© Benoit Daoust | Dreamstime.com
You may have seen them in a health food store or a gourmet restaurant, looking like loose tangles of little pale threads with tiny unopened peas at the top. You may even have tasted them and decided “not bad”, because of their fresh, lively taste and texture. But have you ever tried making your very own sprouts? Here’s your easy, go-to guide to soaking and sprouting grains, legumes, nuts and seeds.
I clearly remember the first time I decided to grow my own sprouts. I was at a college, transitioning to a plant-based diet, and on a tight budget. Sprouting seemed ideal because it provided a lot of nutrition for a low price. So I bought some alfalfa seeds (because they were the most readily available), a jar with a sprouting lid, and began to grow my own sprouts.
I always remind my mom how she doubted me when she saw my sprouting jars on the kitchen counter. You see, before I found my passion for sprouting, I’d never been able to keep a plant alive for more than a few months. But sprouting was different. It was something so simple as seeing the little green leaf pop out of the seed that got me really excited.
I’ve been sprouting for almost ten years now. I’m now branching out into sprouting a variety of beans, grains and seeds, and loving it.
What Are Sprouts?
While there’s no standard definition, sprouts are essentially seeds in a transition phase to a new plant. At just the right time, temperature and moisture level, the seed begins to sprout, growing into a new plant. The seeds can come from any plant-based food including vegetables, legumes, grains, nuts or seeds. When sprouted, the seeds contain all the elements a plant needs for life and growth
One of the main reasons for sprouting is nutrition. The simple process of sprouting brings out many enzymes, making the germinated seeds easier to digest. Sprouting also increases the amount and bio-availability of protein, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Once sprouted, the protein content increases by as much as 20%, nucleic acids by 30% and many vitamins by as much as 500% …yes 500%. Pretty amazing!
How to Use Sprouts
Sprouts can be eaten raw, cooked, or dehydrated. Sprouts that are eaten raw or cooked are referred to as “wet sprouts”; dehydrated sprouts are referred to as “dry sprouts”.
- Wet sprouts:
- Grains – I don’t normally eat (wet) sprouted grains in their raw state. My favorite way to prepare them is to either cook them into a porridge (buckwheat or oat groats make an incredible porridge) or serve them as a side dish (my go-to grains for a side dish are brown rice and quinoa).
- Legumes – I always cook sprouted legumes and use them the same as unsprouted legumes – sprouted hummus, sprouted dal, sprouted chili . . . you name it.
- Nuts and seeds – soaked nuts and seeds are my go-to snack. If I’m making a snack for my husband, I usually mix soaked nuts with some dried fruit and make a trail mix out of it.
- Vegetables – whenever possible, I top my salads and sandwiches with some alfalfa sprouts or mung bean sprouts. Compared to grains or legumes, vegetable sprouts are light in texture and very pleasant to eat even in their raw state.
- Dry sprouts:
- Grains – when I was in college, buckwheat groats and oat groats were my go-to cereal breakfast. Topped with some dried fruit and almond milk, I was always excited about my breakfast!
- Legumes – I’ve never used sprouted dehydrated legumes for anything but for grinding them into sprouted flour.
- Nuts and seeds – raw grain-free granola is another breakfast that makes me excited about my mornings.
Now, raw foodists might disagree with me, but not all sprouts should be eaten raw. In fact, some sprouted legumes are toxic until cooked. Other legumes and some grains are still very hard to digest when raw. In her book Nourishing Traditions, Sally Fallon recommends not only cooking sprouted legumes, but also warns against eating high amounts of raw sprouted grains.
However, we must warn against over consumption of raw sprouted grains as raw sprouts contain irritating substances that keep animals from eating the tender shoots. These substances are neutralized in cooking. Sprouted grains should usually be eaten lightly steamed of added to soups and casseroles. (p. 113)
Other sprouts including vegetables, nuts and seeds are fine to eat raw.
© Benoit Daoust | Dreamstime.com
How to Sprout?
I think the reason most people don’t sprout is because it sounds so intimidating. But let me tell you – it’s really not that hard at all. I know that we are all busy people, but sprouting will not take much time, and will give you much in return.
