12 Nettle Recipes To Add To Your Cookbook (2024)

It is spring, and to many of us that means time to watch for the nettle. Long ago, our ancestors also watchedfor the first greens of spring after ahard winterwithnutritional foods in short supply. As soon as they were able, they harvested nettle andincorporated its revitalizing nutrition into their diets.

Nutritionally, nettleis one of nature’s powerhouses. Nettles arevery high in calcium, chromium, magnesium, and zinc, and high in cobalt, manganese, phosphorus, potassium, protein, riboflavin, selenium, silicon, thiamine, vitaminA, and vitamin C (Pederson, 1998).

Many an herbalist claims nettle is one of their favorites, and here we’ll share some of our favorite nettle recipes!

Gathering Nettle Leaves

It’s not called “stinging” nettle withoutreason. The leaves and the stalk are covered with fine hair-like daggers containing several chemicals including formic acid, which, when touched, causes a sting.

Reactions to the sting vary. Some people accept the sting and thank the plant. Others feel the tingle the rest of the day. In others the burn can last twenty-four hours. (Japan has a nettle whose sting, they claim, lasts a year!) It appears if you work with nettle a lot, the sting isn’t as harsh.

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The leaves are best harvested in the spring when the nettle is less than 18 inches tall. Taking only the top six inches is recommended. Try to harvest only stems with unblemished leaves.

If you’re new to harvesting nettle, you should wear gloves and take a large paper grocery bag or basket for placing the nettle in.

If you are harvesting for teas for later in the year, dry the nettle, either by hanging, or my favorite method: Placing the nettle loosely in brown paper bags, marking the bag, putting it in your backseat, and parking in the sun. Depending on the temperature, it usually takes only one day (more on harvesting here).

Once the nettle is dried or cooked, it loses its sting.

If you are looking for a place to buy dried nettle, we recommend Mountain Rose Herbs.

Stinging Nettle Recipes for your Cookbook

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Nettle Soup

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Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion chopped
½ cup uncooked rice (wild rice is great but any rice will do)
Several large handfuls stinging nettle tops
3-4 cloves chopped garlic
8 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
Mixed vegetables, or corn or whatever veggie you like that day
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
Potatoes and/or leeks can also be added

Directions

  • Carefully pick nettles – gloves are recommended. Take only the top 4-6 inches of new unblemished spring plants that are less than 18 inches tall. Remove the leaves. You may need to rinse and pat them dry.
  • Start cooking your rice.
  • In a separate large soup pan melt the butter, add the onion and garlic and simmer until translucent.
  • Add the chicken broth and onion and garlic mixture and nettles leaves in the soup pan and bring to a full boil. Simmer for about 20 minutes. At this point we use an immersion blender and blend until smooth.
  • Add the vegetables, rice and salt and pepper (and any other herbs you like) and simmer a few more minutes.

Nettle Pasta

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You can use any of your favorite pasta recipes and incorporate the nettle.

Ingredients

3 cups flour
2 or 3 large handfuls of fresh nettle tops (harvested from plants no more than 18” tall and only taking the top 6”)
2-3 eggs

Directions

  • Bring nettle and water to a boil. Simmer for 15-20 minutes.
  • Strain nettles, retaining the water – you’ll use that water to boil your pasta in later.
  • Puree nettles and the eggs using immersion blender.
  • Make a well out of the flour in a mixing bowl and add the nettles and eggs mixture. Mix thoroughly until you have a smooth dough ball. (You may need to add extra flour if the mixture is wet or the retained nettle water if the mixture is dry.)
  • Put the ball of dough in a bowl and let it stand for 15 minutes.
  • Roll out about 1/3 of the dough at a time into a ball.
  • Cover the ball of dough with damp towel and let set aside for 10-15 minutes.
  • Roll 1/3 of the dough at a time on a floured surface as thin as you would like – can be very thin or thicker if you like thick noodles.
  • Cut into any length strip – as long or short as you want, or in squares if you want to make ravioli. Hang them, if possible, for about 10 minutes. We have a pasta hanger, but you can use a clean plastic hanger.
  • Bring the savednettle water to a boil again and place your green noodles into the boiling water. Cook for 3 – 8 minutes depending on the thickness. Check them for doneness.

