You know that mushrooms have health benefits that make them a great addition to your daily routine.
What if you don’t want to eat mushrooms every day? Or perhaps you’re not crazy about the texture or flavor of mushrooms. Some mushrooms are bitter and it’s better to access their health boosts in other ways.
That’s when you can consider other ways to add mushrooms to your diet. You can still use mushrooms in your favorite recipes, and get even more goodness by supplementing that with mushroom powder.
What do you use mushroom powder in? One of the easiest and best ways to consume mushroom powder is in smoothies. So let’s look at the 9 best mushroom powders for your smoothies.
Why you would put mushroom powder for smoothies
First, let’s explore: why do people drink mushroom powder?
Mushroom powder is dried or dehydrated mushrooms reduced to a fine powder. While the powder itself can be used as a condiment, adding it to eggs or pasta sauce, for instance, it’s also easy to add to a daily drink. The powders provide many of the same boosts to health that a freshly picked mushroom provides.
That is, if you eat dried Reishi powder, you’ll get the advantages that come when you eat a Reishi mushroom. In fact, Reishi mushrooms are a good example of a mushroom that may be better to consume as a powder. While Reishi can be eaten fresh, it has a bitter flavor and tough texture that makes eating it as a powder a good option, so you can still access the many benefits of this “mushroom of immortality.”
Can you put mushroom powder in smoothies? Definitely! Smoothies are a quick way to start your morning off, or provide a meal replacement or supplement later in the day. Making a smoothie ensures you get all the proven benefits of a good breakfast, with the added bonus of including healthy supplements like mushroom powder.
Mix together fruit, greens, and other fresh and frozen ingredients, and blend it together with the best mushroom powder, and you have a nutrition-packed drink in a cup. Make individual servings to last all week, or make big batches for the whole family.
Smoothies make it easy to add the beneficial properties of mushrooms to a meal with little effort. Depending on the variety of mushroom you choose, you could be adding antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and anti-tumor properties to your daily routine. And all edible mushrooms have been shown to have beneficial properties like high fiber, high protein, a variety of vitamins, while also being low in fat and cholesterol.
So now you’re wondering: What should I look for in a mushroom powder? It might depend on the benefits you’re looking for in a powder supplement. Here are some of the differences between the mushroom types:
Lion’s Mane: One of the varieties with brain-boosting power, this one is ideal for morning routines. It supports cognitive function and mood and may help shake off that sleepy feeling and get you ready for the day.
Cordyceps: Another powerhouse for the brain, and may also help improve your workouts and recovery. Since it’s found on the larvae of caterpillars, powder is the perfect way to access those benefits.
Reishi: This mushroom has a long list of benefits, including cognitive support. Since it may also help stabilize blood sugar and blood pressure, as well as help regulate the body’s natural sleep cycle, it would be an ideal choice for a drink before bed.
If your goal is simply to access the many benefits of mushrooms, you can choose a blend of mushroom powder for smoothies.
So which mushroom powder is the best? Let’s explore our picks for the 9 best mushroom powders in smoothies.
9. Go Nutra Maitake Mushroom Extract Powder
Maitake, the “dancing mushroom,” has long been used in traditional medicine to treat diabetes and hypertension. Maitake’s beta-glucan has been shown in laboratory studies to stimulate various cells and factors in the immune system, to slow the growth of certain tumors, and to lower blood sugar levels. Get the benefits of this ancient fungus, also known as hen-of-the-woods, in a powdered form.
Ingredients:
Maitake Mushroom Extract
8. FreshCap Thrive 6 Mushroom Extract Powder
Another blend that lets you access the health benefits of several mushrooms, in this case six different varieties. Get greater focus and mental clarity with Lion’s Mane, boost your immune system with Maitake, Turkey Tail and Reishi, detoxify with Chaga, and enhance your workouts with Cordyceps. These extracts are verified to contain greater than 29% beta-glucans, the beneficial compounds in the blend.
Ingredients in 1-scoop serving (1 gram):
Organic Maitake extract (fruiting body): 167 milligrams
Organic Chaga extract (fruiting body): 167 milligrams
Organic Turkey Tail extract (fruiting body): 167 milligrams
Organic Reishi extract (fruiting body): 167 milligrams
Organic Cordyceps extract (fruiting body): 167 milligrams
Organic Lion’s Mane extract (fruiting body): 167 milligrams
7. Peak Performance USDA Organic Chaga Mushroom Powder
Chaga is an age-old remedy in traditional medicine, since it has antioxidant properties, and is also used for gastric issues. If you have a sensitive stomach, this could be your choice. Chaga is also commonly used in tea, but is an excellent addition to smoothies too.
