The fall season is just around the corner, and one of my favorite treats to ring in the cold season is dandelion root coffee. This is one of the most versatile, warming, comforting, and healing herbal tea drinks you can make – and I’m sure you’ll fall in love with it as much as I have over the years! Dandelion root brings a whole array of powerful healing properties to your mug, and the flavor is so rich, robust, and coffee-like that you’re sure to have a smile on your face no matter how early in the morning it may be.
Dandy Dandelion Root
Aside the amazing flavor, dandelion root packs a big amount of healing properties. A few of them include…
- Deep yet gentle liver cleansing & detoxification
- Regulates and soothes the digestive system and can help clear up constipation
- Helps the body absorb more nutrients from food by fortifying the digestive system
- Helps purify and cleanse the blood
- Heals and clarifies the skin from the inside out
- May help slow or prevent the spread of some cancers
- Helps reduce inflammation
- Contains essential fatty acids
- Helps heal cholesterol issues
- Aids the body in building healthy new blood
- Every part of the dandelion plant is packed with antioxidants
- Contains a great deal of important vitamins and minerals
Who would have known that this common ‘weed’ offers so many benefits? Coupled with the flavor, this is one of my all-time favorite herbal tea ingredients, and it’s a plant medicine that I work with all the time as a general health tonic and system cleanser.
How To Make Dandelion Root Coffee
Making your own dandelion root herbal tea to taste like or even replace coffee is a snap! You’ll need the regular gear involved in brewing tea plus a cast iron or other heavy skillet or pan.
To begin, assemble your gear…
- Raw dandelion root, chopped up
- Tea kettle
- Mug
- Strainer, sieve, or cheesecloth
- Hot pad
- Cast iron skillet or other heavy pan
- Flavoring herbs, milk, and sweeteners (see below for ideas!)
First, we’re going to roast our dandelion root
Roast the root pieces over medium heat until they begin to darken and fill the air with their rich aroma.
Avoid burning the roots since it will add a bitter taste to your drink.
While you’re roasting, have your water coming to a full and rapid boil.
For each 8 ounces of water, you’ll want to add one heaping teaspoon of roasted dandelion root.
Steep for 10 minutes to get a full, robust flavor – and check out the gorgeous color of the liqueur!
Once the steeping has finished, pour through a strainer, sieve, or cheesecloth to separate the root from the water. The root does sink, so separating is optional if you don’t mind getting the occasional herb piece in your mouth as you sip.
You can sweeten and flavor your dandelion root herbal tea coffee in the same way you would regular true coffee. I like adding a small splash of vanilla soy milk and a bit of coconut oil to create a sweet yet earthy morning drink.
In addition to making dandelion root coffee on its own, you can also add in other herbs to create some pretty amazing blends…
Roasted carob
Once your drink is a safe and comfortable temperature, sip and enjoy… and don’t forget to share with the people you love!
Morning Smile Dandelion Root ‘Coffee’ Recipe
A hearty morning blend that’s caffeine-free but packed with natural energy.
- 1 tbsp. Roasted Dandelion Root
- 2+ tsp. of Roasted Carob
- 1 pinch of Oatstraw
- 1 pinch of Nettle Leaf
- 1 pinch of Stevia Leaf
(optional)
(optional)Combine herbs and steep for 10 minutes.
Strain and add to your favorite mug.
Add a splash of nut or rice milk and a dab of coconut oil to sweeten it up!
If you haven’t experienced dandelion root herbal tea for yourself, I am so excited to hear about how much you love it!
It’s a great hot drink during the cold weather months, and it can even be transformed into an ‘iced coffee’ drink during the summer. I love making the recipe above, chilling it in the fridge overnight, and pouring it over ice in the morning with some vanilla almond milk for a nourishing treat.
I am super picky about the kinds of dandelion root I use. It’s easy to get product that’s been grown in questionable ways, so I’m sharing my source with you below so that you can get the very best!
To our health and happiness…
I am finding conflicting information on dandelion root. If I roast it, does it lose its liver cleansing qualities?
Hi Jill!
Lots of raw food advocates say that roasting Dandelion Root changes its healing properties, but I don’t experience that myself. Roasts using dandelion root have been a super popular (and effective!) blend for ages, so I’m inclined to go with that. I follow a mostly raw diet but when it comes to a gentle, low-heat roast on root or rhizome herbs I don’t worry too much.
Take the roasting slow, use a thick cast iron skillet, and pull it off the heat and out of the pan as soon as you smell the aroma thicken. This will keep it delicious and potent 🙂
When is the best time of year to harvest dandelion roots? And thanks for your information, this rookie needed the help
I find that as long as the dandelion itself has good height and a nice flower, the roots are ready to go!
For best energy and essential content, roots and rhizomes are best harvested during the new moon. Above ground parts of the plants are best harvested closer to the full moon.
Happy harvesting!
Is it ok to sweeten Dandelion Root tea with honey? or does the honey change the tea?
Honey is just fine! I love coconut sugar in mine, the flavors work really well together.
Hi Josh, I have a few questions. You don’t have to answer them all 🙂
I was wondering is there any value, if any, of leaving the tea in instead of straining it, and letting it continue to cold steep in the fridge? Especially with roots I’ve often wondered. I’ve thought that maybe all of what you want has already steeped out and it wouldn’t yield any benefit, and also that there could be other properties (like bitterness) that might come out on longer steeping that you may not want?
Also, I have always thought there was a general rule that infusions were for leaves and decoctions were for roots. I picked that up from somewhere a long time ago. (For example, I make a ginger and turmeric drink from the fresh roots and I always simmer them for 5-10 minutes before letting them steep for a few hours.) Or is it just a general rule and dandelion is an exception?