(To sacrificehealth benefits but maximize delight, we drizzle with melted butter, garlic, and parmesan cheese.)

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Nettle Broth

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Adapted from Traditional Scottish Cooking by Margaret Fairlie

Ingredients

2 cups chopped young fresh nettle (dried nettle can be used off season)
1 quart chicken broth
½ cup barley
1 cup diced potatoes
Salt and pepper as needed

Directions

  • Wash and pat dry the nettle. Remove the stems and discard.Finely chop the leaves.
  • Bring the chicken stock and barley to a boil and simmer in a saucepan for about an hour.
  • Add the nettles and diced potatoes. Simmer until the potatoes are tender, about twenty to thirty minutes.
  • Serve hot. Serves 4.

Nettle Oatcakes

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Adapted fromPrehistoric Cooking by Jacqui Wood

Ingredients

bowl of nettles
2 tablespoon butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
approximately 1 cup oatmeal (until it binds)

Directions

  • Wash a large bowl of nettles and pat dry. Place them in a pan with two tablespoons of butter and simmer over low heat stirring occasionally.
  • Strain.
  • Add salt and an egg and beat until smooth.
  • Add oatmeal until it binds together. Let sit one hour.
  • Press into about two inch patties, and fry until golden brown on both sides.
  • Serve warm with bacon, cheese, or with maple syrup.

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Nettle Leaf Shortbread

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Adapted from Je Cusine Les Plantes by Amandine Geers

Ingredients

5½ ounces of butter at room temperature
10½ounces of plain flour
2½ ounces sugar (powdered sugar will make them less sweet)
3 tablespoons nettle leaf finely chopped (powdered)
½ teaspoons baking powder
1 or 2 egg yolks

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 350F.
  • Cut butter into the small pieces.
  • Mix the dry ingredients (flour, nettle powder, baking powder and sugar).
  • Add butter and mix until it resembles fine breadcrumbs.
  • Add one egg yolk and form a ball (if one egg yolk isn’t enough, add another and then add milk (about three tablespoons) to dry ingredients until it forms a dough.
  • Roll dough on parchment paper to about 1/3 inch. Cut into squares.
  • Bake 15 – 20 minutes or until golden brown.

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Easy Nettle Tea

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Nettle tea is nutritious at any time of year. I use about 1 teaspoon of dried nettle and 1 cup of water and let it brew, covered, for about 20 minutes. It can be drying in the winter, so watch for this.

I hope you have access to fresh nettle this month so you are able to try some of the above recipes. And don’t forget to dry some nettle for use during the winter!

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More Nettle Recipes to Enjoy:

Nettle Vinegar

Spring Nettles with Garlic-Lemon White Beans

Nettle Spring Side SaladbyHunter Gather Cook

Stinging Nettle Chips by Learning and Yearning

Stinging Nettle Frittata by This Original Organic Life

Stinging Nettle and Sharp Cheddar Omelet by Nourished Kitchen

REFERENCES

Pedersen, Mark. (1998). Nutritional Herbology.

12 Nettle Recipes To Add To Your Cookbook (2024)

FAQs

What should you not use nettle fertiliser on? ›

It works for tomatoes, leeks, brassicas, cucumbers and courgettes. However, it is not meant for beans, peas, onions, potatoes and root vegetables. Apply nettle tea to your plants every 3 weeks in the growing season. Note: You will still need to add compost and mulch to adjust the soil's Nitrogen-Carbon ratio.

How much nettle should I take daily? ›

There's no one recommended portion size for nettle leaf or nettle leaf products, though the Arthritis Foundation suggests these amounts for arthritis benefits: 1 cup of tea three times a day. Up to 1,300 milligrams a day in capsule form. As a tincture (a solution in alcohol), 1-4 milliliters, three times a day.

How many nettle leaves for a cup of tea? ›

Ingredients For Nettle Tea:

1-2 tablespoons dried, cut & sifted leaves OR ~ 1 cup fresh, clean leaves ** you can buy dried Nettle leaf (I recommend Mountain Rose Herbs), or you can responsibly wildcraft your own. Boiling water.

