Microgreens 101: Learn All About Kale Microgreens

Kale microgreens are tiny but mighty, offering a concentrated dose of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Discover the best ways to enjoy these nutrient-rich greens, how to store them to maximize their freshness, the difference between kale sprouts and microgreens, and basically everything else about micro kale.

Living kale microgreens grown in an 8oz round deli container — Living kale microgreens grown in an 8oz deli container

What Are Microgreens?

Tiny, vibrant, and packed with flavor, microgreens are young edible plants. Microgreens are famous for their concentrated flavors and nutrition profile. Relatively new to the culinary scene, microgreens themselves are not modern or new, they are simply new to us. That is because microgreens are essentially just seedlings.

Microgreens are vegetable, herb, or fruit seedlings that are consumed when only 1-4 leaves have emerged from the tiny plant. It was discovered that at the seedling (or microgreen) stage, many common vegetable and herb plants are packed with flavor and are much more nutritious than if they were full grown plants.

What Are Kale Microgreens?

Kale microgreens are the seedlings of regular Kale plants. Kale seedlings become kale microgreens when they are planted and grown in a way to maximize the flavor and nutrient value, and harvested in just a couple of weeks (or less). Micro Kale is tender, unlike mature kale. If you want the benefits of kale but don’t like feeling like you are chewing on cardboard, then micro kale is for you.

Looking for directions to grow your own at home? Use my step-by-step kale growing guide and check out my master list of microgreen growing tools and seeds.

Farmer's market booth table with a variety of microgreens — Kale microgreens for sale at my farmer’s market booth in San Diego

Kale microgreens are also called Micro Kale. All kale varieties can be grown as microgreens. Popular varieties are Vates Blue Scotch, Red Russian, and Premier. When I farmed, I tended to grow Vates kales and Premier. Red Russian Kale and other frilly kales were less reliable. Since I grew to the two-leaf stage, I was not so interested in the pretty leaf shape of the frilly kale varieties.

Tray full of kale microgreens — Kale microgreens growing in our greenhouse.

Are Kale Microgreens the Same as Kale Sprouts?

No, but this is a confusing question because a sprout is different from culinary Sprouts. When I say Sprouts, I am referring to the culinary food, which are edible sprouted seeds.

“To sprout” is a verb (referring to beginning to grow) and a “sprout” is a noun (meaning the plant that has just emerged from a seed and beginning to grow). However, when referring to culinary “Sprouts” we are talking about edible plant seeds that have been sprouted (just beginning to grow) in water for consumption of the roots, stem, and immature leaves. So culinary Sprouts are very young seedlings grown in water in which the roots, stem (if any), and leaves (if any) are consumed. Sprouts are grown in the dark and the entire sprout is consumed (nothing is harvested).

Microgreens are also very young seedlings, but microgreens are older than culinary sprouts. Microgreens are often grown on a medium (I will call it soil, but it is not technically soil). Microgreen roots plunge downward into the soil, and a stem grows upwards. Microgreens are grown in light. Microgreens are harvested, meaning the stems are cut away from the roots. Microgreen roots are not consumed.

While kale sprouts and kale microgreens are the same plant, the growing methods are different, the taste is different, the texture is different, and they look different from one another. The nutrition profile is also different. Kale Microgreens are older than Kale Sprouts. Kale Sprouts are not commonly found in grocery stores (unlike Broccoli Sprouts).

Read my post about the differences between sprouts and microgreens here.

How To Use Kale Microgreens?

Microgreens are usually consumed raw and can be used as a garnish (a few stems atop a meal) or the main attraction of a dish. Kale Microgreens are extremely versatile. Nearly any dish, sandwich, wrap, and soup can benefit from a handful of micro kale on top just before consuming. Where mature kale is a tough leaf when eaten raw, micro kale is tender and very easy to chew. Even if you aren’t a fan of mature kale, give micro kale a try. It feels different and even tastes a little like broccoli.

*Simple open-faced scrambled egg toast with Microgreens*

Are Kale Microgreens Healthy?

Kale microgreens are a rich source of nutrients, including vitamins A, C, and K, as well as minerals like calcium and iron. Kale microgreens have a different nutritional profile than mature kale. Micro kale has been shown to increase the variety of gut bacteria (microbiome) even more than mature kale.

