Easy Springtime Nettles and Garlic Biscuits {Paleo & Keto}

This is a lovely, nutrient dense, easy drop biscuit recipe incorporating Almond Flour, Stinging Nettles, and Garlic. It tastes cheesy somehow, even though it is dairy-free and gluten-free! It is also paleo and keto friendly.

In the springtime I get a little obsessed with nettles. Now, I cannot tell a lie, I’m not, like, actually wild-harvesting them in the woods.

I wish I was. I often imagine myself as that person- an herbal wise woman walking a springtime forest with a flowy skirt, fairies dancing around me, and harvesting stinging nettles in just the perfect way so I don’t get stung.

But I’m not quite that woman. I did once get stung by nettles while peeing behind a barn road in Ireland. It hurt for days.

But, I digress.

Nettles in the Springtime

Nettles are a traditional springtime plant, and often made into nourishing teas, infusions, and soups. It’s often one of the first plants to grow in the spring, and it is harvested early. It is deeply nourishing, and I consider it a true “green” much like lettuce, spinach, kale, or collards, in terms of the nourishment you get from them. When I was trying to get pregnant I drank an herbal infusion that included nettles every day!

Nettles has a high vitamin content, which made it perfect for our anscestors who had survived a harsh winter living on grains and salted meat. As soon as the nettles were up, they would be turned into a soup to help reinvigorate people.

Springtime nettle herbal magic often centers around the home, and women’s domestic work. It is about both healthy and inner strength. In modern times, it is known as an herb to take to fight off seasonal allergies as well!

The Amazing Nourishing Nettle

Nettles are one of the most nourishing herbs.  According to Susan Weed, the herbal healing guru, a one quart infusion of nettles contains more than 1000 milligrams of calcium, 15000 IU of vitamin A, 760 milligrams of vitamin K, and plenty of most B vitamins.  

It has a reputation as the herb with the most chlorophyll – the substance thought to be what makes “green” superfoods like wheatgrass, so healthy.  Nettles also provide a food source of folate (food-based folic acid) and tones the adrenal system. Basically, they are amazing.

Gluten-Free Nettles Biscuits

I got the idea of using nettles in biscuits from Mountain Rose Herbs, a wonderful company that I often order my dried nettles from. Of course their recipe used real flour, and I’ve been gluten free for years. So I decided to come up with a healthy, paleo version of their nettles biscuits.

The first time I made them with almond flour, and no other seasonings and they were WONDERFUL. So surprisingly cheesy despite being dairy-free! The next time I added very finely chopped garlic and the cheesy-ness doubled. BUT, I will warn you that because the biscuits don’t cook very long, the garlic is still quite potent. If you are making these for children, I would skip the garlic!

Ingredients in Paleo Garlic Nettles Biscuits

• 2 cups Blanched Almond Flour
• 2 tsp baking powder gluten-free, aluminum-free
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• 1/3 cup coconut oil can use butter or ghee if open to dairy
• 2 large eggs beaten, I’ve never made these with flax eggs, but I imagine it would work fine
• 4 cloves garlic minced- I advise to leave these out if making for children
• 6 Tbsp dried nettle leaves
• boiled water for soaking nettles

Directions for Making Almond Flour Nettles Biscuits

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (177 degrees C)
2. Pour one cup hot water over dried nettles, and allow to reconstitute for at least five minutes.
3. Strain out leaves with a fine mesh strainer, and press out extra water.
4. Melt the coconut oil (or butter) and allow to sit and cool a bit, while mixing the dry ingredients. You don’t want hot coconut oil cooking the eggs.
5. In a large mixing bowl, combine almond flour, salt, and baking powder.
6. Make a little well and add in the melted coconut oil and mix.
7. Then add in the beaten eggs and mix.
8. Add in the minced garlic, and finally, the strained nettles.
9. Scoop about 1/3 cup of dough onto a non-toxic stainless baking sheet, and form into flattened biscuit shapes with your fingers.
10. Bake for 15 minutes until firm and golden.
11. Cool on the baking sheet.
12. Enjoy!