Can You Freeze Dandelion Greens?

3 minutes

With more nutrients than spinach and more calcium than a glass of milk, dandelion leaves are a popular choice among the health-conscious.

There is one problem with dandelion greens and that is they are best picked in springtime which is a fairly short window of opportunity. After this, the leaves can grow bitter and are not quite as delicious.

If only there was a way to keep a stash of fresh greens available all year round! Can you freeze dandelion greens?

How To Freeze Dandelion Greens

As with most veggies, especially the leafy kind you do need to do some prep work in order to freeze them successfully. Don’t worry we will be covering how to prep and freeze your dandelion greens next.

There are just a few steps to follow.

1. Pick and Wash
   Pick your fresh dandelion greens. The younger the leaves the sweeter they will be – so make sure you pick the best. Wash them thoroughly and allow them to drain and air dry.
2. Prepare Ice Water
   Fill a bowl with ice water. You can either pop a bowl of water in the fridge for a few hours or add some ice to a bowl of water. You need to have this near to your cooker as this is an essential part of the blanching process.
3. Blanch for 30 Seconds
   Next, you need to fill a saucepan with water and bring it to the boil. Once the pan of water is boiling add your greens to it and boil for 30 seconds. You don’t want to over boil the leaves so make sure you time carefully.
4. Plunge Into Ice Water
   Once your cooking is up, take out the dandelion greens and plunge them straight into the ice water.
5. Drain and Dry
   Take the leaves out of the ice water when they have cooled, allow them to drain and dry.
6. Bag Up and Freeze
   Pop the leaves into a freezer bag and pop it into the freezer – after labelling the bag with the date.

3 Tips for Freezing Dandelion Greens

Now you know how to freeze them, we’ve got our 3 top tips which we strongly recommend following when freezing dandelion greens to have the best results:

Blanch Briefly
Blanching is a great way to lock in flavour, texture, colour and nutrients and is something we recommend when freezing most vegetables. This applies to dandelion greens.

Mix With Other Greens
You can create your own mixed green bags by combining dandelion greens with other green veggies such as collard greens, kale, cavolo nero or spinach. 

Use Cooked
Although you can eat dandelion greens raw, once frozen their texture won’t be quite as enjoyable so you’re better off using frozen dandelion greens in a cooked side dish or soup.

How Long Can You Freeze Dandelion Greens?

The best thing about freezing dandelion greens is just how long they last in the freezer! You can keep them frozen for up to twelve months – just in time for harvest time again.

Make sure you grab yourself enough in the Spring to last all year and then you can eat your greens throughout the year, safe in the knowledge you can start the process again when Spring comes around again.

You Can Freeze Dandelion Greens for a FULL Year

How Do You Defrost Dandelion Greens?

Dandelion greens are a type of leaf that you can cook from frozen if you need. These leaves actually work best when cooked after freezing so you can add them to your meals for some extra nutrients and taste.

If you do want to try and thaw them out then the best method is to let them defrost in the fridge overnight. This might not lead to the best results if you want to eat them raw.

This is a vegetable type that is definitely worth cooking after freezing.

Can You Refreeze Dandelion Greens?

Refreezing dandelion greens is not a good idea. If you refreeze them, you’ll find their structure changes which cause the texture to degrade and you’ll be left with mushy, slimy dandelion greens that are unpleasant to eat, unfortunately. 

Do Dandelion Greens Freeze Well?

Most leafy greens will not be quite the same frozen as they were fresh so if you are hoping to add your frozen dandelion greens to a leafy salad you might be in for a disappointment.

The texture and structure of the leaves will have changed and won’t taste the same.

Although they don’t freeze well you should find them perfect for adding to meals for extra texture, flavour and nutrients and this way you won’t notice the texture change at all.

Related FAQs

If you’ve still got questions about freezing dandelion greens or greens in general, then these may help:

Can You Freeze Spinach?

It’s certainly possible. We’ve actually written a dedicated article about freezing spinach so why not check that out?

Are All Dandelions Good to Eat?

They certainly are. You can eat every part of it too including the flower. It has a peppery, bitter taste not dissimilar to rocket.