How to use Maca Powder | 31 Powerful Maca Recipes

How to use maca powder the right way

Amazon delivered 700g of Raw Maca Powder about two hours ago.  I put two teaspoons (that’s around 5 grams right? OK, more like 10…), a heaped teaspoon of raw organic cacao powder and a little Truvia sweetener into a mug. I then emptied two capsules of turmeric powder into it, before whisking it up with full-fat milk into a thick paste. More milk loosened it up.

It was good, ice cold, with a subtle butterscotch taste. The maca powder balanced-out the earthy turmeric really well. Within half an hour my energy and concentration increased. This post is powered by maca!

Maca benefits

So, maca. Or, Lepidium meyenii. What gives it energy-boosting powers? Well, there’s a whole constellation of plant compounds in every spoonful. The glucosinolates you’ll find in all brassica plants.

But there’s also something called (1R,3S)-1-methyltetrahydro-β-carboline-3-carboxylic acid, or MTCA for short. Research shows MTCA in Maca improves memory and learning in mice, even having a favorable effect on the experimental mouse model for Alzheimers.  Maca contains several more beneficial compounds, some of which have anti-carcinogenic properties. 

Then there are the well-known hormonal and libido-boosting effects of maca powder recipes. That may have been what brought you here today!

How to use maca powder

There are plenty of ways to get your dose of Maca: maca smoothies, energy balls, lattes, cookies, muffins, even a maca soup. Or, you could just whisk it up with whatever’s to hand, as I did. 

Article photograph by Trang Doan from Pexels

1. Superfood Maca Latte

A sweet and creamy pick me up that gives you energy without the crash that comes with caffeine. Maca has been known to increase energy, regulate hormones, and reduce inflammation. Easy to make with five ingredients and onyl one simple step!
From: Catching Seeds

2. Sex Coffee

Wake up with this surprisingly simple recipe for how to make sex coffee: a cup of java, maca, cacao, and cinnamon. These raw foods have been used since ancient times to support the libido and if you’re not mixing these into your daily diet, you’re missing out on some seriously sexy benefits.
From: Your Tango

3. Berries & Maca Powder Smoothies

In powder form, this Peruvian ‘ginseng’ will boost your energy, help to keep hormone balanced (good for fertility too) and keep blood pressure low. With raspberries, strawberries, banana, coconut water and a couple teaspoons of Maca powder, a wholesome Berries and Maca Powder smoothies is born.
From: My Keuken

4. Iced Maca Chai Latte

Chai spices give this latte a little kick, but the cold, sweet creaminess also gives a nice balance. Perfect for hot days. This recipe uses coconut sugar and almond milk, but you can use whatever sweetener and milk you would like. The secret weapon in this recipe is definitely the MACA.
From: Wheatless Kitchen

Udderly Adorable Insulated Mug

5. Vegan Paleo Miracle Maca Latte Recipe

This maca powder recipe is perfect for natural energy, fertility, PCOS, and hormonal balance. It’s the perfect caffeine-free pick-me-up or replacement for your morning coffee.
From: 40 Aprons

6. The Ultimate Aphrodisiac Smoothie

The recipe serves two people 😉
From: The Roasted Root

7. Maca Dandelion Tea Latte

Not a fan of coffee? We have just the drink for you .Enter the Maca Dandelion Latte. It’s a combination of maca, macadamia nut milk and dandelion tea, but you could easily sub in any nut milk you prefer. So, whether you add frothy macadamia milk, hemp milk or almond milk, drink this delightful pick-me-up and enjoy the beautiful day.
From: Vitacost

8. Espresso Maca & Banana Smoothie

Energise with this Espresso and Maca Banana Smoothie. It’s Gluten free, dairy free and vegan-friendly. A great healthy snack or breakfast.
From: Nourish Everyday

9. Blueberry Maca Smoothie

Everyone knows that blueberries are full of antioxidants. Not as well-known (but just as much of a nutritional powerhouse), maca root is full of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytonutrients that can assist the body in so many different ways.

Its nutrient density has been accredited to its extreme surroundings, the tops of the Peruvian Andes, where few other plants can survive.
From: Down to Earth

10. Sweet Potato & Maca Soup with Harissa

This Sweet Potato & Maca Soup is warm and comforting, with a superfood bonus: antioxidant-rich spices, healthy fats from coconut oil and almond butter, garlic and sweet potatoes, fiber-packed chia seeds and maca, which is an adaptogen.
From: Hello Veggie

11. Vanilla Maca Bliss Balls

Easy to make, but they also give a great energy boost between meals, before or after the gym, or when the late night munchies hit.
From: A Sunshine Mission

12. Coconut Cashew Maca Granola

A satisfying granola sweetened with maple syrup and tasting like a mix between caramel and butterscotch from the infusion of maca powder.
From: Edible Perspectives

13. Mocha Maca Matcha

Triple M! Mocha maca matcha it the perfect healthy pick me up drink to start your morning. Full of healthy, energizing ingredients and you can make it in minutes.
From: My Life Cookbook

