Broccoli is one of the microgreens people ask us about most, both because the name is familiar and because research on this family of seedlings gets quoted a lot. Here is how broccoli microgreens differ from the broccoli you buy as a head, what the research actually measured, and how to eat them for both flavour and crunch.

Sprouts, microgreens and mature broccoli: what's the difference?

All three are the same plant (Brassica oleracea var. italica). What changes is the age and the way it is grown.

  • Sprouts are germinated in water or a damp jar for 3–5 days with little or no light and eaten whole, root and all. The leaves are small and pale, a little like bean sprouts.
  • Microgreens are grown in a growing medium under light until the seed leaves open and turn green, then cut above the root at around 7–14 days. The stems are crisp and the leaves bright green. This is what Dr.Sprouts sells.
  • Mature broccoli grows in the field for two to three months or more, until it forms the green head we stir-fry or steam.

As for flavour, broccoli is the mildest of the cabbage-family microgreens. The stems are crisp and juicy, the leaves soft, with a light raw-cabbage or broccoli note and only a faint tingle as you chew, far gentler than mustard or kaiware. That makes it a good first microgreen, and it sits happily with fruit.

What's in broccoli microgreens

Broccoli microgreens contain vitamin A (as beta-carotene) and vitamin C. A US Department of Agriculture study of 25 microgreens (Xiao et al., 2012) found that most had higher concentrations of vitamins C, E and K and carotenoids than the same vegetable at maturity. Broccoli was not one of the 25, but the study gives a fair picture of vegetables at this stage.

The compound broccoli is best known for is glucoraphanin, one of the glucosinolates. A Johns Hopkins study by Fahey and colleagues, published in PNAS in 1997, found that 3-day-old sprouts of certain broccoli and cauliflower cultivars contained about 10–100 times more glucoraphanin than mature plants of the same cultivars.

That figure was measured in 3-day-old sprouts. Microgreens are older, and as a seedling grows and gains weight the concentration per gram generally falls. Broccoli microgreens do contain glucoraphanin, but the 10–100 times figure should not be applied to them directly. We would rather tell you what the research measured than quote a number that simply sounds good.

Why chewing and cutting matter

In cabbage-family plants, glucoraphanin and the enzyme myrosinase are stored apart inside the cells. When the cells break, through chewing, chopping or blending, the two meet and the enzyme converts glucoraphanin into sulforaphane. This is the plant's own chemistry, and the same family of reactions behind the gentle bite of cabbage-family vegetables.

Myrosinase is a protein, so prolonged high heat deactivates it. Microgreens boiled or fried for a long time have less of this reaction, and lose their crunch too. We already suggest eating them raw, or adding them to hot food after the heat is off, for flavour and texture; chemically, that also leaves the enzyme intact. This section describes food chemistry and is not medical advice.

Eating them raw, and keeping them crisp

There is really only one rule: add the microgreens last. Some everyday ideas:

  • Salads: toss the leaves and avocado in the dressing first, then scatter the microgreens on top (see our mixed microgreen salad).
  • Smoothies: add a handful after the fruit is blended and pulse a few seconds more. Mango and banana hide the green completely (see our mango sprout smoothie).
  • Toast and sandwiches: cream cheese and smoked salmon or smashed avocado, with a generous pile of microgreens (see our salmon toast with broccoli microgreens).
  • Eggs and rice: over scrambled or fried eggs, rice bowls or congee, once they are in the bowl.

Keep the box closed in the fridge and don't wash it until you are ready to eat. Wipe away any droplets inside the lid with a paper towel. Broccoli microgreens keep about 7–10 days. Soft stems, yellowing leaves or a sour smell mean they are past their best; seedlings that are only a little limp, and not spoiled, are still fine in a smoothie.

Can you grow them at home?

Yes, much as you would radish, though broccoli seed is smaller and a little slower.

  1. Use a tray with drainage holes and clean seed-starting mix or a grow mat made for microgreens, and water it well.
  2. Use untreated seed sold for sprouting or microgreens. Broccoli seed is small and needs no soaking. Scatter it evenly in a single layer and mist it.
  3. Keep it dark for 2–3 days, until the stems stretch and the roots take hold.
  4. Move it to a bright window. Water from below once or twice a day, never let it get soggy, and keep air moving around it.
  5. Harvest when the seed leaves are open and fully green, before the true leaves appear, usually around 7–10 days. If you see white fuzz on the roots, mist it first: if it collapses, it is root hairs, not mould.

If you would rather have broccoli microgreens cut fresh and ready to eat, order on LINE @dr.sprouts, 60 THB a box (about 45–50 g). Our team will confirm the delivery round in Bangkok and nearby in the chat.

Sources

  1. Xiao Z., Lester G.E., Luo Y., Wang Q. (2012) Assessment of Vitamin and Carotenoid Concentrations of Emerging Food Products: Edible Microgreens. J. Agric. Food Chem. 60(31): 7644–7651
  2. Fahey J.W., Zhang Y., Talalay P. (1997) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA (PNAS) 94(19): 10367–10372

Note: Nutrition notes are drawn from the cited research and are general information, not medical advice.