How to Make Your Own DIY Super Green Powder

Use This Simple Powder for Cooking, Smoothies, and More.

“Super greens” powders and teas have become quite popular, and for good reason. They can be on the pricey side, but did you know you can make your own at home?

Making your own homemade super green powder is very easy. Better than that, it’s an excellent way to use up extra greens or leftover greens and to reduce food waste while you save money. Oh, and you boost your health and nutrition. There’s nothing wrong with that!

Jump to:

• What is Super Green Powder?
• What Do Experts Say About Green Powder?
• How Can You Make Your Own Super Green Powder?
• What to use for dehydrating greens -- equipment
• What greens can go into homemade greens powder?
• How to Make Dried Super Greens Powder
• Dry the greens
• To dry in an oven:
• To powder your greens
• How to Use Homemade Super Green Powder

What is Super Green Powder?

Super greens powders are really just dried or dehydrated leafy greens, which are then made into a powder (this may give you a clue as to how easy this is to do on your own).

There are plenty of commercial versions of super greens powders you can buy, but if you find yourself with leftover greens (or just a good haul from the garden or farmers’ market), you can make your own for basically no money.

There is no one single recipe for greens powder. It can be made from a wide variety of types of leafy greens. This gives you a wide range of flexibility and the ability to tweak your own powder based on what you are growing or using or have leftovers or an abundance of. You can tweak it according to your own tastes and preferences, too.

Super green powder is meant to work as a sort of culinary seasoning or addition or can be used as a daily supplement. The idea is that the high antioxidants and micro- and macronutrients boost energy, the immune system, and overall health.

One thing the Cleveland Clinic does say about super greens powders is that you shouldn't let it replace all the greens and vegetables in your diet because then you lose the fiber and other benefits of eating greens and vegetables as foods. But it is a beneficial source of much of what you are looking for in those vegetables, and it can enhance the benefits of them.

What Do Experts Say About Green Powder?

Experts say that yes, super greens powders are nutritious and beneficial. They are a concentrated form of the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals that are found in leafy greens.

Dehydrating is a method of preservation that makes a food shelf stable at room temperature. It is very good at preserving the nutritional content of foods. Because it is done at a low temperature, there is very little breakdown of vitamins and minerals, and it is actually better at preserving the nutritional content of foods than either canning or freezing, according to the United States Department of Agriculture.

Dehydrating tends to concentrate the nutrients, too, because food loses a lot of mass when the water is removed from it. This is, in part, what can put such a big bang into a small amount of “super” green powder.

How Can You Make Your Own Super Green Powder?

Making your own super greens powder starts with drying, aka dehydrating, your leafy greens.

After you dry your greens, you will then pulverize them into powder.

We’ll go over how to do this, but first, let’s talk about the equipment you will need (or may already own) and what greens you should use.

What to use for dehydrating greens -- equipment

This is best done in a dehydrator because it can dehydrate greens at a low and slow pace, which is best for preserving their quality and nutrition. If you happen to own a freeze dryer, that is even better (but these are less common in homes due to their high price tag).

You can also dehydrate your greens in an oven, but this is more difficult to do and requires more attention because most home ovens do not go low enough for dehydrating, and greens can become cooked instead.

Some home ovens, convection ovens, and even air fryers have a dehydrating setting, though, so if you own an appliance that does, that is a good option, too.

If you don’t own any of these things, it’s worth considering investing in an affordable home dehydrator. They’re not too expensive, last for years, and can be used for a wide variety of fruits and vegetables -- even for things like crafting, decorating, seed saving, and more. They can easily pay for themselves in the savings of reduced food waste and food preservation.

Air drying is not a good option for leafy greens and is not recommended. The process will take too long, and they will tend to rot or mold before they will dry out.

What greens can go into homemade greens powder?

Almost any leafy greens can be used to make super greens powder. Greens powder is also a good way to use up what is otherwise commonly considered a waste product.

Here are some examples of good things to use for making greens powders:

• Spinach
• Kale
• Outer leaves from the heads of cauliflower, broccoli, etc.
• Leaves of brassica plants like cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, broccolini, Romanescu, and others
• Cabbage
• Bok choy
• Napa cabbage
• Extra Sprouts
• Shoots
• Outer leaves from hearty lettuce varieties
• Whole heads or leaves of hearty lettuce varieties like Romaine and leaf lettuce (avoid iceberg, but most other lettuces work well!)
• Edible plant tops, especially from root vegetables including carrots, beets, turnips, and parsnip tops
• Collard greens
• Mustard
• Mesclun mix
• Swiss chard
• Celery leaves
• Parsley
• Green herbs
• Pods from shelled peas
• Green bean pods
• Tops from garlic, onions, or leeks if still green (avoid dried, shriveled tops)
• Garlic scapes

Remember that the product is dried and then pulverized, so even tougher parts of plants that you would normally throw away have good use in dried green powder (like large outer leaves or leaves that don't present well because they have insect damage, etc.).

