Dandelion Jelly Recipe

Last Updated on April 9, 2023 by Ellen Christian

This Dandelion Jelly Recipe is a delicious sweet herbal jelly that pairs wonderfully with homemade biscuits or toast. Try it today.

Dandelion Jelly Recipe

I love making homemade jam and jelly in the summer. Have you had a chance to make my peach jalapeno jam recipe?

Or, you might want to learn how to make banana jam. It’s one of my favorite classic jam recipes.

I love being able to forage in my own yard for things to serve my family. And, dandelions are one of the easiest flowers for people to identify.

Just about everyone has them growing in their yard somewhere. And, both the flower and the leaves are edible. Have you ever tried my dandelion green recipe?

There are lots of wild edibles recipes you can use to keep your grocery budget down.

Why not try this honeysuckle jelly recipe next?

How do you eat dandelion jelly?

You can eat dandelion jelly in the same way you eat any herbal jelly. It tastes wonderful on homemade biscuits or a slice of homemade wheat bread. 

But, you can also add it to your pancakes or even have it on crackers with cream cheese. 

Is dandelion jelly safe to eat?

Yes, this is a sweet herbal jelly that tastes a bit like honey. All of the parts of the dandelion are safe to eat – the flowers, leaves, and roots. 

How do you harvest dandelions for jelly?

For the best results, you want the blossom of the flower and the tiny bits of green directly underneath the blossom. You do not want the stem or the leaves for this recipe. 

When you harvest them, try to avoid taking the ones that are close to the road. These flowers are exposed to car exhaust much more than the ones in your backyard.

When picking the flowers, please don’t take all of them from the area you’re harvesting. It’s important to leave some flowers for the bees to harvest for their honey. 

As with any wild edible, please don’t clear out a whole area. Pick a few from different spots always leaving several behind.  Never pull up the root so it can grow again next year.

How do you disinfect dandelions?

You don’t really need to disinfect dandelions. You really only need to clean them. So, you can soak them in a sink full of cool water overnight for the best results.

I generally just soak them for about two hours when I get them from an area that I know is safe like my backyard. If you use pesticides in your yard, please do not use those dandelions for jelly.

What do I need to make dandelion jelly?

• 8 1/2 pint jelly jars

• 1 box of low sugar powdered pectin (Sure Jell)

• Lemon juice 

• Granulated sugar

• Dandelion flowers

• Large pot

• Strainer

You need to use pectin for this recipe. Dandelions contain no pectin naturally so if you don’t add it, it won’t set properly.

Do not leave the lemon juice out. It changes the pH of the jelly to make it safe to can. You won’t taste it in the recipe at all.

How many jars does this dandelion jelly recipe make?

This recipe makes 8 half-pint jars. Or, you can make 16 of the smaller-sized crystal jelly jars if you want to give some away as a gift.

Directions

• Pick the flowers trying to get as little of the green leaves as possible. You don’t want them in your jelly. 

• Rinse them well and soak them to remove impurities.

• Separate all of the yellow petals from the green parts.

• Make a tea with boiling water and let it sit overnight in the refrigerator.

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• Strain the flowers.

• Add the rest of the ingredients and boil according to directions.

• Pour into sterilized jars.

• Process in a hot water bath canner according to directions. For mine, it takes 10 minutes.

• Remove and allow them to cool.

How should I store these?

After you have processed them and allowed them to cool, you can store them in the cupboard like you do any jam or jelly you get from the store. They are shelf-stable once canned.

Once you open the jar to use, you will need to return the unused part to the refrigerator. 

Sterilizing jars

• Place your jars and lids in a canning pot with a rack in the bottom. If you don’t have a canning pot, you can turn a round cake pan or tart pan upside down in the bottom of a large, deep pot.

• It is important to have something for the jars to sit on so they don’t get too hot on the bottom and burst. Cover the jars with hot water, allowing the jars to fill with the water.

• Water should come to about 1 inch over the top of the jars. Place lid on the pot and bring to a simmer and heat for 10 minutes.

• Remove jars making sure the water is drained out of them. Dry the rings and discs.

• Ideally, you want to time this so you are removing the jars from the pot at about the same time as the jelly is ready to pore in so the jars will be still hot.

• Otherwise, the hot jelly could cause the jars to break if they are too cold.

If you love dandelions, you may want to try:

• Dandelion Lotion Bar
• Dandelion cookies recipe

More jam recipes

• Raspberry jam with pectin