Never tried microgreens?
You’re in for a treat!
Microgreens taste great! And there are so many to choose from that you can almost certainly find a microgreen that you like. They’re also one of the most nutrient-dense ways to eat vegetables.
So what do microgreens taste like?
Microgreens taste different depending on the variety, but are closest in taste and texture to sprouts and young greens (like baby spinach or young salad mix).
Shoots are often considered microgreens: pea shoots taste like fresh sweet summer peas, and sunflower has a pleasant nutty flavour and substantial texture.
Here’s a table of microgreens and shoots and their flavours:
| Alfalfa – Mild, nutty, crunchy, pea-like taste | Amaranth – Beet-like, earthy taste |
| Arugula – Nutty, peppery, savory | Basil – Like Basil! Lemony, Intense, slightly sweet, zesty |
| Beet – Earthy, similar to beets but brighter/fresher, earthy | Broccoli – Mild, crunchy, dense, slightly bitter, like broccoli! |
| Buckwheat – Crisp fresh green, lettuce-like taste, a subtle sweetness, sometimes slightly sour or tangy if grown longer | Bok Choy/Pak Choi – Mild, earthy, slightly sweet, juicy |
| Carrot – Similar to carrot! | Cauliflower – Mild, peppery |
| Clover – Mild earthy, nutty, crunchy, juicy | Cilantro – Like Cilantro! Celery-like taste, strong, citrusy |
| Daikon Radish – Intense fresh spicy flavor | Cress – Peppery, tangy |
| Dun pea – Slight sweet, crunchy, robust flavor | Fava bean – Buttery, earthy, juicy, nutty, sweet |
| Flax – Nutty, mildly spicy | Kale – Mild, subtly sweet, broccoli-like taste, some varieties are bitter |
| Kohlrabi Purple – Mild, sweet, lightly spicy, broccoli-like flavor but milder | Lentils – Mild bitter, pea-like taste |
| Lettuce – Mild, rich flavor, some are slight sweet | Mung bean – Mild bean taste, slight buttery |
| Mustard – Sweet, mildly spicy | Parsley – Mild parsley taste, refreshing, succulent |
| Quinoa – Mild, slight bitter, earthy | Radish – Strong, Peppery |
| Pea Green – Delicate sweet pea flavor with large leaves, fibrous | Pea Speckled – Delicate pea flavor, large tender leaves, less fibrous than green pea |
| Perilla – Peppery | Sorrel – Lemony, tangy |
| Popcorn – Corn grown in the dark, sweet, tender malty flavor | Sunflower – Nutty or malty, mildly sweet, bitter if grown longer, sometimes used as a garnish on deserts |
| Wheatgrass – Mildly sweet, grassy | Tatsoi Mustard – Mild, slightly mustard-like, cabbage flavored |
What Are The Best Tasting Microgreens?
Taste has an element of personal preference, but in my experience selling and eating microgreens myself: sunflower and speckled pea are the best tasting microgreens. I’ve consistently had people tell me these are their favorites.
If you like spicy or more flavorful microgreens kaiware radish (intense spicy flavor), or kohlrabi (a little more subtle) are great choices.
Some varieties of mustard microgreens have been bred to taste like wasabi or horseradish!
You can find a lot of different tastes, it’s up to you to start trying them and find out what you like.
Are Microgreens Bitter?
Microgreens can taste bitter depending on the variety, and how long they are grown.
A good example is sunflower shoots. Sunflower shoots only need a few days under light to open up their cotyledons and begin growing their first true leaves. They should then be harvested for the most pleasant flavour.
Leaving the sunflower shoots under light longer causes more chlorophylls to develop, and more mature leaves. Chlorophylls are a group of compounds that have a bitter flavor, and the regular leaves have a tougher texture.
Pea is another great example of a microgreen that shouldn’t be grown too long. Pea shoots become very fibrous if grown longer than around 10 days. And Green Peas are particularly woody/fibrous, look for speckled peas if you have a choice.
I’m Alex Lafreniere. I learned a lot about plants when I built and operated a landscaping company. I learned even more when I started growing and selling Microgreens. But, learning is a journey, not a goal. Ever since travelling across the world, I’ve wanted to find ways to bring more delicious and exotic plants into my life. This is the site where I share everything I’ve learned with you. And maybe we’ll learn a thing or two together.
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