In short
Red maca flour is milled red maca root sold as a kitchen ingredient rather than as a supplement: fine enough to bake with, mild enough to stir into dressings, and available in six sizes from 100 g up to 5 kg. It comes from the Andean highlands of Peru and carries a full published nutrition panel, which is unusual for the category.
What is red maca flour?
Red maca flour and red maca powder are the same milled root under two names. “Flour” (harina) is the Peruvian kitchen term and signals a grind fine enough to go into a batter; “powder” is the health-food-store term for the identical product.
Red maca is the pink-skinned color variant of Lepidium meyenii, about a quarter of every Andean harvest, sorted by hand after lifting and dried before milling.
What makes this red maca different
The nutrition panel is actually published
Most Peruvian maca listings give no figures at all. This one gives energy, protein, fat, carbohydrate, fiber, sugars, calcium, iron, potassium, vitamin C, vitamin E, vitamin B6 and zinc per 100 g. If you count macros or write recipes, that’s the difference between guessing and knowing.
Six sizes, including wholesale
100 g for a first try, 5 kg for a bakery or a household that goes through it. Very few maca producers span that range.
Sold as an ingredient
Bread, smoothies, yogurt, drinks and dressings: the producer treats it as something you cook with, and that shapes the grind.
Taste profile
Sweet and malty with caramel notes. Red is the sweetest of the three maca colors, which is why it works in dressings where black maca would be too strong.
How to use red maca flour
Daily serving
5 g (1 tablespoon) a day as a daily serving, or as a recipe ingredient in the quantities below.
Ways to use it
| Use | How |
|---|---|
| Baking | Replace 10–15% of the flour in bread, muffins or cookies |
| Smoothies | 5 g per glass |
| Yogurt | Stirred into a bowl |
| Drinks | Milk, juice or warm water |
| Dressings | ½ tsp whisked into a vinaigrette for a malty note |
| Pancakes | 1 tbsp per 100 g of flour in the batter |
Where it comes from
The Andean highlands of Peru. Red maca is grown on the high plateau, harvested by hand, sorted by color and dried before milling.
Who it’s for
A good fit if you bake, track macros, cook for a household, or want the widest size range in red maca.
Look elsewhere if you need certified organic: this isn’t a certified product. If you’re pregnant, breastfeeding or have a thyroid condition, talk to your doctor before taking maca.
Nutrition
Values per 100 g, as published by the producer. The 38 g of sugars are the root’s own, not added: a 5 g serving has under 2 g.
| Energy | 316 kcal |
|---|---|
| Protein | 14 g |
| Fat | 1.2 g |
| Carbohydrate | 71 g |
| of which fiber | 7 g |
| of which sugars | 38 g |
| Calcium | 250 mg |
| Iron | 15 mg |
| Potassium | 2,000 mg |
| Zinc | 5 mg |
| Vitamin C | 150 mg |
| Vitamin E | 5 mg |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.5 mg |
Specifications
| Botanical name | Lepidium meyenii |
|---|---|
| Variety | Red maca |
| Format | Fine-milled flour |
| Sizes | 100 g, 250 g, 500 g, 1 kg, 3 kg, 5 kg |
| Baking substitution | Up to 15% of flour weight |
| Nutrition panel | Published |
| Origin | Peruvian Andes |
Red maca flour vs red maca supplement powder
| Red maca flour | Red maca supplement powder | |
|---|---|---|
| Same root | Yes | Yes |
| Grind | Fine, bake-ready | Fine |
| Positioning | Kitchen ingredient | Daily supplement |
| Sizes | 100 g to 5 kg | 100 g to 1 kg |
| Nutrition panel | Published here | Rarely published |
| Price per gram | Lower | Higher |
Storage
Keep it airtight, cool and dry, away from sunlight. For the 3 kg and 5 kg sizes, decant a working portion and keep the bulk sealed.
Questions
Can I bake with red maca flour?
Yes. Replace 10–15% of the flour weight in bread, cookies, muffins or pancakes. Maca has no gluten, so keep substitutions under about 20% in yeasted bread.
Why does maca contain 38 g of sugar per 100 g?
Those are the root’s own natural sugars, concentrated by drying, the same reason dried fruit tastes sweeter than fresh. Nothing is added, and a 5 g serving contains under 2 g of sugar.
Is red maca flour the same as red maca powder?
Yes. Same root, same mill, two names. “Flour” signals the kitchen format.
Can I use maca in savory dishes?
Red maca is the best of the three for this because it’s the sweetest and the least roasted. Half a teaspoon in a vinaigrette adds a malty background note; black maca would take over.
How much maca flour is one serving?
5 g, one level tablespoon, is the standard daily serving. In a recipe, measure it by weight against the other flours.
Is a 5 kg bag practical for home use?
Only for a household of several daily users or a small bakery. At 5 g a day one person would take nearly three years to finish it, and it would lose aroma long before that.
Does maca flour change the color of baked goods?
Slightly. Red maca gives a warm tan tint, most visible in pale doughs and invisible in chocolate or whole wheat recipes.