And lastly, is dandelion tea safe to drink every day or should you take periodic breaks? As a tonic herb, that sounds like it’s okay to just keep drinking it. Because I’ve been drinking it for the last couple of weeks, even putting it in my smoothies instead of water (along with the ginger and turmeric water), and I’m totally hooked. I could keep drinking this lovely herb forever.
Sorry for so many questions. Thanks very much for sharing your knowledge!
I have been harvesting and roasting dandelion root for the past two years and absolutelyl love it! Unlike coffee which is a strain on your system, dadelion nourishes and tastes great without the unpleasant after coffee muck mouth. I have an old Farber convection oven that I use to roast my dandelion. I can do four 13 x 9 pans at a time (half of a 5 gallon bucket full of roots). I roast them at 250f degrees for about 3 hours, stirring and shifting pans every 30 minutes or so. I did forget about some once and ended up with “espresso” roast, which my husband loves. I grind it to a powder in a coffee grinder prior to simmering for 5 – 10 minutes or so. A little maple syrup and some cream from our cow and it is perfect….
Those are great ideas – and your roast sounds amazing!
Hi Tabitha!
When it comes to straining, 99% of that is about taste. You hit the nail on the head when you mentioned bitterness – even the most sweet and floral herbs (think chamomile!) can become unbearably bitter when steeped even a few minutes too long. Medicinally I think the longer the better. The more time the plant has to interact with the ‘solvent’ of water, the more good stuff ends up in the infusion. That being said, what happens in the first few minutes of steeping is probably more than enough goodness.
When it comes to decoctions, it’s all about the herb in specific. Some root herbs like dandelion, young ginger; and some bark herbs like willow and cinnamon do fine when treated like regular leaf or flower herbs. You can certainly give them a proper decoction treatment, but I don’t find that the extra work pays off for how little more you get from them. Other more fibrous, tough, or protected roots and barks definitely need a full decoction treatment to get all the medicinal and taste profiles out of them.
I drink dandelion root tea a lot… a LOT 🙂 I’ve never had any adverse side effects personally and I don’t know of anyone who has. I think that it’s such a tonic/nutritive herb that it’s fine to enjoy often. Breaks are always good, but for me they happen naturally when I run out and have to wait a few days to get a new shipment of organic cutting from this online shop.
Thanks for your great questions, and enjoy that dandelion root herbal tea!
Hello Josh ,
My son was just diagnosed with High Risk Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. I desperately am searching out natural ways to combat his cancer and the devastating toll chemotherapy has been taking on his body. If I give him dandelion tea , do you know if it will cause adverse or positive effects during his treatment protocol?
Hi Elizabeth!
I am not sure about the interactions between chemo treatment and dandelion root tea – but it’s definitely something worth looking into, as would be reishi mushroom and some of the other medicinal mushrooms. If possible, working with a Naturopath (N.D.) would be ideal since each cancer case is so very unique and not all herbs are good for all people in your son’s delicate situation. I am wishing him and all those who are helping care for him the very best!
Dear Josh,
Thank you so very much for your kind and informative response. I have spoken with our medical team and I am able to give him the tea ; from time to time. I am so pleased. I hope in the future I can work with a Naturopath — my sons condition is such a very complicated one.
Many Thanks! And LOVE your website!
So good to hear! Please let me know how he does 🙂
Josh, do you peel your dandelion root or just clean it before chopping and roasting?
Hi Angie!
I have always peeled mine, but I know many people who don’t. I think that it’s fine to scrub it really well and get right to the brewing 🙂
Josh
How would I store the root that I have not yet used? Can you dehydrate it and store in jars?
Hi Julie!
I suggest cutting your roots into 1/2″ sections and then air drying them or using the low setting on a food dehydrator. Once completely dry, store them in a glass jar in a dark, cool, dry place! Use them within about 18 months of cultivating for best potency.
Enjoy! 🙂
Thanks for the great information. Have you tried the already roasted Dandelion root from Mountain Rose Herbs? If not, would you try it?
Hi Chrystal!
Absolutely – the stuff I have been working with for about a year can be found right here. I love it, and it saves me lots of time. The quality is also very good and the flavor seems to be a lot better than what I am able to get 🙂 Enjoy!
Thank you for responding. I’ll definitely check that out. Also, what is your take on dandelion root tea vs dandelion root capsule?
I’m always a bigger fan of tea because it is, in most every case, the very best way to deliver the most herbal power to the body in the mist usable way. That being said, compliance is also important! If you think having the pills will make it easier for you to stay on schedule with it – then by all means go that route! Enjoy 🙂
It tried dried dani lion root, water, and lemon juice. Drank it for a couple days for cleansing along with my regular healthy diet. I had an extremely bad skin reaction on both my lower legs. It took over a week and a half to get rid of it. Extremely itchy red bumpy rash. Proceed with caution!!! I would never use dani lion root again!
Hi Tracy!
I have never heard of Dandelion Root causing this reaction in anyone – even in people who have ragweed allergies which can be triggered by the use of dandelion. It may be possible that you had roots that were contaminated with chemicals if you wildcrafted them, or maybe there was a coincidence. It’s also possible that you needed Dandelion Root and its use caused a healing crisis as the toxins and other imbalances it rectified left your body. In my practice I would have continued taking it since a purging via the skin is in line with how Dandelion Root could cause detoxification. Often times people aren’t sure about how an alterative or other ‘cleansing’ herb will work, but should be prepared that a cleansing may very well in fact have side effects as the imbalances work their way out.
In any case, I continue to suggest Dandelion Root and encourage everyone to use herbs that work well with their individual constitutions for best results.