Dandelion Root Bitters: Homemade Herbal Bitters Recipe (2024)

Originally published onFebruary 17, 2017. Last updated onMay 11, 2023

Dandelion root bitters is an easy infusion to make at home. Bitter herbs are useful in digestion, and are perfect in an aperitif cocktail. They increase the digestibility of food and are calming to the nervous system. Bonus – they are delicious in cocktail form! Learn how to make herbal dandelion root bitters.

Wildcrafting Weeds

If you want to learn more about the edible and medicinal weeds that surround us and how to use them, check out my eBook: Wildcrafting Weeds: 20 Easy to Forage Edible and Medicinal Plants (that might be growing in your backyard)!

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Homemade Herbal Bitters

I’ve always wanted to make my own homemade bitters. If I had known that it was as simple as making an infusion I probably would have done it a long time ago!

Recently, though, I’ve been taking the Intermediate Herbal Course with the Herbal Academy, and there is a lot covered about bitter herbs.

Bitter herbs are especially important for the digestive system, and are great to have before a meal. They increase the digestibility of food and are also calming to the nervous system.

Some common bitter herbs are dandelion, artichoke, orange peel, motherwort, hyssop, burdock, rosemary, mugwort, and Oregon grape root.

The course got me thinking again about making herbal bitters, and one of the best bitter herbs out there is dandelion root.

I happen to have a lot of dried dandelion root on hand, so I thought it would be perfect to make this dandelion root bitters recipe!

Dandelion Root Bitters Recipe

Making homemade bitters is really quite easy, as it’s just a basic infusion of bitter tasting herbs in high proof alcohol.

There are two ways to go about it, one is to make several different single herb infusions and blend them to taste. The other is to combine several herbs together and infuse them that way.

For this recipe I chose to combine them just to make it easy, but do it however you prefer!

Put the dried herbs into a quart sized jar, then pour in the entire bottle of vodka.

Cover the jar and let sit to infuse for 4-6 weeks. It will turn a lovely orange color from the zest, and the dandelion root will have expanded.

Strain out the herbs with a fine mesh sieve, and your dandelion root bitters are finished!

It is best when served chilled, and will keep for a long time in the fridge.

Using Dandelion Root Bitters

Drink a small amount to dandelion root bitters before a meal to stimulate digestion, or add a bit to a fancy cocktail for a different flavor.

To me these bitters aren’t really “bitter” at all, at least not in a bad way. There is a slight bitterness that is actually quite pleasant.

If you’re interested in herbs and their different actions, such as bitterness, I highly recommend taking one of the Herbal Academy’s courses!

I have learned a lot from them and think they awesome. They even have a mini course on Herbal Fermentation that sounds really cool!

Have you ever made homemade bitters? What herbs did you use?

More uses for Foraged Dandelion

Did you know there are over 50 ways to enjoy this amazingly versatile backyard “weed”? Among them are:

• Dandelion Mead Recipe
• Infused Dandelion Vinegar
• Dandelion Pesto
• How to Make Dandelion Tea
• Dandelion Jelly: Low-Sugar or Honey
• Dandelion Lotion Bar Recipe
• How to Make Dandelion Salve
• Dandelion Soap Made With the Whole Plant
• Dandelion and Fennel Kombucha
• Dandelion Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream Frosting