Homemade, organic, super greens powder benefits your overall health as the best natural supplement for maintaining a healthy diet. Give this DIY greens powder a try to use up your garden bounty.
You can pack a big nutritional punch into a tiny amount of powdered greens, but buying these powders has a hefty price tag! Read on to learn how greens powder benefits your health and how to make your own homemade super greens powder with produce from your garden.
Why I Love Making Greens Powder
Healthy living motivates us to grow our own food because eating well on a budget can be a challenge in today’s economy. Growing greens offers an easy and inexpensive way to achieve this goal.
We grow lettuce the easy way, and to get a continuous harvest, we also grow greens year-round with cold-weather growing methods, providing us with plenty of fresh produce to eat in salads and garden stir-frys with extra to preserve as a health-boosting greens powder full of vitamins and minerals.
We also grow our own medicinal herbs in our cottage garden, and some herbs make a great addition to your super greens powder, like lemon balm, ginger, mint, basil, parsley, or cilantro.
That’s the other great benefit: when you make your own greens powder, you can decide which herbs and greens to include based on your taste and particular health needs. And, you eliminate any fillers, added sweeteners, or contaminants like heavy metals that commercial greens powders may contain.
Plus, it is simple once you learn the ins and outs of dehydrating food. You can start making your own greens powder for your family and save a lot of money while adding one more element to maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
It’s important to note that I am not a certified medical practitioner. This post is not intended to diagnose or treat but is for informational purposes only. Please contact your healthcare professional before introducing new supplements into your wellness routine.
Greens Powder Benefits
Sometimes, something that seems so simple can make us wonder if it’s really that good for you. So is harvesting greens, dehydrating them into a powder, and then adding that powder to soups, stews or smoothies really that healthy?
The bottom line is YES! And the wonderful thing about making your greens into a powder is that you really don’t need much to get great nutritional benefits.
We all want to do the best we can when we can, which is why we love boosting our immune system throughout the year to be ready for any cold or flu that comes our way.
Supplementing with greens powder supports good overall health, especially when taken as a supplement alongside a balanced diet for an extended period of time. Some of the health benefits of greens powder include the following:
- Boosts Immune System – Greens powder helps to improve immune function, giving your immune system a boost since greens are full of vitamins that support the immune system, like vitamin C. (Source)
- Fights Chronic Diseases – The high levels of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties fight oxidation in the body, which can help reduce your risk of chronic diseases. (Source)
- High Blood Pressure – Greens powder also helps to lower blood pressure when you take two tablespoons a day for 90 days. (Source)
- Increases Energy Levels – Although low in calories, using greens powder helps to support overall health, which enables you to feel healthier and more energetic. (Source) Homesteading Hack: If you want more of an energy boost, add green tea extract to your greens powder. This adds caffeine to your powder. (Source)
Can Greens Powder Replace Vegetables
Now we all know that eating fresh food is best. Eating plenty of fruits and vegetables truly gives you more of what your body needs. Greens powders are great, but fresh is always better.
A greens powder simply won’t have the same water and fiber content (and beneficial digestive aids) as dehydrated greens. You lose some health benefits when dehydrating foods, as in all dietary supplements.
But greens powder acts as a real food supplement. And when you make it at home, you get an amazing health supplement at a fraction of the cost of store-bought.
As often as possible, eat fresh, organic, locally-grown green veggies. However, in the wintertime, it can be hard to source fresh greens, and those greens from the grocery store have likely traveled a very long way to reach your dinner table.
Adding a teaspoon of homemade dried vegetables can be a great idea to supplement your diet to ensure you get the vitamins and nutrients from the greens during the winter months.
Should You Take Powdered Greens Everyday
Again, greens powder offers ample health benefits through the vitamins and minerals found in the dehydrated leafy greens.
As a supplement, take a daily dose of greens powder, usually 1 to 2 tablespoons a day. However, as mentioned above, don’t let it replace your daily fresh leafy greens, fruits, and vegetable intake.
So, go ahead and take powdered greens as a supplement. Take greens powders responsibly and check with your health care professional if you take prescription medications or herbal supplements to make sure these greens do not interact with your medications.
Ways to Use Greens Powder
Greens powder is so versatile and goes well with many recipes. Remember that greens powder retains the most nutrients when not heated. So, add it to your hot foods at the end when possible to minimize cook time.
Here are some ideas for recipes you can add greens powder to:
- Beverages – Greens powder can be mixed with water, but if you want to mask the flavor, you can mix it with juice, a matcha latte or your favorite green smoothie recipe.
