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    Home » Cooking 101

    How to sprout beans

    Published: Sep 10, 2020 · Modified: Oct 25, 2021 by Archana · This post may contain affiliate links · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases · 28 Comments

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    Jump to Recipe

    Did you know that you can sprout beans at home? Although, sprouting beans can take 2 to 3 days the process is simple and hands-free. Let me show you how! 

    sprouted moth and mung beans in a bowl

    Growing up in India, I saw my mom soaking a different bean almost every night. By morning, they would be wrapped in a white cloth, sitting in a colander in a warm dry spot. By evening or the following day, they would have magically grown into long sprouts. These crunchy sprouted beans or lentils were then used in cooking curries, dals, stir fry dishes, and also added raw to salads in addition to us snacking on by the handfuls.

    Lentils and Beans are the main plant-based protein source in vegetarian diets as well as Indian Cuisine. In addition to being healthy, fiber, and protein-packed, they are inexpensive and have a long shelf life.

    Jump to:
    • What is Sprouting
    • Why Sprout Beans
    • Tips
    • How to Sprout Beans
    • Sprouting beans using Instant Pot
    • Tips
    • Storing
    • Recipes
    • Recipe

    What is Sprouting

    So what is sprouting? Sprouting is a process where the lentils, beans, seeds, or even nuts are soaked in water for several hours and then allowed to germinate in a cool dry place for several days.

    Why Sprout Beans

    Now let's answer why sprout beans? Although, beans and lentils AKA legumes can be cooked from the dry form, soaking and sprouting them enhances the nutritional value, making them richer in protein, folate and also making them easy to digest.

    Tips

    Before I explain how to sprout the beans, here are some of my tips and tricks, for perfect sprouts every time:

    1. Make sure that the beans are not too old
    2. Soak the beans in warm filtered water. Sometimes hard water prevents the beans from soaking properly and then they are harder to sprout
    3. Cover the beans while soaking so the water stays warm for a longer period
    4. After the beans are soaked, make sure to drain out the water in a colander. Especially with Moth beans its important that the beans are not too wet when you tie them in the cheesecloth as they tend to get sticky with excess moisture
    5. If you do not have a cheesecloth, any thin cotton cloth will work, or wrap them in double-lined paper towels
    6. The cheesecloth will get brownish stains from the beans, so make sure to bleach the cloth after to keep it clean
    7. Place the wrapped beans in a cool dry place. Excess humidity can cause the beans to get sticky. If you choose to use Instant Pot for sprouting, there is no need to put any water in the main pot. See my notes in the recipe card
    sprouted moth, masoor and mung beans in bowls

    My favorite beans to sprout are Math or Moth (Turkish gram), Mung (Green gram), and Masoor (Brown lentils). These dry beans are easily available in Indian grocery stores, although you can also buy them at whole foods or amazon.

    dry moth, mung and masoor in individual bowls

    How to Sprout Beans

    And now let's get on to how to sprout the beans and lentils. It is very easy to sprout the beans at home, and although the whole process can take 2 to 3 days, most of the time is hands-off as you wait for the beans to soak or sprout.

    Here is how the beans are traditionally sprouted. In the photos, I am using Mung beans as an example, but the same process works for other beans too!

    dry mung beans in a glass bowl

    Step 1: Rinse & Soak

    Rinse the beans thoroughly with cold water and soak them overnight (10-12) hours in warm water (2-3 times the volume of the beans). During the soaking process, the beans almost will double in size

    mung beans soaked in water

    Step 2: Drain

    Drain out the water using a colander and then place the beans on a cheesecloth.

    draining out the water from soaked mung beans in a cloth lined colander

    Step 3: Wrap & store in a cool dry place

    Wrap the beans in cheesecloth and store covered in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight. I usually keep them in my oven and in winters keep the oven lights on for some warmth

    soaked mung beans on a white cloth

    In the summers beans will start to sprout in 12 hours and this is how they will look in the initial few hours

    sprouted mung beans

    The longer you keep they will continue to grow. Usually, within 24 hours they grow a good ¼ to ½ inch long tail. In winters it may take up to 48 hours for the beans to sprout.

    sprouted mung. moth and masoor

    Sprouting beans using Instant Pot

    You can also use the Instant Pot for sprouting. The Yogurt mode in the Instant Pot has the perfect temperature setting to help the beans sprout.