Here’s my step-by-step sprouting process (adapted from Nourish Traditions):
- Soak – in a large mason jar with a sprout lid, place your seeds and cover them with 2-3 times the amount of pure and filtered water (e.g. 1 cup seeds : 2-3 cups water). Skim off any seeds that are floating. Let the seeds sit for the given time. Soaking and sprouting times different among each seed so refer to the chart below with the specific times.
- Drain and rinse – put a piece of cheesecloth over the mouth of the jar and secure it with a rubber band. Drain the seeds, letting all the water run out. Run cool water through the cheesecloth, swish the seeds around and drain. Repeat, then set the jar in a bowl or on your dish rack at a 45° angle so that any remaining water can drain out, but air can easily get in.
- Sprout – as with soaking, each seed takes different time to sprout. In this sprouting phase, keep rinsing the seeds with pure and filtered water several times a day. The goal is to rinse the seeds and drain the rest of the water off.
- Grow – when the seeds begin to sprout, you’ll notice a tiny “tail” coming out of the seed. The tail should be at least the length of the seed itself. If it’s not quite there yet, continue with the rinsing and draining process until it is. Some seeds take up to 5 days.
- Store – if you don’t eat all your sprouts right away, keep them in the fridge. Make sure you let the sprouts drain for at least 8 hours after their last rinse before you put them in the fridge because wet sprouts spoil quickly. The best way to store leftover sprouts is in a sprouting jar with an airtight lid.
Sprouting Chart
Grains |
Soak |
Rinse / Drain |
Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amaranth | 20-30 minutes | 2-3 times/day | 2-4 days |
| Barley | 6-12 hours | 2 times/day | 2-3 days |
| Brown Rice | 4-24 hours | 2 times/day | 2-4 days |
| Buckwheat Groats | 30 minutes | 2-3 times/day | 1-3 days |
| Corn | 8-12 hours | 2 times/day | 3-4 days |
| Kamut | 6-12 hours | 2 times/day | 2-3 days |
| Millet | 6-10 hours | 2 times/day | 1-3 days |
| Oat Groats | 0.5-1 hour | 2 times/day | 1-3 days |
| Quinoa | 20-30 minuts | 2-3 times/day | 1-3 days |
| Rye | 6-12 hours | 2 times/day | 2-3 days |
| Wheat | 6-12 hours | 2 times/day | 2-3 days |
| Wild Rice | 4-24 hours | 2 times/day | 2-4 days |
Legumes |
Soak |
Rinse / Drain |
Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adzuki Beans | 8-12 hours | 2-3 times/day | 2-4 days |
| Black (Beluga) Lentils | 7 hours | 2-3 times/day | 2-3 days |
| Black Turtle Beans | 8-12 hours | 2-3 times/day | 2-4 days |
| Black Eyed Peas | 8-12 hours | 2-3 times/day | 2-4 days |
| Brown Lentils | 7 hours | 2-3 times/day | 2-3 days |
| Cannellini Beans | 8-12 hours | 2-3 times/day | 2-4 days |
| Chickpeas | 8-12 hours | 2-3 times/day | 2-4 days |
| Great Northern Beans | 8-12 hours | 2-3 times/day | 2-4 days |
| Green Lentils | 7 hours | 2-3 times/day | 2-3 days |
| Green Split Peas | 10-12 hours | 2-3 times/day | 2-3 days |
| Kidney Beans | 8-12 hours | 2-3 times/day | 5-7 days |
| Mung Beans | 8-12 hours | 2-3 times/day | 2-5 days |
| Navy Beans | 8-12 hours | 2-3 times/day | 2-4 days |
| Red Lentils | 8-12 hours | 2-3 times/day | 2-3 days |
| Soy Beans | 2-12 hours | 2-3 times/day | 2-6 days |
| Yellow Split Peas | 10-12 hours | 2-3 times/day | 2-3 days |
Vegetables |
Soak |
Rinse / Drain |
Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alfalfa | 8-12 hours | 2-3 times/day | 5-6 days |
| Broccoli | 8-12 hours | 2-3 times/day | 3-6 days |
| Clover | 8-12 hours | 2-3 times/day | 5-6 days |
| Mustard | no | no (plant on day 1) | 7-8 days |
| Pea Shots | 8-12 hours | 2 times/day (plant on day 2) | 10-14 days |
| Radish | 6-12 hours | 2-3 times/day | 3-6 days |
| Wheatgrass | 8-12 hours | 2 times/day (plant on day 2) | 6-10 days |
Tried green split peas – no sprouting. Are we talking about the whole peas.
