Recipe: Panko Fried Dandelions Are Weeds That Wow!

Crops & Gardening

Recipe: Panko Fried Dandelions Are Weeds That Wow!

by Stephanie Thurow - April 21, 2023

Cooking up fried dandelions has become a spring tradition in our household. We’ve been doing it for over 10 years now. As soon as my kiddo spots one in the yard, she mentions it. Because dandelions are some of the first flowers to bloom here in Minnesota, we wait until there are more options available to the pollinators before harvesting.

I don’t have exact measurements for this one, we always just kind of sprinkle a bit of this and add a dash of that. So here is my rough “recipe” for you to try.

Ingredients

blooming dandelions (20 to 30 flowers with a couple inches of stem)
panko
1 egg
a dash of sea salt, garlic powder and pepper, to taste
coconut oil, as needed

Directions

Harvest as many dandelions as you want to eat. We usually pick about 20 to 30 for just the two of us. It’s helpful to leave a couple inches of stem on the flower as it makes a great handle for holding onto while cooking and eating.

Soak the dandelions in cold water, rinsing thoroughly until all bugs/dirt have been washed away. Dry them.

Whisk the egg in a bowl. In another dish, mix together the panko and seasonings. Feel free to add any other seasonings you’d like at this point.

In a frying pan, heat enough coconut oil so that there is about 1/4 inch (or so) of oil melted in the pan. Bring to a medium-high heat.

Once the oil is heated and ready for frying, dip the dandelions into the egg, then into the seasoned panko mixture and place into the pan. Fry until they are golden brown. It takes about three minutes.

Place the cooked dandelions on a paper-towel lined plate (to soak up excess oil) and enjoy! We always make a couple yummy dipping sauces to eat them with, but they are extremely delicious on their own.

Notes

It’s extremely important that you do not harvest dandelions from spaces that have been sprayed with toxic chemicals. You also want to avoid spaces that your pets use as a bathroom. If you are unsure if a space has been chemically treated, do not risk it.

Harvest dandelions in the middle of the day when they are fully blooming.

Prepare to cook them immediately after harvest or they will close up and no longer be useful.

We don’t eat the stems once cooked, just the fried flower blossoms.

Stephanie is an author, certified master food preserver, food preservation instructor and freelance writer that lives in Minnesota. Her pastimes include: cooking-from-scratch, canning, fermenting, crafting, hand stamping metal jewelry, organic gardening, photography, chicken keeping, fishing, traveling and urban homesteading. She also enjoys laughing, dancing and visiting with family and friends. She has had a die-hard love of kimchi since she was a toddler, which ultimately lead to her interest in fermentation. She loves to garden and lives with her family, pets and flock of hens on her urban homestead near Minneapolis, MN.