Moringa powder, spirulina, chlorella and sea moss: a guide to greens powders

Moringa powder, spirulina, chlorella and sea moss are the greens powders people ask us about most. Each one tastes different and works best in different places, so here's what they are, how they taste, and our favourite ways to use them in smoothies, energy balls and juice. If you're new to greens powders and want a simple place to start, this guide is for you.

What are greens powders?

Greens powders are leaves, grasses, algae or seaweed that have been dried and milled into a fine powder. A spoonful stirs into a smoothie or a glass of juice, which makes them an easy food source of extra nutrients, like vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, on busy mornings.

Some are a single ingredient, like moringa leaf or spirulina. Others are blends of a dozen or more greens, fruits and vegetables. We think they work best as a handy top-up to healthy eating, alongside a plate full of vegetables.

Moringa powder: the easy one to start with

Moringa powder is made from the leaves of the moringa tree, Moringa oleifera, native to India, sun dried and ground into a fine green powder. It has been used in traditional Ayurvedic practice for centuries. The leaves bring vitamins A, C and E, B vitamins, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium and fibre, along with bioactive compounds like quercetin and chlorogenic acid, antioxidants that help protect cells from free radicals. For a leafy green, that's a lot of nutrition in a teaspoon.

Moringa tastes mild, earthy and a little peppery, closer to spinach or matcha than to grass, and much milder than wheatgrass. That makes it the easiest greens powder to hide in a fruit smoothie. Organic Traditions moringa leaf powder has no fillers, flavours or sweeteners added, and the company is family-owned and female-led, with 25 years of making superfoods. Prairie Naturals has been making its products in Canada since 1992, from its home base in Coquitlam, BC.

To use moringa powder, start with half a teaspoon in a smoothie and work up to a teaspoon or two. Stir it into soup or stew at the end of cooking, since high temperatures dull its bright colour, or whisk it into a salad dressing, pesto or hummus. Moringa powder also blends into energy bites, pancake batter and muffins, or you can sprinkle a little over a salad.

Spirulina and chlorella: green algae powders

Spirulina and chlorella are both freshwater microalgae, and both are deep green from their chlorophyll. They're often lumped together, but they're quite different in the bag and in the glass.

Spirulina powder

Spirulina is a blue-green algae that has been part of the human diet for a very long time. It's a source of protein and iron, a rich source of chlorophyll, contains all the essential amino acids, and brings minerals like calcium and magnesium, so it's a favourite with vegetarians. The taste is strong and savoury, almost like the sea, so start with a small amount and let banana, pineapple or mango carry it.

Chlorella powder

Chlorella is a single-celled green algae with very high levels of chlorophyll. Chlorella cell walls are tough, which is why you'll see "broken cell wall" on most chlorella products: the walls are cracked open during processing so the powder is easier to digest. Organic Traditions chlorella is a vegetarian source of protein, vitamins A, B12 and C, iron, magnesium and zinc, and every batch is third-party tested for heavy metals and pesticides. Chlorella tastes more grassy than fishy, and it blends easily into a fruit smoothie or juice.

Prairie Naturals makes organic spirulina and chlorella in tubs, with nothing added. Its chlorella is a source of antioxidants for the maintenance of good health, and helps maintain eyesight, skin and immune function. Each teaspoon of Gandalf raw chlorella holds 1.5 g of organic broken-cell chlorella, about half of it algal protein.

GandalfPure Organic Raw Chlorella PowderBroken-cell chlorella, 1.5 g per teaspoon. A source of antioxidants, protein and amino acids.Shop →

Start with half a teaspoon in something fruity. You can always add more once you like the taste.

Sea moss powder and sea moss gel

Sea moss, also called Irish moss, is a red seaweed. Dried and ground, it becomes a pale powder that's best known in the kitchen as a plant-based thickener: it gives smoothies, puddings and plant-based milks a silky body. Like other seaweeds, it's naturally rich in iodine, so a little goes a long way. Blend the powder with water and it sets into a sea moss gel you can keep in the fridge. Keep the dry powder sealed in a dry place.

If you'd rather skip that step, Simon Sea Moss makes ready-to-use gels. It's a small, family-owned business started by Shayla and Nathan Simon, a husband and wife in Cole Harbour, right here in HRM. Their sea moss is wildcrafted and sun-dried in the West Indies, and the gels are frozen right after they're made. Keep them frozen until you need them; once thawed, they keep in the fridge for three to four weeks. One to two tablespoons a day in a smoothie is the usual serving.

Blended greens powders

A blended greens powder puts many plants in one scoop, so you don't need a shelf of separate bags. Most are flavoured or unflavoured to mix into water, juice or a smoothie.

