Last Updated on June 5, 2026 by Deliciously Organic Editor
I never thought I could wean myself off of coffee. Years ago, I actually told my nutritionist that I would give up anything to reverse my disease, except coffee. It was a ritual, something I loved in the morning and I just wasn’t willing to give it up. I was already giving up all grains, sugars, processed foods, doing gobs of detox, etc. and I just wanted to hold on to one small piece of my past “food self.”
Over time, after some more reading and research, I realized that my daily coffee habit just wasn’t the right choice for me. It’s a very acidic drink that can wreak havoc on the adrenal glands (which produce hormones that help us deal with stress). After years of work to reduce inflammation, detox from heavy metals and reverse my disease, why was I drinking something every morning that could send me back in the other direction?
After thinking it over for many months, I finally decided to let it go. I was worried about withdrawals or cravings so I chatted with my nutritionist and she gave me some tips. After several months of slowly weaning off, I was finally able to kick my caffeine/coffee habit! I actually still find it odd that I don’t crave it. I really never thought it was possible!
Here’s exactly what I did — I hope you’ll find it helpful:
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- For 2 weeks I drank organic coffee that was 75% caffeinated and 25% decaf.
The next 2 weeks I drank organic coffee that was 50/50.
The next 2 weeks I drank organic coffee that was 25% caffeinated and 75% decaf.
The next 2 weeks I drank organic coffee that was 100% decaf. - This is where I got nervous because I wanted to get off of coffee completely, but didn’t know how to just stop the habit (the flavor, the creaminess, the sweetness!). So, in came the coffee substitute. For the next 3 months I drank Dandelion and Chicory Root Tea (recipe below). It’s a rich, dark tea that’s as close to coffee as you can get with the added benefit of stimulating the liver to naturally detox. Over time, I stopped craving regular coffee and eventually got to the point where I didn’t even want to drink the dandelion and chicory root tea. After 3 months, I started drinking a glass of water with lemon right when I woke up instead of coffee or a coffee substitute and I’ve kept this habit up for almost a full year.
- For 2 weeks I drank organic coffee that was 75% caffeinated and 25% decaf.
Personally, this experience was liberating! I love that I don’t have a vice or something that I desperately “need” as soon as I wake up. Now I occasionally (but rarely) enjoy a cup of coffee with some fresh cream and honey as a treat. I’m continually surprised at the power of small changes to revolutionize our eating habits!
Dandelion and Chicory Root Tea (Coffee Substitute)
I mix the dandelion band chicory root in large batches and store it in a glass jar in the pantry.
Instructions
- Place the dandelion and chicory root in the filter of a coffee maker. Add 1 quart water and brew accordingly according to the manufacturer’s directions. Serve with cream and honey if desired.
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i can’t believe you actually did it – i remember sitting in your kitchen the first time you told me that you’ll give up anything BUT coffee!!! that is so awesome – congratulations!
Thanks Jen! I still am amazed that I wake up and prefer a glass of water with lemon. Who have I become? haha….
Do you grind the chicory and dandelion?
It comes already ground.
I stopped drinking coffee a few months ago. I really didn’t want to as I liked the flavor of it but it was effecting my sleep habits and contributing to raising my blood pressure. I thought it would be really hard to stop but it wasn’t so bad. Now I drink green tea and that has worked well. Sometimes I put a slice of fresh ginger in it. I do miss the coffee taste a little but I try not to think about it.
I’m glad to hear you were able to kick the habit!
I’ve been trying to get away from caffeine coffee too….what kind of coffee did you drink ? Can you give us the brand name….I don’t think I have seen coffee with the decaf amounts you show…..is it drip coffee or instant ?
I did order some chicory and it taste HORRIBLE…..I only started out using 2 tsp.per cup, was too strong then went to 1 tsp. per cup, less strong, but still absolutely horrible tasting black…..once I put 2 tbsps. coffee creamer in it, it’s tolerable…..but then when I add a tsp. of flavored creamer, it is much better…..so I would like to know what brand and where you buy yours at….
I ordered mine online at NUTS AND COMPANY….a lb. was $7.99…..but I wanted to try it….hope I can still return it tho……before that I was drinking Tasters’ Choice instant decaf, but it says it still has some caffeine in it and I need to get away from caffeine….will appreciate any help you can share…..thanks
Hello! My husband and I are partners in a fabulous coffee company, HealthWise Gourmet Low Acid Coffee. We have an all natural process that makes the pH closest to water of any other coffee on the market. We use a Swiss Water Decaffeination process that is the only pure way to decaffeinate coffee. We have multiple health issues in our family…2 sons with Crohn’s disease, a son who is a cancer survivor, peanut allergy and Celiac disease so have some experience with reducing inflammation in our diet. We have helped so many people enjoy coffee who may not have otherwise. We also know that many people cross react with coffee as our son does. If I can help please contact me.
Have a wonderful day!
Bridget Couch
Where can I buy this coffee? That sounds amazing!
The links are in the recipe up above in the post.
I switched coffee for brewed chocolate.
http://www.criobru.ca
Endorphins instead of caffeine.
