Let's grow your Mung 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 mung 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.
Mung 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 mung beans (Vigna radiata) 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, round, green beans.
- What to do
- Wash your hands, and wash a 1 litre jar in hot soapy water. Add 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; 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 beans look much plumper. Some green skins start to split, and small 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
- White tails on most of the beans, getting longer. Loose green skins start to show. 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
- Thicker white sprouts, a few centimetres long.
- What to do
- You can harvest now, or keep going for a day or two if you'd like them longer. Keep rinsing and draining until you harvest.
Day 4: Harvest day for most people
- You will see
- Longer, well-grown sprouts.
- What to do
- Give them a final rinse. To remove loose skins, tip the sprouts into a bowl of drinking water, swish gently and skim the skins 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. Mung 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 sprouts again. A few may show tiny leaves at the top.
- 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 | Root hairs 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
Mung bean sprouts have a mild, fresh flavour and a crunchy bite, and they suit stir-fries, noodles and soups. Every idea below cooks the sprouts until they are steaming hot.
Stir-fried bean sprouts with spring onion
Serves 2 as a side
You need
- 2 good handfuls (about 100 g) mung bean sprouts
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 garlic clove, sliced
- 2 spring onions, sliced
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
Method
- Heat the oil in a wok until hot and fry the garlic for 30 seconds.
- Add the sprouts and spring onions and stir-fry for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the soy sauce and stir-fry for 1 minute more, until everything is steaming hot. Serve straight away.
Mung bean sprout egg fried rice
Serves 2
You need
- 2 good handfuls (about 100 g) mung bean sprouts
- 1 tbsp oil
- 250 g cooked rice, cooled and kept in the fridge
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 spring onions, sliced
Method
- Heat the oil in a wok and stir-fry the sprouts for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add the rice and stir-fry until it is hot all the way through.
- Push everything to one side, pour the eggs into the gap and stir until set, then mix in.
- Add the soy sauce and spring onions and stir-fry for 1 minute more, until everything is steaming hot.
Hot and sour noodle soup with mung bean sprouts
Serves 2
You need
- 2 good handfuls (about 100 g) mung bean sprouts
- 750 ml vegetable stock
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 pinch of chilli flakes
- 2 nests of noodles
- 2 spring onions, sliced
Method
- Bring the stock, soy sauce, vinegar and chilli to the boil in a pan.
- Add the noodles and cook as the packet says.
- Add the sprouts for the last 2 minutes and simmer until the soup is steaming hot.
- Stir in the spring onions 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 soy sauce, noodles, stock and eggs, for allergens.
About Mung Bean seeds
Mung beans (Vigna radiata) are small, olive-green beans from the same plant family as peas and lentils. They are the bean behind the crunchy white bean sprouts used in many East Asian stir-fries. After soaking they swell quickly and push out a thick white shoot, and they are typically ready in 3 to 5 days, sooner than most small leafy seeds.
Questions
How long do I soak Mung Bean seeds?
Soak for 8 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.
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 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. Mung 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.