I first made this because a neighbour kept telling me the dandelions in my lawn were worth more than the grass, and I got tired of arguing about it. He was half right. The leaves are bitter, properly bitter, and on their own they are not something you would choose to drink. Put a sweet apple and a lemon in with them, though, and that bitterness turns into something closer to a tonic. From April onwards there is usually a bottle of this in my fridge, made from leaves picked at the bottom of the garden.
Why these ingredients work
Dandelion leaves are one of the few greens you can eat for nothing, and they carry a serious amount of vitamin K. A 60g handful gives you well over a day’s worth, along with vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium and calcium. That is a decent return for a plant most people kill with weedkiller.
The apple does the taste work. 300g of Gala or Pink Lady brings enough sugar and acidity to hold the leaves in check without turning the glass into fruit juice, and the cucumber keeps the volume up while keeping the sugar down. Lemon sharpens the finish and ginger covers the last of the bitter edge.
It is not a milkshake. It is a green juice that tastes green, and if that is what you came for you will enjoy it.
FAQ
Is dandelion juice safe to drink every day?
A glass a day is fine for most people. It is a mild diuretic, so expect to need the loo a bit more for a few hours afterwards, which is why morning suits it better than bedtime. If you take diuretics, blood thinners or lithium, or you are pregnant, have a word with your GP before making it a habit, because dandelion does interact with all three.
Can I use the dandelions growing in my lawn?
Yes, as long as the lawn has not been treated with weedkiller or fertiliser. Take the small young leaves from the middle of the plant and leave anything growing on a verge, a footpath or somewhere dogs walk. Wash them in a bowl of cold water before they go near the juicer. A bag of dandelion greens from a greengrocer does the same job with less guesswork.
Why did mine come out so bitter?
Old leaves. Bitterness climbs as the leaf gets bigger, so stick to the smallest ones you can find and taste one raw before you juice it. If it is unpleasant on its own it will still be unpleasant in the glass. A second apple or another half lemon will pull it back a little, but younger leaves are the real fix.
More detox juices: see the full Detox collection.
Dandelion Detox Juice
Equipment
- 1 Juicer masticating or centrifugal
- 1 High-speed blender for the blender method
- 1 Nut milk bag or fine-mesh sieve to strain the blender version
- 2 Airtight glass bottles for storing
- 1 Budget cold press juicer a good value alternative
- 1 Budget blender a good value alternative
Ingredients
- 60 g dandelion leaves young leaves only, about three loose handfuls
- 2 sweet apples about 300g, such as Gala or Pink Lady, cored and quartered, peel left on
- 150 g cucumber half a cucumber, roughly chopped
- 1 lemon peeled, white pith removed
- 15 g fresh ginger a thumb-sized piece, no need to peel
Instructions
Juicer method
- Rinse the dandelion leaves properly. They grow close to the ground, so grit hides down in the stems. A bowl of cold water and a good swish beats rinsing them one at a time under the tap.
- Core and quarter the apples and chop the cucumber into chunks that fit your feed chute. Peel the lemon and leave the pith behind, because pith is what makes a green juice taste bitter in the wrong way.
- Feed the ginger and lemon through first, then the apple and cucumber, then the dandelion leaves last. The watery fruit pushes the greens through with it and stops the leaves clogging the mesh.
- Stir and drink it cold. It keeps for two days in a full, airtight bottle in the fridge, though the first day is the best of it.
Blender method
- Chop the apple, cucumber, peeled lemon and ginger, then put them in the blender with the dandelion leaves.
- Add 100ml of cold water and blend on high for a full minute, until there is no sign of leaf left.
- Pour it through a nut milk bag or a fine sieve and squeeze the pulp properly. If it comes out too thick, loosen it with a splash more water.
- Serve over ice, or bottle it and keep it cold for up to two days.