Several years ago, a strange plant appeared in our garden.
We have a habit of letting these things grow, to see what nature has inadvertently given us. That strange plant ended up being wild mustard. With a little bit of googling, I learned how to harvest mustard seeds and then how to make my own mustard.
In the years since, we learned that wild mustard is an noxious weed in the province of Manitoba (because it will invade canola crops), so we acquired seeds for a different variety of mustard and now grow that. Mustard is an annual crop for us and friends and family look forward to my homemade mustard.
Since then, I’ve always been on the lookout for other edible plants in the garden, especially ones that we haven’t planted ourselves.
That’s when I focussed on the dandelions.
Dandelion Uses
Dandelion has several different uses and every part of the plant is edible. And while there are multiple varieties of dandelion, they are all safely edible, and there are no dangerous look-alike plants, so you can be confident in using the dandelions in your yard without giving it too much thought.
The uses of dandelion are surprisingly extensive. They include:
- Dandelion wine
- This is really good and I make a big batch every year
- Dandelion jelly, sometimes known as “poor man’s honey”
- Dandelion leaf pesto
- Roasted dandelion roots
- Medicinal salves
The list really does go on. I recently came across a recipe for “dandelion root fries”.
This year I tackled one I’ve been eyeing for a while — dandelion root coffee.
I’ve had dandelion root coffee a few times before, which is sometimes marketed as dandelion root tea. It has a surprisingly robust flavour that is quite similar to coffee. Sometimes it seems to have a hint of mocha flavour too. As someone that can’t have much coffee (I react poorly to it if I consistently have too much), I’m always on the lookout for good-tasting alternatives — and this is it!
Dandelion Root Coffee
The “how to” is surprisingly simple.
You dig up roots.
You wash them, dry them, and trim blemishes and straggly bits off. And chop them into small pieces.
You roast them. You can do them in the oven at 400 F for about 30-45 minutes; put them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and give it a shake every 5-8 minutes. Alternatively, I used the air fryer with the same method — 400 F for 30-45 minutes, give it a shake every 5-8 minutes. The only difference is I lined the air fryer basket with foil instead of parchment paper.
Let it cool completely. Then store in a cool, dry place, in an airtight container.
To make coffee, you can either use the small pieces and steep them like tea, or you can grind them and use them in a French press, or any other coffee-making appliance. I used the same amount of ground roots as I do coffee.
The result? Delicious.
Even better — it costs nothing and it’s caffeine-free.
Dandelion Root Coffee
Equipment
- Oven or Air Fryer
Ingredients
- Dandelion Roots
Instructions
- Wash dirt off dandelion roots and trim off any blemished areas or thin strands.
- Chop roots into equal-sized small pieces.
- Roast at 400° F for 30-45 minutes. This can be done on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper in the oven or in an air fryer lined with foil. Check every 5–8 minutes, shaking each time. If some roots are roasted and dried before others, they can be removed.
- Allow to cool completely. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.
- To make dandelion coffee:Roasted dandelion roots can be used in chunks or ground with a coffee grinder. If using chunks, use them like tea, steeping until desired taste is achieved. If using ground roots, use like ground coffee in a French press or other coffee maker, using similar number of scoops.