Thick stems and pods may take longer to dry than leafy greens, so keep them on their own tray in the dehydrator and give them more time as needed.

All in all? Use what you have. Use things you wouldn’t even think of using in a fresh salad or even for cooking. If the plant part is edible and not rotten, it’s a candidate for consideration in your green powder.

How to Make Dried Super Greens Powder

Now that you know what to use, here’s how to use it.

Dry the greens

1. Wash your greens, then dry them. Lay out on a baking tray, pat dry with kitchen towels or paper towels, or spin in a salad spinner.
2. Remove the greens from the stem if they have a large central stem (for example, the stems from kale should be removed). If you want to use the stems (which may be stronger in flavor), dry them separately, as they will take longer. You can rip them down into smaller-sized pieces, but you don’t have to.
3. If your dehydrator rack has large openings, use a fine mesh screen on the rack. You should not use a solid mat, as they’ll dry better and more efficiently, with less energy, if there is air movement above and below.
4. Dry at a temperature of 125℉ (52℃) for three to five hours or until done.
5. Turn trays halfway through drying.
6. Greens are done when they are completely dry, crisp, and brittle. You should be able to crumble them in your hands.
7. Turn off the dehydrator and let the greens cool completely before proceeding with the powdering step.

To dry in an oven:

1. Prepare greens as above
2. Lay out on baking racks on top of a baking tray
3. Preheat your oven to its lowest setting.
4. Place greens in the oven. If your oven goes as low as 125℉ to 145℉ (52 to 63℃), you can leave it on, but many ovens will not go that low.
5. If your oven doesn’t go low enough, put the greens in the oven, turn the oven off, leave the oven light on, and then check in an hour. You may need to cycle the oven on and off again.
6. Another method is to run the oven on as low a setting as it has with the door propped open so it doesn’t overheat (but this can be a safety issue if pets or children are in the house and is not a very efficient method utility-wise).
7. Check and turn trays hourly.
8. Dry for three to seven hours or until done and completely dry.
9. Cool before powdering.

To powder your greens

For this step, you can use a food processor, blender, coffee grinder, or herb grinder.

1. Process greens in batches. The greens need room to move to pulverize into powder, so don’t overfill your equipment.
2. Fill no more than halfway full.
3. Place cool, dried greens into your machine, then pulse to grind.
4. Grind to as even a consistency as you can get.
5. You can grind to a rough or fine powder, but most people prefer something fairly fine, which will blend well into smoothies and dishes without leaving large flakes or pieces, something that you can drink or swallow without having to stop and chew.

Your powder mix can be any combination of powdered greens. You will probably find it easier to grind greens as single types or at least greens of similar structure together and then mix after powdering.

How to Use Homemade Super Green Powder

Here’s the big advantage of homemade super greens powders. They’re easy to use in all sorts of drinks and dishes, and they’ll give a nice nutritional boost. It’s a good way to get the vitamins and minerals of leafy greens for people who don’t care to eat much of them.

Here are some simple ways to use DIY greens powders:

• In smoothies
• Smoothie bowls
• Soups
• Stews
• Broth
• Sauces
• Pasta
• Mixed into rice
• As a seasoning over steamed vegetables
• Seasoning for meats
• Seasoning for roasted vegetables and one-pan skillets or roast dishes
• In eggs and breakfast scrambles
• In salad dressings
• Sprinkled over sandwiches or deli meat
• In egg salad
• In chicken salad, tuna, etc.

There are many places you can use or even hide greens powder to boost the nutritional content of things you are already eating, often without even knowing that it’s there.

Keep in mind that while greens powders don’t tend to have a very strong taste, some powders will be stronger in flavor than others, depending on what they were made from. Some flavors may not be welcome in some of these uses.

For example, broccoli powder or a powder with broccoli in it may be too strong for a light berry smoothie or smoothie bowl but will be much more welcome in a sauce or soup.

More savory flavors like onion, garlic, or strong herbs may go well in soups, sauces, and broth or noodle bowls but aren’t something you’ll appreciate in your strawberry smoothie (although things like mint and thyme can be lovely!).

This is all to say: think about what combinations you are putting into your powders, label accordingly, and then choose according to your best flavor and best use. Enjoy knowing that you’ve made excellent, healthy use of an abundance or “waste” product, all while getting more of what you want (and need) in your daily diet!