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Dandelion coffee is a caffeine-free alternative made from the roots of dandelions, which have a similar taste and aroma to coffee and contain antioxidants. It can be brewed at home and has potential health benefits, but may also cause stomach pain and diarrhea. The roots are harvested, cleaned, dried, roasted, and ground before use.
Dandelion coffee is a hot drink made using the ground roots of dandelions instead of traditional coffee beans. The resulting brew has no caffeine but otherwise has a remarkably similar aroma and taste to coffee, contains antioxidants, and can also be used as a laxative. It is typically made using roots that have been harvested, cleaned, dried and roasted, then ground and used in the same way as ground coffee in a percolator. Dandelion coffee can be brewed fairly easily in most homes, although it is commercially available and sold in many large supermarkets and grocery stores.
Also called dandelion tea, dandelion coffee is a caffeine-free substitute for coffee that also comes with a number of potential health benefits. Dandelion roots are quite rich in antioxidants and contain other vitamins and minerals such as calcium, potassium and vitamin A. Just like coffee, dandelion brew is a diuretic and usually increases urination after drinking. The bitterness of dandelion coffee will cause a drinker’s stomach to produce more acids which can help relieve constipation. This, however, can also cause stomach pain and diarrhea as potential side effects, so care should be taken when savoring coffee with dandelion for the first time.
To make homemade dandelion coffee, dandelion roots must be harvested by digging the plants out of the ground. Wild dandelions can have fairly thin roots, but dandelions that are encouraged to grow in looser soil may have thicker roots which are often better for coffee brewing. Dandelion leaves are quite edible and can be cut and washed during harvest for use in salads. Dandelions tend to store nutrients in their roots in early spring and late fall, outing and leading into winter, so harvesting at this time can often provide the best potential nutrient value in coffee.
The roots should be cut off the plants and cleaned thoroughly. This can be done with a gentle scrub for each individual root or repeated soaking of several roots in a large bucket of water. Once cleaned, the roots can be cut into smaller pieces and ground in a food processor to a finer consistency. These pieces of ground root are then spread out onto one or more baking sheets and placed inside an oven heated to about 250°F (about 121°C) for about two hours.
During cooking, the ground roots should be stirred occasionally to avoid burns and the oven door should be left open to allow moisture to escape. Once dried and roasted to the desired color, the roots are removed and allowed to cool. The root pieces can then be ground in a coffee grinder or food processor and used in the same way as ground coffee beans to make dandelion coffee.
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