Let's grow your Fenugreek sprouts
Soak today. Your sprouts are typically ready in 4 to 6 days.
- Soak6 to 8 hours
- Rinse2 to 3 times a day
- Typically ready4 to 6 days
Please read the food safety box before you eat your first batch. Always cook fenugreek 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.
-
Soak
Put the seeds in a clean sprouting jar or sprouter and cover with clean drinking water. Soak for 6 to 8 hours.
-
Rinse
Drain, then rinse and drain 2 to 3 times a day, keeping the seeds out of direct sunlight.
-
Harvest
Typically ready in 4 to 6 days. Rinse, drain well and refrigerate.
- 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.
Fenugreek 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 fenugreek seeds (Trigonella foenum-graecum) 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
- Small, hard, golden-brown seeds with squared-off edges.
- What to do
- Wash your hands, and wash a 1 litre jar in hot soapy water. Add the seeds and rinse them. Cover with two to three times their volume of cool drinking water. Soak for 6 to 8 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 seeds look plumper 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: Tails
- You will see
- More white tails, getting longer. You may spot fine, fuzzy white hairs on the roots. 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.
Day 3: Growing
- You will see
- Longer sprouts. Loose seed coats start to show.
- What to do
- Keep rinsing and draining. Give the jar a quick sniff. Fresh sprouts smell clean, with a light fenugreek aroma.
Day 4: Often ready from today
- You will see
- Sprouts a few centimetres long. Some may show tiny pale leaves.
- What to do
- You can harvest now, or keep going for a day or two if you'd like them bigger.
Day 5: Harvest day for most people
- You will see
- Well-grown sprouts, many with small leaves.
- What to do
- Give them a final rinse. To remove loose seed coats, tip the sprouts into a bowl of drinking water, swish gently and skim them off the top. Drain well for a few hours so they go into the fridge fairly dry. Store them in a covered container in the fridge. Fenugreek sprouts must always be cooked until steaming hot before eating; do not eat them raw.
Day 6: Last day of the usual window
- You will see
- Longer sprouts with bigger leaves.
- 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 6 to 8 hours, then drain | ||
| Day 1 | |||
| Day 2 | Root hairs may appear | ||
| Day 3 | Sniff test | ||
| Day 4 | Often ready from today | ||
| Day 5 | Harvested | ||
| Day 6 |
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 6 to 8 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 4 to 6 days.
- Store seeds sealed in a cool, dry, dark place.
Didn't sprout? Tell us about your batch
Recipes
Fenugreek sprouts have a slightly bitter, nutty flavour with the warm aroma of fenugreek seed, which suits curries, dals and spiced dishes. Every idea below cooks the sprouts until they are steaming hot.
Potato and fenugreek sprout curry
Serves 2
You need
- 2 good handfuls (about 100 g) fenugreek sprouts
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, sliced
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes
- 1 x 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
- 150 ml water
- Salt
Method
- Heat the oil in a pan and soften the onion for 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and spices and stir for 1 minute.
- Add the potatoes, tomatoes and water. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
- Stir in the sprouts and simmer for 5 minutes more, until everything is steaming hot. Season and serve with rice or flatbread.
Red lentil dal with fenugreek sprouts
Serves 2
You need
- 1 good handful (about 50 g) fenugreek sprouts
- 150 g dried red split lentils, rinsed
- 600 ml water
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 garlic clove, sliced
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- Salt
Method
- Simmer the lentils in the water with the turmeric for about 20 minutes, stirring now and then, until soft.
- In a small pan, heat the oil and fry the garlic and cumin seeds for 30 seconds.
- Add the sprouts to the small pan and stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Tip everything into the dal and simmer for 2 minutes until steaming hot. Season and serve.
Spiced fenugreek sprout omelette
Serves 1
You need
- 1 good handful (about 50 g) fenugreek sprouts
- 1 tsp butter or oil
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 1 pinch of chilli flakes
- 2 to 3 eggs, beaten
- Salt
Method
- Heat the butter or oil in a frying pan and soften the onion for 3 minutes.
- Add the sprouts and chilli and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until wilted and steaming hot.
- Pour in the eggs and cook gently until set, then fold and serve.
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 eggs, butter and flatbread, for allergens.
About Fenugreek seeds
Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) is a herb from the pea family, and its seeds are a common spice in Indian cooking. The seeds are small, angular and golden-brown, and the sprouts carry the warm aroma of the spice. They are a little bitter, so they suit spiced, cooked dishes.
Questions
How long do I soak Fenugreek seeds?
Soak for 6 to 8 hours in clean drinking water, as your pack says. 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?
Seeds swell a lot, so less is more. Grow a smaller amount at a time.
What should they smell like?
Fresh sprouts smell clean, with a light fenugreek aroma. A sour, rotten or musty smell means something has gone wrong, so throw the batch away.
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 seeds 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 seeds are normal. Pick them out at harvest.
Some seeds 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. Fenugreek 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.