Dandy Dandelion Coffee Recipe for a Wild, Caffeine-free, Coffee Alternative

If you have access to a patch of dandelions that haven’t been sprayed, try digging up a bunch of roots and turning them into a tasty coffee substitute.

When gathering dandelions for coffee, bigger roots are better.  Regardless of how many you manage to dig up, the method for making “coffee” is the same.  Although it is strictly a root tea, it has many of the characteristics of real coffee. Follow the steps below for dandy coffee.

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Dandelion Coffee Ingredients:

Dandelion roots (medium large are best), cleaned and dried.

Root cleaning tips:

• Wash the roots thoroughly.

• Use a vegetable brush to remove stubborn dirt, especially in crevices.

• Rinse the cleaned roots until the water runs clear.

• Dry them off in a towel then put them on a baking tray in a low oven (about 200 degrees) for about 15 minutes until dry to the touch.

Directions:

1. Grind the roots up fine in a food processor until they resemble rice.

2. Dry the granules. Spread the granules out on a baking tray. Put the tray in a 225 degree oven for about an hour, stirring occasionally, until the granules are completely dehydrated. Turn the oven up to 330 degrees and roast granules for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally to ensure an even roast.

3. Roast the granules. Turn heat up to 350 and bake for about 15 minutes more, checking regularly, until the granules begin to smoke.  This happens as the sugars in the roots begin to caramelize. That’s the time to take the tray out of the oven. You can stir the tray and put it back in for 5 minutes to deepen the flavor, but be careful not to over roast it or sugars may burn then char, leaving a light, week coffee, that tastes like an extinguished campfire. When you are happy with the roast, remove tray from the oven and let cool.

4. After the granules have cooled, store in an airtight, non-metallic container. I keep mine in the freezer for long term storage.

5. To prepare coffee put one to two heaped teaspoons of grounds per cup into a teapot or jug.  Pour on boiling water (enough for the number of cups) and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes. A quicker way is to put the coffee into a pan of boiling water, boil for about 30 seconds, then turn off the heat. Let stand for a minute, then pour. You may need to use a strainer when pouring it out. You can drink it as is, or add milk.

Testing the roast:

To test the roast make a small cup of coffee and taste it.  If it isn’t rich enough put the grains back into the oven for 5 minutes, then make another cup.  If you are not sure, take half the amount and return it to the oven for 5 minutes then compare the two.  This will allow you to gauge the roast and decide what you prefer.

It’s a lot of work!

Yes, I admit it is a lot of work to prepare from beginning to end, but well worth the effort. However, if you aren’t feeling up to the task of making it yourself, you can order Dandy Blend Instant Grain Coffee on Amazon by following this link.

Have you tried this recipe? Let us know how it went!

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