Gundry says sprouting doesn’t lower lectins level.
Thank you for reaching out! Yes, you can sprout green split peas – I have done it several times (both yellow and green split peas) and never had any problems. Can you tell me what exactly went wrong? How many days were you soaking/rinsing the split peas? Hmm, I have read an interview with Dr. Gundry (I am sure I can still find the link if you’re interested) in which he said that soaking and sprouting legumes does diminish their lectin content. However, he also said that sprouting increases the lectin content of grains. Is that what you meant?
Hi,
I am new to sprouting. Bought a mason jar with mesh lid for sprouts. I cant get the really tiny seeds to drain, as they clog up the mesh lid before all the water can come out. What should I do?
Thank you
Lin
Hi Lin – a great question! To drain the seeds, you should place the jar upside down, BUT at an angle to allow drainage and air-circulation through the mesh. I can email you a photo of what it should look like if you’d like 🙂 Or you could also Google “sprouting rack” to see the angle. The water might not drain right away, but that’s ok. Just leave the jar at the angle and it should drain eventually. Let me know if this helped or if you need any more help.
I have tried to sprout broccoli seeds but only about half of the seeds sprout. The others are just left in the bottom of the jar. I have tried this several times with variations — with less, rinsing and draining more, with a wet paper towel — and still no luck. Any suggestions?
Hi Hillary – let me ask you a few questions: 1. where are you growing your sprouts? Sprouts do better with less light when they are first germinating. It’s not until the last day of growing that you should out your sprouts close to a window where the plant can receive a direct sunlight. How much water are you using? You don’t want your seeds sitting in a stagnant water so be sure to drain the water out after rinsing. If you are using a glass jar, turn it upside down and lean it diagonally so that water can drain out and air can still flow through the container. This brings me to my second point, make sure that the baby greens are in a “breathable” container where air can flow freely through. An example of this is a mason jar with a ventilated lid such as a mesh screen. Finally, while you don’t want to over-water your sprouts, you don’t want them to dry out either. Some people suggest starting the sprouting process by soaking the seeds in water overnight so that they germinate more easily (and then start with the rinsing-draining process). These are the few things I can think of. Let me know if you have any questions 🙂
Thanks so much for your helpful clarifications.
Thanks for the good article
Thank you for taking the time to comment. I appreciate it!
Hi,
This is Lin, I do use a jar on an angle with a stand that was bought at Amazon for this purpose. I have just tried the small seeds again, and they do not drain fully. After 8 hours they are still in out 2 inches of water. Would using cheesecloth instead of a mesh screen help?
Also, I had bought a sprout kit in switzerland It is a square glass about 4 inches deep and you put a square plastic piece with small holes in it on top of it. It say to put water in bottom ad seeds on top. I have no idea how to use this. Have you ever seen one? Thank you Lin
Thank you for your article ! I’m a little confused on the difference between the soak and harvest times. So should I see sprouting after the soak times are complete? Should I drain and move the sprouts to the fridge after the soak time and then they sprout? Or should I see tails forming during the soak time?
I tried several pulses and they all ended up getting smelly and not sprouting even after two days of rinsing a few times a day, maybe there wasn’t enough airflow? Thank you!
