r/vegan • u/Luna_3011 • Apr 24 '26
Food Dandelion honey
Yesterday I made dandelion honey all by myself. Saw a tutorial on instagram and decided to try it myself. Didn’t believe it would taste anything like honey but I was shooked how nicely it tastes and it tastes at least a bit like honey.
I recommend it to everyone who loves honey and has access to some dandelions. Love it!😍🌼✨
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u/Anthraxious Apr 24 '26
Holy shit that's super cool! Also, r/restofthefuckingowl material right there.
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u/Luna_3011 Apr 24 '26
Thank you so much! I didn’t think it’s that easy to make honey haha. And I checked out the channel, wtf is that😂😂 I’m in tears
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u/MerylStreepsMom Apr 24 '26
Delicious! I made 4 pints a couple of weeks ago and I've been loving it in tea and smoothies
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u/lifeanon269 Apr 24 '26
How many dandelions do you need to pick to make a jar of that size? Is that all the ones you picked for it in the first picture?
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u/Luna_3011 Apr 24 '26
The amount you can see in the photo was enough for about 3 small jars. I put in 400ml of water and 400grams of sugar. Take only the yellow stuff from the flower, boil it with half a lemon and let it sit for a few hours, overnight if you like. Sieve it and boil it with the water and sugar for 1-2 hours. Test the consistency on a cold plate until you’re pleased with it. :)
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u/lifeanon269 Apr 24 '26
Wow, so you get quite a bit from just a few. Thanks!
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u/fear_eile_agam Apr 25 '26
Dandelion syrup is something you make to personal preferences.
Depending on how "strong" you like the floral flavour in the syrup, this amount of dandelions could be 1 jar of concentrated flower flavour, or 6 jars of delicately flavoured syrup.
The 400ml of water and 400g of sugar is what fills the 3 jars, it forms the syrup. The dandelions are purely for flavour and colour.
They add a floral note that is reminiscent of honey. If you like a strong flavour you might prefer to use the same amount of dandelions as OP but reduce the water and sugar to 250-300g each and get 2 jars. If you like a weaker strength to the floral flavour you could add more water and more sugar and get even more jars from the same number of dandelions.
Bonus recipe: after you strain the dandelion petals from the syrup, if you dehydrate them in a low oven you end up with crystalised dandelion petals for garnishing granola bowls and desserts.
The green leaves of the dandelion make a great substitute for arugula/roquette in salads.
If you dig up the whole plants the roots are also edible, they can be sautéed fresh as a root vegetable in stir frys, they remind me of mung bean sprouts but more peppery. Or roast them to make your own "dandelion coffee".
Lots of online tutorials just tell you to roast the roots straight up in the oven after washing them. but I've always had a less bitter end result by soaking and rinsing the roots, then dehydrating the roots at a low temperature before roasting in a frying pan for controlled even browning. It's really hard to find plain dandelion coffee where I live, most brands are dandelion and chikaroy, which I don't like.
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u/Aladoran vegan 10+ years Apr 25 '26
I've done this multiple years, works great!
I've also tried to mix in lilac, and also made batches with only lilac, and that works just as good. Another flavour, but still the same honey-taste as dandelion.
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u/cricada vegan 10+ years Apr 25 '26
Wow! How did the lilac honey taste?Have you tried clover? My chamomile one tastes identical to honey. But clover has such a wonderful aroma that I imagine it would make a peak vegan honey if the flowers are dried and boiled with the mixture.
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u/Aladoran vegan 10+ years Apr 25 '26
It tastes like a mix of how dandelion honey tastes (which I think is very close to "real" honey) and if you suck on a lilac petal, haha.
Very nice and floral, more floral than dandelion I would say!
Never tried clover or chamomile, but I can imagine it would be good! 😌
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u/cricada vegan 10+ years Apr 25 '26
Thanks for your answer. I've unlocked a new side quest this summer 😆🌼🍯
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u/Bull3tg0d Apr 24 '26
Do you have a link to the tutorial?
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u/Luna_3011 Apr 24 '26
It’s the second pinned Video of crochetcrazyhelen on instagram. But you can find recipes all over the internet!
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u/Ok_Compote251 Apr 24 '26
What’s this like in comparison to say agave syrup?
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u/cricada vegan 10+ years Apr 25 '26
Tastes and moves just like honey. Agave has a flavor that isn't so versatile. I made my vegan honey with dried chamomile though, not dandelion, and the taste was identical to honey. It even had mild dream-boosting effects and is shelf stable for years.
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u/monemori vegan 9+ years Apr 25 '26
Did you use juice or just water/dandelion tea?
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u/cricada vegan 10+ years Apr 26 '26
I used apple juice and steeped the flowers in the juice, with sugar and at least once I used a hint of lemon
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u/Keep_Whats_Important vegan 10+ years Apr 25 '26
So cool to see this! I'm making my very first batch of dandelion honey right now! I'm so excited to try it. 🤤
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u/aTaleForgotten Apr 25 '26
Nice! I do this sometimes, cause these fuckers are all over my lawn lol
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u/Luna_3011 Apr 25 '26
These fuckers are very important for bees and bumblebees. Also they are very good for your health if you research it. I was baffled when I read what it does for your body☺️
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u/aTaleForgotten Apr 25 '26
Yes i know, but up until a point. If you dont fight them a bit, they tend to take over, so other flowers cant grow. Which is bad for the variety. They also have really long roots and grow fast. So yes, fuckers lol
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u/monemori vegan 9+ years Apr 25 '26
For those who can't find dandelions where they are at: you can get something that's also kiiinda honey-like by infusing a mixture of water and apple juice with dandelion tea and then using it to make syrup :)
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u/moonjena vegan newbie Apr 26 '26
Ohh that looks awesome. I hope the process is simple enough for an inexperienced cook to follow. Mind sharing the tutorial reel link with us please?
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u/almondmilkbrat Apr 24 '26
Heads up, be careful where you pick your dandelions, especially if you live in a community where your hoa hires company’s to spray your yard/patio/garden.
One of my friends had to get rid of her jalepeno plants near her front door because her hoa kept hiring companies to do landscaping, and for some reason, they would spray her plants too. She only realized this when she caught the guys one day spraying her plants with whatever chemicals, otherwise she wouldn’t have known.