14. Raw Prune & Maca Truffles Recipe

Naturally sweetened with prunes and maple syrup, these truffles are packed with nutritious ingredients, vitamins and fiber.
From: Cooking LSL

15. Cacao Maca Superfood Bites

These cacao maca energy bites are for anyone who wants a nutrient-packed snack that’s sure to satisfy your sweet tooth and power you through your day.
From: Veggies by Candlelight

16. Happy Hormones Hot Chocolate

This simple recipe is an easy way to get more maca into your diet, the Peruvian superfood that is great for equalising your hormones.
From: Home-Spun Capers

17. Vegan Keto Magic Mushroom Maca Fat Bombs

Packed with ingredients to really wake you up and fuel your day with fat and adaptogens. The adaptogens come in the form of cordyceps (a medicinal mushroom known to help improve athletic performance), and maca (a tuber known for balancing out sex hormones). 
From: Meat-Free Keto

18. Raw Chocolate Chip Maca Blondies

If you are looking to up your superfoods game, then these Raw Chocolate Chip Maca Blondies are for you. Maca works great with chocolate, especially raw cacao.
From: The Organic Dietitian

19. Maca & Coconut Flour Pancakes

Maca and coconut flour pancakes for one are super easy and quick to make. Gluten-free, dairy-free and paleo-friendly. A delicious healthy breakfast.
From: Nourish Everyday

20. Chocolate Peanut Butter Maca Truffles

These chocolate peanut butter maca truffles are the perfect treat to grab when you’re craving something a little sweet. Dates, cacao poweder and of course maca powder make this a wholesome recipe.
From: Fit Living Eats

21. Maca Power Bars

As well as maca, these power bars are loaded with other superfoods like almonds, chia seeds, and hemp hearts to keep your energy levels soaring!
From: Choosing Chia

22. Ginger Mocha Maca Latte

A super-easy morning drink to make. You don’t need any fancy equipment. Just combine your maca powder, cocoa powder, and ground ginger in the blender with a cup of regular vegan milk.

Personally, I used an aerolatte, so no need to pour it out of a blender, which wastes some of the goodness anyway. Keep it one-cup!
From: Glue & Glitter

23. Vegan Maca & Hemp Chocolate

A deliciously malty maca and hemp seed chocolate recipe. Vegan and made using coconut sugar. The recipe page is PACKED with useful information on maca, cacao and the other ingredients.
From: Trinity’s Kitchen

24. Maca Choco Chip Pumpkin Muffins

Got to have a muffin recipe and this is a good one.
From: Choc & Juice

25. Maca Mocha Chia Pudding

Grind up the chia with lots of goodness like Maca powder, cacao powder and espresso powder for a maca mocha chia pudding that will, if you wear socks, knock them right off!
From: Little Bits Of

26. Banana Nut Maca Energy Bites

An excellent no-bake snack, these Banana Nut Maca Energy Bites will give you an extra boost to power through your day. Paleo, gluten-free, filled with fruit, nuts and sweetened with dates and honey/
From: My Healthyish Life

27. Raw Five-Ingredient Maca Brownies

Raw Maca Brownies made with 5 easy ingredients and ready in less than 30 minutes. Simply throw all the ingredients into your food processor, pop them into the fridge and they’re done.
From: Rachl Mansfield

28. Turmeric Maca Cacao Energy Balls

Packed with powerful superfoods, these Energy Balls are simple yet delicious snack that is both satisfying and good for your health. Nutty and sweet, these little power balls are the perfect energizing, good mood snack.
From: Natalie’s Health

29. Cacao & Maca Oat Cookies

No eggs or dairy. No sugar or chocolate either. These superpowered cacao & maca oat cookies are charged with natural goodness only.
From: Made by Luci

30. 10-Minute Vegan Blueberry Oatmeal with Maca & Pecans

Replete with healthy fats, minerals, vitamins and fiber, this10-minutee vegan blueberry oatmeal with maca powder and pecans tastes just like blueberry pie. A nutritional powerhouse of a meal that still tastes like dessert!
From: The Loopy Whisk

31. Energizing Maca & Cacao Overnight Oats

Creamy overnight oats get an energizing, mood-balancing boost thanks to cacao and maca. This is the ideal grab-and-go breakfast when you need something as rich and satisfying as it is nourishing.
From: Blissful Basil

If you liked this article on how to use maca powder, we also cover three other superfood powders

• 20 Cacao powder recipes
• 40 Powerful Matcha Powder Recipes
• 36 Recipes with Turmeric Powder Benefits

References

The Methyltetrahydro-β-Carbolines in Maca (Lepidium meyenii)

Preservation of Cognitive Function by Lepidium meyenii (Maca) Is Associated with Improvement of Mitochondrial Activity and Upregulation of Autophagy-Related Proteins in Middle-Aged Mouse Cortex