How to Sprout Lentils The Easy Way
By Hannah Healy
Updated June 12, 2024
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Sprouting lentils is a great way to increase this healthy legume’s nutritional benefits and digestibility. Learn how to sprout lentils at home easily and affordably.
Sprouting has been used in traditional cooking for many years. You may have heard of sprouted mung beans, alfalfa, garbanzo beans, oats, and other grains. Some studies have shown that the germination process involved in creating sprouted foods may help increase the absorbability of various vitamins and minerals.
What Is The Difference Between Regular Lentils And Sprouted Lentils?
Regular, non-sprouted lentils cannot be eaten raw and must be cooked longer to be edible. Depending on the type of lentil you’re cooking, it can take anywhere from 15-30 minutes. Regular lentils have a hearty, thick, bean-like texture and a rich flavor.
Lentil sprouts have gone through a process of germination where each lentil pod has grown a small thread-like sprout due to a humid environment. Going through this process breaks down certain compounds in the lentil and makes it easier to digest, thereby making it appropriate to eat raw. Sprouting lentils also changes the texture and flavor of the legume. It becomes crunchy, lighter, and earthier.
Are Sprouted Lentils Safe To Eat?
Although there is a fair amount of talk about illness caused by sprouts, lentil sprouts are quite safe to eat, especially when you make them yourself at home, barring any user error (which I will help to walk you through in the recipe below!).
According to the CDC, several salmonella and E. coli cases from large-scale commercial operations involving seed sprouts have occurred. Growing sprouts on a large commercial scale make it very difficult to contain pathogens since a warm and humid environment is necessary to grow them, and this is the exact environment where bacteria like this can accumulate.
However, small-scale sprouting at home is usually pretty safe. You have a very small chance of contracting a pathogen since you have control over one or two jars and their cleanliness. I’ve sprouted tons of times and never had an issue.
One basic rule of thumb is to throw it out if it looks or smells off.
Lentil Sprout Health Benefits
Are lentil sprouts good for you? The short answer is yes!
- Sprouting lentils increases the nutrient content. One recent study found that the nutrition facts for sprouted lentils had significantly higher protein content and levels of calcium, magnesium, and potassium than their non-sprouted counterparts.
- Sprouted lentils are high in antioxidants called phenolic compounds that support health.
- Sprouting legumes has been shown to reduce phytic acid, which may reduce intestinal gas and make them easier to digest.
- Sprouted Lentils contain healthy carbohydrates, fiber, vitamin C, iron, zinc, folate, phosphorus, and B vitamins.
Are Sprouted Lentils A Complete Protein?
Normally, regular lentils are not a complete protein, but since sprouting lentils increases the nutrient value, the process turns them into a complete protein!
What Do Sprouted Lentils Taste Like?
In their raw form, lentil sprouts have a light, crunchy texture and earthy flavor. When cooked, they are a little heartier but still lighter than regular lentils. The flavor and texture vary slightly between lentil types, so experiment and see what you like!
How To Eat Lentil Sprouts
Do Sprouted Lentils Need to Be Cooked?
Sprouted lentils do not need to be cooked. They can be eaten raw, but you can cook them for a different texture and flavor. They take less time to cook than regular lentils. Whether they are green lentils, red, brown, or French lentils, they can all be used similarly.
Ways To Eat Raw Lentil Sprouts:
- In salads
- On avocado toast
- In sandwiches
- In veggie bowls
- On tacos
Ways To Eat Cooked Sprouted Lentils:
- Lentil burgers
- Soup
- Stir frys with vegetables
- Chili
- Indian daal
- In frittatas or scrambles
- In stuffing
- In shepherd’s pie
Where To Buy Sprouted Lentils
Although I will teach you how to make sprouted lentils easily and affordably in the recipe below, I know some people don’t have the time to devote to it and would rather buy sprouted lentils to get all the nutrient benefits.
