How to Grow Bean Sprouts (DIY)

Bean sprouts are an easy way to grow your own food in just a few days. Full of vitamins and really high in protein, these crunchy sprouts will get your vegetable gardening fix in during the long winter months.

I started growing my own alfalfa sprouts several years ago. Around the same time I experimented with growing Mung Bean sprouts. Mung bean sprouts are the ones you recognize as plain old bean sprouts in the grocery store.

The alfalfa sprouts worked right out of the gate. The Mung Bean sprouts ... did not. Commercially grown bean sprouts are nice and long and relatively straight. This is not necessarily true of home grown bean sprouts. Unless you know the trick. And I know the trick.

Do you want to know the trick?  Then read on.
 

Home Grown Bean Sprouts.

The most important thing to do to ensure you get grocery store quality sized bean sprouts is to weigh them down while they're growing. 

Alfalfa sprouts can be successfully grown in a mason jar but Mung bean sprouts need a special set up. Nothing too crazy, and you can make it at home. You'll need 3 Tupperware-type containers. I used old Indian food takeout containers that I'd saved. And one lid. The lid is optional.

First things first. The big question.

Are mung beans and bean sprouts the same thing?

There are TONS of different types of bean sprouts. You can sprout any bean. BUT when people refer to "bean sprouts" they are generally referring to the sprouts of mung beans, a small, round, green dried bean.

How long does it take for mung beans to sprout?

Mung beans will actually sprout in just one day!  They'll grow to a size that's edible in just 3-4 days.

How to do it.

• You need to drill some drainage holes into one of the containers.
• The other thing you'll need are actual Mung Beans. These can be found in the bulk section of some grocery stores, sold in the bag, or at the Bulk Barn. So they aren't very difficult to get ahold of. 

Dump some beans into your perforated dish.  You want a couple of tablespoons.  Definitely less than half of what would cover the entire bottom of your dish.  Bean sprouts will quadruple their size once grown.
 

Place your perforated dish into a regular dish.
 

Fill with room temperature water and leave for 8-12 hours to soak (just run the tap until it's around room temperature. You just don't want very cold or very hot water.)
 

Drain your beans.
 

Rinse them once more very well under clean cool water and drain thoroughly after.

Put them back in the original base.
 

Trick #1

Fill your last remaining plastic container base with water and put the lid on it.  Put this on top of your bean sprouts in the perforated dish.  You don't need to use the lid with water, it's just helpful for the first day or so. You just need to weigh the top container down so it stays in contact with the bean sprout seeds.

Now you rinse and drain the beans every 8 - 12 hours.

Trick #2

For the first couple of days use VERY light water pressure when rinsing.  Just barely more than a dribble.  Your goal is to have the bean seeds not move at ALL while you're rinsing them.  That means, very low water pressure and rinsing for a long time to make sure you've rinsed them well.

Return the sprouts to their holding bin each time, and weigh them down.
 

You can eat your sprouts at any point, but I like to let mine grow for around 4 days.

Mung Bean sprout growth on days 1, 2, 3 and 4.
 

These sprouts get STRONG.  Anabolic steroid after a bath salts bender strong.  As evidenced in the photo below.  The sprouts started getting strong enough that I needed to weigh them down with more than 3 little pigs.  I put a huge pumpkin on them.

I walked in the door one afternoon to find the Lance Armstrong of sprouts had actually pushed the pumpkin right off of them.
 
Your sprouts might get a slightly pink tinge to them. This is from exposure to air. It's fine. If you weigh them down really well and keep the top container in contact with this, you're less likely to get pinkish sprouts.

 Some of the sprout roots will grow out of the bottom of the container.  Don't worry about it.
 

4 days later a nest of thick sprouts. If you really want to avoid having the roots come out of the drainage holes, just keep a paper towel folded across the bottom of your container.

 
Keep your sprouts covered in the fridge for a few days.

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How to Grow Bean Sprouts (DIY)

Yield: Home grown bean sprouts

Active Time: 3 days

Total Time: 3 days

Making thick, long bean sprouts at home is easy. You just need to know a couple of tricks.

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Materials

• 3 tablespoons mung bean sprouts
• water

Tools

• 3 plastic containers that are the same size and fit into each other.
• (one container needs holes drilled into the bottom for drainage.)

Instructions

1. Drill or punch drainage holes into the bottom of one of your plastic containers. You'll use this over and over again whenever you make sprouts.
2. Dump some beans into your perforated container. No more than what will cover half the bottom of your container. Start with 2-3 tablespoons. Place your perforated dish into one of the other tupperware-type containers and fill with water. Let soak overnight. 
3. After soaking, drain the beans and rinse them. Remove water from the lower container and put the perforated dish back into it. Place your 3rd container on top of the beans so it's covering them up and touching them. Weigh the top container down with something heavy. Either fill it with water or set a heavy object on it.
4. Rinse and drain the beans every 12 hours. Be careful not to disturb the beans when you rinse and drain them. Keeping them in the same spot helps them grow long straight roots.
5. Rinse the beans one final time when they've grown big enough to your liking and refrigerate them. I like around 4 days growth for fat, juicy bean sprouts).

Notes

Can you just do them in a jar instead of all these plastic containers? Yes. But you won't get as nice a sprout. Follow my Alfalfa Sprout instructions, just use mung beans instead.

How long can I store them?  Close to a week if they're refrigerated.

How can you tell when the bean sprouts are ready? You can eat them whenever you want! Even as early as day 2. They just won't be as big as they are at day 4 or 5.

Are mung bean sprouts good for you? You bet! They're full of vitamins A, C and iron. PLUS an added bonus for vegans and vegetarians, they have more protein than almost any other plant. 

How can I use them?  Put them in stir fry, soups or on salads.

Because of the risk of salmonella and E. coli There is a danger to eating raw sprouts. All sprouts. Even homegrown ones. Just so you know. Having said that there's also a danger to just existing basically.

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