How to Make Greens Powder Taste Better.

The short answer: To make greens powder taste better, mix it into a cold liquid that has some flavor of its own, use the full 8 oz, shake or blend instead of stirring, and drink it soon after mixing. Our Alfalfa & Chlorella Greens Powder label actually suggests 2 teaspoons in 8 oz (237 ml) of apple juice. Our Barley Grass & Spirulina Greens Powder label says cold water, finished within 10 minutes.

Key takeaways

• The grassy, pond-like taste comes mostly from cereal grasses, algae and seaweed, and our Alfalfa & Chlorella tub lists all three.
• Cold liquid, a full 8 oz pour and a shaker or blender are the simplest fixes, and none of them adds sugar.
• Both of our greens powders already list stevia, so taste the glass before adding any sweetener.
• A flavor fix never means a bigger serving: every label here says "Do not exceed recommended dose."

We sell both greens powders here, plus a reds powder, so we'd like you to finish the tub. That's also why we'll show where the flavor comes from on our labels, and when a powder isn't worth forcing down.

Why does greens powder taste bad to so many people?

Greens powder tastes grassy, bitter or ocean-like because its main ingredients are dried cereal grasses, algae and sometimes seaweed, flavors most drinks never ask you to taste.

NIDCD, an NIH institute whose work includes taste and smell, explains on its page about how taste and flavor work that flavor combines the five basic tastes with aroma, temperature and texture. Greens hit several at once: a bitter edge, a hay-like smell and, if badly mixed, grit.

Here's where those notes live on our Alfalfa & Chlorella panel (one serving is 2 teaspoons, about 5 g):

• Green Grass Blend, 700 mg: organic barley, kamut, oat, rye and wheat grass. That's the fresh-cut-lawn part.
• Sea Vegetable Blend, 900 mg: spirulina, chlorella and sea whistle (Ascophyllum nodosum), a brown seaweed. Expect the ocean note from here.
• Herbal Blend, 1 g: 16 ingredients, opening with organic alfalfa and parsley.

The Barley Grass & Spirulina's Greens Blend weighs 2,000 mg in each 4.2 g scoop and names barley grass, broccoli, spirulina, green tea, alfalfa extract and wheat grass, with no chlorella or sea whistle. If algae is the note you can't stand, our chlorella and spirulina comparison explains how the two differ.

Hoping for a "tasteless" greens powder? Grasses and algae always taste like something, so a near-neutral one owes that to flavors or sweeteners on its ingredient list.

What's already in the tub shaping the flavor?

Both of our greens powders already list flavor-shaping ingredients, including stevia and fruit powders, so taste them plain in cold liquid before adding anything.

• Alfalfa & Chlorella: a 785 mg Fruit Blend with pineapple and acerola juice powder, plus ginger and peppermint in the Herbal Blend, which ends with Stevia Extract Powder (leaf).
• Barley Grass & Spirulina: a 1,500 mg Reds Blend led by beet root, hibiscus and strawberry juice powder. Its other ingredients are Citric Acid and Stevia Extract (leaf).
• Beet Root & Berry Reds Powder: the only one of the three listing Natural Flavors, beside Maltodextrin, Citric Acid and Stevia Extract (leaf).

Stevia is potent, so a spot near the bottom of a list doesn't make it a bit player. According to the FDA's page on aspartame and other sweeteners in food, steviol glycosides, which give stevia its sweetness, have been reported at 200 to 400 times the sweetness of table sugar. Add honey or syrup a little at a time, if at all.

Want a greens powder without stevia? None of our three is that product.

What should you mix greens powder with?

The best things to mix greens powder with are cold liquids that bring their own sweetness, sourness or creaminess, such as apple juice, orange juice, milk or a fruit smoothie.

Each option stays inside the labels' own wording. The Alfalfa & Chlorella says "apple juice or other favorite liquid," while the Barley Grass & Spirulina and the reds say "cold water or favorite beverage."

The pattern: bases that add sweetness, sourness or body help most, and cold ones stay closest to the directions. Juice's one catch is that the panel's calories, 20 per Alfalfa & Chlorella serving and 10 per scoop of the other two, cover only the powder.

How much liquid makes greens powder taste better?

Greens powder tastes strongest in too little liquid, so use a full 8 oz (237 ml), which is the most either of our greens labels calls for.