You can buy sprouted lentils online or at health food stores, but usually, these are dried to prevent pathogens, so they need to be cooked before eating.
Homemade lentil sprouts, on the other hand, can be eaten raw. You may be able to find sprouted lentils that can be eaten raw at local farmer’s markets.
What To Know Before You Sprout Lentils
Successful Lentil Sprouting Tips
- It’s best to use a 32 oz. wide mouth mason jar because the lentils need room to expand after soaking and room to breathe as they sprout so they don’t become too moist. This recipe calls for 1/2 cup of lentils, and they will expand to almost fill up the whole jar once they are sprouted. If you want to double the recipe, use two jars so the lentils have enough room to expand.
- You’ll need a lid that allows the lentils to get air in the jar while they are sprouting. You can either use a sprouting lid or cheesecloth. You can get sprouting lids online, at health food stores, and sometimes even hardware or gardening stores. Cheesecloth is available online or at Target, Walmart, or kitchen supply stores like Sur La Table.
- You can use any kind of lentil, including red, green, brown, or French. The process for sprouting them will be the same for any lentil. The only thing that may vary is the time for sprouts to form.
- The recipe below uses 1/2 cup of lentils, resulting in 3-4 cups of sprouted lentils.
How To Store Sprouted Lentils
Once you have finished following the recipe below to sprout lentils, you’ll want to store them in a dry container in the refrigerator. Although a humid environment is key to growing lentil sprouts, they need to be cool and dry once they are done sprouting to keep them from going bad.
In order to ensure that the lentil sprouts stay dry, I dry them out on the counter on a paper towel right after they’re done sprouting. Then when I’m putting them in the fridge, I line a Tupperware container with paper towels and fill it with the lentils, then I include a paper towel on top to help it stay dry and fresh.
Troubleshooting – Why Aren’t My Lentils Sprouting?
Have you followed all the standard sprouting directions and your lentils still aren’t sprouting? Below are a few troubleshooting tips that may help you figure out why your lentils aren’t growing sprouts…
How To Sprout Lentils The Easy Way: Step-By-Step Instructions
All you need to start sprouting lentils are the lentils themselves, a mason jar, and a sprouting lid or cheesecloth. You want to make sure the lentils have enough room to expand in the jar, so if you want to double the recipe, use two jars instead of adding more lentils to the same jar.
Start by adding 1/2 cup of lentils to the mason jar and rinse them with water, removing any stones. You can rinse them by putting in water, then putting the sprouting lid on the jar and draining the water out through the lid. After rinsing the lentils, cover them completely with water and ensure there is 1-2 inches of water over them. Let the lentils soak in the water for about 8 hours. You can leave them overnight if you’d like.
Drain the water from the jar once the lentils have soaked for about 8 hours. Place the jar at an angle upside down so that the sprouting lid is at the bottom. You can place the jar against the wall over a bowl to catch any excess water or use a specially-made sprouting stand.
You’ll want to rinse and drain the lentils with water 2-3 times daily to keep them fresh. They’ll need to sit out for about 2-3 days to sprout fully. You’ll start to notice little thread-like tails coming out of the lentils.
Once they are at the length you want (usually 1/2 – 2 inches long), rinse and drain them once more. Then you can remove the lentils from the jar and place them evenly spread out onto paper towels or a clean dish cloth for about 1 hour to dry them. Drying them helps to keep them from going bad.
Once they are dry, store in the refrigerator. Extra moisture can make them go bad faster, so it’s best to store them in a container lined with a paper towel. They will last about 5-7 days in the refrigerator, but don’t forget to do the sight/sniff test. If you notice any mold or smell anything off, it’s time to throw them out!
How to Sprout Lentils the Easy Way
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup lentils (red, green, brown or french)
- 2-3 cups water
Instructions
- All you need to start sprouting lentils are the lentils themselves, a 32 oz. mason jar and a sprouting lid or cheesecloth. You want to make sure the lentils have enough room to expand in the jar, so if you want to double the recipe, use 2 jars instead of adding more lentils to the same jar.
