutes minutes
    Servings: 3 cups
    Calories: 833kcal
    Author: Petra Kupská
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Course: Condiment
    Cuisine: Czech
    Keyword: dandelion honey, pampeliškový med

    Ingredients

    • 350 pieces dandelion heads without stem
    • 4 cups water (960 ml)
    • 3 cups granulated sugar (600 g)
    • 1 lemon sliced

    Instructions

    • Collect dandelion flowers without the green stems, only the whole dandelion head from each plant.
    • Soak the flower petals in a few cups of water for a while, so the insects come to the surface, and you can remove them.
    • Pour over the washed dandelion flowers with fresh cold water. Add sliced lemon.
    • Bring the water with herbs and lemon to boil, reduce the temperature and let the liquid simmer for twenty minutes. Put the pot aside and let it sit at room temperature.
    • Sieve the liquid through a piece of clean cotton cloth, then wring it out. Discard the rest of the dandelion petals and lemon slices.
    • Bring the strained liquid to a boil, then turn the temperature down. Add the sugar gradually, and mix it in until it all dissolves.
    • Simmer at a very low temperature for a further 2 hours for the right consistency, collecting the occasional foam on the surface formed during simmering.
    • Let the finished dandelion honey cool down a little, then pour it into clean jam jars. Seal each glass with a lid.

    Notes

    • Makes about 3 cups of dandelion honey/syrup.
    • STORAGE: Storing dandelion honey is easy, you just need a dark place. The pantry, where you keep other foods that don't need to be in the fridge, will do just fine. Store in lidded canning or mason jars.
    • SERVING: Dandelion honey enhances the flavor of yogurt, oatmeal, and tea; or gives a dandelion aroma to other hot drinks.

    DISCLAIMER: Because I come from Central Europe, my recipes are based on metric units such as grams or milliliters. Check out how I convert metric units to the U.S. system:

    Conversion chart

    Nutritional Estimate pro portion

    Calories: 833kcal | Carbohydrates: 213g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.02g | Sodium: 107mg | Potassium: 517mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 201g | Vitamin A: 11862IU | Vitamin C: 60mg | Calcium: 239mg | Iron: 4mg
    Do you like the recipe?I would be happy for your feedback! Please, rate the recipe and share your opinion or questions in comments bellow. Thank you very much.
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    Comments

    1. P Petrik

      May 12, 2023 at 11:29 pm

      My family is also from Czech Republic. I have many special recipes. Now, I have this 1. Thanks. I am looking for a traditional poppy seed cake recipe. The cake part I might be able to use my Czech Rhubarb cake recipe, but the poppy seed part I do not know how to make. I've been a chef for over 50 years and that includes learning Slivovice Baskets from Toman - another great Czech chef. Thanks for your help on the poppy seed cake recipe.

      Reply

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    Hi there, I’m Petra, a self-taught home cook and a Czech mom of two teen boys with more than 20 years of cooking experience. I am here to share traditional recipes from the Czech Republic, a small country in the very heart of Europe.

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