Easy mung bean sprouts

Easy mung beans

If you're just starting out.....

If you’re new to sprouting, start off with mung beans. You simply can’t go wrong with them and they are so quick to grow too, so there's not much waiting involved. Less time to mess things up :)

Just half a cup of mung turns into this!

How to sprout mung beans

Wash the beans well, discarding any tiny stones you might find. Dentists are expensive!
Put the clean beans in a glass jar & cover them with cold water. If possible, throw away the initial soaking water after a short while, rinse and then soak again. The beans will grow considerably in size, so make sure the jar is big enough and there’s plenty of water.
Leave them to soak for about 8-12 hours, or all day or all night. Don’t skimp on this step, the dormant beans need time to awaken and activate.
Discard the soaking water (you can use it to water your plants) & rinse the beans well. It’s as if they’ve been sitting in their dirty bath water all night, so give them a good rinse. They must start their journey clean and fresh!
Put the beans back into the clean jar, or other sprouting vessel of choice, and cover it with a mesh lid, a piece of cheesecloth or something breathable.
Cover the jar with a dark towel or something to block out the light. You don't have to do this (I didn't for decades) but when they're kept in the dark they grow sweeter.
Rinse & drain well 2-3 times a day. Twice a day is sufficient but in the hotter months I sometimes rinse them halfway through the day too.
Within 2-4 days* they are ready to eat! After two days you get a little tail on them and they can be eaten. If you wait another couple of days they'll grow into lovely long and thick sprouts.

*Depending on the temperature. The warmer it is, the faster the sprouts will grow.