Let's grow your Chickpea sprouts
Soak today. Your sprouts are typically ready in 2 to 4 days.
- Soak8 to 12 hours
- Rinse2 to 3 times a day
- Typically ready2 to 4 days
Please read the food safety box before you eat your first batch. Always cook chickpea 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 2 to 4 days. Rinse, drain well and refrigerate.
- Use about 4 to 8 tablespoons of chickpeas 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.
Chickpea 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 chickpeas (Cicer arietinum) for sprouting.
- May contain cereals containing gluten, soya, celery and mustard.
- Storage: Store seeds sealed in a cool, dry, dark place.
- Country of origin: Italy.
- 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
- Round, beige chickpeas.
- What to do
- Wash your hands, and wash a 1 litre jar in hot soapy water. Add about 4 to 8 tablespoons of chickpeas 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 chickpeas are much bigger and softer. A few tiny white tails may peep out.
- 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: Often ready from today
- You will see
- Short white tails on many of the chickpeas.
- 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 2 to 3 times a day, and more often if your kitchen is warm. Give the jar a quick sniff. Fresh sprouts smell clean and mild.
Day 3: Harvest day for most people
- You will see
- Longer tails on most of the chickpeas. 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
- Give them a final rinse and pick out any chickpeas 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. Chickpea sprouts must always be cooked until steaming hot before eating; do not eat them raw.
Day 4: 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 | Often ready from today | ||
| Day 3 | Harvested | ||
| Day 4 |
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 2 to 4 days.
- Store seeds sealed in a cool, dry, dark place.
Didn't sprout? Tell us about your batch
Recipes
Chickpea sprouts have a nutty flavour and work well in curries, stews and soups. Every idea below cooks the sprouts until they are steaming hot.
Chickpea sprout curry
Serves 2
You need
- 2 good handfuls of chickpea sprouts (about 100 g)
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 to 2 tbsp curry paste
- 400 g tin of chopped tomatoes
- 1 good handful of spinach
- Cooked rice, to serve
Method
- Heat the oil in a pan and soften the onion for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and curry paste and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the tomatoes and sprouts, bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, stirring now and then, until the sprouts are tender.
- Stir in the spinach and cook for 2 minutes until wilted and the curry is steaming hot. Serve with rice.
Chickpea sprout and vegetable soup
Serves 2
You need
- 2 good handfuls of chickpea sprouts (about 100 g)
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 carrot, diced
- 1 courgette, diced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 700 ml vegetable stock
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Heat the oil in a pan and soften the onion and carrot for 5 minutes. Stir in the cumin.
- Add the stock and sprouts, bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.
- Add the courgette and simmer for 5 more minutes until the vegetables are tender and the soup is steaming hot. Season and serve.
Smoky chickpea sprout and pepper traybake
Serves 2
You need
- 2 good handfuls of chickpea sprouts (about 100 g)
- 2 peppers, cut into chunks
- 1 red onion, cut into wedges
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Heat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan, gas 6).
- Toss the sprouts, peppers and onion with the oil, paprika and seasoning on a baking tray.
- Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, turning once, until the vegetables are soft and everything is steaming hot.
Quick idea: stir a handful of sprouts into a stew and simmer for at least 10 minutes until tender and steaming hot.
Check the labels of your other ingredients, such as curry paste and stock, for allergens.
About Chickpea seeds
Chickpeas (Cicer arietinum), also called garbanzo beans, are large, round pulses. They need a long soak, 8 to 12 hours, and swell a lot before the first short white tail appears. They are typically ready in 2 to 4 days, as your pack says.
Questions
How long do I soak Chickpeas?
Soak for 8 to 12 hours in clean drinking water. Chickpeas are much 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 chickpeas 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 chickpeas 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 chickpeas are normal. Pick them out at harvest.
Some chickpeas 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. Chickpea 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.