Our yard is covered with dandelion blossoms each spring, welcoming the warm spring sun! Dandelions are a wonderful wild edible. Did you know that every part of the dandelion plant is edible? It’s true! We love using the blossoms to make these dandelion fritters in the springtime!

For this recipe, you will want to use freshly harvested dandelion flowers for this recipe, as the flowers will begin to close up quickly. If you or your children are sensitive to bitter flavors, you can remove the green bracts on the back of the flower. We don’t find these bitter, but some people do!

Make sure you harvest your flowers from a location that does not spray for weeds and is not too close to the road or the side of a house. These locations can contain pesticides, lead, or other substances we don’t want to eat!

We like to harvest 2-3 flowers per fritter. We doubled the recipe, which made around 24 fritters. This varies depending on how large you make your fritters!

You can cook these fritters over a fire or on the stovetop like we did. This recipe is very forgiving. You may also substitute with your choice of flour if you would like a gluten-free option. I also like to add a little maple syrup or sugar to the batter, but this is not necessary.

Dandelion Fritter Recipe

Makes approx. 8-12 small fritters.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups flour
• 1-1.5 cups water or milk (we used water)
• 1 egg
• 2 Tbs oil of your choice + oil for frying
• 1 ts baking powder
• ¼ ts salt + extra for sprinkling after cooking
• 1-3 Tbs of maple syrup or sugar (if desired)
• 1 cup of dandelion blossoms, freshly picked (we used 2-3 blossoms per fritter)

Optional:

Maple syrup or cinnamon sugar for topping for a sweeter version but they are wonderful just with a sprinkle of salt too!

Directions:

Mix together dry ingredients in a bowl (not the flowers). Then add in wet ingredients and combine. The batter should be on the thicker side. I find it similar to a muffin batter consistency. Add water or flour as needed to obtain this consistency.

Add ¼”-1/2” oil to a pan and turn the heat on high. The oil is ready when you add a piece of batter and it sizzles. Hot oil can be dangerous. I would supervise older children or do this step yourself. I also like to wear an apron as the oil splatters!

Once the oil is hot, drop large spoonfuls of batter into the oil. Place 2-3 blossoms face down on top of each fritter. Let cook until golden on the bottom (a few minutes), then flip. Cook until golden brown and not raw in the middle.

Place cooked fritters on a plate with a towel or paper towels to absorb excess oil and sprinkle with salt.

I hope you enjoy these dandelion fritters as much as we did! They are such a fun way to enjoy the bounty of spring!

I love using learning about the natural world, spending time outdoors, and integrating basic academic skills! If you are interested in getting outdoors and learning more with your children or students, check out my curriculums Wild Math, Wild Reading, Unit Studies, and my brand new book Wild Learning: Practical Ways to Bring Teaching Outdoors!