• CanPrev Green Up! is certified organic and 100% plant-based: spinach, kale, broccoli and parsley, red fruits like blueberry and tart cherry, mushrooms like reishi and lion's mane, and spirulina, chlorella and wheatgrass.
• Botanica Perfect Greens is made in small batches in Canada. The chocolate one blends barley grass, oat grass, wheatgrass, spinach, chlorella and spirulina with organic cocoa and a little monk fruit, so it tastes like chocolate.
• Prairie Naturals SuperFoods brings together 20 organic ingredients, most of them fermented, including moringa, spirulina, chlorella, kale and an eight-mushroom blend, lightly sweetened with stevia and raspberry.
• Organic Traditions Super 5 Grass Juice Blend is juiced young alfalfa, barley, kamut, oat and wheat grass, grown outdoors in mineral-rich soil and natural sunlight.

Greens powders from our bulk section

Luminate Co is home to Atlantic Canada's largest all-organic bulk station, and four of these greens are in it. Bring a clean jar, weigh it at the till, and scoop a little to try before you commit to a whole bag. Our guide to bulk shopping at Luminate explains how it works.

How to use greens powders: smoothies, energy balls and juice

In a smoothie

This is the easiest place to start. Blend half a teaspoon to a teaspoon of moringa, spirulina or chlorella with a frozen banana, a handful of mango or pineapple, and your favourite plant-based milk. Sweet tropical fruit softens the green taste, and a spoon of sea moss gel makes it thick and silky.

In energy balls

Spirulina and moringa turn energy balls a striking green, and the dates and cocoa hide the taste completely. Here's how we make them.

1. Blend the base. Pulse a cup of pitted Medjool dates with a cup of oats or nuts in a food processor until it clumps.
2. Add the green. Add one to two teaspoons of spirulina or moringa, two tablespoons of nut or seed butter and a pinch of salt.
3. Roll. Roll into small balls, then into shredded coconut or cocoa if you like.
4. Chill. Keep them sealed in the fridge for up to a week.

Short on time? The Organic Traditions Chocolate Energy Bite Mix just needs nut or seed butter and a liquid sweetener, and a spoonful of greens stirs right in.

In juice or water

Shake a spoonful of greens powder into orange or pineapple juice, coconut water or plain water in a jar with a lid. Grass juice powders and unflavoured blends mix most easily. Moringa also whisks nicely into salad dressing, pesto, hummus and soup.

What greens powders bring

Greens powders are concentrated plant foods, and their benefits come from the nutrients they carry. Moringa leaves bring vitamins and minerals like calcium, iron and potassium; spirulina and chlorella are sources of protein, amino acids and iron, and chlorella adds vitamin B12; and most greens bring antioxidants for the maintenance of good health. Many people find a greens powder an easy way to get more plants into a busy day, alongside whole foods.

Powder, capsule or gel?

Most greens come in more than one form. Powders are the most flexible in the kitchen. Spirulina, chlorella and moringa also come as capsules and tablets in the supplement aisle, which suit anyone who'd rather skip the taste. Sea moss also comes as a ready-made gel.

Questions we get a lot

What is moringa powder good for?

Moringa leaves bring vitamins A, C and E, calcium, iron, fibre and antioxidants. With its mild taste, moringa powder is an easy way to add greens to smoothies, soups, dressings and energy bites.

What happens if I drink moringa powder every day?

Plenty of people enjoy a spoonful every day, much like a daily smoothie. Follow the serving on the package and enjoy it as part of a varied diet.

Which is better, spirulina or chlorella?

Neither is better for everyone. Spirulina is a blue-green algae with a bold, savoury taste and plenty of protein. Chlorella is a green algae with a grassier flavour and vitamin B12. Many people alternate, or choose a blend with both.

What does powdered spirulina do?

Spirulina is a source of protein and iron, with all the essential amino acids and minerals like calcium and magnesium. Blend it into a fruit smoothie or energy balls.

What is powdered sea moss good for?

In the kitchen, sea moss powder is a plant-based thickener for smoothies, puddings and plant-based milks, and it sets into a gel with water. It's naturally rich in iodine, like other seaweeds.

How much sea moss powder should I take daily?

Follow the serving on the package. For Simon Sea Moss gel, one to two tablespoons a day is the usual serving.

Which is better, chia seeds or moringa powder?

They do different jobs. Chia seeds bring fibre and healthy fats and thicken puddings, while moringa adds a green boost of vitamins and minerals. Both fit happily in the same smoothie, and our hemp hearts, chia and flax guide has more ways to use chia.

Greens powders are at both stores: 486 Starboard Drive in Bedford and 590 Portland Street in Dartmouth, open seven days. You'll find more in our bulk organic superfoods. If you like a green morning ritual, see our matcha buying and latte guide, and for smoothie bases, our plant-based milk guide. In HRM, order by 11 am with Luminate Express for same-day delivery, or choose pickup. Anywhere else in Canada, orders over $80 ship free.

Sources: Organic Traditions; Prairie Naturals; Simon Sea Moss; Botanica; product labels and listings. This article is general information, not medical advice.