How to Make Dandelion Root Tea: Bags, Loose Root, and the Coffee Trick

By Suhail Rivera, founder of Alkaline Herb Shop

There are two ways to make dandelion root tea, and which one you use depends on whether you have tea bags or loose root. For a tea bag, pour 8 ounces of boiling water over one bag, cover, and steep 5 to 7 minutes. For loose cut root, add 1 to 2 tablespoons to 8 ounces of water and simmer for 15 minutes, then strain. Dandelion root is a root, not a leaf, so the loose form wants a simmer rather than a quick steep. The rest of this guide covers the coffee trick, what it tastes like, how much to use, and who should not drink it.

How to make dandelion root tea from a tea bag

1. Bring 8 ounces of fresh cold water to a rolling boil.
2. Pour it over one dandelion root tea bag.
3. Cover the cup and steep for 5 to 7 minutes.
4. Lift out the bag and drink. Covering the cup keeps the aromatics in the tea rather than in the steam.

One bag holds 2,000 milligrams of dandelion root and nothing else, so there is no measuring and no straining.

How to make it from loose cut root

1. Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of cut and sifted root to 8 ounces of water. One tablespoon gives a lighter cup, two a deeper and more bitter one.
2. Bring it to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes. A root needs simmering to give up its flavour, which is the main difference from a leaf tea.
3. Strain and drink.

The coffee trick: toast the root first

Here is the step most people miss. Toast the dry root in a pan over medium heat for a few minutes, until it smells nutty and turns a shade darker, then simmer it as usual. Toasting rounds off the raw edge and pushes the flavour toward coffee. This is why dandelion root is the classic caffeine free coffee alternative: brewed strong from toasted root, it is dark, bitter and roasted, with no caffeine. If you are chasing a coffee style cup rather than a light tea, toast first and use the full two tablespoons.

How much dandelion root should you use, and how often?

A tea bag is 2,000 milligrams, which is 2 grams, and our label directs one cup a day. For loose root, 1 to 2 tablespoons per cup. For reference, European regulators who have reviewed traditional dandelion root preparations describe a single serving of around 1 to 5 grams, so a single bag or a tablespoon or two sits inside that range.

Dandelion root is a traditional bitter that supports healthy digestion*, and a bitter works by taste, which is part of why it has always been taken as a drink rather than swallowed in a capsule. Beyond that, treat it as a pleasant daily cup rather than a measured dose.

What does dandelion root tea taste like?

Earthy and properly bitter, in a coffee direction rather than a floral one. The bitterness is the character of the herb, not a fault, and if it is sharper than you like, toasting the root first softens it. People who drink it tend to drink it the way others drink coffee, in the morning or through the afternoon.

Does dandelion root tea have caffeine?

No. Dandelion root is naturally caffeine free, and if the bag holds nothing but dandelion, there is no caffeine in the cup at all. That is exactly why it stands in for coffee for people cutting caffeine.

Root or leaf? They are not the same tea

Dandelion root and dandelion leaf come from the same plant, Taraxacum officinale, but they are different teas. The root is earthy and bitter and is what people brew as a coffee alternative. The leaf is greener and lighter and has its own separate traditional use. If a recipe calls for one, the other is not a straight swap. Everything in this guide is about the root.

Tea bags or loose root: which should you choose?

Choose dandelion root tea bags if you want it portioned and ready, 2,000 milligrams a bag with nothing to measure or strain and a quick 5 to 7 minute steep. Choose the loose cut root if you want to set your own strength, toast it for a coffee style cup, and get more per dollar. It is the same single ingredient either way, dandelion root and nothing added.

What is dandelion, really?

Dandelion is the bright yellow flower that comes up through every lawn, Taraxacum officinale, called diente de leon, lion's tooth, across Latin America for its jagged leaf. The whole plant is edible, and the root is the part people have dried and brewed the longest. European regulators list dandelion root as a traditional herbal medicine, a category that means it has a long history of use rather than proof from clinical trials. The honest position is that the tradition is old and the modern evidence is limited, so drink it because you enjoy a bitter, caffeine free, coffee leaning cup.

Who should not drink dandelion root tea?

• Dandelion is in the daisy family, Asteraceae, alongside ragweed, chrysanthemum, marigold and echinacea. If you are allergic to any of those, you may react to dandelion.
• Do not use it during pregnancy or while nursing.
• It is not recommended for anyone under 18.
• If you have a medical condition or take prescription medicine, speak to your doctor first.

How to store dandelion root

Keep it tightly closed in a dry place at room temperature, 59 to 86°F. Kept dry and sealed, cut root and tea bags stay good for a couple of years.

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Suhail Rivera is the founder of Alkaline Herb Shop, which sources and sells the dandelion root described in this article.

Source: European Medicines Agency, European Union herbal monograph on Taraxacum officinale (L.) Weber ex F.H. Wigg., radix (EMA/HMPC/475726/2020).

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.