The Barley Grass & Spirulina label gives 6 to 8 oz (177 to 237 ml) for one 4.2 g scoop. Moving to the top of that range spreads the same powder through about a third more liquid, a free fix that stays inside the directions.

The Alfalfa & Chlorella serving is 2 teaspoons (about 5 g) in 8 oz. Use level measuring spoons, because a heaped spoon adds powder, and flavor, beyond the serving.

From our shop: Alfalfa & Chlorella Greens Powder — 2 teaspoons (about 5 g) per serving, with label directions for 8 oz of apple juice or another favorite liquid and 50 servings per tub.

Should you mix greens powder with cold or hot liquid?

Cold is the better choice for greens powder: our Barley Grass & Spirulina label calls for cold water, as does our reds label, while the Alfalfa & Chlorella label names apple juice but no temperature.

So can you mix greens powder with hot water? None of our labels suggests it. None mentions heat either, so we won't claim a hot drink ruins the powder; we'd just follow the directions.

The reds lists its 9-strain probiotic as 3.2 billion CFU at the time of manufacture and pairs it with cold water. We're covering whether probiotic powder can go in hot water separately.

NIDCD counts cold among the sensations that make up flavor, so a few ice cubes are worth trying.

Shaker bottle, blender or spoon: which mixes greens powder best?

A shaker bottle or blender mixes greens powder far better than a spoon, which often leaves dry clumps floating on top and grit at the bottom.

Texture is part of flavor, per the same NIDCD page, so a smooth glass beats a gritty one. This order mixes cleanly:

1. Pour the cold liquid in first, so powder can't pack into the corners.
2. Add one serving of powder.
3. Close the lid and shake hard for 15 to 20 seconds.
4. If dry powder still clings to the lid, give it one more shake.

Then drink it promptly: two of our labels say "within 10 minutes of mixing." They don't say why, but powder settles as a glass sits, so the last sips get grittier.

Can you put greens powder in a smoothie?

Yes, a smoothie is the easiest place to hide greens powder, and it fits both greens labels' "favorite beverage" or "favorite liquid" wording as long as you use one serving.

Use a formula, not a recipe:

1. About 8 oz (237 ml) of liquid: milk, plant milk, apple juice or cold water.
2. Frozen fruit: pineapple, mango, banana or mixed berries.
3. One accent: a thin slice of fresh ginger, a few mint leaves, or a squeeze of lime.
4. One serving of greens powder, added after the liquid so it doesn't cake on the bottom.

Blend, taste, and adjust with more fruit, never more powder.

Some people stir a scoop of the reds into the same glass, and our reds and greens taste comparison covers how the two differ. That's two supplements, though. The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) fact sheet Dietary Supplements: What You Need to Know warns that side effects get likelier as doses climb and as the number of supplements you take grows.

Can you put greens powder in coffee?

You can put greens powder in cold brew or iced coffee, but skip hot coffee, and remember both our greens labels list green tea, an uncounted caffeine source.

The ODS background page on botanical supplements names green tea as a natural source of caffeine that can have strong and immediate stimulant effects. Green tea is 4th of 6 in the Barley Grass & Spirulina's Greens Blend and 10th of 16 in the Alfalfa & Chlorella's Herbal Blend. Neither panel prints a caffeine figure, so a greens coffee stacks an unknown amount on your coffee's.

Flavor is the other problem. Coffee doesn't hide grass so much as lay a second bitter note over it.

How should you take greens powder, according to the label?

Our greens labels set one serving per glass: one 4.2 g scoop of Barley Grass & Spirulina daily, or 2 teaspoons (about 5 g) of Alfalfa & Chlorella.

• Barley Grass & Spirulina Greens Powder: one scoop (4.2 g) in 6 to 8 oz (177 to 237 ml) of cold water or a favorite beverage, once daily, within 10 minutes of mixing. 30 servings per tub.
• Alfalfa & Chlorella Greens Powder: 2 teaspoons (about 5 g) mixed into 8 oz (237 ml) of apple juice or another liquid you like. The label doesn't say how often, so ask your healthcare provider if you're unsure; our other two powders set one serving a day. 50 servings per tub.
• Beet Root & Berry Reds Powder: one scoop (4 g), with the same directions as the Barley Grass & Spirulina. 30 servings per tub.