- Soups/Stews – Soups and stews often lack dark green vegetables. Adding greens powder to white bean chicken chili, Hoover stew, or this bread soup recipe is a simple way to add even more nutritional variety to these already nutrient-dense foods.
- Pasta Sauces – Do you have picky eaters? Hiding greens powder in marinara sauce to use with pasta or pizza is an easy way to get your kids to eat greens.
- Scrambled Eggs or Omelet – Green eggs and ham, anyone? Breakfast foods often lack greens, but you can add greens powder to scrambled eggs or this flexible frittata recipe.
- Casseroles & Meatloaf – Here’s another way to sneak greens under picky eaters’ radar. The ingredients of casseroles and this easy meatloaf recipe mask the flavor of the greens.
- Fruit Leather – In the same way greens powder flavor is lost in a fruit smoothie, it also blends nicely with homemade fruit leather.
Supplies Needed
- Dehydrator – I use and recommend the Excalibur Dehydrator, but any brand dehydrator works well for this project. If you don’t have a dehydrator, you can use a cookie sheet and dehydrate the greens in your oven with the light on and the door cracked. This method will take longer, so check until the greens are completely dry. Homesteading Hack: If your oven has a “warm” feature, this is typically about 100 degrees and can work as quickly as the dehydrator.
- Food Processor – I use the Breville Food Processor, but you can also use a high-powered blender instead of a food processor.
- Airtight Container and Lid – A Mason jar works great!
Ingredients Needed
You will need 10 cups of any combination of the following greens:
- Lettuce/Salad Greens
- Spinach
- Swiss Chard
- Kale
- Beet Greens
- Carrot Greens
- Dandelion Greens
- Mustard Greens
- Herbs
- Barley Grass
- Wheatgrass
- Oat Grass
- Alfalfa Grass
- Broccoli
- Cabbage
DIY Greens Powder Step-by-Step
- Harvest greens (or forage for wild greens & herbs).
- Wash (if needed) and dry well.
- Line the dehydrator tray with greens.
- Dehydrate at 110°F (or less) for 3 hours or until greens are crispy and completely dry. Homesteading Hack: Be sure greens are completely dry before processing, as any moisture will cause greens to mold.
- Place dried greens into a food processor or high-powered blender and process until completely powdered.
- Store greens in an airtight container in a cool, dark location away from light. Homesteading Hack: You can also buy a dark amber-colored glass jar to prolong the life of your greens.
- Mix a tablespoon of greens powder in your favorite drink, like a smoothie, juice, or just water. Or, add greens powder to your favorite recipe.
Did you make this recipe? If so, please leave a star rating in the recipe card below, then snap a photo of your DIY greens powder and tag us on social media @homesteadingfamily so we can see!
More Dehydration and Freeze Drying Resources
- Preservation 101 – Dehydrating Food
- Food Preservation – A Year at a Glance
- How to Dry Fresh Herbs
- Easy Homemade Egg Noodles Recipe
- Easy Fruit Leather Recipe – How to Make Fruit Leather That’s Soft & Chewy
- How to Freeze Dry Milk
- How to Freeze Dry Eggs
- How to Make Onion Powder From Scratch (Easy DIY Recipe)
- Homemade Garlic Salt (Easier & Better Than Store-Bought)
- Homemade Freeze Dried Corn
Super Greens Powder
Equipment
- Dehydrator
- Food Processor or High-Powered Blender
Ingredients
- 10 cups greens salad greens, beet tops, spinach, carrot tops, etc.
Instructions
- Harvest greens (or forage for wild greens & herbs).
- Wash (if needed) and dry well.
- Line dehydrator tray with greens.
- Dehydrate at 110 degrees (or less) for 3 hours or until greens are crispy and completely dry.
- Place dried greens into a food processor or high powered blender and process until completely powdered.
- Store in an airtight container in a cool dark cupboard.
Notes
- If you don’t have a dehydrator, you can use a cookie sheet and dehydrate the greens in your oven with the light on and the door cracked. This method will take longer, so keep checking until greens are completely dry.
- Alternatively, if your oven has a “warm” feature, this is typically about 100 degrees and can work just as quickly as the dehydrator.
- Be sure greens are completely dry before processing as any moisture will cause greens to mold.
- Store greens in a cool, dark location away from light. You can also buy a dark amber-colored glass jar to prolong the life of your greens.