    Tips

    1. Place the beans in a colander or strainer to help drain out any excess moisture. You can also place the colander on the trivet inside the main pot, which allows any excess moisture to dry out and prevent the beans from getting sticky.
    2. Since the Instant Pot does not come to pressure on the yogurt mode, you do not need to worry about the pressure valve being at sealing or venting.
    3. Do not put any water in the main insert, which prevents the beans from getting sticky and sprout better.
    sprouted moth and mung beans

    Storing

    Once sprouted beans can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks in an airtight container or zip lock bags. Raw sprouted mung beans are great for snacking or to add to salads. 

    Recipes

    All three sprouted beans can be used to make curries that can be enjoyed with steamed rice or parathas. I especially love the Maharashtrian Misal Pav cooked with sprouted moth beans. Sprouted masoor is especially good in a khichdi or breakfast bowl. And if you haven't already do try my mung bean salad where you can add either raw or lightly sautéed sprouts.

    Recipe

    Tried this recipe? We love your feedback.Please click on the stars in the recipe card below
    sprouted beans
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Saved!
    4.80 from 5 votes

    How to sprout beans

    Step by step process showing how to sprout beans at home
    Prep Time8 hrs
    Sprouting Time1 d
    Total Time1 d 8 hrs
    Course: Meal Preparation
    Cuisine: Indian
    Servings: 4
    Calories: 180kcal
    Author: Archana Mundhe

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup mung beans
    • 3 cups warm water

    Instructions

    • Rinse the beans thoroughly with cold water and soak them overnight (10-12) hours in warm water. During the soaking process the beans almost will double in size
    • Drain out the water using a colander and then place the beans on a cheesecloth
    • Wrap the beans in a cheese cloth and store covered in a cool, dry place away from direct sunlight. I usually keep them in my oven and in winters keep the oven lights on for some warmth
    • In the summers beans will start to sprout in 12 hours and this is how they will look in the initial few hours
    • The longer you keep they will continue to grow. Usually, within 24 hours they grow a good ¼ to ½ inch long tail. In winters they may take up to 48 hours for the beans to sprout
    • Once sprouted beans can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks in air tight container or zip lock bags. Raw sprouted mung beans are great for snacking or to add to salads

    Video

    Notes

    Tips
    1. Make sure that the beans are not too old
    2. Soak the beans in warm filtered water. Sometimes hard water prevents the beans from soaking properly and then they are harder to sprout
    3. Cover the beans while soaking so the water stays warm for longer period
    4. After the beans are soaked, make sure to drain out the water in a colander. Especially with Moth beans its important that the beans are not too wet when you tie them in the cheesecloth as they tend to get sticky with excess moisture
    5. If you do not have a cheesecloth, any thin cotton cloth will work, or wrap them in double-lined paper towels
    6. The cheesecloth can get  brownish stains from the beans, so make sure to bleach the cloth after to keep it clean
    7. Place the beans wrapped in the cheesecloth in a cool dry place. Excess humidity can cause the beans to get sticky. If you choose to use Instant Pot for sprouting, there is no need to put any water in the main pot. See my notes below
    How to sprout beans using Instant Pot
    You can also use the Instant Pot for sprouting. The Yogurt mode in the Instant Pot has the perfect temperature setting to help the beans sprout.
    Tips for sprouting beans in an Instant Pot
    1. Place the beans in a colander or strainer to help drain out any excess moisture. You can also place the colander on the trivet inside the main pot, which allows any excess moisture to dry out and prevent the beans from getting sticky.
    2. Since the Instant Pot does not come to pressure on the yogurt mode, you do not need to worry about the pressure valve being at sealing or venting.
    3. Do not put any water in the main insert, which prevents the beans from getting sticky and sprout better.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 180kcal | Carbohydrates: 32g | Protein: 12g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 8mg | Potassium: 645mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 59IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 68mg | Iron: 3mg
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    Author: Archana

    Hey there! I am a techie turned recipe developer, cooking instructor, and food blogger. I love food and enjoy developing easy and healthy recipes for busy lifestyles. I live in New Jersey with my husband and two sons.
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    1. Lynz Real Cooking says

      March 31, 2016 at 4:32 pm

      Cool!

      Reply
      • Archana says

        March 31, 2016 at 4:40 pm

        Thank you!

        Reply
    2. woodboneandstone says

      March 31, 2016 at 6:24 pm

      I love sprouts and am currently sprouting whole urad dal with the black skins.

      Reply
      • Archana says

        March 31, 2016 at 9:05 pm

        That sounds awesome! I have not tried sprouting whole Urad, would love to see your post on that

        Reply
        • woodboneandstone says

          March 31, 2016 at 9:16 pm

          Not sure how I will use them yet. You can be sure I will post if I am happy with the outcome!

