I have a confession…
I hate dark leafy greens that have been cooked, wilted, or otherwise made warm by any means of cooking. (Yes, even though this reduces oxalic acid and is the most nutritious way to prepare them.)
Please don’t hate me. I know I’m supposed to love them, and have kale, spinach, or collard greens with every meal, but I just can’t. And please don’t say that I’d love them if only I covered them in bacon drippings. It’s just not going to happen.
So, I get my fill of dark leafy greens from salad and smoothies. But sometimes, they still pile up. Anyone else have an overwhelming and growing mound of greens in their crisper drawer?
To preserve all this leafy bounty for future dishes, I turn these greens into a batch of nutritious green powder.
How To Dehydrate Greens Into Powder
In the following directions, I’ll show you how to do this with fresh, raw greens. If you’d like to steam dark leafy greens first to reduce their oxalic acid*, simply steam then drain the greens — then dry and powder. In addition, feel free to skip trimming off the stems (step 3) because the steaming softens them. Easy peasy!
*Oxalic acid is an anti-nutrient found in dark leafy greens that inhibits mineral absorption. Click here for more info.
Step #1 — Gather Greens
Think lettuce, spinach, kale, collard greens, and anything in between! Yes, you really can dehydrate lettuce.
Step #2 — Wash Thoroughly & Remove Stems
Do your greens have any woody or pulpy stems and veins? Compost them or feed them to your chickens! I find that they don’t grind down well into powder without a lot of work.
Step #3 — Dry Leaves
I take the leaves outside and shake off as much moisture as possible, then set them on my kitchen counter on tea towels in layers to dry. The less moisture on their surfaces, the less time in the dehydrator.
Step #4 — Lay Leaves On Dehydrator Trays
It’s okay if they touch. Leaves shrink up to 1/4 to 1/3 of their size when dehydrated, so there’s lots of room for movement. Just don’t stack them on top of each other.
Step #5 — Set Dehydrator To 110 degrees Fahrenheit
You can also use the Herbs setting on your dehydrator, although lettuce and greens are sometimes heartier than herbs (but less hearty than veggies), so I set my dehydrating temp to the lower end but a bit higher than herbs.
Greens usually dry without 4 to 8 hours, depending on the moisture of your home, the moisture of your greens, and your dehydrator. If you prefer to go more quickly, set your temperature to the Vegetable setting (or 125 degrees Fahrenheit). Just keep a close eye on it.
If you don’t have a dedicated dehydrator, set your oven to its lowest temperature. Lay your leaves on cookie sheets with the cake cooling grids on them. Then place in the oven, and prop the door open. Not only do you want to keep the oven temperature down, but you want the air to circulate and not trap moisture inside. If this has inspired you to invest in a dehydrator, How to Choose the Best Food Dehydrator #AskWardee 152 can help you decide which dehydrator is best for your family.
Step #6 — Blend Dry Leaves
That’s right! Once the leaves are dry, whir those puppies up in your blender or food processor.
Step #7 — Pour Leaves Through Mesh Strainer Into Jar
For any larger flakes left behind, return those to the blender and whiz them up again.
What’s The Yield?
It takes 2 to 3 full dehydrator cycles to fill a quart-sized jar. Don’t let that seem daunting! You’ve now got concentrated iron, magnesium, potassium, vitamin K, vitamin C, vitamin E, phytonutrients, and small amounts of omega-3 fatty acids.
It’s a powerhouse of nutrients in that little jar.
How To Use Green Powder
- Sprinkle a tablespoon in your morning smoothie!
- Add to salads for a boost of flavor and nutrition.
- Create your own herbal mix out of green powder, other herbs, and dried zests.
- Add to soups for extra seasonings, or if you’ve run out of parsley!
- Mix into meatloaf.
- Get creative! Pasta, hamburgers, fritattas, stews, chilis, and more are all waiting!
Have you ever thought to dehydrate greens into powder?
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Been doing this for several years and I love it. I have big jars of green powder which get me through the winter. I use it mostly in eggs and smoothies.
Isn’t it amazing stuff?
What do you think of using dandelion leaves?
They’re a green! Think of it this way, if you would eat it in a salad or as a side dish, it will work! Just make sure that you are using leaves that haven’t been treated by a weed killing spray or other toxic lawn chemicals, and wash them well!
How about broccoli leaves? Are they edible and can you dry them into a green powder as well. I have some plants that I am about to pull up and replant for fall harvest. Don’t like to waste anything.
I can tell you broccoli leaves work great. They are definitely edible and dehydrate well.
