The Complete Guide to Microgreens: Grow, Eat & Buy Them Like a Pro
Everything home cooks need to know about microgreens: what they are, how to grow them, the best varieties, nutrition, and how to actually use them.
Microgreens are the tiny, edible seedlings of vegetables and herbs — harvested just one to three weeks after sprouting, when their flavor and color are at their most intense. They are not a trend so much as a return to something simple: real, living greens grown a few feet from where you eat them. This guide pulls together everything you need to grow, buy, and cook with them.
What exactly is a microgreen?
A microgreen is a young vegetable green, picked once the first true leaves appear. That puts it squarely between two things people often confuse it with: a sprout (germinated for a few days and eaten seed, root, and all) and a baby green (a more mature leaf, like baby spinach). The microgreen stage is the sweet spot — concentrated flavor, tender texture, and, in many varieties, a higher density of certain nutrients than the full-grown plant.
Common microgreens include radish, pea, sunflower, broccoli, kale, arugula, basil, cilantro, beet, and mustard. Each carries the flavor of its parent vegetable, dialed up: radish microgreens are peppery, pea shoots taste like fresh-snapped pods, and cilantro microgreens hit like the herb without any of the chopping.
Why home cooks love them
- Flavor without effort. A pinch finishes a dish the way a restaurant plate is finished — no knife work required.
- They grow indoors, year-round. A sunny windowsill and a shallow tray are enough. No garden, no season.
- Fast feedback. Most varieties go from seed to harvest in 7–14 days, which makes them the most forgiving thing a beginner can grow.
- Nutrient density. Research on microgreens has found that many varieties concentrate vitamins and antioxidants relative to their mature counterparts. More on that in microgreens vs. sprouts.
How to grow microgreens at home
The short version: spread seeds densely on a tray of moist soil or a growing mat, keep them covered and dark for a few days, then move them to light and water from the bottom until harvest. That is genuinely the whole loop — but the details are what separate a lush tray from a patchy, moldy one.
We wrote a full walkthrough — soil vs. mat, how thickly to seed, the "blackout" step, watering, and how to avoid mold — in How to Grow Microgreens at Home. Start there if you want a tray going this week.
The best varieties to start with
| Variety | Flavor | Days to harvest | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pea shoots | Sweet, fresh, crunchy | 8–12 | Very easy |
| Radish | Bold, peppery | 6–10 | Very easy |
| Sunflower | Nutty, hearty | 8–12 | Easy |
| Broccoli | Mild, green | 8–12 | Easy |
| Basil | Sweet, aromatic | 12–18 | Moderate |
If this is your first tray, grow radish or peas. They germinate fast, resist mold, and give you a confidence-building harvest before you try fussier herbs like basil or cilantro.
How to actually use them
The biggest mistake people make is treating microgreens as decoration — a sad pinch on the edge of a plate. They are an ingredient. Fold pea shoots into a stir-fry at the last second, pile radish greens on tacos, blend sunflower shoots into pesto, or build an entire salad from a single dense tray. We collected our favorites in 15 Ways to Use Microgreens.
Don't want to grow them? Buy fresh.
Growing is rewarding, but it is not the only path. If you would rather skip straight to cooking, look for trays harvested within a day or two — freshness is everything with microgreens, and most grocery-store clamshells have already lost it in transit. Locally grown trays from a grower like Miniature Harvest are cut to order, which is why chefs pay for them. The same logic applies at home: the fresher the green, the bigger the flavor.
Frequently asked questions
Are microgreens the same as sprouts?
No. Sprouts are eaten after just a few days, seed and root included, and are grown in water without light. Microgreens are grown in soil or on a mat, harvested above the root once the leaves appear, and need light. See Microgreens vs. Sprouts for the full comparison, including food-safety differences.
How long do microgreens last in the fridge?
Harvested microgreens keep about 5–7 days in a sealed container with a dry paper towel. Living trays last even longer — cut what you need and the rest keeps growing.
Do I need special equipment?
No. A shallow tray, seeds, soil or a hemp mat, and a sunny window will get you a harvest. Grow lights and humidity domes help, but they are upgrades, not requirements.
Can you eat microgreens raw?
Yes — raw is how they shine. A quick rinse is all they need. Heat dulls their color and delicate flavor, so add them at the very end of cooking, if at all.