A higher inlet air temperature during spray drying caused a faster drying rate that resulted in lower powder moisture content and a higher process yield. Moreover, a higher inlet air temperature can improve the angle of repose, solubility and dispersibility of anthocyanin powders. The powder produced using a higher inlet air temperature provides larger particles with smoother surfaces, which can protect against oxidative degradation during storage better than a shriveled surface. However, a higher inlet air temperature also caused a reduction in anthocyanin retention. We recommend the combination of 180 °C inlet air temperature and BRM20 for microencapsulation of BGR bran anthocyanin. The anthocyanin powders produced under these processing conditions showed higher efficiency and better reconstitution properties than the anthocyanin powder produced by commercial maltodextrin (CM10).