Can you sprout lentils at home? You can! Learn how to sprout lentils at home and you can enjoy lentil sprouts benefits with very little extra work!
Hi Friends!
Just popping in with a quick little post today about sprouting. More specifically, I want to tell you how to sprout lentils!
How To Sprout Lentils At Home
So, you may be wondering about sprouting lentils in a jar- how to make lentil sprouts, lentil sprouts benefits etc!
Sprouted lentils vs lentils:
- Lentils contain phytic acid, which can be difficult to digest. Sprouting neutralizes the phytic acid, which means more vitamins and minerals can be absorbed by your body as they’re digested.
- When you sprout lentils, you’re actually starting the germination process, which changes the composition of the lentils. Sprouting increases the amounts of vitamins and minerals in the lentils, especially B vitamins and carotene.
- Sprouting produces Vitamin C.
- Like many legumes, lentils have sugars that create intestinal gas. Sprouting helps break down some of those sugars.
Sounds pretty good, right? What’s even better is that sprouting is super easy to do! It requires very little equipment and hardly any effort on your part. Although you can buy special sprouting jars, all you really need is a mason jar and some light fabric or cheesecloth to go over the top.
While you can use any lentils you find at the grocery store, especially if you’re going to cook them afterward. If you’re planning to eat them raw, you may want to consider buying from a site like Sprout People to make the process as safe as possible.
Sprouting Lentils In A Jar
How to sprout lentils:
So let’s learn how to grow lentils with sprouts!
1. Put the dry lentils in a jar. Add water and let sit overnight. Remember that the lentils will eventually almost triple in size so be sure your container is big enough. I used about 2/3 cup dry lentils in a 1 quart mason jar and added about 2 cups water, and there was plenty of room. Don’t put an airtight lid on the jar. I used a piece of thin cloth (cheesecloth would be perfect) and secured it with the ring part of the jar top.
2. Drain the water out of the jar, replace the cloth and let the jar sit on the counter, out of direct sunlight. Every 12 hours, add water to the jar, give it a swirl and then drain it out again.
3. I started seeing little tails in 24-36 hours and decided they were long enough after about 2 days. Depending on the amount of lentils you’re sprouting, this process could take up to 4 days.
4. When they’re done, spread them on a paper towel to let them dry out a little bit, then store in an airtight container in the fridge.
How to use sprouted lentils:
You can eat the sprouted lentils plain for a snack, use them as a salad topping, or add them to whatever dish you would add non-sprouted lentils to when you’re cooking.
If you’re feeling ambitious like I was, you can make some homemade bread and add some sprouted lentils to it! Try this Sprouted Lentil and Grain Bread or this Sprouted Bread recipe.
Or you can use them in any recipe that calls for cooked lentils like soups, curries, tacos etc.
If you want more details on sprouting lentils and other things, my friend Cassie is the expert. Check out her post Sprouting 101: How To Sprout Anything and Why. Wondering how to sprout mung beans in a mason jar? Check out her post for details. Spoiler – it’s the same method.
Let’s chat:
Have you sprouted before? Are you willing to try it?
Enjoy!
–Lindsay–
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I was looking forward to this post, so now I’m pretty excited to get sprouting myself! It looks a lot easier than I thought.
And now I’m also dying to make some sprouted lentil wheat bread.
That’s just awesome.
i haven’t tried sprouting anything but i definitely will now. like i told you on IG, i sometimes soak almonds because that’s supposed to make it easier for you to digest and plus it makes the almonds swell up really big and a lot more flavorful!
So excited right now! I just bought a new bag of lentils and I can’t wait to sprout them! I didn’t know that there were so many nutritional benefits to sprouting. Thank you so much for this post and your clear directions 🙂 Have a great Thursday!
hope you like them!
We love sprouting in our house! In fact, I just finished a batch of lentils today and can’t wait to add them to anything and everything 🙂 Fun fact: we use a trouser sock (same material as pantyhose) to cover the jar – a clean one of course 😉
oooh that’s a great idea!
