6 Recipes for using roasted Dandelion Roots

Front cover of the wild food and dessert cookbook by Rachel Lambert

Homemade roasted dandelion roots in a jar next to a basket and two raw, freshly dug wild dandelion roots

When dandelion roots are roasted they create a wonderful bitter and warming flavour, not dissimilar to coffee or chocolate. Here I share 5 recipes for using roasted dandelion roots. The full recipes are all in my awarding-winning book: WILD AND SWEET Forage and Make 101 Seasonal Desserts – created over my 20 years as a forager to celebrate the hidden tastes of weeds for desserts.

Freshly poured dandelion 'coffee' into a blue expresso cup

1. Dandelion ‘coffee’

Used during the 2nd World War as an alternative to coffee. It’s bitter, roasted and warming.

Dandelion coffee cocktail with ice and grapefruit photographed from above

2. Dandelion ‘coffee’ syrup

Dandelion coffee syrup is perfect as a base for bitter cocktails and using as a caffiene-free alternative to coffee in tiramisu. Sweet, bitter and warming.

Roasted Dandelion and Orange Pie, aerial few of a slice being cut

3. Roasted Dandelion and Orange Pie

This sweetly set pie is vegan and tastes chocolatey! It is flavoured with roasted dandelion roots and orange and is wonderfully light dessert.

Aerial view of making candied orange peel flavoured with dandelion 'coffee'

4. Candied Dandelion Root Citrus Peel

An unusual and highly addictive treat and perfect for winter celebrations. Candied orange peel flavoured with dandelion ‘coffee’.

Roasted dandelion and almond thins being dipped into homemade icing

5. Roasted dandelion and almond thins

Sweet, light and crunchy biscuits flavoured with roasted dandelion roots.

A slice taken out of a freshly assembled wild version of tiramisu

Detailed close up of a wild-inspired dandelion 'coffee' tiramisu

6. Dandelion and burdock tiramisu

A homemade tiramisu inspired by the flavours of roasted dandelion roots and burdock roots. Filling, decadent and wildly delicious.

All the recipes above are shared in my labour of love book: Wild and Sweet – forage and make 101 seasonal desserts (winter section). Thank you for supporting a dedicated forager and nature guide.