All You Need to Know About Goji Berries: How to Soak, Recipes, and More

Goji berries are one of the more well-known superfoods out there with many health benefits. Did you know that goji berries are actually part of the adaptogens family? They might just seem like antioxidant-rich little superfruits but they’re actually amazing for boosting energy and physical performance. Among other health benefits of goji berries, they also promote a sense of calmness and well-being.

Aside from being an ~adatoptogen~ goji berries are a good source of vitamins and minerals including vitamin C, vitamin S, zinc, fiber, iron, and of course antioxidants. They’re also an excellent source of essential amino acids and contain a fair amount of plant protein, especially for a fruit.

You’ll often find goji berries sprinkled on top of oats and smoothie bowls or in DIY and even store-bought trail mixes. While those are definitely the most fool-proof ways to enjoy these nutrient-rich dried berries, they are not the best way to eat goji berries. There are so many other fun ways to use them, like making goji berry juice! Recently we’ve been soaking our goji berries - essentially, rehydrating these once juicy berries.

How to rehydrate goji berries:

Soaking your goji berries is so easy if you want to make a healthy goji berry juice, for example. All you need are dried goji berries, something to put them in, and some filtered water. Place your goji berries in your container and cover them with filtered water. Place in your fridge overnight - that’s it! Of course, you could also use hot water to speed up this process. Once they’re plump and juicy, the possibilities are endless! Here are 4 of our favourite ways to use soaked goji berries that can help switch up your superfood routine.

4 Ways To Enjoy Soaked Goji Berries:

Goji Tea/ Juice:

Drink the water that your soaked goji berries have been steeping in, and make goji berry juice or tea. You could also use this goji liquid as the base for more tea by heating it up and steeping some holy basil or lemongrass tea in it.

Goji Ginger Dressing:

Try adding both the liquid and the soaked goji berries to a homemade dressing. We combined tahini, ginger, lemon, goji syrup and soaked goji berries to make a sweet, creamy and tangy dressing for grilled carrots. Check out the recipe here!

In Your Superfood Spritzer:

We made this hibiscus spritzer and added some soaked goji berries for a fun texture and extra flavour. Get the full recipe here.

The possibilities are endless when it comes to both dried and rehydrated goji berries. If you’re stumped on how to eat goji berries, try swapping out raisins for goji berries in your baked goods recipes, savoury rice or quinoa dishes, and even homemade jams. Soaked goji berries have become a staple in our fridge, always on hand and ready to add to smoothies, savoury dinners, and more.