How to Grow Sprouts at Home
Anyone can easily grow sprouts at home! And I mean anyone. It’s easy, inexpensive, and you don’t need sunlight or soil or fancy equipment to do it. This is coming from someone who currently lives in a small apartment, with no direct light for plants, and frozen winter ground outside with no hope for planting until spring. Not to mention, someone without a particularly “green” thumb!
The technique that I will describe below can be used for a number of different sprouts, but broccoli sprouts are incredibly nutritious and are a great option for your first attempt at home sprouting. They are crunchy and have a slightly spicy flavor—a delicious addition to salads and sandwiches.
Read on to learn how to grow your own sprouts at home, how broccoli sprouts specifically can help to improve your health, and how to spruce up your cooking with the addition of fresh home-grown sprouts!
The many health benefits of broccoli sprouts
Broccoli sprouts are incredibly nutritious, in some ways even more so than broccoli! Broccoli sprouts contain a compound called glucoraphanin, which is converted in the body into sulforaphane. Sulforaphane is a powerful phytochemical which protects your body from inflammation and many diseases (1).
What’s really cool is that broccoli sprouts contain around 100 times as much glucoraphanin as broccoli (3)! Which means they have some pretty incredible health benefits:
Cancer prevention. Sulforaphane has been found to slow tumor growth, encourage cancer cell death, reduce inflammation, promote detoxification, and stop benign carcinogens from converting into active ones (1, 5).
Joint health. Some studies have found that sulforaphane can reduce the inflammation linked to arthritis and joint pain, and help prevent osteoarthritis (2, 5).
Mental health. Research has found that sulforaphane may help reduce the risk of brain conditions like Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, brain stroke, and schizophrenia (1, 5).
Vitamins, minerals, protein, & fiber. A 3 oz serving of broccoli sprouts has 60% the recommended daily amount of vitamin C! They are also high in vitamin A (10%) and calcium (6%). Plus, one serving contains 4 g fiber and 2 g protein.
How to grow your own sprouts at home
Necessary equipment
A large wide-mouth mason jar
A mesh top lid (or cheesecloth secured with a rubber band)
A regular solid lid (or airtight container for storage)
A packet of seeds meant for sprouting
A small bowl
Cool water
With a little dedication each day, any type of sprout is easy to grow at home. From what I’ve seen, broccoli sprouts have slightly different instructions from other sprouts. Be sure to read the instructions on the packet of seeds you buy, as they may vary slightly. Sprouting seeds can be found in many health food stores, nurseries, or online. If you buy the seeds in a store, they may also sell some sort of container to sprout them in. There are several different types of sprouting containers that you can choose from. I went with the basic mason jar and sprouting lid method because it was straightforward and inexpensive. The directions below are for this method, but can be easily adapted if you use a different type of container.
Directions
Read the instructions on your packet of broccoli sprout seeds.
Put 1 tbs of seeds in the jar, fill with cool water, and put on the sprouting lid. Let soak for 2 hours. (Many other types of seeds recommend soaking for around 8 hours, but I’ve found broccoli sprouts do better with a shorter soak.)
Leaving the lid in place: drain out all the water, refill the jar, and drain again.
Store jar upside down in a clean bowl at an angle, so that the water will continue to drain (see photo above).
Repeat this process every 8-12 hours, or 2-3 times a day: fill with water, drain, fill with water, drain, store in bowl (after pouring excess water out of bowl). (I have found that broccoli sprouts do well with two rinses each time.)
After 4-5 days, you will have about half a large mason jar full of sprouts!
Tip to help you remember to water your sprouts: I leave the jar on the kitchen counter near the sink. That way, I see them in the morning and evening when I’m making breakfast/dinner, and I remember to water them.
Optional: on the last day you can place the jar in indirect light to give the sprouts a greener hue.
You can now store the sprouts in the refrigerator for up to a week. Switch to the solid cap (or an airtight container). If you continue to use the sprouting lid, keep rinsing sprouts twice a day to keep them moist.
What other types of sprouts can I grow?
There are so many different types of seeds that you can sprout at home!
Just make sure to buy seeds that are meant for sprouting (they will be labeled as such on the package).
Photo by Lynda Hinton on Unsplash
Alfalfa sprouts. These are probably the most common sprouts you’ll see on sandwiches or salads. They have a very mild flavor and are a great option if you find that broccoli sprouts have a bit too much of a kick.
Mung beans. Bean sprouts are common toppers for asian cuisine. The beans are considerably bigger than broccoli or alfalfa seeds, which leads to thicker and juicier sprouts. They are delicious on top of pho, ramen, or curry.
Red clover sprouts. These are a great source of phytoestrogens and can help treat symptoms of menopause and perimenopause. They have a mild flavor and are a great alternative to alfalfa sprouts (6).
Radish sprouts. Radish sprouts are great if you’re looking to add a little spice to your food! If you like radishes, you’ll like their sprouts too.
Lentils. Sprouting makes lentils easier to digest and adds a delicious earthiness to your meal (4). Plus you get a great protein and fiber boost!
A blend of sprouts. You can also purchase delicious blends of seeds for variety.
Broccoli sprout recipe ideas
Broccoli sprouts are versatile and can be used in many different dishes.
Here are a few ideas to get you started.
Mix into a salad.
Layer onto a sandwich.
Blend into a green smoothie (try it in our Tropical Green Smoothie…yum…).
Sprinkle on top of avocado toast.
Use as a garnish on top of any number of recipes: vegetable soup, pesto pasta, stir fried rice, etc.
References
Brennan, D. (2020). Health benefits of broccoli sprouts. WebMD. Retrieved from: https://www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-broccoli-sprouts
Eating broccoli may prevent osteoarthritis. (n.d.). The Guardian. Retrieved from: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2013/aug/28/eating-broccoli-may-prevent-osteoarthritis#:~:text=Researchers%20from%20the%20University%20of,painful%20and%20often%20debilitating%20osteoarthritis.
Fahey, J.W. & Kensler, T.W. (2021). The challenges of designing and implementing clinical trials with broccoli sprouts… and turning evidence Into public health action. Frontiers in Nutrition. Retrieved from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8116591/
How to sprout lentils. (2019). The Stingy Vegan. Retrieved from: https://thestingyvegan.com/how-to-sprout-lentils/
Lang, A. (2021). What are broccoli sprouts? Nutrients, benefits, and recipes. Healthline. Retrieved from: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/broccoli-sprouts
Ruhoy, I. (2019). 'Sprouting' is the healthiest (and least expensive) thing you can do for your brain health. MBG Health. Retrieved from: https://www.mindbodygreen.com/articles/health-benefits-of-sprouting