HI Emily – great questions! Ok, so, the purpose of soaking (submerging the seeds in water) is to speed up the germination process. There are multiple reasons for that: 1. some type of seeds contain germination inhibitors that prevent a seed from germinating. These inhibitors much be leached away. In nature with natural rainfall, this process can take some time. But when you soak your seeds, this process is sped up. 2. For most seeds, moisture levels play a big role in alerting a seed to optimal grow times. By soaking the seeds, you can quickly boost the moisture content around the seeds, which signals to the seed that it is now safe to grow. After the soaking time, the seed will begin to germinate. The harvest time refers to the time it usually takes to see sprouts (little tails) coming from the seeds. You’ll not see any sprouts before the end of the harvest time. My sprouts have gotten smelly in the past too and it was always in the summer when the outside temperature was too hot. The ideal temperature for sprouting is 80 F. You don’t want to put your seeds in the fridge before the end of harvest time (during the sprouting process) because it halt the growing (sprouting) process. I hope I answered all your questions, but if not, please, don’t hesitate to reach out again!
Thank you so much, that was SUPER helpful! I was leaving them fully submerged for too long, I think that was my error. Good to know about the temperature too!
Thanks for sharing your experience. Do you soak pumpkin, sesame or sunflower seeds? How large a quantity can you sprout at the same time? Can sprouted grains/nuts/seeds/legumes be frozen? If so, would you freeze them spread out on a pan so they wouldn’t be one solid mass? And you talk about soaked nuts – do you sprout them too? If so, how long does that ‘tail’ need to be? (Surely not the length of the seed?)
Hi Val – great questions! Yes, I do soak raw pumpkin seeds as well as raw sunflower seeds (I am yet to try sesame seeds). The amount of seeds you use depends on the seed, the size of your container, and how much sprouts you want in the end. I usually do about a cup of pumpkin/sunflower seeds, which yields about 2 cups sprouted seeds. There is no right or wrong amount. The sprouting process is the same for pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds. I soak the seeds for about an hour, and then rinse and drain every 8 hours. They are usually ready within a day or two (depending on the ambient temperature of the house).
If I want to keep my sprouts for a long time, I dehydrate them and store just like I would if the grains/legumes/nuts were not sprouted. You can totally freeze your sprouted grains/legumes/nuts/seeds … Ideally, you would dry the sprouted nuts/seeds before freezing. I use a dehydrator, but you could also just use an oven. (Spread sprouted nuts/seeds onto a regular sheet pan in a single layer. Place in the oven for 12-24 hours, stirring occasionally. Remove. Cool completely before storage. Store in an airtight container in the freezer). Some ovens also come with dehydrator settings. I have never tried freezing “wet” nuts/seeds.
Yes, I do “sprout” nuts, but most nuts don’t physically sprout (you won’t see any tail coming out of them), but they do “activate”. Raw almonds (not pasteurized) do sprout. I soak them for 8-12 hours and it takes about 3 days for them to sprout. Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamias, pecans, and walnuts do not sprout. Hope that’s helpful. Please, let me know if you have any questions 🙂
Thanks so much Petra. 12-24 hours in an oven seems like a lot of time and energy, which is why I’m a bit reluctant to dehydrate in an oven.
After 7 or 8 hours of soaking, I see an end poking out of my almonds. Is that considered sprouted? Or will it grow a lot longer if you leave them a few more days?
Before I can even consider trying to sprout anything I need to get some large jars and cheese cloth. Do you use regular cheese cloth or ultra fine? Either way, I think I’ll end up paying as much for shipping as I do for the cloth itself. 🙂
Yes, that’s definitely a sprout. You can actually see the sprout inside of the almond if you split it in half. The longest I have had almonds sprout is 3 days. (Sometimes I keep them sprouting just a couple of days. I always taste the almonds during the sprouting process and go from there). The tail won’t grow long at all (at least mine never have). To answer your question about the cheesecloth – essentially, you need a breathable top that allows you to pour out water after rinsing the seeds, without pouring out the seeds. I have seen people use clean panty hose or a nut milk bag instead of the cheesecloth, so you might not necessarily need cheesecloth. Another option – which is what my friend does – is to use a regular light cloth on top of the jar and use a fine fine mesh strainer for draining the water. You would need to hold the mesh strainer on top of the jar while pouring out the water, then just tap the seeds that stick to it back into the jar. Let me know if you have any more questions Val 🙂
Thanks Petra. I’m hoping that the tiny almond sprout is good enough as I’d rather not have to keep tending to the almonds for a few days – especially since I have 2 curious and naughty cats who might try to disrupt the process! 🙂