Each label's "Do not exceed recommended dose" rules out a second scoop to make the glass count. Adding a second powder to mask the first isn't covered by that line, but you'd get green tea and stevia from two tubs at once, so treat it as two supplements, not a flavor fix.

From our shop: Barley Grass & Spirulina Greens Powder — directions call for cold water, and each 4.2 g serving pairs its greens with a 1,500 mg Reds Blend of beet root, hibiscus and fruit, labeled vegan.

When don't you need to fix the taste of greens powder?

You don't need to fix greens powder's taste if you already eat vegetables most days, or if you've tried every fix and still dread the glass. Skipping it is fine.

The ODS guide is plain: supplements can't take the place of a varied diet. A salad you enjoy beats a scoop you force down.

If taste is the only barrier, a capsule skips it. Our Fruit & Vegetable Blend Capsules hold a 600 mg Fruit & Veggie Blend per 2-capsule serving, but with no grasses or algae on the panel, they're a different product, not greens in pill form.

Still unsure a daily scoop earns its place? Our label-by-label look at what greens powders can and can't do is the place to start, and every option here sits in our Greens & Superfoods collection.

Who should check with a healthcare provider first?

Check with a healthcare provider before starting greens powder if you're pregnant or nursing, under 18, on a prescription, due for surgery or living with a medical condition.

All three of our powder labels say: "Consult a physician if pregnant, nursing, under 18, or have a medical condition." Flavor fixes raise questions of their own:

• Juice adds sugar and calories, worth knowing if you've been told to keep either in check.
• Coffee or pre-workout stacks caffeine on green tea that neither greens panel quantifies.
• Herbs. Ginkgo, licorice, bee pollen and royal jelly all sit inside the Alfalfa & Chlorella's Herbal Blend, none with its own amount. ODS notes supplements can interact with some medicines, so show your pharmacist the panel.
• Surgery. ODS also says some supplements can change your response to anesthesia, so tell your surgical team.

Our guide to greens powder side effects takes those herbs one by one. If a new powder seems to disagree with you, stop and talk to your healthcare provider.

FAQ: making greens powder taste better

Can you mix greens powder with milk?

Yes, you can mix greens powder with dairy or plant milk, since both of our greens labels allow a favorite beverage or liquid, and milk adds creamy body. Our Alfalfa & Chlorella powder is labeled lactose free, but cow's milk isn't. Our Barley Grass & Spirulina powder is labeled vegan, and oat or soy milk keeps the glass that way.

Can you mix greens powder with protein powder?

Yes, greens powder and protein powder can share a shaker or blender, and a vanilla or chocolate protein can cover more grassy flavor than water. Use one serving of each, as each label directs. Check the protein's other ingredients first, since both of our greens powders already list stevia and many flavored proteins add a sweetener too.

Can you mix greens powder with orange juice?

Yes, orange juice works with greens powder. The Alfalfa & Chlorella directions name apple juice "or other favorite liquid," and the Barley Grass & Spirulina directions allow a favorite beverage. Orange juice brings a sharper sour note than apple, and like any juice it adds sugar and calories the powder's panel doesn't count.

Can you mix greens powder with pre-workout?

You can mix greens powder with pre-workout, but check the caffeine first. Both of our greens powders list green tea with no caffeine amount, and many pre-workouts add caffeine of their own, so one glass stacks an unknown amount on a known one. Caffeine-sensitive, or on a prescription? Get a healthcare provider's view before you pair the two.

How long can greens powder sit after mixing?

Greens powder shouldn't sit long: our Barley Grass & Spirulina and Beet Root & Berry Reds labels say to drink it within 10 minutes of mixing. The Alfalfa & Chlorella label names no limit, but we'd follow the same habit. On the go, carry the powder dry and add cold liquid when you're ready.

Sources

• Taste Disorders, NIDCD, National Institutes of Health
• Aspartame and Other Sweeteners in Food, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
• Dietary Supplements: What You Need to Know, NIH Office of Dietary Supplements
• Botanical Dietary Supplements: Background Information for Consumers, NIH Office of Dietary Supplements

If this left you looking for somewhere to start, read greens powder you mix into apple juice — its amounts per serving are listed on the page. For the practical questions this raises, how dosing, sourcing and subscriptions work is answered in one place.