Happiness instead of jitters!
You are brilliant, Barbara. Chocolate is a great idea.
Thanks for the timely info! I just told my husband this week I wanted to move to dandelion coffee for health reasons also. Thank you so much!
One of my goals for 2015 is to give up coffee completely so thank you for this post. Dandyblend is a great substitute for the flavor of coffee. It is made from Dandelion & Chickory Root & you just add hot water. I’m going to try your method to waen myself off the caffeine.
HI Carrie, stumbled across this. Good post! Some people I’ve helped are so addicted to coffee and the caffeine and the withdrawals are tough. You did it sensibly. I used to be a 2 cup a morning person, half-caff and half real blend I put together. Like you said, it was more of a ritual and tasted so good. When I started juicing daily, I began drinking my juice first thing in the morning. I found it gave me so much energy, I didn’t need or even want coffee, and like you said, better for my (fatigued) adrenals. So I’ve happily been off coffee for awhile. Once in a rare while I will have a cup, like when we were in Costa Rica where the coffee is so good. It was a treat.
Correction,was NUTS.COM…..and I am so sorry, later I reread info and saw that you had provided a link to the coffee and I did check it out at Amazon Prime…..thanks for the info…..
You’re welcome! And I played around with this recipe a bit and found the amount of water you use makes a huge difference. I like strong coffee, so the 4 teaspoons per 1 quart is really nice, but you can add more water if you prefer a weaker coffee. Hope that helps! 🙂
I so needed to read this! I gave up coffee once and like you, couldn’t believe how much FREEDOM I felt, with no cravings! (Goes to show you how much it affects our brain!) I know I need to give it up again. Thanks for the encouragement!
You’re welcome! 🙂
Where do you get the roasted dandelion root and chicory root? Asking for my son who apparently cannot function without caffeine! Its coffee and strong in his cup as well as diet caffeine sodas. I’m so upset! We had him off all that three to four years ago but he went through a number of changes and accompanying issues at work that forced him to sue to get his lifetime medical and retirement. I’d love to help him reduce his stress and get him back off these toxic drinks. He’s diabetic, another autoimmune issue, so he needs to lose weight and get healthy.
There are links within the recipe. If you click on the ingredients listed, it will take you to the exact place where you can purchase.
Teecino has a wide variety of herbal coffees and teas, including different flavors of Dandelion tea. They are organic and caffeine free. I found the website when I gave up coffee a few years back. I was anxious about giving up my morning cup o’ joe, but I began weaning myself with half herbal coffee and half regular. Eventually, I was drinking herbal coffee without missing my regular fix.
I have been drinking coffee for over fifty years I was barely a teenager now I have a lot of health issues and would really like to stop drinking coffee I dont like the taste of it but I have to have I am sick and have to stay in bed if I don’t have real coffee not instant how can I quit.
After years & years of drinking coffee, I started drinking decaf coffee Jan 1 of last year because of my tachycardyia, but I am ready to go even further. This came at such a great time. Will order the ingredients for Dandelion/Chickory tea. Thanks for sharing.
I never used to like coffee but for some reason January of last year I decided I needed it. Big mistake, now I wish I hadn’t done that! Before I read this post I was going to try the Teecino that you had written a small paragraph about in your creamer post a few years back. I know you said it contains barley but for someone that’s not avoiding gluten, would you still recommend this?
If you want to wean off of coffee, I personally think Dandelion and Chicory Root Tea is a better option. It’s gluten-free (I do know some Teecino is gf), and I had tried Teecino before to get off and it just didn’t work as well as the dandelion tea.
I have never been a coffee drinker, but I know a lot of people who are and have had trouble kicking the caffeine without the crazy withdrawal symptoms, so I will definitely be sharing this! Thanks, Carrie! And I really wish I could come see you in Solano Beach, but I can’t make it that day. Bummer! Would have loved to see you! xo
I enjoyed a cup of coffee with breakfast, no big deal .. until one day I didn’t have the coffee & ended up with a caffeine headache. That was it for me .. I was not going to let coffee rule how I felt & went cold turkey. Haven’t missed it a bit!
This happened to me yesterday. My husband and I had an appointment that kept me busy all day and I never got my coffee fix. I ended up with a ferocious headache. Wakeup call – it’s addictive, causes withdrawal. I’ll be better off without it. Thanks everyone and Deliciously Organic for the many great suggestions on how to get free and preferable alternatives.
I’m addicted to coffee but I gave it up starting Monday but I’m still craving it. I love coffee and probably always will, but I’m doing a 45 day eating plan right now which does NOT include coffee. So excited I found this, I want to give it a try. I’m not a hot tea fan but thinking by the end of 45 days I might be. Question though, could I brew this in my Keurig? Or I have a tea ball, could I put it in a tea ball and brew it that way like regular tea?
Carrie,
I bought your book this week from Amazon and I am really enjoying it. I have been detoxing since December 11th and have been feeling really great. It was harder to give up the sugar and wheat than the coffee for me but I miss having a hot beverage that I can enjoy. I saw this recipe in the book and came across the roasted dandelion root in teabags yesterday. I tried it and it was okay. I can’t buy chicory root locally. What does it add as far as flavor to the dandelion root?
