41+ Fun Types of Microgreens to Try Growing

There are so many types of microgreens you can try growing, where do you even start? While you can grow mini-varieties of almost any vegetable, here are some of my favorites for you to try out.

Types of Microgreens to Grow

If you’re looking to start growing microgreens of new varieties, or just want to incorporate a few more into your diet, here are over 40 of my favorite types of microgreens.

Amaranth

Family: Amaranthaceae
Days to Harvest: 10-15 days
Flavor: Nutty, yet sweet flavor
Color: Red
Pre-Soak: No

Amaranth microgreens have a slightly bitter, nutty, and sweet flavor. They appear in a variety of shades of red, ranging from light pink to deep burgundy.

These microgreens are one of the more popular types to grow because they’re pretty simple and add that beautiful deep pink/red color to your dishes.

Arugula

Family: Brassicaceae
Days to Harvest: 10-12 days
Flavor: Spicy, pungent
Color: Light green
Pre-Soak: No

Barley

Family: Poaceae
Days to Harvest: 7-10 days
Flavor: Grassy, earthy flavor
Color: Green, White, Yellow
Pre-Soak: Yes (12-24 hours)

Barley microgreens have a nutty and sweet flavor. They grow almost in shoots rather than a typical microgreen with cotyledons.

Basil

Family: Lamiaceae
Days to Harvest: 10-12 days
Flavor: A more mild basil flavor
Color: Green or Purple depending on type of basil used
Pre-Soak: No

Basil microgreens have a similar flavor to mature basil, but a little sweeter and not as heavy on the anise flavor.

Micro basil has a pale to deep green color. You can also use opal basil or Red Rubin basil to grow microgreens and you’ll get beautiful purple microgreens instead of green ones.

Related Article: This article shows you how to grow basil microgreens.

Beans

Family: Poaceae
Days to Harvest: 12-14 days
Flavor: Taste like beans, but a little muted.
Color: Green, sometimes with red stems
Pre-Soak: yes (12-24 hours)

You can grow a variety of beans as microgreens, including mung beans, fava beans, and adzuki beans. Mung beans are often the beans used for a typical bean sprout you might find in the grocery store or at a restaurant.

The flavor is pretty cool because they taste like a bean you would expect, just a little milder.

Beet Microgreens

Family: Amaranthaceae
Days to Harvest: 8-12 days
Flavor: Bitter and earthy with a sweet aftertaste
Color: Green and red
Pre-Soak: No

Beet microgreens have a sweet and earthy flavor. Their color can range from green to red depending on the types of beets used.

Bok Choy

Family: Brassicaceae
Days to Harvest: 10-12 days
Flavor: Mild, earthy flavor
Color: Green
Pre-Soak: No

Bok Choy microgreens are in a wide variety of colors including yellow, white, and green. These are some of my favorites to grow because the tiny leaves are beautiful and have the veins of the mature plant.

Broccoli

Family: Brassicaceae
Days to Harvest: 8-12 days
Flavor: rich, nutty taste
Color: Green
Pre-Soak: No

One of the most common microgreens you’ll find being grown. Broccoli microgreens come in a variety of types including green and purple and have a rich, nutty taste.

Cabbage Microgreens

Family: Brassicaceae
Days to Harvest: 8-12 days
Flavor: Mild, earthy
Color: Red, green, or white depending on the cabbage variety
Pre-Soak: No

Carrot Microgreens

Family: Apiaceae
Days to Harvest: 18-25 days
Flavor: Milder carrot flavor
Color: pale yellow, green
Pre-Soak: yes, but not required

Related article: How to grow carrot microgreens

Cauliflower

Family: Brassicaceae
Days to Harvest: 9-12 days
Flavor: earthy and peppery
Color: Dark green, with hints of purple
Pre-Soak: No

Celery

Family: Umbelliferae
Days to Harvest: 9-12
Flavor: Bubbly, sharp celery flavor
Color: Light green
Pre-Soak: Yes, around 18-24 hours

Chia

Family: Lamiaceae
Days to Harvest:
Flavor: nutty, and slightly sweet flavor
Color: Light green
Pre-Soak: No

Cilantro

Family: Apiaceae
Days to Harvest: 9-15 days
Flavor: Mild cilantro
Color: Green
Pre-Soak: No

Corn

Family: Poaceae
Days to Harvest: 6-7 days
Flavor: Sweet corn flavor
Color: Yellow/green
Pre-Soak: 8-12 hours

Corn shoots are notorious for being super quick growers, ready to harvest in about a week. These are one of the fastest-growing microgreens, as they’ll be ready in only 6-7 days.

They are also very unique in the sense that they are grown completely in the dark. Whoa…

If you’re interested, this is how you can grow corn shoots.

Cucumber

Family: Cucurbitaceae
Days to Harvest: 13-15 days
Flavor: Herbal cucumber flavor
Color: Green, broad leaves
Pre-Soak: Yes

Cress

Family: Brassicaceae
Days to Harvest: 7-14 days
Flavor: Sweet, peppery flavor
Color: Green with white stems
Pre-Soak: No

Dill

Family: Apiaceae
Days to Harvest: 13-15 days
Flavor: Muted dill flavor, zest
Color: Green with pink-white stems
Pre-Soak: No

Endive

Family: Cichorium
Days to Harvest: 12-14 days
Flavor: Slightly bitter flavor
Color: Light green
Pre-Soak: No

Fennel

Family: Umbellifers
Days to Harvest: 10-14 days
Flavor: Mild anise
Color: Green
Pre-Soak: No

Kale Microgreens

Family: Brassicaceae
Days to Harvest: 8-10 days
Flavor: Nutty, similar to mustard greens but not as spicy
Color: Dark green leaves with pink and purple stems
Pre-Soak: No

Leeks

Family: Amaryllidaceae
Days to Harvest: 10-12 days
Flavor: Onion-y flavor
Color: Green
Pre-Soak: No

Lentils

Family: Legume
Days to Harvest: 10-13 days
Flavor: Grassy, and crunchy
Color: Dark Green
Pre-Soak: Yes

Learn how to grow lentil microgreens here.

