Bean sprouts are an easy way to grow your own food in just a few days. Full of vitamins and really high in protein, these crunchy sprouts will get your vegetable gardening fix in during the long winter months.
I started growing my own alfalfa sprouts several years ago. Around the same time I experimented with growing Mung Bean sprouts. Mung bean sprouts are the ones you recognize as plain old bean sprouts in the grocery store.
The alfalfa sprouts worked right out of the gate. The Mung Bean sprouts ... did not. Commercially grown bean sprouts are nice and long and relatively straight. This is not necessarily true of home grown bean sprouts. Unless you know the trick. And I know the trick.
Do you want to know the trick? Then read on.
Table of Contents
Home Grown Bean Sprouts.
The most important thing to do to ensure you get grocery store quality sized bean sprouts is to weigh them down while they're growing.
Alfalfa sprouts can be successfully grown in a mason jar but Mung bean sprouts need a special set up. Nothing too crazy, and you can make it at home. You'll need 3 Tupperware-type containers. I used old Indian food takeout containers that I'd saved. And one lid. The lid is optional.
First things first. The big question.
Are mung beans and bean sprouts the same thing?
There are TONS of different types of bean sprouts. You can sprout any bean. BUT when people refer to "bean sprouts" they are generally referring to the sprouts of mung beans, a small, round, green dried bean.
How long does it take for mung beans to sprout?
Mung beans will actually sprout in just one day! They'll grow to a size that's edible in just 3-4 days.
How to do it.
- You need to drill some drainage holes into one of the containers.
- The other thing you'll need are actual Mung Beans. These can be found in the bulk section of some grocery stores, sold in the bag, or at the Bulk Barn. So they aren't very difficult to get ahold of.
Dump some beans into your perforated dish. You want a couple of tablespoons. Definitely less than half of what would cover the entire bottom of your dish. Bean sprouts will quadruple their size once grown.
Place your perforated dish into a regular dish.
Fill with room temperature water and leave for 8-12 hours to soak (just run the tap until it's around room temperature. You just don't want very cold or very hot water.)
Drain your beans.
Rinse them once more very well under clean cool water and drain thoroughly after.
Put them back in the original base.
Trick #1
Fill your last remaining plastic container base with water and put the lid on it. Put this on top of your bean sprouts in the perforated dish. You don't need to use the lid with water, it's just helpful for the first day or so. You just need to weigh the top container down so it stays in contact with the bean sprout seeds.
Now you rinse and drain the beans every 8 - 12 hours.
Trick #2
For the first couple of days use VERY light water pressure when rinsing. Just barely more than a dribble. Your goal is to have the bean seeds not move at ALL while you're rinsing them. That means, very low water pressure and rinsing for a long time to make sure you've rinsed them well.
Return the sprouts to their holding bin each time, and weigh them down.
You can eat your sprouts at any point, but I like to let mine grow for around 4 days.
Mung Bean sprout growth on days 1, 2, 3 and 4.
These sprouts get STRONG. Anabolic steroid after a bath salts bender strong. As evidenced in the photo below. The sprouts started getting strong enough that I needed to weigh them down with more than 3 little pigs. I put a huge pumpkin on them.
I walked in the door one afternoon to find the Lance Armstrong of sprouts had actually pushed the pumpkin right off of them.
Your sprouts might get a slightly pink tinge to them. This is from exposure to air. It's fine. If you weigh them down really well and keep the top container in contact with this, you're less likely to get pinkish sprouts.
Some of the sprout roots will grow out of the bottom of the container. Don't worry about it.
4 days later a nest of thick sprouts. If you really want to avoid having the roots come out of the drainage holes, just keep a paper towel folded across the bottom of your container.
Keep your sprouts covered in the fridge for a few days.
How to Grow Bean Sprouts (DIY)
Making thick, long bean sprouts at home is easy. You just need to know a couple of tricks.
Materials
- 3 tablespoons mung bean sprouts
- water
Tools
- 3 plastic containers that are the same size and fit into each other.
- (one container needs holes drilled into the bottom for drainage.)
Instructions
- Drill or punch drainage holes into the bottom of one of your plastic containers. You'll use this over and over again whenever you make sprouts.
- Dump some beans into your perforated container. No more than what will cover half the bottom of your container. Start with 2-3 tablespoons. Place your perforated dish into one of the other tupperware-type containers and fill with water. Let soak overnight.
- After soaking, drain the beans and rinse them. Remove water from the lower container and put the perforated dish back into it. Place your 3rd container on top of the beans so it's covering them up and touching them. Weigh the top container down with something heavy. Either fill it with water or set a heavy object on it.
- Rinse and drain the beans every 12 hours. Be careful not to disturb the beans when you rinse and drain them. Keeping them in the same spot helps them grow long straight roots.
- Rinse the beans one final time when they've grown big enough to your liking and refrigerate them. I like around 4 days growth for fat, juicy bean sprouts).
Notes
Can you just do them in a jar instead of all these plastic containers? Yes. But you won't get as nice a sprout. Follow my Alfalfa Sprout instructions, just use mung beans instead.
How long can I store them? Close to a week if they're refrigerated.
How can you tell when the bean sprouts are ready? You can eat them whenever you want! Even as early as day 2. They just won't be as big as they are at day 4 or 5.
Are mung bean sprouts good for you? You bet! They're full of vitamins A, C and iron. PLUS an added bonus for vegans and vegetarians, they have more protein than almost any other plant.