I’m curious, did you simply get tired of the chicory/dandelion root tea or did you wean off that as well for a health reason? IF I understand correctly, dandelion root is good for the liver. So I’m just curious why the wean from the coffee alternative as well if it has health benefits? I currently drink dandelion root tea and like it. I also drink lemon water each morning. But after reading your article I was wondering if maybe there is a reason I should be giving up the dandelion root tea and simply go with the lemon water. Just curious about your thoughts on this. Thanks!
My goal was to wean off of any kind of “vice” in the morning. So, the dandelion tea helped me in the process.
I’m about to share this with everyone I know on the planet! I feel like I’m the only one who never got hooked on coffee. I grew up watching my grandma be addicted to coffee and she went a mile a minute – I learned from that and never got into it. Plus, I tend to be a little caffeine sensitive anyway… that helps, too. LOL. 🙂
Hi Carrie! Thanks for sharing this helpful article! I tried clicking on the ingredients listed and they don’t seem to be working. Is there another place I can order the ingredients? Thanks Carrie!
The ingredients in the recipe? I just clicked on them and they both work.
I have tried so many times to stop my coffee habit. I can wean myself to decaf but continue to crave caffeine. I understand your not wanting to give up coffee years ago. I can’t seem to make the mental shift away from, “I at least deserve one comforting ritual, etc.” I hope I can make the shift like you did. Congratulations!
I have generally not had a problem giving up coffee. Although, I do get a hankering for a pumpkin spice latte and have allowed myself one a month the last 3 months. :/ I’m stopping that now too as I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s 2 weeks ago. I felt awful, my hair broke into hundreds of tiny little pieces and I was sinking into depression. Like your story, I tried to think back to what may have triggered it and I believe it was metal poisoning from a copper IUD combined with a high stress work environment. I took the IUD out after a year and a half of sheer misery and not understanding how I could go from a perfectly healthy, competitive athlete to a wisp of a human mentally and physically. So much changed literally within 10 minutes of removing the IUD, but it wasn’t enough and 9 months later we learned about Hashimoto’s. Very frustrating, but I feel so much better just with a vitamin regimen and changing my diet.
I will be buying your cookbook (and checking out your nutritionist), but I’m interested here in your comments on coffee. I’ve never had an addiction and mostly liked the occasional “sugary milk” treat. but I have recently started liking very good green teas. I’m not sure I should be doing even that, however. My doctor told me to cut out gluten and dairy and didn’t mention anything on caffeine, but I’ve read other articles on eliminating caffeine. Would this include teas as well? What about chocolate?
Great post! Whenever I try to give up coffee, I get headaches and feel like I need to sleep all day. I have decreased my dosage though; I used to drink 2-3 large mugs, now I’m down to one.
I kicked my coffee habit cold turkey (just suffered through headaches for about 3 days); however my husband is having a harder time letting go. Was excited to see this recipe in your cookbook, which I just received. I jumped online & ordered both — however, I’m not sure if I ordered the right stuff. I got “Frontier cut & sifted Dandelion Root” and Frontier “Roasted Chicory Root granules”. Are these the right product??
That’s the right stuff. Good for you for kicking your coffee habit! That’s not an easy task! 🙂
Just made it this morning — it’s delicious!! Closest thing to coffee that I’ve had in 2 weeks! Husband liked it too — as did my 17yr old daughter (who never liked coffee). It’s a keeper — thanks for sharing it!!
You’re welcome! So glad you enjoyed it!
I have thyroid and adrenal issues and had to go off coffee when I began getting acid reflux. Could you give me any extra help with the reflux? (I was aware I should not have coffee with the adrenal issue but guess I went overboard!) I will try the dandelion/chicory blend) Your adrenal suggestions are the best I have read anywhere! Thank you so much!
Acid reflux is caused by too little stomach acid (opposite of what we’ve been taught, right?). Here’s a post I wrote on the topic: https://deliciouslyorganic.net/why-stomach-acid-is-good-for-you-increase-naturally/
Hi Carrie,
Is there a concern with drinking decaf coffee daily for someone with adrenal issues and hypothyroidism ?
Most people do ok drinking an organic swiss water decaf. Of course, talk to your practitioner to see if this is ok for your situation.
Hi! I’m curious where you can buy coffee that is 75% caffeinated and 25% decaf? Or did you just measure out the two different coffees this way? Thank you!!
You have to grind the beans yourself and use 75% caffeinated and 25% decaf.
It’s been seven years since you published this post. Did the new habit stick? Or have you relapsed?
I still wake up and drink a large glass of water and then have some organic, Swiss water decaf with raw cream in the mornings. I never went back to the caffeine.
I personally do not drink coffee I do add dandy tea to my morning smoothie sometimes. I was hoping to share this information in a Facebook group I am in. May I ad your link to this page? Thank you.
Sharing a link to the article is always welcome. thank you!