Dendritic growth on Li bulk metal and powder electrode surfaces was observed during a charge–discharge cycle. Cell cycling was performed with high current density (1mAcm−2). Using the ‘optical cell’, it is observed that Li powder electrodes suppress the growth of dendrite at the electrode surface. The potential profile for dendritic growth also well correlates with the optical observations. The use of powder electrodes having an LiF and Li2CO3 surface layer seem to cause a further reduction in dendritic growth during charge/discharge cycles. The increased surface area of the powders, as well as the artificially controlled SEI film, which uniformly covered the electrode surface, may reduce the dendritic growth.