          Reply
    3. Love Served Daily says

      March 31, 2016 at 11:22 pm

      Perfectly sprouted beans

      Reply
      • Archana says

        April 01, 2016 at 6:32 am

        Thank you!

        Reply
    4. Gerard Villanueva says

      April 03, 2016 at 9:17 pm

      Thank you for posting good information on sprouting beans!

      Reply
      • Archana says

        April 03, 2016 at 9:34 pm

        Thank you!

        Reply
    5. gardeneva says

      July 03, 2017 at 2:52 pm

      When enjoying with rice, do you add them to the cooking or afterwards? Sounds delish and will try this soon. Thank you.

      Reply
      • Archana says

        July 03, 2017 at 4:52 pm

        I do add them to the rice. Here is another rice dish with sprouted lentils - http://ministryofcurry.com/sprouted-brown-lentils-khichdi-instant-pot/

        Reply
    6. Anu says

      February 17, 2019 at 10:33 pm

      Hello, thanks for the recipe. Do you use any special kind of beans? I tried with the oneI bought from Indian Stores as well as the organic one from Costco. They didn’t sprout.

      Reply
      • Archana says

        February 20, 2019 at 5:22 pm

        I use reagular ones from Indian grocery stores. I find organic ones hard to sprout and cook.

        Reply
    7. Nitin Barad says

      September 05, 2019 at 8:52 am

      Awesome site. Fantastic recipes. Will try them.

      Reply
      • Archana says

        September 05, 2019 at 7:55 pm

        Thank you

        Reply
    8. sheetal says

      November 04, 2019 at 7:08 pm

      What is the method for using the IP for this? Please share!

      Reply
      • Archana says

        November 05, 2019 at 2:25 pm

        yes will add all the details shortly.

        Reply
    9. Layli says

      September 10, 2020 at 8:35 pm

      Hi there, thanks so much for all of this! I'm wondering how many hours you set the instant pot to, on yogurt mode, for the 'average' bean to sprout? Is 9 hours enough?

      Reply
      • Archana says

        September 11, 2020 at 10:59 am

        Hi! Great question. So yes you are right yogurt mode is 8 hours and sprouting takes about 12 to 24 hours.I usually just set it to yogurt mode a couple of time or you can always adjust the yogurt mode to 16 hours.

        Reply
    10. Kasturi says

      October 20, 2020 at 8:01 pm

      Hi, for sprouting in Instapot, when you "Do not put any water in the main insert," do you mean the main steel bowl? Did I understand you correctly? Sorry for the silly question.

      Reply
      • Archana says

        October 21, 2020 at 4:58 pm

        Yes main stainless steel pot.

        Reply
    11. sri says

      November 08, 2020 at 10:15 pm

      Hi Archanaji
      thank you, thorough, great tips and details.
      Even if you had not tried for readers you can suggest, chickpeas or chana daal, at least the Indian variety also as another good beans to sprout.
      Best.
      Sri.5 stars

      Reply
    12. Chhaya says

      November 16, 2020 at 11:33 am

      Hi Archana,
      That's an excellent piece of information on sprouting beans. I just want to ask if I can put beans directly into the insert of the instant pot as I don't have a steam basket or any colander that fits into that

      Reply
      • Archana says

        November 17, 2020 at 10:54 am

        I won't recommend putting directly in the main pot as it does get a little warm. Why dont you place it in any bowl that fits inside the Instant Pot? Covered in some sort of cloth or even paper towels.

        Reply
    13. Tara says

      January 05, 2021 at 8:06 pm

      Hi Archana- I have a steamer and trivet I can use in the instant pot. Do I still need to wrap them
      In cheesecloth?

      Reply
      • Archana says

        January 05, 2021 at 10:50 pm

        You can just place the steamer on the trivet. No need of cheesecloth

        Reply
    14. Cooking beginner says

      March 05, 2021 at 4:13 pm

      Great explanation!
      When you say make sure beans are not old, is there a general guideline? I divide my raw pulses into 2 halves and place 1 half in freezer if I don't intend to use them a lot and consume the other half slowly.5 stars

      Reply
      • Archana says

        March 06, 2021 at 10:18 pm

        Once in freezer will be good. Generally anything over 6 months from the time you bought from store are old.

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Archana: a former software engineer, now a full-time blogger. I am a mother of two boys who share my love for food and cooking. Words I love to hear are, “Mom, what’s for dinner?” The same words I say to my mom every time we speak. I live in the greater New York City Area with my husband and sons.

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