There are 3 general basic steps to growing sprouts:

1. Soaking

Soak your seeds in clean water (preferably filtered) in a jar for approximately 8-12 hours. The amount of seeds that you soak depends on your needs, but the seeds and roots generally swell to several times their size.

2. Rinsing

Most seeds need a minimum of 2 rinses/waters per day to keep them moist. A 3rd rinse can help during hotter or dryer weather. Ideally you would rinse for 30 seconds or more each time.

3. Refrigerating/Eating

When the sprouts are at your desired length put them into a sealed container and into the fridge. They should last another week, sometimes even longer.

For a more detailed guide on how to grow sprouts using particular equipment see our Sprouter Comparison Guide.

Some useful Sprouting Tips and Hints

• If your water becomes cloudy when rinsing. Rinse again with fresh water.
• Use only certified organic seeds. Conventional seeds are usually treated with chemicals.
• The ideal temperature for most sprouts is between 18-22°C
• Sprouts are great in sandwiches, salads, omelet’s or rissoles, soups, dips, muesli, stir fry’s, or stirred into all kinds of pasta, rice, vegetable, fish and meat dishes and more.
• Storing your sprouts in the refrigerator dry will help them to last longer. (Let your sprouts drain for 5-10 hours before refrigerating.)
• Never eat sprouts that smell bad or are discolored
• If the seeds dry out they can die or spoil. Rinsing 2 or more times per day helps them to remain moist. It is difficult to over rinse, as long as your sprouting equipment is well drained.