Let's grow your Green Lentil sprouts
Soak today. Your sprouts are typically ready in 2 to 4 days.
- Soak6 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 green lentil 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 6 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 lentils 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.
Green lentil 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 green lentils (Lens culinaris) 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, flat, green-brown lentils.
- What to do
- Wash your hands, and wash a 1 litre jar in hot soapy water. Add 4 to 8 tablespoons of whole lentils and rinse them. Cover with two to three times their volume of cool drinking water. Soak for 6 to 12 hours; overnight is handy. 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 lentils look plumper. Some may split their skins, and 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 most of the lentils. 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. You can harvest now if you like short tails, or keep going for a day or two. 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 lentils.
- What to do
- Give them a final rinse. Drain well for a few hours so they go into the fridge fairly dry. Store them in a covered container in the fridge. Green lentil 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 again. A few lentils may show tiny 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 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 6 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
Green lentil sprouts have a mild, earthy flavour that works well in hot dishes. Every idea below cooks the sprouts until they are steaming hot.
Spiced lentil sprout dal
Serves 2
You need
- 2 good handfuls (about 100 g) lentil sprouts
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, sliced
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 x 400 g tin chopped tomatoes
- 200 ml water
- Salt and pepper
- Cooked rice, to serve
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 tomatoes, water and sprouts. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until the sprouts are tender and everything is steaming hot.
- Season and serve with the rice.
Lentil sprout and vegetable soup
Serves 2
You need
- 2 good handfuls (about 100 g) lentil sprouts
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 carrot, diced
- 1 celery stick, diced
- 750 ml vegetable stock
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Heat the oil in a large pan and cook the onion, carrot and celery for 5 minutes.
- Pour in the stock and bring to the boil.
- Add the sprouts and simmer for 10 minutes until the vegetables are soft and the soup is steaming hot.
- Season and serve.
Garlic lentil sprout and spinach stir-fry
Serves 2
You need
- 2 good handfuls (about 100 g) lentil sprouts
- 1 tbsp oil
- 2 garlic cloves, sliced
- 2 handfuls of spinach
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- Cooked noodles or rice, to serve
Method
- Heat the oil in a wok and fry the garlic for 30 seconds.
- Add the sprouts and stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the spinach and soy sauce and stir-fry for 1 to 2 minutes more, until the spinach has wilted and everything is steaming hot.
- Serve with the 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, celery, soy sauce and noodles, for allergens.
About Green Lentil seeds
Green lentils (Lens culinaris) are whole lentils with their seed coat still on, which is what lets them sprout: split lentils can't. They keep their flat, round shape as they sprout, with a short white tail growing from one edge. They are one of the quickest pulses to sprout, typically ready in 2 to 4 days.
Questions
How long do I soak Green Lentil seeds?
Soak for 6 to 12 hours in clean drinking water, as your pack says. Overnight is handy. Soaking far longer can stop seeds sprouting, so set a timer if it helps.
Do split lentils sprout?
Only whole lentils sprout. Split lentils will not.
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.
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 lentils 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. Green lentil 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.