Spirulina

Spirulina is a microscopic cyanobacterium that grows naturally in warm, alkaline lakes but is now overwhelmingly farm-raised in controlled ponds. It has an intense, earthy flavour that divides opinion — some find it pleasantly vegetal, others distinctly pond-like.

In the kitchen, spirulina is most commonly blended into smoothies, stirred through yoghurt, or mixed into energy balls and raw treats. A small amount goes a long way, both for colour and flavour. It’s also used to tint foods a vivid green without artificial dyes.

Spirulina has been consumed for centuries in parts of Africa and Central America, where it was traditionally harvested from lake surfaces and dried into cakes. Today it’s one of the most widely farmed microalgae in the world.

Farmed
photograph to come — from twenty years of markets, farms and kitchens

How it's made

Spirulina is cultivated in large, shallow open-air ponds or enclosed photobioreactors filled with warm, nutrient-rich alkaline water. The algae multiply rapidly under sunlight, and the culture is harvested by filtering or screening the water. The collected biomass is washed, then typically spray-dried or freeze-dried into a fine powder, or compressed into tablets.

Nutrition (per 100g)

Energy 26kcal
Protein 5.9g
Carbs 2g
Fat 0.4g
Fibre 0.4g Sugar 0.3g
Mass Distribution

What it costs the planet (per kilo)

Carbon ≈0.5kg
Freshwater ≈130L
Land ≈0.4m²

≈ Estimated — worked out from a category-typical value further up its supply chain. Where this comes from →

Where it comes from

In the kitchen

Used as

nutritional supplement powder

Goes well with
banana mango ginger coconut citrus
Classic dishes
  • Green smoothie
  • Protein energy balls
  • Açaí bowl

Keeping one at home? Track yours in your cubud →

Where this data comes from

Nutrition data from

USDA

How it was calculated

SR Legacy

Full credits, licences, and methods: the sources page →

Where to next

made fromSpirulina, whole goes well withbanana goes well withmango goes well withginger goes well withcoconut goes well withcitrus shares a sourceSpirulina Extract
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