They sure are. The younger the leaves, the better they are raw, but you can also dehydrate. Just remember, large leaves are fairly fibrous and might be harder to ‘crush’, so you might need to do them two or three times in a blender if you’re having trouble getting them small enough.
one of my cooks books my daughter got me from the down under says radish leaves celery turnips of course beets thats only ones off top my head i remember but they could all be ate,I did try radish didn’t care for it but I don’t like any green what so ever but kale baked as chips,fresh yes cooked not but I dehydrate every thing i get my hands did horseradish and ground for powder tomato powder I even seasoning and smoked them then dehydrated them they are fantastic
Terri, you dehydrated horseradish leaves? I have horseradish and I’ve been wondering what to do with the leaves.
Those horseradish leaves have a ‘faint’ flavor… but dry wonderful… just remove the spine first…lol…. my DH loves these dried wonders in all of his food… every meal… every day… good thing I have a huge plot to get me through the winter! lol
I love this! Thank you ! For years I’ve been drying nettles, rubbing them through a metal sieve while watching a video, putting them into jar and using them in everything I can hide them in … My husband’s favourite is : In a largish bowl, adding a couple tablespoonfuls of olive oil, a bit of roasted sesame oil, some Bragg and about a quarter cup of nettle ‘dust’, then adding in the just-cooked fusili/macaroni/pasta and mixing up well. The pasta doesn’t stick together when it’s put in the fridge, and it’s full of the nettle goodness. Much love and many smiles _/\_ Namaste
Sounds yummy!!!
That does sound yummy!
Do you have any information on common edible grasses and weeds in one’s back yard? My family is ready to spray a bunch of junk on the yard so it will look nicer, but I thought maybe there are things growing that may be useful? If so, can they be dehydrated as well? I live in ND.
Hi, RG! Edible weeds and grasses are available everywhere! And once you begin spraying toxins on them, they aren’t as healthy for you. Here is a list of articles about various edibles in your landscape that you can read to get yourself familiar with and to share with your family.
Edible Weeds
Good luck!
This is encouraging; I dislike throwing away picked greens yet can’t seem to use them up before they go bad. Thanks for “teaching” on this topic.
You’re welcome! Hope it works out well for you!
Hi Jane,
Thank you for this post – it is a great way to use those greens!
I read Katie Baldridge’s post a couple months back about steaming greens to reduce the oxalic acid present in them. It seems to me if you take this step before dehydrating it would be a wet gooey mess on your dehydrator trays! Have you tried taking this step first? I imagine it would take quite a bit longer to dry as well.
I appreciate any thoughts on this… 🙂
Lisa — I have, many times. They do take a bit longer to dry (be sure to drain them well) but it is not a mess. Just spread the greens out as best you can (no need to keep them separate). They reduce in volume quite a bit when cooked and that means even though they’re wet, they dry pretty fast. It’s really easy. 🙂
I’ll have to try this. We had a lot of kale last year and got tired of eating with bacon. I’ll keep this in mind. I like the idea of mixing it in with meatloaf.
I love it for our picky eater…he doesn’t have a clue 🙂
what about the oxalates in dark leafy greens? Do you think they are neutralized somehow in the dehydrating process?
Rhonda — We mentioned this in the post. You can steam and drain the greens first to reduce oxalic acid. It’s very easy to do!
I’m looking forward to trying your green powder dehydration recipe. I buy a lot of veggies at one time because I am not able to shop when I want to, and they spoil before I can finish them off
This is a great way to preserve them and use them when ever I need them. I’m a big fan of smoothies because of my health. This will be of help to me a lot
Thanks so much for this! We were given a big bag of spinach and although I am using it in smoothies, it is starting to go bad so I am excited to have a way to use it so it doesn’t go to waste.
Glad I could help!
I am trying this now, the only problem I have is that the leaves want to blow off the rack while I’m trying to put it in the dehydrator.
Tesh, is your dehydrator already on when you are putting the trays in? Do you happen to have another fan on in the room? Kale is pretty hearty and shouldn’t move much.
Jane, yes it was on. And I was dehydrating spinach. I’ll try it again.
Jane, yes it was on. And I was dehydrating spinach. I’ll try it again.
My rule of thumb is if you can eat it in a salad, you can dehydrate and powder it 🙂
I think the other commenter wanted to know if the process of dehydrating would be equal to precooking to reduce the acid. I was wondering the same thing? Is the temp high enough or will it only work if you cook them?
I am wondering this, too. That’s what I thought the other commenter was asking as well. I’m assuming that since the author’s reply just pointed back to the post the dehydrating process must not reduce the acid. I think if you use the powder in something you will cook, the powder will rehydrate and the acid will be reduced in the cooking process. So, if you want to use it for smoothies or to sprinkle raw on salads you will probably have to steam it first.