Kale microgreens are particularly high in glucosinolates, compounds that have been linked to various health benefits, such as cancer prevention and improved heart health. Glucosinolates are linked to the creation of sulforaphane in our bodies. Sulforaphane glucosinolate is a phytochemical that is produced when the enzyme myrosinase breaks down glucoraphanin, a glucosinolate found in Micro Kale. Micro Kale has been found to have 5 times more glucosinolates than mature kale. Sulforaphane is a sulfur-containing organic compound that is known for its antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory properties.

The Science: Studies on Kale Microgreens

Unless you’ve earned a degree in nutrition and food biology and farming, it is truly dizzying to decipher journal articles about microgreens. Yes, microgreens studies are published all the time, by scholars all over the globe. Results are very consistent regarding the considerable amounts of phytochemicals present in microgreens and their overall contribution to healthful eating. But the details vary greatly between studies. The variation is probably due to the considerable number of species available and the differences in farming and storage methods.

That being said, there is still value in understanding the results of individual studies. So, here is a takeaway from Microgreens of Brassicaceae: Genetic diversity of phytochemical concentrations and antioxidant capacity LWT Food Science and Technology V. 101, March 2019: Compared to their more mature vegetable counterparts reported in previous studies, Brassicaceae microgreens were generally packed with higher amount of total phenolics, such as broccoli (282.8 mg GAE/100 g FW vs 63.4–87.5 mg GAE/100 g FW), green cabbage (272.4 mg GAE/100 g FW vs 92.5 mg GAE/100 g FW), and turnip (159.7 mg GAE/100 g FW vs 12.0 mg GAE/100 g FW)*.

What Do Kale Microgreens Taste Like?

Kale microgreens are mild and earthy and taste like a mix between mild broccoli and kale. They are easy to chew and can easily fade into the background of a meal because of their mild flavor.

They are great mixed with other microgreens to create unique blends.

What’s the Best Way to Eat Kale Microgreens?

They are the best when raw. If you cook microgreens, the leaves quickly get mushy, while the stems become stringy. When cooked alone, Kale microgreens quickly become a pile of stringy green glob when cooked. So I recommend eating them raw and just harvested (cut.) or mixed with other food if cooked. However, cooking microgreens is possible.

Guidelines for Cooking Microgreens

A brief cook with just a few microgreens can be lovely. I like to sprinkle a few microgreens on my fried eggs right before I flip them. Or fold a few microgreens in scrambled eggs when they are mostly set up but still gooey. I also like to make omelets and frittatas with micro kale and broccoli. My microgreen cheesy egg bake is great with kale microgreens.

Some people are adamant that microgreens should never be cooked because of nutrient loss due to heat. I disagree. While there may be some nutrient loss when heat is applied, who cares? Humans eat for reasons other than maximum nutrient density. We have the luxury to eat for pleasure. Microgreens are still nutrient-dense, even when cooked.

How Long Do Kale Microgreens Last?

It depends on whether you have packaged or living kale microgreens. Living microgreens that you harvest as you eat them will always last longer than microgreens already cut.

Still Living and Growing

If you are lucky enough to have kale microgreens still growing (i.e. not cut and packaged), you will have about a week to two weeks to use them (depending on how “mature” the microgreens were when you got them). Once the third leaf begins to show, eat them within a couple of days. The texture becomes less desirable and the flavor begins to fade once the pretty third leaf begins to grow.

Packaged

It is hard to find commercial micro kale so search your local farmer’s market for a microgreens farmer. The shelf-life of kale microgreens is not long. Harvested (already cut) micro kale must be fully dried before being stored in the refrigerator. Use an airtight container with a paper towel to absorb moisture. Store in a rigid container to avoid crushing or bruising. As long as there is no moisture in the package, they can last 4-5 days in the fridge.

Micro Broccoli — *Container of Packaged and Harvested Microgreens*

Tip: If you refrigerate wet micro kale, the greens will get mushy and totally gross. Be careful to ensure the container does not have condensation–wipe away any moisture. You really don’t want to smell a package of mushy microgreens. Trust me, get that condensation out.

Can You Freeze Kale Microgreens?

Yes, but they will only be palatable if blended into a smoothie or blender juice. Otherwise, previously frozen and defrosted microgreens will be complete mush. I highly recommend kale microgreens for smoothies. They are mild and practically dissolve in the blender.