What Is Maca Powder? What It Is, What It Tastes Like and How to Use It

A root vegetable from 4,000 metres up in the Andes that tastes like butterscotch. Here's what it actually is, and what it's for.

Let's keep it simple, because maca is a far more down-to-earth food than the marketing suggests.

What maca is: a vegetable, not a supplement

Maca (Lepidium meyenii) is a root vegetable from the same plant family as broccoli, cabbage and radish. It grows above 4,000 metres in the central Andes of Peru, in cold, windy, high-UV conditions where almost nothing else survives. It's one of the very few crops that can be farmed at that height, and Andean communities have relied on it as a staple food for well over a thousand years.

The part you eat is the root, which looks a little like a turnip. Traditionally it's dried and ground, or cooked into porridges and drinks. The maca powder you buy today is simply that dried root, milled fine enough to stir into a smoothie. Nothing added, nothing extracted.

What does maca taste like?

This is the part that surprises people. Unlike most superfood powders, maca actually tastes good. It's naturally sweet and earthy, with notes of malt, butterscotch and caramel. Think of the malty flavour of an old-school milk bar thickshake, but softer and more natural. That's why maca shows up in so many smoothies, hot chocolates and baked goods. It doesn't need to be hidden. It makes things taste better.

★★★★★ "It's such a lovely flavour. I add it to my smoothies and porridge." - Julie L., NSW

What is maca powder good for?

Maca has a long traditional history as a food for energy, stamina and vitality. Modern research is early stage, with mostly small, short studies, but the picture is encouraging. Here's a fair summary.

Energy and stamina. The original use. Andean farmers are said to have eaten maca before long days of hard work at altitude. Maca contains no caffeine, so it isn't a stimulant. People who use it daily tend to describe steadier energy rather than a spike and crash.

Mood and wellbeing. Several small trials have reported improvements in mood and reduced feelings of fatigue with regular maca use, particularly in women.

Libido. Maca is probably best known as a natural libido booster, and a number of small clinical studies have found that regular maca consumption increased sexual desire in both men and women compared with placebo. Interestingly, this appears to happen without changing hormone levels.

Nutrition. Maca contains fibre, plant protein and a range of vitamins and minerals, along with unique plant compounds called macamides and macaenes found in no other food.

An honest note: maca is a food, not a medicine, and it shouldn't be used to treat any condition. The best way to judge it is to use it consistently for a few weeks and see how you feel.

Maca is a food you eat every day, not a pill you take once. Consistency is the whole game.

How much maca should you take, and when?

The typical serving is 1 to 2 teaspoons (5 to 10g) a day, stirred into something you already eat or drink. Because maca is a food, there's no special timing. Most people take it in the morning as part of breakfast, since that's when steady energy is most useful, and some prefer not to take it late in the evening. If you're new to maca, start with 1 teaspoon for the first week and build up to 2. A full serving on day one can be a bit much for some stomachs.

Easy ways to use it

1. Smoothies. Maca pairs perfectly with banana, cacao, peanut butter and oats. It turns a basic banana smoothie into something that tastes like a thickshake.
2. Hot drinks. A teaspoon in a hot chocolate, chai or golden latte adds a caramel note and a little body.
3. Porridge and overnight oats. Stir through before serving. Add cinnamon and it tastes like dessert.
4. Bliss balls and baking. Swap 1 to 2 tablespoons of flour for maca in banana bread, brownies or pancakes.
5. Coffee. A teaspoon in your morning coffee with a splash of oat milk is surprisingly good.

What to look for when buying maca

1. Grown in Peru. Maca is native to the Peruvian Andes and the growing conditions are a big part of what makes maca, maca. Some cheaper maca is now grown at lower altitudes elsewhere.
2. Certified organic. A root crop absorbs whatever is in the soil. Organic certification means it was grown without synthetic pesticides or fertilisers.
3. One ingredient. Maca powder should be maca. No fillers, no flavours, no sweeteners.
4. Taste it. Good maca smells and tastes distinctly malty and sweet. Stale or low-grade maca is flat and bitter.

Where Tropeaka fits

Tropeaka's Organic Maca Powder is grown in the Andes of Peru, certified organic by both ACO (Australian Certified Organic) and USDA, and contains a single ingredient: organic maca root. It carries a 5 Health Star Rating and is naturally gluten free, vegan friendly, non-GMO, and free from soy and dairy. It tastes exactly like maca should, with those signature notes of malt and butterscotch, and a 200g bag gives you 20 full serves. If you'd rather never run out, there's a subscription that ships every 2, 4, 6 or 8 weeks (pause or cancel anytime).

★★★★★ "I've tried other brands of maca powder and this has been my favourite. So much so I've gotten it multiple times. It has a great taste, I put it into my morning protein shake." - Cheri D.

Rated 4.8 stars by customers and backed by a 60-day money-back guarantee, it's an easy, low-risk way to find out what maca does for you.

So, what is maca powder? A nutrient-dense Peruvian root with centuries of use as a food for energy and vitality, and a flavour you'll actually look forward to. Start with a teaspoon a day and give it a few weeks.

Shop Tropeaka Organic Maca Powder

Certified organic, one ingredient, grown in Peru · Use code WELCOME20 for 20% off your first order.