I trust world’s healthiest foods website for best information about handling produce and foods in general. There is detailed information at this link (including: oxalates are NOT reduced significantly with steaming):
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=faq&dbid=23
Do you have a ratio you use for mixing the greens together like mostly spinach with other stuff as accents, or do you just dehydrate, blend and mix all willy-nilly?
Will-nilly is pretty cool, but I was just curious taste-wise if you had a preference.
We blend as we go. So whatever is fresh and ready to be dehydrated is the next thing that goes into the powder. Our dehydrator runs constantly, so it is pretty willy nilly what goes in next! We just make sure to mix it up well to make it well blended so that no one flavor overpowers another.
That makes sense! That is sort of what we have been doing as well. Had to shut the dehydrator off for the night because I just needed a break from the noise. Plan to get it fired back up in the morning!
We run ours in the garage. No noise in the house! I just have to remember to check it! : )
This is such an excellent idea. I shared it on My Week on Wednesday! Now… if only I could remember to get those greens in the dehydrator *before* they get all slimy… 😉
~ Christine
Great idea. I think I’ll do this, my friends all grow too much kale so I end up with loads. Just an fyi though… vitamin C is destroyed with heat.
Thanks so much for this! I just started working on my first jar. I have a few questions.. what can I do to make kale last longer in my fridge? Often i have every intention of drying but it can take me a few days to have enough time to prep for dehydration and by that time they’re slimy! I purchased a small vacuum sealer and tried that (perhaps very foolish) and through crushing them they rotted within a day.. oops. Second question is how to store the powder. I have the jar in the fridge, but when I take the jar out condensation forms so I’ve introduced moisture- guessing another rookie mistake. If you just keep in a cool/dark place, how long will it last and is it possible to extend powder life via refrigeration or freezing? Thanks again!
Kim I am no expert, but you should treat the powder the same way you treat dried herbs. Herbs last a very long time in a cool dry place, well sealed. The powder will be the same. If you are using it regularly it shouldn’t need a long shelf life. Definitely not a good idea to put it in the fridge 🙂
Kim, I know you asked this a couple years ago but I just read it. I’ve found that if you wash your greens and remove most of the moisture from them, then put them in a ziplock bag with paper towels, the paper towels will absorb the extra moisture as well as help keep them from drying out. I’ve found that they last longer in the fridge like this. So if I want to keep greens in the fridge for a while without dehydrating them, this is how I do them. I cannot tell you exactly how much longer they will last (this also depends on how much moisture there is), but do know they last longer. Hope this helps.
Can we sun dry the greens?
You can certainly sun dry your leaves. But be sure to keep them covered from bugs as they like to lay eggs and hang out on things, and that’s just not good eats 😉
Can you do Cabbage like this or would the flavour be to strong?
I’ve never done it, but give it a try!
I’ve dehydrated cabbage and carrots to make sauerkraut but have never rehydrated them. They dehydrate well, with only a little discolorization.
I have been gathering kale leafs and herbs also carrot tops for a few years now. I cut clean them cut them up or just tear them with my hands. I then put them in a giant bowl and add my fav dressing, poppy seed or sun dried tomato basil, or Italian, etc, then I throw them on the racks to dehydrate. It doesn’t matter if the touch. Check in a few hours and done! Throw them in a jar and they taste great. If they get moisture at anytime put them in soups or whatever or I throw them back on the dehydrator and dry them some more. I feed everyone I know with this stuff and they love it! Never boiled them first! I don’t like the taste dof kale raw. And get the hard stems off. They take too long. I do this to big garbage bags filled with kale and I don’t get fancy. I have 8 dehydrators just a rocking each time. It is so good when the winter months come! And I don’t like kale raw! Yuck! Lol
I thinking this could be amazing with sprouted seeds — alfalfa, bean, radish, etc. I love the nutrients in them, but my family has a very low tolerance for eating them. Any thoughts (would dehydrating destroy something vital I’m not aware of?)
Just like with any form of cooking, dehydrating can remove some nutrients, but that’s also why it is important to make sure you’re dehydrating at the appropriate temperature level for the product you want to dehydrate. For the most part, we aren’t trying to cook the food (unlike with making jerky), we’re only trying to remove the moisture. Thus you don’t want to dry your herbs at a super-hot setting or you’re just cooking them.
Could I use my oven to dehydrate these? I don’t own a dehydrator yet. Thanks for any info you can provide. This dehydrated greens is a great idea!
