How to Eat Microgreens Every Day, and What They Do Not Do

How to eat microgreens: raw on salads and in sandwiches, blended into smoothies, scattered over soup, pasta or fish just before serving, or baked into muffins and pancakes — the five ways are set out below. They are a low-calorie vegetable that adds bulk, water and some fibre to a plate for very few calories, and that is the part of the case with the best evidence behind it. Whether they also beat the mature vegetable nutrient for nutrient depends on the crop and the nutrient, and the findings on cholesterol and body weight come from two mouse studies, not from trials in people.

These tiny greens are more than just a trendy garnish. They are a nutrient-dense vegetable that can add flavour, texture and colour to a meal — all without adding those extra calories we are trying to get rid of.

Table of Contents

What Are Microgreens?

Let’s recap for those that are new, microgreens are the young seedlings of vegetables and herbs, harvested just after the first set of leaves develop. For several vitamins and antioxidant compounds, studies have measured higher concentrations in microgreens than in the mature plant, gram for gram — but this varies by species and by compound, and it is not a blanket rule that applies to every nutrient or every crop.

You’ve probably eaten them before — on salads, main meals or smoothies — without realizing how beneficial they are.

How to eat microgreens: five everyday ways

Microgreens are easy to use and incredibly versatile. Whether you’re cooking a full meal or just want a quick snack, here are simple ways to add them to your routine:

In Smoothies – Blend with fruits, yogurt, or milk. Our microgreens smoothie recipes are the easiest place to start.
On Salads – As a base or garnish
In Sandwiches & Wraps – To add flavor, texture and nutrition
As a Garnish – On soups, pastas, toasts, meat or fish, scattered on just before serving rather than cooked in.
Baked In – Mix into muffins or pancakes

Plate of pea-shoot microgreens salad with avocado slices, browned meat strips and mushrooms on a checked cloth

The possibilities are countless, combine it based on your time and taste! There are more ways to serve them in the microgreens cookbook, and the microgreens crop database covers the varieties one by one.

Where Microgreens Fit in a Weight-Management Diet

Microgreens are a natural, low-calorie food that carries useful nutrients for very few calories. That is a real advantage in a weight-management diet, and it is also the limit of what can be claimed. Point by point:

Low in calories, high in nutrients: They are packed with vitamins A, C, E, K, and essential minerals like iron, magnesium, and potassium.
Antioxidant compounds: they contain carotenoids, phenolics and other antioxidant compounds. What those compounds do once eaten, and at what intake, is still being studied — measuring a compound in a plant is not the same as demonstrating an effect in a person.
Cholesterol and body weight — animal evidence only: in mice fed a high-fat diet, red cabbage microgreens lowered circulating LDL and liver cholesterol (Huang et al., 2016), and broccoli microgreen juice reduced body weight and improved insulin sensitivity (Li et al., 2021). Both are mouse studies. No trial has tested either effect in people, so we cannot say that microgreens lower cholesterol or cause weight loss in humans.
Volume for very few calories: like other leafy vegetables, microgreens add bulk, water and some fibre to a plate at a low calorie cost. That is the mechanism with the best evidence behind it — not a special property of microgreens.

Beyond calorie counting, the honest case for microgreens is simple: they are a low-calorie, nutrient-dense vegetable that makes a plate more interesting to eat. We used to claim here that they strengthen the immune system, improve digestion and support heart and brain health. We have removed those claims — none of the sources on this page tests them in people.

Ready to Start Cooking With Microgreens?

If you’re eager to start experimenting today, don’t miss our guide with refreshing microgreens smoothies recipes. They are easy and they taste good, which is the honest reason to make them. As set out above, we are not claiming they will start or speed up weight loss. You can find the link attached below.

Sources and Links of interest:

Shake Your World with Microgreens Smoothie

Shake your world with microgreens smoothie

Discover the Hidden Great Power of Microgreens

Discover the hidden great power of microgreens

Red Cabbage Microgreens Lower Circulating Low-Density Lipoprotein (LDL), Liver Cholesterol, and Inflammatory Cytokines in Mice Fed a High-Fat Diet. Huang et al., Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2016. Mouse study. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27933986/

Broccoli microgreens juice reduces body weight by enhancing insulin sensitivity and modulating gut microbiota in high-fat diet-induced C57BL/6J obese mice. Li et al., European Journal of Nutrition, 2021. Mouse study. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33866422/

Diet Quality and Micronutrient Intake among Long-Term Weight Loss Maintainers: https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/11/12/3046

Nutritional quality and health benefits of microgreens, a crop of modern agriculture: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772566921000057

Glucoraphanin: a broccoli sprout extract that ameliorates obesity-induced inflammation and insulin resistance: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/21623945.2018.1474669

The Effect of Weight Loss on a Stable Biomarker of Inflammation, C-Reactive Protein: https://academic.oup.com/nutritionreviews/article-abstract/63/1/22/1921518?redirectedFrom=fulltext&login=false

Correction note: this article previously presented two mouse studies (Huang et al., 2016; Li et al., 2021) as evidence that microgreens lower cholesterol and improve heart health in people. They do not — both were conducted in mice, and we have said so above. We also removed a claim that radish and mustard microgreens “boost metabolism”, and claims that microgreens strengthen the immune system, improve digestion and support heart and brain health. We could not find a source for any of them.

On 30 July 2026 we also replaced the heading “Why Microgreens Are Perfect for Weight Loss” and the line “They support weight management in a healthy, sustainable way”, and dropped a closing promise that these recipes would “kickstart your weight-loss journey” — each of them contradicted the corrected evidence set out further down this same page. See our editorial standards, and our review of what the research actually shows.