Are nettles more nutritious than spinach? ›

Though spinach is usually considered a good source of iron, nettle contains four times more iron than spinach. Vitamins: Nettle also contains 3–4 times more vitamin C than spinach (nettle: 175–200 mg/100 g, spinach: 45 mg/100 g). It also contains quite a lot of vitamins A, E and B.

Is nettle bad for liver? ›

Stinging nettle extracts are generally well tolerated and have not been implicated in instances of serum aminotransferase elevations or cases of clinically apparent liver injury.

How to make homemade nettle fertilizer? ›

How to make Stinging Nettle Tea:
  1. Harvest the Nettles. Using Gloves and scissor to avoid getting stung.
  2. Place them in a basin or a bucket. Trim if needed.
  3. Mix with water. Fill the bucket with water, as much as you need or can.
  4. Let stand and macerate for 2-3 weeks. ...
  5. Filter/strain off leafs. ...
  6. Dilute and use!
Jul 19, 2022

What does nettle do for a woman? ›

The chemical compounds in stinging nettle have a variety of health benefits for women. Because of its astringent characteristics, it can relieve unpleasant premenstrual symptoms including cramping and bloating, as well as reduce blood flow during menstruation.

Does nettle raise estrogen? ›

There is also a possibility that nettle may affect estrogen levels. One 2007 case study focuses on a male who developed breast tissue and a female who developed high estrogen levels and nipple discharge due to nettle consumption. However, it is unclear how common these side effects are.

What are the negative side effects of nettle? ›

Occasional side effects include mild stomach upset, fluid retention, sweating, diarrhea, and hives or rash (mainly from topical use). It is important to be careful when handling the nettle plant because touching it can cause an allergic rash. Stinging nettle should never be applied to an open wound.

Is it better to drink nettle tea at night or in the morning? ›

Since nettle tea has a strong diuretic effect, avoid drinking it before bedtime.

Who should not drink nettle tea? ›

Avoid if you're pregnant or breastfeeding because there isn't enough information on its safety. Use with caution if you're elderly because of the potential of causing low blood pressure. And use stinging nettle with caution if you have diabetes because of the potential that it may lower or raise blood sugar levels.

What is the healthiest plant to eat in the world? ›

The 7 Healthiest Plant Foods on the Planet
  • Walnuts. Walnuts boast many important health promoting nutrients like fiber, protein and omega-3 fats. ...
  • Avocado. Avocados are densely packed with vitamin E, potassium, folate and anti-inflammatory, healthy fats. ...
  • Kale. Bet you knew kale would be on this list! ...
  • Turmeric. ...
  • Garlic. ...
  • Ginger.

What is the most nutritious plant ever? ›

No matter what you call Moringa oleifera — also known as “drumstick tree,” “tree of life,” and “miracle tree” — it's one of the most nutritious plants in the world.

Can you eat too much nettle? ›

When taken by mouth: Stinging nettle is possibly safe when used for up to 1 year. It might cause diarrhea, constipation, and upset stomach in some people. When applied to the skin: Stinging nettle is possibly safe. Touching the stinging nettle plant can cause skin irritation.

Is nettle feed good for all plants? ›

Using Nettles as Fertilizer

It can be added to the compost bin to stimulate decomposition as well. When using nettles as fertilizer, remember that some plants, like tomatoes and roses, do not enjoy the high iron levels in nettle fertilizer. This fertilizer works best on leafy plants and heavy feeders.

What are the disadvantages of bone meal? ›

Using too much bone meal can force other nutrients out of your plants, too, like zinc and iron. It can cause your plants to turn yellow and harm their chlorophyll production if you aren't careful about supplying other nutrients when they are needed, too.

Is nettle fertilizer good for plants? ›

The nutrients nettle fertiliser contains include chlorophyll, Nitrogen, Iron and Potassium. Brewed nettle tea will last up to 6 months, enough to get you through the growing season (spring). It works best on leafy plants and heavy feeders.

Is stinging nettle good fertilizer? ›

They're full of growth-boosting goodness, including nitrogen, calcium and magnesium. You can use older, tough growth for this – though tender young growth is fine too. Just cut some nettles and stuff them down into a watertight container, ideally with a lid as it can pong a bit.

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