Never! But I want to grow my own sprouts soon. The bread looks yummy – please perfect the recipe soon, k? xo
i’ll do my best!
I never really understood the idea behind sprouting….so….I appreciate this post. I need to test this “less gas” theory too. No beano?! Scary thought.
they don’t really bother my stomach so i can’t quite confirm but i hope it works for you!
love it! and soooooo much better for the stomach. That i know! now, i need to find a way to make this bread GF. I think i can. 🙂
i have faith that you can do it 🙂
Wow…this is great! I’ve never tried sprouting lentils before, but I would love to try. Thanks for this great post!
welcome! enjoy!
Ok i’ve let them soak for a long time before and they started to sprout, but I didn’t have a cover like cheesecloth is that bad??
i’m sure it’s fine. the cheesecloth is mostly to keep bugs/dust etc off
I used a kitchen towel the first time and it worked well.
I’ve never sprouted lentils before but you just made it seem so easy and appealing! This is definitely on the to-do-list.
awesome! let me know how it goes!
awesome!! we used to make all types of sprouted things from lentils to mung beans to garbanzo beans, which we have been thinking about trying them again. Hopefully our digestion and skin likes them.
good luck! i hope so too!
I’ve never sprouted but I have sprouted some intestinal gas LOL 😉
Thanks for sharing the how to’s!
This is exactly how I do my sprouted chickpeas! How did I not think to do lentils?! Duh. I’ll be starting a batch today. Thanks!
ooh i gotta try chickpeas next!
I have been wanting to sprout, but I just haven’t made the time. You have definitely given me the boost I needed to do it!
yay! enjoy!
I will definitely be starting my own sprouted lentils this weekend and then making that bread- looks awesome!
I’ve wanted to sprout for some time now, and seeing it more and more around makes me want to do it even more!! I love the idea of making them into a bread because we always buy sprouted grain breads. That’s such a clever idea!!
I always soak my lentils but I’ve never tried sprouting them. Looks kind of scary but I’d be willing to try it, especially in that bread, yum!
This looks so easy! How long do they usually last once sprouted and kept in the fridge? Would you recommend green lentils or another kind?
i’d say 5-6 days in the fridge! i used green but i’m sure it can be done with other colors as well, like the red ones.
Can’t wait to try this. I’ve always stayed away from lentils because of the intestinal gas. Now I know how to avoid it. Thanks for sharing 🙂
I have been wanting to try this with black beans. I LOVE them, but they do a number on my digestive system, so I researched and it looks like sprouting is the way to go. I have also read that you can sprout quinoa!
Great post…thanks for the tutorial! 🙂
I love sprouting! I like to do alfalfa seeds and have done lentils a few times as well. They’re nutrition powerhouses!
ooooh alfalfa seeds sounds fun!
never tried doing this before – and I eat a ton of lentils! definitely something I will be doing.
awesome! happy eating 🙂
I LOVE lentils, but I did not even know you could “sprout” them. I may have to give it a try and make that bread because it sounds SUPER tasty!
yes! enjoy!!
What a great idea- am absolutely going to try. And…that bread looks delicious. My husband is always asking me what bread I’d eat if he made it- so am going to see if he’ll try it.
woohoo! enjoy!
I remember doing this as a science experiment in elementary school! I have never actually cooked with them before so I’m going to have to give your bread a whirl!
haha love edible science experiments!
I’ve never sprouted anything except watercress which I LOVE. I don’t really eat lentils often but I would be interested in trying this especially since its so easy to be done.
oooh i’ll have to try watercress!
What alternatives would you recommend to sprout? Sadly I don’t like lentils 🙁
it works with beans as well! i’m not sure how long it takes though so you’d have to do a little research!
How long do they last after being sprouted?
i’d say 5-6 days in the fridge!
it works with beans as well! i’m not sure how long it takes though so you’d have to do a little research!
