What Can I Use Spirulina For? Try 3 Healthy Recipes

With its deep green hue and impressive nutritional profile (hello zinc, iron, and B vitamins), spirulina is a superfood algae worth adding to your diet. Stumped on how to start? On this episode of Prep School, Megan Mitchell walks us through three simple recipes—a vinaigrette, a rice bowl, and a breakfast yogurt—that’ll quickly turn you into a spirulina lover (if you aren’t one already).

Creamy and Tangy Spirulina Vinaigrette

Have a mason jar handy? Then this creamy dressing is practically made. Just shake up all the ingredients and toss with greens or drizzle it over roasted vegetables.

Yield: ½ cup
Active time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

¼ cup grapeseed oil
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Thrive Market Coconut Oil Mayonnaise
1 tablespoon Thrive Market Organic Raw Unstrained Honey
1 tablespoon Thrive Market Organic Dijon Mustard
½ teaspoon Thrive Market Organic Spirulina Powder
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon Thrive Market Organic Ground Pepper
¼ teaspoon Thrive Market Organic Garlic Powder

Instructions

Add all ingredients to a jar and tightly screw on lid; vigorously shake for 1 minute. Taste for seasoning before pouring over salads, rice bowls, or grilled fish.

Shrimp Rice Bowls

Once you have the base ingredients prepped—like sushi rice and grilled shrimp, which you can make in advance—this dish is all about the assembly. Furikake is an Asian spice blend popular for finishing rice-based dishes, but if you don’t have any on hand, just add lots of sesame seeds and some minced nori sheets

Yield: 2 servings
Active time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

1 ½ cups cooked short grain white rice
2 tablespoons furikake
1 teaspoon Thrive Market Organic Spirulina Powder
½ teaspoon sea salt
10 poached or grilled Thrive Market Wild-Caught Shrimp
1 avocado, thinly sliced
1 small red bell pepper, thinly sliced into matchsticks
Pickled ginger
Lemon wedges, for garnish

Instructions

Combine warm rice, furikake, spirulina, and salt in a medium bowl. Divide rice evenly between 2 shallow bowls, and top each with 5 pieces of shrimp, ½ sliced avocado, ½ bell pepper, and a few pieces of pickled ginger. Serve with lemon wedges.

Savory Breakfast Yogurt

Start your day with this savory yogurt bowl featuring poached eggs, a spicy kick from harissa, and a swirl of spirulina powder. The recipe serves one, so double it to share.

Yield: 1 serving
Active time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

¾ cup thick Greek-style yogurt
2 teaspoons Thrive Market Organic Spirulina Powder
1 tablespoons harissa
Sea salt, to taste
Thrive Market Organic Ground Pepper, to taste
2 poached eggs
Thrive Market Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, for drizzling
Minced chives, for sprinkling
Crusty bread for dipping, optional

Instructions

Add yogurt to a small shallow bowl and sprinkle spirulina over the top. Use the back of a spoon to gently swirl the powder through without fully mixing it in. Finish with a dollop harissa and a sprinkle each of salt and pepper. Top yogurt with poached eggs, a drizzle of olive oil, and a sprinkle of chives. Serve with bread, if using.

Recipes by Megan Mitchell