This creamy wild dandelion soup is delicious, nutritious, and best to eat in spring when dandelion greens are most tender.
Dandelions pop up everywhere in the spring and summer. While some people call them pesky weeds, I love to use them in recipes and remedies as they are edible and incredibly nutritious. Moreover, every part of the dandelion is edible and foraged in different seasons. While greens are best to collect in early spring when they are tender, roots are in autumn.
When eating dandelions, I usually start with the greens in early spring, incorporating them into smoothies, pesto, or soup. Next, I gather the dandelion buds and make pickled capers. Then, as the season progressed, I moved on to the flowers, making delicious dandelion fritters, honey, jelly or dandelion cupcakes.
This hearty soup is easy to prepare and is perfect for those chilly days when you want something warm and comforting, like nettle or rosehip soup. It is a delicious and satisfying treat with cleansing and anti-inflammatory properties.
In this recipe, I will explain how to make a delicious wild dandelion soup and clarify its benefits.
Ingredients to make creamy and vegan dandelion soup
- Extra virgin olive oil. Or any other neutral oil.
- Garlic minced
- Onions finely chopped
- Dandelion greens. Preferably tender if you prefer lower the bitterness.
- Potatoes. Any, including sweet potatoes, will do.
- Vegetable stock, or you can also use clear chicken soup for nonvegetarian versions.
- Lemon juice to balance the flavor
- Sour cream
See the recipe card for quantities.
Dandelion greens
Knowing the right time to harvest dandelion leaves is crucial. They can be a gourmet if collected before flowering in early spring. With more sunlight and slower growth, they become very bitter. So to get the best flavor, harvest young tender leaves from inside the plant.
How to harvest dandelion greens
Choose a patch away from roadsides or areas sprayed with pesticides. Your garden is the safest place.
You can also buy them in food stores, farmers’ markets, and specialty foods stores.
Why eat dandelion greens
Dandelion leaves are a highly nutritious food source, packed with essential vitamins such as A, B6, and C and minerals such as calcium, magnesium, iron, and potassium. They also support good digestion by stimulating the flow of gastric juices and increasing the excretion of bile. Additionally, they are rich in inulin, which helps beneficial bacteria in your gut thrive. Furthermore, dandelion greens exhibit a strong diuretic effect, which helps to flush out the kidneys and bladder.”
Creamy Dandelion soup recipe
First step: Prepare dandelion leaves.
Wash the dandelion greens thoroughly and remove the tough stems. Chop the greens into small pieces.
Second step: sauté onion and garlic.
In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add chopped onion and minced garlic, and simmer until the onion becomes translucent.
Third step: Add broth and cook the potatoes.
Add the cubed potatoes and vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Cover and cook the potatoes for 15 minutes, until they soften.
Fourth step: Add dandelion greens.
Add the chopped dandelion greens to the pot, and cook for another minute, stirring occasionally, until the greens wilt.
Fifth step: Blend the mixture.
Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until it’s smooth and creamy. For additional creaminess, stir with a whisk a dollop of sour cream. This will create a rich and creamy texture and mellow out the bitterness of the dandelion greens.
Sixth step: Season
Add one tablespoon of lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve the homemade soup hot, garnished with chopped dandelion greens, flowers, or roasted sunflower seeds.
Substitutions
Dandelion greens
To substitute dandelion greens, spinach or kale have a similar texture and flavor and are packed with nutrients.
You can also make healthy and nutritious soup with cauliflower and broccoli.
Potatoes
Use other starchy vegetables such as sweet potatoes, carrots, celery, or parsnips in your soup. Alternatively, use red lentils for extra protein and fiber.
Vegetable bouillon
You can substitute veggie bouillon with chicken or beef stock instead.
Lemon juice
If you don’t have lemon juice, you can use apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar to add tang to your soup. Alternatively, use orange juice like I did in this orange carrot soup.
Variations of homemade soup
Mushrooms
Add sautéed mushrooms to your delicious soup for extra depth of flavor. You can use any mushrooms you like, such as cremini, shiitake, or oyster mushrooms.
Spicy
A pinch of cayenne or red pepper flakes gives this soup heat. You can also add diced jalapeno peppers for an extra kick. I like to add a cumin too.
Tomato
Add a can of diced tomatoes to your soup for a tangy and sweet flavor. You can also add fresh herbs like basil, parsley, cilantro, or oregano to complement the tomatoes.
Kale, cauliflower or broccoli
Add steamed kale, cauliflower, or broccoli to the soup to balance the bitterness.
Soups Tips and tricks
- If you’re not used to eating bitter greens, use fewer in the soup. While the greens add a pleasant and subtle bitterness to the soup, it may not appeal to everyone, especially kids. Starting with a smaller amount of dandelion greens may be a good idea.
- When you miss the young leaves and use matured dandelion leaves that are more bitter, boil them in a pot of water for around 5 minutes. This can help to reduce their bitterness and make them more palatable.
FAQ
Dandelion soup has a unique and slightly bitter taste. The level of bitterness varies depending on the freshness and age of the greens, as well as the other ingredients used in the soup.
Some people describe dandelion soup as earthy, nutty, or grassy. Others may find it slightly tangy or acidic due to adding lemon juice or vinegar. But many people find the taste enjoyable once they develop a taste.
Allow it to cool completely at room temperature and transfer it to an airtight container. I like to use glass container one and store it in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
You can also freeze the soup using a freezer-safe container. or Ziploc and store in the freezer for up to 3 months. How to store the hearty soup?
Wild and creamy dandelion soup recipe
This creamy wild dandelion soup is delicious, nutritious, and best to eat in spring when dandelion greens are most tender.
Ingredients
- 2 cups Dandelion greens
- 1 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil.
- 3 Garlic cloves minced
- 2 Onions finely chopped
- 2 medium Potatoes diced
- 2 cups Vegetable stock
- 1 tablespoon Lemon juice to balance the flavor
- 1 tablespoon Sour cream
Instructions
- Wash the dandelion greens thoroughly and remove the tough stems. Chop the greens into small pieces.
- In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add chopped onion and minced garlic, and simmer until the onion becomes translucent.
- Add the cubed potatoes and vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Cover and cook the potatoes for 15 minutes, until they soften.
- Add the chopped dandelion greens to the pot, and cook for another minute, stirring occasionally, until the greens wilt.
- Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until it's smooth and creamy. For additional creaminess, stir with a whisk a dollop of sour cream. This will create a rich and creamy texture and mellow out the bitterness of the dandelion greens.
- Add one tablespoon of lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
Serve the homemade soup hot, garnished with additional chopped dandelion greens, flowers, or roasted sunflower seeds.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 319Total Fat: 9gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 4mgSodium: 732mgCarbohydrates: 55gFiber: 7gSugar: 8gProtein: 8g
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This was such a delicious and creative soup recipe! My family really enjoyed it and I’ll make it again!
My backyard is FULL of these right now, and I had no idea that you could use them in so many edible ways! About to start in on this for dinner – it smells heavenly!
I ran out of lemon juice so I used apple cider vinegar instead and it turned out so well! My dandelion soup is so creamy, hearty and comfy! New go-to comfort food!
This soup was incredibly flavorful! It was my first time cooking with dandelion greens and I enjoyed it.