Let's grow your Adzuki Bean sprouts
Soak today. Your sprouts are typically ready in 3 to 5 days.
- Soak8 to 12 hours
- Rinse2 to 3 times a day
- Typically ready3 to 5 days
Please read the food safety box before you eat your first batch. Always cook adzuki bean sprouts until steaming hot before eating.
Show me the 3 steps3 steps
Everything you need is on your pack. Here it is again, step by step.
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Soak
Put the seeds in a clean sprouting jar or sprouter and cover with clean drinking water. Soak for 8 to 12 hours.
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Rinse
Drain, then rinse and drain 2 to 3 times a day, keeping the seeds out of direct sunlight.
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Harvest
Typically ready in 3 to 5 days. Rinse, drain well and refrigerate.
- Use about 4 to 8 tablespoons of beans for a 1 litre jar. They swell a lot, so less is more.
- After each rinse, rest the jar upside down at an angle so it drains well.
- Store harvested sprouts covered in the fridge and use within a few days.
Food safety
Raw sprouts can carry harmful bacteria and rinsing does not remove all risk. Always cook sprouts until steaming hot before eating. This applies to everyone, including pregnant people, young children, older people and anyone unwell. Use clean equipment and drinking water, refrigerate harvested sprouts promptly and discard any that smell off or show mould.
Adzuki bean sprouts must always be cooked until steaming hot before eating; do not eat them raw.
- Wash your hands before handling seeds and sprouts.
- Wash jars, sprouters, trays and lids in hot soapy water before and after every batch.
About these seeds (from your pack)
- Ingredients: Organic adzuki beans for sprouting.
- May contain cereals containing gluten, soya, celery and mustard.
- Storage: Store seeds sealed in a cool, dry, dark place.
- Country of origin: China.
- Organic: Certified organic by the Soil Association, control body GB-ORG-05.
Day by day
Day 0 is the day you soak. Every kitchen is different, so yours may be a day ahead or behind. That's fine.
Day 0: Soak
- You will see
- Small, dark red beans, each with a thin white line along one side.
- What to do
- Wash your hands, and wash a 1 litre jar in hot soapy water. Add about 4 to 8 tablespoons of beans and rinse them. Cover with two to three times their volume of cool drinking water. Soak for 8 to 12 hours. Then pour away all the water, shake out as much as you can, and rest the jar upside down at an angle. Keep it out of direct sunlight.
Day 1: Swelling
- You will see
- The beans look plumper and feel a little softer. A few skins may split.
- What to do
- Rinse and drain 2 to 3 times a day. Morning and evening is the minimum. Drain well each time and tilt the jar so air can flow.
Day 2: Tails
- You will see
- Small white tails start to appear from the white line on some of the beans. You may spot fine, fuzzy white hairs on the tails. These are root hairs, and they're normal (see the checker below).
- What to do
- Keep rinsing and draining 2 to 3 times a day. Rinse more often if your kitchen is warm. Give the jar a quick sniff. Fresh sprouts smell clean and mild.
Day 3: Often ready from today
- You will see
- Short white tails on most of the beans.
- What to do
- You can harvest now, or keep going for a day or two if you'd like longer tails. Keep rinsing and draining in the meantime.
Day 4: Harvest day for most people
- You will see
- Longer tails on most of the beans. A few beans may not sprout at all. That's normal.
- What to do
- Give them a final rinse and pick out any beans that are still hard. Drain well for a few hours so they go into the fridge fairly dry. Store them in a covered container in the fridge. Adzuki bean sprouts must always be cooked until steaming hot before eating; do not eat them raw.
Day 5: Last day of the usual window
- You will see
- Longer tails.
- What to do
- Harvest today if you haven't already. Rinse, drain well and refrigerate. Cook them until steaming hot before eating, and eat within a few days.
Rinse tracker
| Day | Morning | Evening | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 0 | Soak 8 to 12 hours, then drain | ||
| Day 1 | |||
| Day 2 | Tails may appear | ||
| Day 3 | Often ready from today | ||
| Day 4 | Harvested | ||
| Day 5 |
Is it mould or root hairs?
This is the question new sprouters ask most. Here's how to tell.
Root hairs: fine
- Fine, fuzzy and white, just above the tip of each root.
- Usually appear on day 2 or 3.
- Rinse the sprouts: root hairs flatten and almost disappear when wet, then come back as the sprouts dry.
- Smell: clean and mild.
- What to do: nothing. Carry on rinsing.
Mould: bin it
- Often grey, green, black or blue, or white and cottony or slimy.
- Spreads over the seeds and hulls rather than the roots.
- Does not disappear when you rinse.
- Usually smells musty.
- What to do: throw the whole batch away. Do not try to rinse or cut it off. Wash the jar and lid in hot soapy water before starting again.
- you see mould;
- the sprouts smell sour, rotten or musty;
- they feel slimy;
- you're not sure. If in doubt, throw it out.
Drain thoroughly after every rinse, rinse more often in warm weather, keep the jar tilted so air can flow, and grow a smaller amount at a time.
Not sprouting?
- Soak for 8 to 12 hours in clean drinking water.
- Drain, then rinse and drain 2 to 3 times a day.
