💧 How Water Lentil Protein Is Made: From Pond to Powder (Step-By-Step Guide)

By Andy from ECO Protein Dec 03, 2025

If you’ve ever wondered how water lentils become a clean, ultra-nutritious protein powder, you’re not alone. The production process is still new to many people — and unlike pea or soy protein, water lentil farming is incredibly efficient, gentle, and surprisingly simple.

The best part? Water lentils can be transformed into protein powder using a minimal, eco-friendly, low-heat process that preserves their nutrients, color, and digestibility.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through:

🌿 How water lentils are grown
💧 How they’re harvested and cleaned
🔬 How the protein is separated and refined
🍃 How the powder gets its smooth, fine texture
🧪 Why ECO Protein’s process preserves more nutrition
🌍 Why it’s one of the most sustainable protein sources on earth

This is your transparent, step-by-step breakdown — exactly how a tiny aquatic plant becomes your daily scoop of clean, green, complete protein.

Looking for a complete reference? We maintain an evidence-based guide explaining what water lentil protein (often called duckweed protein) is, how it’s made, and how it compares to other plant proteins. Read the full guide →

🌱 Quick Refresher: What Water Lentils Actually Are

Water lentils (family Lemnaceae) are tiny aquatic plants that float on the surface of calm, shallow water. They’re not legumes and not related to peas or beans — despite the name.

They grow incredibly fast, are naturally rich in protein, and contain all nine essential amino acids. If you want a deeper introduction to the plant itself, start here:

👉 What Are Water Lentils? The Complete Beginner’s Guide

🌀 Step 1: Growing Water Lentils

Water lentils are cultivated in clean, controlled aquatic systems. Think of shallow ponds or raceways where water flows gently and sunlight does most of the work.

💧 Very low water use: The same water can be recirculated through the system.
🌞 Sunlight-powered growth: No need for energy-intensive greenhouses.
🌿 No soil required: They float on the surface, not in dirt.
🚫 Fewer pests: Aquatic environments tend to be less pest-prone than fields.
🔁 Continuous harvesting: Unlike crops with one big seasonal harvest, water lentils regrow rapidly.

FUN FACT: Water lentils are among the fastest-growing plants on earth and can double in mass in as little as 48 hours — one reason they’re such an efficient protein source.

✂️ Step 2: Harvesting the Fresh Plants

When the ponds are full and the plants reach the ideal density, they’re gently harvested from the surface. This step is surprisingly simple and very low impact.

🥄 A wide, shallow skimmer collects the floating plants.
💧 Excess water drains away naturally.
🌱 The fresh biomass is transferred to a cleaning station.

The harvesting process is gentle and mechanical — there’s no need for heavy tilling, uprooting, or aggressive cutting like you see with some land crops.

Water lentils being gently harvested from a clean aquatic tank using a shallow skimmer.

💦 Step 3: Washing & Purification

Once harvested, the fresh water lentils are thoroughly rinsed and cleaned to remove any residual water, sediment, or micro-debris.

🚿 Multiple rinses with purified water.
🧼 Removal of any remaining particles or organic matter.
✅ Verification that the biomass is clean and ready for drying.

This step ensures that only pure plant material moves forward — which directly affects the quality, taste, and safety of the final protein powder.

🔥 Step 4: Low-Heat Drying (Protecting Nutrients)

After washing, the water lentils go through low-temperature drying. This is a key difference compared to many conventional protein powders, which often use higher heat.

Gentle drying helps preserve:

🧬 The full spectrum of amino acids.
🌿 Natural chlorophyll (that deep green color).
✨ Polyphenols and antioxidant compounds.
😌 A more neutral, mild flavor profile.

GOOD TO KNOW: Excessive heat can denature proteins and degrade chlorophyll. ECO Protein’s source suppliers rely on gentle, low-heat drying to protect the plant’s natural integrity.

🔬 Step 5: Milling & Protein Concentration

Once the water lentils are fully dried, they’re milled into a fine powder. From this point, the goal is to concentrate the protein while keeping the process as clean and simple as possible.

Typical steps include:

🌀 Fine grinding of the dried plant material.
🌬️ Air separation or sieving to remove heavier, fibrous particles.
🔬 Concentration of protein-rich fractions into a more potent powder.

Importantly, this is done using mechanical separation — not harsh chemical solvents. The result is a naturally concentrated protein powder that still behaves like a whole, real plant.

If you’d like to see how this compares nutritionally to other plant proteins, this article is a great companion read:

👉 Water Lentils Nutrition Breakdown: Amino Acids, Minerals & What Makes It a Complete Protein

🎨 Step 6: Texture Refinement (Why It Mixes So Smoothly)

After concentration, the powder is refined to ensure it has a smooth, mixable texture. This is where water lentil protein really stands apart from gritty or chalky options.

🌫️ Ultra-fine milling removes coarse particles.
🌪️ Air classification smooths out the particle size distribution.
🍃 Gentle sifting creates a consistent, easy-mixing powder.

This is why water lentil protein blends so easily into smoothies and recipes — without needing gums, emulsifiers, or weird thickeners to fake a good texture.

We cover more on digestion and comfort here:

👉 ECO Protein & Easy Digestion: Why Your Gut Will Probably Love Water Lentils

📦 Step 7: Testing, Quality Control & Packaging

Before the powder is ever sealed into a pouch, it goes through rigorous quality control. This includes third-party testing to ensure safety and consistency.

🧪 Heavy metal testing to ensure safe levels.
🧫 Microbial testing for bacteria, yeast, and mold.
🔍 Purity checks to confirm composition.
🌈 Color and texture checks to match specification.

ECO Protein is committed to making this process transparent. You can explore our real lab reports and testing details here:

👉 Visit the ECO Protein Trust Hub

Lab-tested ECO Protein water lentil protein powder displayed in a small bowl with scientific tools nearby.

🌍 Why This Process Is So Sustainable

The entire water lentil → protein powder journey is designed to be light on the planet while heavy on nutrition.

💧 Minimal water use: Recirculating systems drastically reduce water demand.
🌾 No farmland needed: Grown on water, not soil, freeing up arable land.
🔁 Continuous yield: Fast regrowth allows frequent harvesting.
♻️ Low waste: Almost the entire plant is usable, and byproducts can be repurposed.
☀️ Sun-driven growth: Solar energy does most of the heavy lifting.

For a deeper dive into why water lentil protein stands apart from other plant proteins, this article is a great next step:

👉 What Makes Water Lentil Protein Different (and Better)