- Start by adding 1/2 cup of lentils to the mason jar and rinse them with water, removing any stones. You can rinse them by putting in water then putting the sprouting lid on the jar and draining the water out through the lid.
- After rinsing the lentils, cover them completely with water and be sure that there is 1-2 inches of water over the lentils. Let the lentils soak in the water for about 8 hours. You can leave them overnight if you’d like.
- Once the lentils have soaked for about 8 hours, drain the water from the jar. Place the jar at an angle upside down so that the sprouting lid is at the bottom. You can place the jar against the wall over a bowl to catch any excess water or you can use a specially made sprouting stand.
- You’ll want to rinse and drain the lentils with water 2-3 times a day to keep it fresh. They’ll need to sit out for a total of about 2-3 days to fully sprout. You’ll start to notice little thread-like tails coming out of the lentils.
- Once they are at the length you want (usually 1/2 – 2 inches long), rinse and drain them once more. Then you can remove the lentils from the jar and place them evenly spread out onto paper towels or a clean dish cloth for about 1 hour to dry them. Drying them helps to keep them from going bad.
- Once they are dry, store the in the refrigerator. Extra moisture can make them go bad faster, so it’s best to store them in a container lined with a paper towel. They will last about 5-7 days in the refrigerator, but don’t forget to do the sight/sniff test. If you notice any mold or smell anything off, it’s time to throw them out!
Video
Notes
- It’s best to use a 32 oz. wide mouth mason jar because the lentils need room to expand after soaking and room to breath as they sprout so they don’t become too moist. This recipe calls for 1/2 cup of lentils and they will expand to almost fill up the whole jar once they are sprouted. If you want to double the recipe, use 2 jars so the lentils have enough room to expand.
- You’ll need a lid that allows the lentils to get air in the jar while they are sprouting. You can either use a sprouting lid or cheesecloth. You can get sprouting lids online, at health food stores and sometimes even hardware or gardening stores. Cheesecloth is available online or at target, walmart or kitchen supply stores like sur la table.
- You can use any kinds of lentils including red lentils, green, brown or french lentils. The process for sprouting them will be the same for any kind of lentil. The only thing that may vary is the time it takes for sprouts to form.
- This recipe uses 1/2 cup of dry lentils and will result in about 3-4 cups of sprouted lentils.
- Occasionally some companies irradiate their lentils in order to keep pathogens from growing and this may keep your lentils from sprouting. If this happens to you, try a different brand or order lentil seeds that are made for sprouting. Personally, store-bought lentils usually work fine for me, but it is possible that irradiation may be a reason some are not sprouting.
- It’s possible that your house is too cold and not providing a warm humid environment for the lentil sprouts to grow. If it’s winter time or if your lentils are sitting in a cold are of the home, try moving it to a warmer spot near the heater or near the oven.
- Your lentils are too old. Sometimes if you’ve had a bag of lentils sitting in your pantry for a number of years and you’ve just decided to try to sprout them, they may have simply gone bad and don’t have it in them to sprout! The same can go for some lentils bought from a bulk bin at a store…if they’re not very fresh, this can hinder them from sprouting.
- You soaked them for too long or not long enough. Generally you want to soak the lentils for about 8 hours, give or take a couple hours. However, sometimes people leave them overnight and forget about them and they soak too long and won’t sprout. ON the other hand if you put too little water in the jar or only soaked them a few hours short of 8 hours, they may have not had enough time to soak.
- You didn’t rinse them enough during the germination period. Sometimes this can contribute to moldy sprouts or lentil sprouts that have gone bad as well. Rinsing them at least twice a day helps keep them fresh.
Nutrition
This post was originally posted in January of 2013 but has been republished in April of 2021 to include new and improved photos, recipe instructions, and tips.
