Inventive Ways to Use Maca Powder

The root of Lepidium meyenii , better known as maca, is a highly nutrient-dense vegetable that looks somewhat like a radish or turnip. This plant hails from the high Andes in central Peru and was traditionally a dietary staple of the region. Recognized today for its association with various health benefits, it is often ground into a powder for easy consumption.

Maca powder is rich in nutrients and works well in a wide variety of different recipes, making it a simple way to provide your body with an array of bioavailable vitamins, minerals, amino acids, sterols, and other uncommon compounds.

You may be interested in trying maca for yourself but quickly realized you have no idea how to actually incorporate it into your diet. Technically, all you need to do to take advantage of this amazing plant is to scoop a few spoonfuls of the powdered root into a tall glass of water, stir, and enjoy. While this is certainly an option, it may not be to everyone’s tastes.

Another way to enjoy your maca is by crafting tasty fruit and vegetable smoothies. There are hundreds of different varieties of smoothies you can make right in your home which pair well with high-grade maca, but the truth is that some of these recipes are somewhat involved to put together, and while they are delicious, you may get tired of them day after day.

In order to continuously enjoy your maca, you need to be able to utilize it in more inventive ways. This is why we’ve put together this guide to help you with recipe inspiration and general ideas as to how to make maca a part of your everyday life.

It’s important to remember that maca is a food and can be included in a wide variety of different recipes, including baked goods, desserts, soups, health bars, teas, and more. Don’t limit yourself to using it only in post-workout smoothies or glasses of water.

Maca Powder + Morning Coffee

One way to change up the way you use maca while starting your mornings off with a nutritious kick is to add some nutrient-rich maca powder to your morning coffee. The unique earthy flavor of maca root goes well with coffee in general but also lends itself well to being used in an array of different lattes and similar beverages.

One of the reasons why this is such a potentially beneficial combination, especially to start your morning off with, is that maca has been known as a natural energy booster. Millions of people around the world already rely on coffee to wake them up in the morning, and while there is nothing inherently wrong with this, much of this feeling of increased energy is due to the caffeine present in coffee and not any actual vitamins and minerals. Maca makes up for this by providing a wide range of different beneficial nutrients that have been shown to increase energy levels and stamina, and even stay mentally focused. 

One other way in which maca may make for an ideal pairing with coffee is due to the fact that maca is considered an adaptogen, which are natural substances that help our bodies cope with stress. While they don’t provide an immediate benefit as far as we know, regular use of adaptogens over time has been shown to increase resistance to stressors and overall make the body more able to process stress. Because caffeine has been shown to put stress on the body, including the encouragement of cortisol production, an adaptogen such as maca may provide a potential counterbalance.

Either way, coffee, and maca make an excellent pair and might be just what you are looking for to get through your morning commute without feeling overly drained. If you’re looking for a summer morning pick-me-up, try our easy to make (and delicious) iced maca mocha frappe.

Peanut Butter Maca Treats

Peanut butter is a tasty source of protein and other beneficial vitamins and minerals in its own right and is already a staple in crafting an array of decadent desserts, healthy smoothies, and other recipes. Maca powder can be paired with peanut butter to create a diverse assortment of nutrient-packed goodies, depending on your tastes.

You can try crafting different kinds of no-bake power balls, which often use peanut butter to bind other ingredients together such as chocolate, cinnamon, honey, or oats. Maca can be seamlessly integrated into these recipes without drastically altering the taste of the recipe. Because maca has a naturally nutty flavor, peanut butter complements it quite well.

Whether you are making your own peanut butter granola bars or rich and frothy peanut butter power smoothies, you can include a teaspoon of our high-quality organic maca powder into the recipe to instantly give it a nutritional boost. Peanut butter is naturally versatile and can be used in hundreds of different recipes, from cookies to brownies, sauces, and more, which gives you a multitude of ways to reap the potential benefits of maca as you like. 

Maca Breakfast Ideas

We all know how important it is to start the day off with a nutritious breakfast, but it can be difficult when we’re in a rush to actually put one together. If you have been wondering how to eat better in the morning and perhaps get some more impactful nutrients in your diet at the start of the day, maca may be the solution. Rather than relying on nothing but caffeine to carry you, a nutritious breakfast that supplies you with beneficial vitamins, minerals, and amino acids may have a greater effect on your overall energy levels and ability to think clearly, and you won’t have to worry about crashing either.