Lettuce

Family: Asteraceae
Days to Harvest: 8-13 days
Flavor: Similar to regular lettuce, not a huge flavor boost
Color: Light green
Pre-Soak: No

Melon Micros

Family: Cucurbits
Days to Harvest: 8-10 days
Flavor: Fresh melon flavor
Color: Deep green
Pre-Soak: Yes

Mint

Family: Lamiaceae
Days to Harvest: 7-14 days
Flavor: Sweet, mild flavor
Color: Green
Pre-Soak: No

Mustard Greens

Family: Brassicaceae
Days to Harvest: 7-14 days
Flavor: Spicy, mustard flavor
Color: Pale green with white stems
Pre-Soak: No

Oat Grass

Family: Poaceae
Days to Harvest: 7-10 days
Flavor: Strong bitter taste
Color: Green
Pre-Soak: Yes

Onions

Family:
Days to Harvest: 14-21 days
Flavor: Strong onion flavor with a hint of garlic
Color: Green
Pre-Soak: 2-6 hours

Onion microgreens are a great next step for intermediate or advanced microgreen growers. They’re not the easiest to grow, but they’re super versatile and can be a fun new one to try growing.

Oregano

Family:
Days to Harvest:
Flavor: Powerful, spicy flavor
Color: Pale green leaves
Pre-Soak:

Usually, microgreens have a more muted taste, but oregano is the opposite. Oregano microgreens often have a stronger flavor than mature oregano.

Pea Microgreens & Pea Shoots

Family: Fabaceae
Days to Harvest: 8-12 days
Flavor: Sweet, pea taste
Color: Green
Pre-Soak: Yes

Pea shoots are a popular type of microgreens – they’re crunchy with a sweet pea flavor, and they’re pretty easy to grow.

They can be grown from all types of peas, and they have cute tendrils coming off of them which makes them a little different from the “typical” microgreen.

Pumpkin

Family: Cucurbitaceae
Days to Harvest:
Flavor: Sweet, but also bitter
Color: Deep green
Pre-Soak: Yes, 6-12 hours

Quinoa

Family: Amaranthaceae
Days to Harvest: 10-14 days
Flavor: Mild, nutty flavor
Color: Green
Pre-Soak: Yes, 8-12 hours

Radish Microgreens

Family: Brassicaceae
Days to Harvest: 8-11 days
Flavor: Earthy, a little spicy
Color: Green or red depending on the type
Pre-Soak: No

Sage

Family: Lamiaceae (mint family)
Days to Harvest: 14-21 days
Flavor: Mild sage flavor
Color: Deep green with pale green stems
Pre-Soak: No

Spinach Microgreens

Family: Amaranthaceae
Days to Harvest: 10-13 days
Flavor: Muted spinach taste
Color: Green with pale, sometimes red stems
Pre-Soak: No

Here is how you can get started growing spinach microgreens.

Sunflower

Family: Asteraceae
Days to Harvest: 9-12 days
Flavor: slightly sweet, nutty flavor
Color: Green leaves, pale stems
Pre-Soak: 4-5 hours

Swiss Chard

Family: Amaranthaceae
Days to Harvest: 10 days
Flavor: bitter with an earthy aftertaste
Color: dark red-maroon leaves and deep yellow stems.
Pre-Soak: 4 hours

Learn how to grow swiss chard microgreens in this article.

Wheatgrass

Family: Poaceae
Days to Harvest: 7-10 days
Flavor: Grassy
Color: Deep green
Pre-Soak: No

Wheatgrass is what you’ll typically find as an optional add-on at a smoothie joint. It’ll give a smoothie that deep green color and pack it with nutrients.

Microgreens by Plant Families

There are many types of microgreens, here are some favorites categorized by family.

Amaranthaceae family: amaranth, beets, chard, quinoa, and spinach
Amaryllidaceae family: chives, garlic, leeks, onions
Apiaceae family: carrot, celery, dill, fennel
Asteraceae family: chicory, endive, lettuce, and radicchio
Brassicaceae family: arugula, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, radish, and cress
Cucurbitaceae family: cucumbers, melons, pumpkin, and squashes
Lamiaceae family: herbs including mint, cilantro, basil, rosemary, sage, and oregano.
Poaceae family: barley, corn, rice, oats, wheatgrass, legumes including lentils, mung beans, other beans, and chickpeas

Which Types of Microgreens Can You NOT Eat?

Nightshades should never be grown as microgreens. These leaves contain toxic compounds that will make you pretty sick.

These include plants like:
– Tomatoes
– Eggplants
– Potatoes
– Peppers

Do Microgreens Regrow After Cutting?

Microgreens don’t usually regrow after they are harvested. While some varieties will, it’s not worth it to try and regrow them, as you’ll be using up space you could be starting a new tray. Also, even if they did regrow, the nutrient content drops quite a bit on the subsequent growings.