Yes, you can, but make sure you follow the directions for oven drying, keep your oven open a tad in a safe environment, so that you aren’t using too much heat.
This is excellent. Do you have any idea of the ratio of fresh to dehydrated as far as nutrients are concerned? I usually make a morning smoothie with 3 cups of fresh green leafies. I’m wondering how much of the powder I would add to gain the same nutritional benefit? and thank you for this!
You always loose a little in dehydrating, just like any preserving method. If you prefer fresh, use it! But we keep this to use on so many other things that fresh won’t do, it’s worth having! And you’ll have some stored away in case your garden isn’t producing or you haven’t been to the store!
This is such a great idea! We usually use all of our spinach but of course there are times when it goes bad. I’d also love to be able to sneak it into other dishes.
To answer the question about cabbage- Cabbage is great in the dehydrator. I was introduced to a “cole slaw” type recipe to dehydrate and it is amazing. Crunchy, flavorful, good by the handful or added on top of a sandwich or snack where you want a bit of crunch. I haven’t ground it up into a powder.
I do this in my oven with a pilot light….just shove gobs of greens, herbs etc in one day and when I remember it 4 days later, everything is perfectly dry.
Gps top
How long will the greens last in the jar?
Lori, as long as you keep them in an airtight container with an oxygen absorber, they’ll keep for 8-12 months (and longer if you do long-term storage like mylar bags, etc.).
We keep our working bottle next to our prep area and never notice a change in quality for the jar we open daily. We go through it a ton, so we never have any particular batch last over three months.
What about blanching? I tried solar dehydrating a bunch of mustard greens last summer and they came out tasting like dried hay. Are they still nutritious?
Blanching is suggested to help bring out vital nutrients, but I’m not sure how it will effect the final outcome. You’re still removing all moisture from the leaves and stems. Powdering it makes it great for incorporating into other foods to add nutrition without the “icky cooked green stuff” texture that my kids don’t like!
Do you know the conversion from fresh to powder? for example, how much powder equals one cup fresh?
I’ve never done a correlation that way with it, Mandie, epsecially since I mix them all up. It would depend on which greens you are using and how tightly you pack them. But if you’re wanting to know how much to put into a smoothie, that’ll be a personal taste decision. Start putting some in and stop when you feel the texture and flavor are no longer optimal.
I’m more wondering because I’m pregnant and currently taking Bradley method classes. They have me tracking my food and want two servings of greens a day. I’m just hoping for a ballpark figure as to how much powder would equal a serving.
Do you happen to know a rough estimate of measurements? For instance, what would 1 cup leafy greens be equivalent to with the powdered greens???
50 grams of collard green will reduce to 8 grams which is 4 teaspoons. I hope this helps.
I was trained as a chemist and look at things a little deeper. It is strongly recommended by most Agriculture Extension departments in University systems to blanch vegetables with steam or boiling water which of course is different for each vegetable. I am sure the Oregon State University has such resources on line. I am a misplaced Oregon tree hugger that has been visiting Minnesota for 57 years. I strongly recommend blanching the cabbage and any other crucifer in boiling water to remove the goitrin that reduces thyroid production. We do have an epidemic of hypothyroidism in this country due to the fluoride in the water, flame retardants, water repellant products and of course consumption of raw crucifer vegetables. The Extension Service for South Dakota, Minnesota and Iowa suggest not breaking down the leaves until they are ready to be used. This provides less surface area exposed to degradation of nutrients. For cabbage Nebraska Extension suggest 1.5 minutes of boiling water blanching followed by cooling down the leaves immediately to 120 degrees and Cornell University Extension suggests drying between 100-110 degrees. I recommend vacuum packing the leaves in Kerr quart jars for further protection and storing them below a temperature of 60 degrees.
Darn! I wish I’d seen this brilliant idea before I whizzed up and froze greens in ice cube trays. And I REALLY wish I’d seen it before I cut back all my mint and composted it. Betting dried mint would be terrific in smoothies.
Why don’t you blend the leaves first, then dehydrate the blend? This would give you a much larger space to exploit on the trays. Of course you’d need to cover your trays with an adequate surface first, but that’s easy.
This post came at the right time. I have a bunch of greens I got in my CSA. I don’t particularly like the taste of them so this is perfect, and they won’t just end up in the compost pile. Will be doing it today.
Do nasturtium leave contain oxalic acid? Have frozen them before but wondering if I should blanch and then dehydrate.
Very interesting topic. I shaddow dry moringa leaves and they get dried in one day and night in out hot climate (India). I mix half tea spoon in my chill yogurt and it tastes great like mocha ice cream.
What if I don’t have dehydrator at home? Any other way