- After each rinse, rest the jar upside down at an angle so it drains well.
- Keep the seeds out of direct sunlight.
- Typically ready in 3 to 5 days.
- Store seeds sealed in a cool, dry, dark place.
Didn't sprout? Tell us about your batch
Recipes
Adzuki bean sprouts have a mild, nutty flavour and hold their bite in hot dishes. Every idea below cooks the sprouts until they are steaming hot.
Adzuki sprout and vegetable soup
Serves 2
You need
- 2 good handfuls of adzuki bean sprouts (about 100 g)
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 carrot, diced
- 1 celery stick, diced
- 1 tbsp oil
- 700 ml vegetable stock
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Heat the oil in a pan and soften the onion, carrot and celery for 5 minutes.
- Add the stock and bring to the boil.
- Add the sprouts and simmer for 10 minutes until the vegetables are tender and the soup is steaming hot. Season and serve.
Adzuki sprout and squash curry
Serves 2
You need
- 2 good handfuls of adzuki bean sprouts (about 100 g)
- 300 g butternut squash, peeled and diced
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 to 2 tbsp curry paste
- 400 ml tin of coconut milk
- Cooked rice, to serve
Method
- Heat the oil in a pan and soften the onion for 5 minutes. Stir in the curry paste and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the squash and coconut milk, bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
- Add the sprouts and simmer for another 10 minutes, until the squash is tender and the curry is steaming hot. Serve with rice.
Adzuki sprout stir-fry with ginger
Serves 2
You need
- 2 good handfuls of adzuki bean sprouts (about 100 g)
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 red pepper, sliced
- 2 spring onions, sliced
- 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger, grated
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- Cooked noodles or rice for 2
Method
- Put the sprouts in a pan of boiling water, boil for 2 minutes, then drain.
- Heat the oil in a wok and stir-fry the pepper, spring onions and ginger for 2 minutes.
- Add the sprouts and soy sauce and stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes until everything is steaming hot. Serve with noodles or rice.
Quick idea: stir a handful of sprouts into a soup or stew and simmer for a few minutes until steaming hot.
Check the labels of your other ingredients, such as stock, curry paste, soy sauce and noodles, for allergens. The soup also contains celery, which is an allergen.
About Adzuki Bean seeds
Adzuki beans are small, dark red beans used widely in Japanese and Chinese cooking, often in sweet red bean paste. They have a tough skin, so they need a long soak of 8 to 12 hours. The sprouts grow a white tail from the red bean and keep a firm, nutty bite when cooked.
Questions
How long do I soak Adzuki beans?
Soak for 8 to 12 hours in clean drinking water. Beans are bigger than small sprouting seeds, so they need a longer soak, and overnight suits most people. Soaking far longer can stop seeds sprouting, so set a timer if it helps.
How do I rinse them?
Fill the jar with fresh drinking water, swirl, then drain well through the mesh lid. Rest the jar upside down at an angle so extra water can drain and air can flow. Do this 2 to 3 times a day, morning and evening as a minimum, and more often in warm weather.
How much seed should I use?
Use about 4 to 8 tablespoons of beans, lentils or peas for a 1 litre jar. Seeds swell a lot, so less is more.
What should they smell like?
Fresh sprouts smell clean and mild, a bit like fresh peas or cut grass. A sour, rotten or musty smell means something has gone wrong, so throw the batch away.
My beans went slimy or smell bad. What happened?
A sour, rotten or musty smell, or a slimy feel, means something has gone wrong, so throw the batch away and wash the jar in hot soapy water. To help next time: don't soak for longer than your pack says (8 to 12 hours), drain thoroughly after every rinse, rinse more often in warm weather, keep the jar tilted so air can flow, and grow a smaller amount at a time.
How do I store the sprouts, and for how long?
After the final rinse, drain them well for a few hours so they go into the fridge fairly dry. Keep them in a covered container in the fridge, eat them within a few days, and cook them until steaming hot before eating. Store the unused seeds sealed in a cool, dry, dark place and use them by the best before date on the pack.
My beans aren't sprouting. What's wrong?
Too cold: seeds sprout well at a comfortable room temperature, around 20 to 25°C. In a cold kitchen they can take a day or two longer. Too long in water: drain well after every rinse and don't leave the jar sitting in water. Drying out: rinse at least twice a day. Seed storage: seeds kept warm, damp or open to the air sprout less well. A few hard beans are normal. Pick them out at harvest.
Some beans are slow or stay hard. Is that normal?
Timings are typical ranges. Your sprouts may be a little faster or slower depending on how warm your kitchen is and how big you like them. In a cold kitchen they can take a day or two longer. A few hard seeds are normal: a small number of seeds may not sprout. Pick them out at harvest.
Which directions should I follow?
Always follow any directions on your pack.
Can I eat the sprouts without cooking them?
No. Adzuki bean sprouts must always be cooked until steaming hot before eating; do not eat them raw. Please read the food safety box above.
Do I need special equipment?
No. A large glass jar (about 1 litre) with a mesh or sieve lid does the job, or a sprouter if you have one. You also need clean drinking water and somewhere to rest the jar upside down at an angle, like a bowl or dish rack.