This post may contain affiliate links, read my disclosure policy for more information. Advertisements displayed do not reflect endorsements or recommendations made by Entirely Elizabeth.
This old fashioned Dandelion Lemonade is tart, sweet, and has the most beautiful floral flavor. It’s sweetened with raw honey and celebrates the season’s wild bounty of dandelions!
Serve your lemonade with a slice of Rhubarb Snack Cake, which is also in season this time of year.
If you’re new here I own my family’s 1870’s farm, on my dad’s side, and we find a lot of interesting things in the house. Last winter we were renovating the upstairs bedroom and found newspapers between the original hardwood floor and carpet. They were from the 1950’s, so of course I had to sit and read through them.
One of the more interesting things I found was a recipe for dandelion lemonade. The article went on about the health benefits and was basically touting dandelions as a “super food.” I was intrigued, so I tried it and was amazed at how delicious it was! Health benefits or not, I will be making this one every spring (with a few small tweaks to the recipe).
For more honey sweetened drinks, try my Pineapple Skin Tea and Iced Mint Green Tea.
4 Tips for Harvesting Dandelions
When it comes to harvesting dandelions, timing is everything! Spring is the best time because they tend to be less bitter than dandelions in the summer. You’ll also want to…
- Use a wicker basket or cloth kitchen towel to collect the dandelions. This allows them to breath and will keep your flowers fresh.
- Choose picking areas free from pesticides, herbicides, and high pollution areas.
- Harvest dandelions early in the morning when they are full of moisture from the night before.
- Pick dandelions with short stems, those will be younger and have a more sweet flavor.
Dandelion Lemonade Ingredients
Here’s everything you will need to make this recipe and a few important notes too. Keep reading!
- Dandelions: Harvest the flower heads. We will be using the petals only, but I find it easier to remove them in my kitchen rather than outside.
- Raw Honey: Use local honey if possible.
- Lemon Juice: Freshly squeezed is the only way to go. Make sure you firmly roll the lemons on your countertop before juicing, this loosens and increases the amount of juice you’ll get.
- Water
How to Make Dandelion Lemonade
1. Steep the Dandelion Syrup. Clean and rinse the dandelions, then pull off the petals. Boil together the water and petals, remove it from the heat and allow the mixture to cool for 15 minutes. Stir in the raw honey and allowing the syrup to cool to room temperature.
2. Mix up the Dandelion Lemonade. Strain the dandelion syrup and lemon juice into a pitcher, add water and give it a good stir. Refrigerate the lemonade or serve it over ice with a dandelion garnish.
A Few Fun Variations
This bright and tangy lemonade tastes great on its own, but here are a few fun ways to mix things up.
Upgrade the flavor. Add a splash of your favorite club soda or sparkling water for a bubbly drink. I also like adding a splash of Lavender Simple Syrup to give this a whole nother level of floral flavor.
Add iced tea to make it a dandelion Arnold Palmer. The easiest way to do this is by filling your glass half full with the prepared dandelion lemonade and topping it off with your favorite iced tea (I use Luzianne).
Freeze it into dandelion lemonade popsicles. Just pour and freeze the lemonade in popsicle molds of your choice. This is a great way to enjoy the dandelion flavor all summer long.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)
More Lemonade Recipes To Try
Dandelion Lemonade
EQUIPMENT
- small saucepan with lid - stainless steel
- fine mesh strainer - small
- glass pitcher - 64 ounce
INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup dandelions - heads only
- 7 cups water - divided
- ½ cup raw honey
- 1 cup lemon juice - about 5 lemons
INSTRUCTIONS
- Prep the dandelions by removing debris and bugs then rinsing with cool water. Place them flower side down on a paper towel for 30 minutes. Then carefully pull the petals from the green base. It will be easiest while their still damp, be careful to avoid the green parts as it is bitter.
- To a small saucepan add 1 cup of water and the dandelion petals, bring to a rolling boil. Once it starts boiling, reduce the heat to a medium-low and allow it to simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool for 15 minutes before stirring in the raw honey. Let the dandelion syrup cool completely before moving on.NOTE: To keep the raw honey's health properties intact, don't add it too soon. Intense heat destroys the health properties.
- Place a small fine mesh strainer over top a large pitcher. Strain in the dandelion syrup and then the freshly squeezed lemon juice. Remove strainer and discard the dandelion petals and lemon pulp.
- Add remaining 6 cups of water into the pitcher and stir until well combined. Pour into ice filled glasses and garnish with a dandelion.
RECIPE NOTES
STORING INFORMATION
- Refrigerated in an open-top glass pitcher, it will keep up to 3 days.
- Refrigerated in an airtight pitcher or jar, it will keep up to 7 days.
Metric conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.