Ingredients:
Fruiting body and mycelium of Chaga mushrooms
6. Stay Wyld Organics Turkey Tail Mushroom Vegan Powder Supplement
This company sells a number of single-mushroom powder options, including Lion’s Mane, Chaga and Reishi. We like the Turkey Tail powder for the boost it provides to the immune system. Add this one to a smoothie to support health, as it has anticancer properties, helps enhance treatments, but also displays antibacterial and antioxidant properties.
Ingredients:
Fruiting body and mycelium of Turkey Tail mushrooms
5. Nature Restore USDA Certified Organic Reishi Mushroom Powder
Reishi is also known as the “mushroom of immortality,” so its numerous health benefits are worth adding to your smoothies. Reishi boosts your mood, making it great for a morning ritual. It also stabilizes blood sugar, regulates sleep, and lowers anxiety and stress, so it’s worth considering a drink before bed too.
Ingredients:
Organic Reishi Mushroom Powder
4. Four Sigmatic Mushroom Blend
This is another blend, one that brings together the benefits of 10 different mushrooms, including brain boosters like Reishi and Lion’s Mane, and the post-workout favorite Cordyceps. The extracted fruiting body mushroom powders are blended with Vitamin C from Organic Rose Hips.
Ingredients in 2-scoop serving (2 grams):
Lion’s Mane: 150 milligrams
Reishi: 150 milligrams
Chaga: 150 milligrams
Cordyceps Enokitake: 150 milligrams
Maitake: 150 milligrams
Shiitake: 150 milligrams
Tremella: 150 milligrams
Agaricus Blazei: 150 milligrams
Meshima: 150 milligrams
Enoki: 150 milligrams
3. KOS Organic Lion’s Mane Powder
Get your day off to the right start with this Lion’s Mane powder that promises to promote memory, focus and clarity, boost cognitive function, and support immune function. Lion’s Mane is one of the brain-boosting mushrooms that is a good addition to a morning routine. This choice is organic and made completely of Lion’s Mane.
Ingredients:
Organic Lion’s Mane Mushroom Powder
2. Om Mushroom Superfood Cordyceps Organic Mushroom Powder
Different mushrooms can support different needs. Cordyceps, for instance, is ideal for pre- and post-workout smoothies. Besides its other health benefits, recent research is showing that cordyceps may increase your VO2 max, resulting in a better workout. As well, anti-inflammatory properties may help reduce pain after exercise. Om’s powder improves vitality and endurance, supports cardiac function and respiratory health, and helps improve oxygen consumption and delivery to increase energy.
Ingredients in 2 grams:
Organic Cordyceps mycelial biomass and fruit body: 2 grams
1. Wild Mushroom Extract Blend
Get the benefits of five different healthy mushrooms in this blend. There are extracts of Reishi, Chaga, Turkey Tail, Cordyceps and Lion’s Mane mushrooms. Boost immunity, focus, cognitive performance, physical performance, recovery, and stamina.
Use ½ – 1 teaspoon a day in your smoothies. Also versatile enough to add to coffee, tea, or in recipes like soups.
Ingredients in ½ teaspoon (1000 milligrams):
Reishi extract: 200 milligrams
Chaga extract: 200 milligrams
Turkey Tail extract: 200 milligrams
Cordyceps extract: 200 milligrams
Lion’s Mane extract: 200 milligrams
How to make mushroom smoothies tasty
You may love your sweet fruit smoothie every day, and perhaps you even throw in some spinach or other greens for an added health punch. But are you wondering how mushrooms in a smoothie can be tasty?
Most of the powder blends won’t add a noticeable taste, particularly because they require small servings to get the health benefits. You can consider other ideas, like including mocha, cacao powder, or even cold brew coffee in your smoothie. Cinnamon is a tasty addition too.
Some other flavor boosters that are also good for your well-being include a dash of turmeric, some ginger, and bananas or health-boosting berries for the sweet tooth.
Final Thoughts
Research continues to grow and support the many health benefits of mushrooms. Depending on the variety of fungus, you can boost your well-being with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and even anti-tumor properties. Support cognitive health or improve your workouts with other varieties.
When you’re looking for an easy way to include all those health benefits in an easy meal, add mushroom powder to smoothies for a quick and healthy breakfast, or meal replacement any time of the day.
With our guide to the different types of mushrooms and the 9 best mushroom powders for smoothies, you can choose what’s right for you and your family.