If you’re looking for a quick and easy maca-infused breakfast recipe, try our Easy Maca Oatmeal, which also can be adapted for other hot cereals as well. The taste of maca blends exceptionally well with oatmeal, and accompanied by other spices and some fruit, this is one breakfast idea that can be used as a mainstay in your home. It’s so important to have that one healthy meal idea you can whip up in only a few minutes for those days when you’re running late or simply have a ton to manage. Oatmeal is healthy in its own right but with some maca mixed in, you will be receiving a greater quantity of plant-based nutrients in a highly bioavailable form, perfect for starting your day with.

Maca root powder can also be included in numerous other breakfast delights, such as pancakes and waffles for instance. Pancakes are easy to make, don’t take that long to prepare, and are typically a family favorite. It’s easy to add a tablespoon or so of maca to any pancake mix for an extra load of nutrition, but we have put together a great pancake recipe of our own that is tasty and is designed to go well with maca. Add some banana or other fruit topping for an irresistible breakfast that is also loaded with nutrition. 

The breakfast ideas don’t stop there. There are various muffins and types of bread you can create, or if you’re really pressed for time, you can stir some into your favorite yogurt or mix with some peanut butter to use on toast, but you may have to play around with flavor combinations and ingredients to get end results that suit your taste.

Maca powder makes it easy to eat better and incorporate more nutrients into your daily diet. While there is still more research that needs to be conducted in terms of how each of the many nutrients found in maca specifically influences our health, we do know that even nutrients such as iron, calcium, and Vitamin C are essential for the wellbeing of our bodies and can be found in maca, along with many other important nutrients. In terms of eating a healthier breakfast and simply starting the day off right, maca powder would seem to be a great solution.

Golden Maca Milk

You may have never heard of the term “golden milk” before, but it is quite a treat that can also provide you with a great deal of nutrition depending on the ingredients used. Traditionally, golden milk was typically made from full-fat coconut milk, turmeric, cinnamon, and other complementary species. Turmeric, of course, is what gives this milk its signature “golden” color, and is found to be quite healthy in its own right, but can be enhanced even further by including some maca into the mix.

Golden maca milk can be used as an early morning wake up for breakfast or a cozy and creamy way to relax at the end of a hard day. It works equally well as a quick meal or a dessert. Golden maca milk can be made with either coconut milk or almond milk, but any plant-based milk that suits your tastes would probably work (although rice milk can be somewhat thin). There’s no hard and fast rule for which spices you should add and in what quantities, but in general for 1 cup of milk, 1 teaspoon of maca and turmeric works well. Accompany these with about a half of a teaspoon of cinnamon, ¼ of a teaspoon of nutmeg, a teaspoon of honey, and a pinch of pepper. Combine the ingredients and heat gently to the desired temperature, adding more spices to taste.

The best part about a golden milk recipe like this is that it is easy to adapt. Out of nutmeg? No problem, just add a bit more cinnamon or some ginger for a unique twist. You can easily mix and match some of the different beneficial spices to get different subtle flavor combinations. You can also try adding some coconut oil or a whole cinnamon stick for a flavorful change. Golden maca milk is a simple way to utilize maca powder that’s sweet, tasty, and infused with nutrients. Particularly, this beverage is loaded with the antioxidant power of turmeric, maca, and cinnamon combined, making it suited for more than just a breakfast substitute or wintertime treat. It’s just what you’re looking for if you want to potentially give your immune system a boost !

Exploring the Uses of Maca Powder For Yourself

As you can see, there are plenty of ways to take advantage of the potential health benefits of maca root simply with a few of these easy and healthy recipes and tips. If you are interested in learning more about maca in general and the scientific evidence that exists so far in regards to how potentially healthy it is, we have a maca resource you can view here. If you are searching for a way to include more easily absorbable nutrients in your diet, our high-grade organic maca powder is definitely an option for you.

Maca is extremely versatile and while it does have a unique flavor that may not be specifically for your taste, it can be blended and masked with other ingredients to create quite an array of tasty foods. You can check out more helpful maca recipes that we have featured if you are interested in regularly including this vegetable in your diet outside of using it only in smoothies. We also carry maca capsules in our store right here at The Maca Team, for an easy way to take advantage of maca without necessarily having to cook with it or find ways to include it in your diet, and it’s just as potentially effective.

For the best possible maca experience, remember to purchase only high-quality Peruvian maca such as the kind you will find here in our store. You want your maca to be fresh, organic, and Non-GMO, and to be available in a variety of forms that will suit your individual needs. If you would like more information on our quality maca products or how you can incorporate maca into your diet, give us a call at 888-919-8616 and we will be happy to answer your questions.