Dandelion Jelly Recipe; Tastes like Honey?

This dandelion jelly recipe was a fun project to try out. Tastes like honey and feels like spring in a jar! It’s true. My youngest took a taste and proclaimed the honey good.

Jump to Recipe

I was a little leery at first. But I had no reason to fear. It turned out delicious! I ended up making two more batches to give away as Christmas gifts.
(Uhm….. if you’re a relative of mine, pretend you didn’t read that.)

Making dandelion jelly is simple once you get the hang of it.

Here’s the basic process:

1. Harvest and prep the dandelion flowers.
2. Make a dandelion “tea” from the petals.
3. Turn the tea into jelly.
4. Store in the fridge or can for shelf-stable gifts.

A Quick Note on Safety

As of April 2024, the Wyoming Extension released a statement saying there are no approved recipes for canning dandelion jelly due to acidity concerns. Many dandelion jelly recipes have since been removed from various extension sites, including ones I used years ago from Wyoming and Alaska. Something clearly changed.

I believe in making informed choices—you should do what feels right for you. If you’re concerned, make this as a refrigerator or freezer jelly. It’s just as tasty, and there’s no storage risk.

Step-by-Step: How to Make Dandelion Jelly

1. Harvest Your Dandelions

• Pick dandelions from a clean area (no sprays, no pets).
• Gather about 10 cups of flowers (just the blossoms, no stems). It seems like a lot but you’ll be removing the green parts and just using the yellow petals.
• Snip off the green base of each flower until you’re left with just yellow petals.
  • You need about 4 cups of dandelion petals total.

I tried several methods, but ended up just pinching the petals and snipping the base off with scissors. Tedious? Yes. Worth it? Definitely.

2. Make Dandelion Tea

• Pour boiling water over your petals (about 1 cup water per 1 cup petals).
• Let it steep and cool until room temp or refrigerate overnight.
• Strain the tea through a coffee filter or jelly bag.
• Measure out 3 cups of dandelion tea for the jelly. Add a little water if you’re short.

Don’t worry if the tea doesn’t look very yellow. The lemon juice added later will brighten it up.

Canning Labels for Gifting

Want to dress up your jars?
I’ve created special Dandelion Jelly canning labels perfect for gifting. Add a bow and you’re ready for the holidays.

3. Make the Jelly

Ingredients

• 3 cups dandelion tea
• 4 ½ cups of sugar – (So much sugar! Yes it’s all needed.)
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice (This acidifies the jelly and helps it to set up correctly.)
• 1 box powdered pectin
• Yellow food coloring (Optional. I don’t use food coloring but you can if you want.)

Instructions

• In a large pot, mix tea, lemon juice, and pectin. Bring to a rolling boil.
• Add sugar to the mixture and stir.
• Return to a boil and cook for 1–2 minutes.
• Remove from heat. Add food coloring if desired.

You might be interested in the jam and jelly maker. It is not required by any means. A nice heavy bottom pot works great. But the jelly maker is pretty handy too.

Tip: My jelly color varies each batch. I usually skip the coloring and just let it be what it is.

4. Process for shelf storage, or Refrigerate

If Canning

Detailed canning instructions are in the printable recipe below.

• Pour hot jelly into hot jars, leaving ¼ inch headspace. (pint or half-pint jars)
• Wipe rims of the jars clean, apply lids and rings.
• Process in a water bath canner:
  • 10 minutes (below 6,000 ft)
  • 15 minutes (above 6,000 ft)
• Let jars rest, then cool and store.

If Not Canning

• Skip the canning. Let the jars set in the fridge for 1–2 days to set up.

You might want to hide the jars from the kids! Otherwise, you’ll end up like me—finding an empty jar and breadcrumbs on the counter.

Know Your Canner

Whether you’re water bath canning or steam canning, make sure you’re familiar with your setup. I’ve got full tutorials for both:

• How to Water Bath Can
• How to Use a Steam Canner

Frequently Asked Questions.

Dandelion Jelly Recipe

Dandelion Jelly

Dandelion jelly tastes like honey – just ask my son who tasted it and proclaimed the "honey" good! 🙂 It's a fun project and turned out delicious too. (Follow the directions on your pectin if it differs from my directions here. Yours might have slight differences.)

Print Recipe

Prep Time:13 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Processing Pints (adjust for altitude):10 minutes mins

Total Time:13 hours hrs 40 minutes mins

Equipment

• Water Bath Canner or you can use a steam canner instead
• Canning Jars
• Canning Lids and Rings
• Large Pot
• Funnel, Jar Lifter, Lid Lifter, Bubble Tool
• Ladle
• Large Bowl
• Coffee Filter or jelly bag
• Scissors

Ingredients

For Tea

• Dandelion Blossoms
• Water

For Jelly

• 3 cups Dandelion Tea made from above ingredients – see instructions below
• 4 ½ cups Sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice 
• 1 package Powdered Pectin one box; you could use liquid pectin instead – use instructions on the package
• Yellow Food Coloring optional

Instructions

For Tea

• Snip off base of each flower until you have just yellow petals left. Measure out 4 cups petals.
• Pour boiling water over flower petals (1 cup water for every 1 cup blossoms).
• Let sit at room temperature overnight.
• Strain through coffee filter, jelly bag, or cheese cloth.
• Add enough additional water if needed to measure 3 cups total liquid.

For Jelly

• If you plan on canning this. Start by preparing jars and getting water in the canner heating.You want the canner hot, but not boiling, when the jars are ready to be processed.
• Add dandelion tea, lemon juice, and pectin into a large saucepan.
• Bring to a rolling boil.
• Add sugar and stir.
• Bring back to a boil.
• Continue boiling for 1-2 minutes.
• Remove from heat. Add yellow food coloring if desired. (I never do)
• Put hot jelly into hot jar, leaving 1/4” headspace. 
• Remove air bubbles, wipe rim clean, and place seal and ring. 
• Place jar in the warm canner. Proceed to fill all jars. 
• Process according to directions below. 

Processing with a Water Bath Canner

• When all the jars are filled lower them down into the hot water. Turn up the heat and bring the water to a boil.  When a boil is reached that is when you'll start your timing.
• Process for the length of time on the chart below.  Adjust for your altitude. (Note this is for half pints and pints. No quarts are suggested.)

Cool Down and Storage

• After your time is over, turn the heat off remove the lid and allow the canner to rest for about 5 minutes.

  Then bring your jars up out of the water.  Allow them to rest for another 5 minutes.

  Then remove the jars and place them a few inches apart on a thick towel to cool completely.  Leave them alone for about 12 hours.
• When they are cooled remove the metal bands, check the seals, label the jars and store them away!

Processing Time for Half Pints and Pints in Water Bath (Hot Pack)

• 0-6,000 ft – 10 minutes
• Above 6,000 ft – 15 minutes

Notes

In April 2024, Wyoming Extension and the NCFHFP removed dandelion jelly recipes due to concerns about acidity levels and safety for canning. I originally found this recipe years ago through their documents and Alaska Extension’s site—but they’ve since been pulled.

I believe in making informed decisions. If you’re concerned, make this as a refrigerator jelly. It’s just as tasty, and there’s no storage risk.

Source: The National Center for Home Food Preservation

Author: Sharon Peterson