How can I use them? Put them in stir fry, soups or on salads.
Because of the risk of salmonella and E. coli There is a danger to eating raw sprouts. All sprouts. Even homegrown ones. Just so you know. Having said that there's also a danger to just existing basically.
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Do you eat the root too?
And the leftover "shells," I assume they get tossed? Or eaten?
You eat the whole thing. :) Most of the "shells" come off during rinsing. ~ karen!
Do you have to dry the sprouts before storing in the fridge? Thanks for the post - I love bean sprouts and they are hard to come by here.
Hi CJ! I don't dry the sprouts but I shake them out really well after their last rinsing and then store them in a glass container with a lid. ~ karen!
Would you do other 'things' the same way? I got some to sprout but just never have grown them but I do have empty take out containers and those sprouting beans waiting for me. Not mung beans but other types of sprouting beans.
Well this is a technique very specific to the rather bossy mung bean. For other, finer sprouts, like onion, alfalfa, broccoli, etc. you would use this sprouting technique. ~ karen!
I always kinda wondered how the sprouts I buy at the grocery store came into being. Now I know. Thanks for sharing the info and the step by step guide for those inlined to farm them at home. Interesting stuff.
Wondering why is there a risk of salmonella or ecoli if these are just seed and water
Hi Andrew! It's because the seeds themselves can be contaminated (after being collected from the field). Because sprouts are grown at room temperature it increases the chance of that bacteria growing. Some people who grow them at home soak the seeds in a 2% bleach solution for 15 minutes before growing them on. ~ karen!
Have you noticed a difference in mung bean quality in the last month? 1/4C. used to yield a vegetable bowl size of spouts in 4 days. Now it takes 6 days and the yield is 1/2 a sandwich baggie full. The alfalfa sprouts have the same issue except the decrease in yield isn't as much but is a decrease; but, it still takes 6 days instead of 4.
Is someone doing something to the food supply?
Hi Evelyn! I've actually done both this month and they developed exactly like they normally do. I suspect it has more to do with how often you rinse them in a day. An extra rinsing a day can help speed up the process. ~ karen!
Finally I have edible, home grown bean sprouts. Thank you so much for this.
Why are my sprouts small and very curly? Not straight at all?
Hi Jennifer. The bend comes from growing into the pockets around other bean sprouts. The more you compress them while growing, the straighter they'll be. You really have to weigh them down. It's the weight that gets them strong and straight. ~ karen!
I love your article. I’ve been growing sprouts and microgreens for a few months. So exciting. Just thought I should say that I grow red lentils. They are really easy. I grow them a microgreens but have also grown them as sprouts. I just got them from the supermarket.
Hi I am a recent subscriber. I have a question : I am growing sprouts from azuki red beans. Sprouts are now approx 4 inches but the red bean is still very much there. Do I cut off the sprouts and bin the beans or do I wait until the beans kind of "disappear"? Thank you.
Hi Francesca! I've never done it with azuki beans so I can't answer you with 100% certainty, but with any other seeds or beans the process softens the outer coating of the "bean" and you eat that too. So if they perform the way other beans do you just eat them as long as they're soft enough. If they *aren't* soft then you may have to cut the sprouts off and next time try with a mung bean. ~ karen!
Ive just made a batch following you advice in a mason jar with a mesh lid, washed n drained 3 times a day. Perfect thick roots.
Thanks.
I always wanted to try this. Your article is really detailed thanks for documenting the pictures are very helpful as well!5 stars
I’ll remember that trick, blanching them. Thank you. Mine are ready to eat now and in the fridge. So hard not to snack on them!
Was wondering if it's possible that the beans died? I have been trying to sprout my beans and it's been a good 2 weeks but they only have a tiny little stem coming out. I've been changing the water daily but still nothing. What would you recommend? Will I need to start over again or can I still consume and/or use them? Thank you!
Hi Tiffany! I'd get rid of them and try again. I'm not sure what could have gone wrong. If they have a tiny stem that means the seeds do seem to be viable and are sprouting. Are you definitely using mung beans? And are you following the instructions exactly? So that they're not soaking in water, but rather you're rinsing them? ~ karen!
I'm guessing it's a lack of water. Either the beans weren't soaked long enough initially, or they were insufficiently rinsed (you really can't over-rinse your sprouts) to maintain constant moisture throughout.
Worked great! Better than jar bean sprouts. Thanks.
That's great. I have my own batch going right now. Should be ready in a day! ~ karen
Holy cr@p, these instructions should come with a warning that you may get crazy monster sprouts! We're in Midcoast Maine, aka Canada Light, and the only decent commercial mung sprouts are 90+ minutes away. Partner loves them. We'd tried before but not had good luck; this time we tried your method along with two canning-jar methods. The jars did well, but your process - wow. Methodical, engineer-brained husband was very dubious about weighing the sprouts down, and was flabbergasted by the results. No snarl of interlocked curly sprouts, just a mini field of tall, robust, straight sprouts in our takeout container. I wasn't as elegant in my drilling of holes, but the sprouts weren't judgy. Now when the Zombie Apocalypse happens, we won't have to worry about scurvy!
LMAO @ "the sprouts weren't judgy"
This comment made my morning 😄! But seriously, what a great option should things take a dive in terms of food availability for any reason. The details in this post are fantastic! I've been having great success with tiny seed sprouts like red clover and broccoli, next up... mung bean!