The history of microgreens: from ancient times to today

Microgreens read as a modern restaurant garnish, and a familiar origin story places them much further back. This article traces that story — ancient civilizations and monastery gardens, the 1980s San Francisco kitchens, the hydroponic and vertical systems producing the crop now — and is plain about which parts of it we could not verify.

The history of microgreens, as it is usually told, starts in antiquity: the Egyptians, Chinese and Romans ate sprouts for their nutritional and medicinal value, Persians believed such plants gave vitality and strength, and monastery gardens in the Middle Ages and the Renaissance grew young herbs for both cooking and healing. That account is the one repeated consistently across horticultural extension material and the trade press, and we have set it out as we found it. It is not, however, documented in primary sources the way a research finding is, and the only citation this page ever carried for it was a supplier’s blog. Treat it as the received story rather than as established fact — the same verdict we give it in Microgreens — how did it start?

The modern crop is usually dated to the 1980s, when chefs in San Francisco are said to have begun using these seedlings as a star element in their culinary creations. Their texture, vibrant colors, and concentrated flavors made them particularly attractive in the kitchen. In the 1990s, the story goes, the trend spread across Southern California with varieties like basil, arugula, beet, and kale, as well as striking mixes such as the famous “Rainbow Mix.” This account is as widely repeated as the ancient one, and it rested on that same single supplier citation.

Fast forward to today, and microgreens are present in restaurants worldwide, in markets, urban gardens, and even home kitchens. Beyond being versatile and decorative, they are often nutrient-dense for their weight. The widely repeated line that microgreens carry “up to 40 times” the nutrients of mature plants is a misreading we no longer use: the underlying study compared specific compounds in specific species, on a dry-weight basis, and found differences ranging from modest to large in both directions. Broccoli microgreens do measure higher in vitamin E and beta-carotene than mature broccoli; that is a real finding about two compounds in one crop, not a general multiplier.

Part of their success lies in how easy they are to grow: they require little space, can be harvested in one to two weeks, and thrive under both natural and artificial light. On top of that, hydroponic techniques and vertical farming are often credited with more sustainable production. Growing indoors is not automatically the lighter option, though: lighting, ventilation and climate control all draw power, and as we say in sustainability and microgreens, that can increase the carbon footprint where it is not powered by renewable energy.

Today, microgreens don’t just decorate plates, they bring flavor, texture, nutrition, and sustainability. They embody a balance between tradition and modernity, appreciated by both chefs and consumers who seek healthier, more conscious alternatives.

A note on sourcing

Every historical claim on this page rested on a single citation: a blog post published by VegBed, a company that sells microgreens growing supplies. A vendor blog is not a source we accept for a claim of fact, so we have retired it rather than dress it up, and we have not swapped in another grower’s blog to replace it. Nothing above is presented as verified history any more. See our editorial standards.