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Basic Dandelion Mead Recipe

Basic Dandelion Mead Recipe

Today we’re making a very simple but tasty adult beverage known as dandelion mead. Mead is similar to wine, but uses honey instead of other sugars. With a bit of citrus and a whole bunch of dandelion petals, we’ll whip up a small batch of this refreshing summertime drink.

There are many recipes for dandelion mead that incorporate a range of different ingredients, but this recipe is just the basics to make a small batch of tasty dandelion honey wine in about the easiest way possible.

Basic Dandelion Mead Recipe

5 from 49 votes
Recipe by Great Lakes Course: BeverageCuisine: WineDifficulty: Easy
Yeild

1

Gallon

Ingredients

  • 1 gallon water (filtered)

  • 1 cup dandelion petals (just the yellow parts)

  • 2 cups raw honey

  • 1 lemon (juiced)

  • 5 grams wine or champagne yeast (1 small packet)

Directions

  • Go outside and pick a LOT of dandelions. Be sure the area has not been treated with chemicals (such as lawn treatments or pesticides).
  • Pluck the yellow petals apart from the rest of the dandelion. Keep the yellow petals and discard everything else.
  • Put 1/2 gallon of the filtered water into a small pot. Stir in dandelion petals and heat on the stove until boiling. Turn heat off as soon as it reaches boiling, and then leave for 30 minutes so the petals can steep.
  • Add the honey and lemon juice, stirring thoroughly. Leave for another 20-30 minutes (with the heat off).
  • Transfer the mixture into a 1-gallon glass jug (including the dandelion petals). Top off the jug with more water, leaving at least a couple inches of headspace.
  • Add the yeast packet to the jug. Give the jug a few swirls to distribute the yeast (you don’t need to vigorously shake or stir).
  • Put a plug and airlock in place on the jug, and put in a cool, dark place for between 3 and 6 weeks. The airlock should begin bubbling within a day. Check every couple days to see if the airlock is still bubbling.
  • Once the airlock has completely stopped bubbling, fermentation is complete. This is usually around 6 weeks when I make this recipe. Pour the entire mixture through a fine mesh, such as a nut straining bag. Then bottle the strained liquid in sanitized wine bottles or glass jug.
  • At this point the mead can be enjoyed right now, or you can choose to “age” it a bit. Leaving the bottles in a cool, dark place for between a few weeks and several months will generally improve the mead’s flavor and/or clarity.
  • Serve chilled.