"Superfood" is a marketing term, not a scientific one — but microgreens earn the label on the numbers.
A 2012 study by the University of Maryland and USDA's Agricultural Research Service, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, found that microgreens can carry 4 to 40 times more vitamins and antioxidants than the same mature vegetable, gram for gram. Red cabbage microgreens, for instance, showed roughly 6 times more vitamin C and 69 times more vitamin K than mature cabbage.
That means a small daily handful of broccoli or radish microgreens can meaningfully add to your vitamin C, vitamin K and beta-carotene intake — without needing to eat a large plate of the grown vegetable. Cruciferous microgreens also carry higher levels of glucosinolates, plant compounds linked to antioxidant activity, and early 2025 research points to benefits for gut microbiome diversity when eaten regularly.
Curious which variety to start with? Read our full Microgreens Guide or shop our fresh trays today.