Can you please send me that loaf of bread!!! I know mine would never look like that! 😉
Never tried… if i put tiny green beans in a jar, can I grow my own Lean Green Bean? I think we would be the best of friends and we could go on runs together and have coffee together and chat about what we watched on TV together… we would be the three best friends that anyone could have.
like i said, best comment ever!
Thanks for the great post! I’ve been wanting to try out lentils and am trying to start eating a more natural diet. I wasn’t aware that they had so many health benefits having been sprouted. I can’t wait to try this- and that bread- looks delicious! How many servings did the portion you made last? I’d love to do this for my boyfriend and I- but he eats a lot. so I’d want to make sure we had a lot on hand!
how many servings of lentils? not exactly sure, but when I used about 2/3 c dry lentils, i think it made just over 2 cups of sprouted ones?
Okay, thank you! That answers my question perfectly, actually 🙂
I’ve never tried sprouting before, so this is a great intro post! I started mine on Friday night, have been changing the water every 12 hours…but still no sprouts! I’m trying brown lentils…maybe they are just old?
did you soak them, and then drain the water out? after they soak for 12 hours then there shouldn’t be water in the jar anymore. you drain it out and then every 12 hours you just add water, drain right away and then let sit in the jar again with no water.
So, has anyone tried to plant these sprouts? If so, what ‘hardiness zone’ where you in, and how long before you harvested. I’m in zone 6b…and really curious about sprouting and growing. Thanks for the post on this, fun experiment!
i haven’t tried planting them, sorry! No idea if they’ll actually grow or not!
Lentils would probably grow fine in 6B as long as you planted them early enough. I’ve used them as a cover crop, so no harvesting but I’ve heard it takes around 3 months. I sprout most things including legumes before planting when I remember, or at least soak them for 12 hours, so I’m sure the sprouting would be fine.
Great how-to post. This is one of those things I always thought about doing but never got around to it, but it is so simple 🙂
Is there a specific kind if lentils you need to but? I love cooking with them but have never sprouted before. I either buy in bulk or in a bag. Thanks!
Can you make lentil soup from the sprouted lentils?
absolutely!
I didnt know how to do this exactly so I had mine soaking for 2 days in water in the fridge with a cover on it.
Can I just remove from fridge and remove the cover and start over? Or is it to late and I just have to cook them?
Are they still okay to use now or did I ruin them?
i would say they’d probably be ok…if anything, i think they’d just be a bit waterlogged and mushy so it might be better to start over…
Hi Lindsay,
Thank you for taking the time to post this. I decided to start sprouting today and your easy to follow instructions made things easy. Much appreciated.
James
Does anyone know if green blonde lentils are good for sprouting.
We have temporarily run out of brown lentils in NZ, so looking for an alternative lentil to sprout.
the ones i use are green!
I want to use the lentils for soup. Do you think it would be okay to use them after 24 hours of sprouting? Thanks!
yep i think so!
can you use red lentils too? thanks so much!
i’ve never tried it but I’d imagine so!
I’ve already sprouted my lentils and I am going to try making one loaf with lentils and dates, another with lentils and cranberries and see how it turns out. Thanks for the recipe.
I tried red lentil and they smell horrible. Is that normal?
I don’t think they should smell horrible.
This process worked really well for me on the first try. Trying to sprout mung beans this week! Thanks for the tips, Lindsay! 🙂
awesome! glad to hear it!
Hi.question…my lentil tails are a bit brownish. Are they ok to eat?
This is great! I’ve soaked my beans and lentils for years, now on to sprouting! Thanks for the great post!
Thanks Lindsay!
I just had these lentils sprouted by error and was wandering if they were ok to eat. I love this, especially since they are raw, fresh and alive. I guess you can do with any sort of bean?
Cheers
Raf
I sprout black beluga lentils and and find them delicious raw. Pretty easy to sprout too.
Thanks for this! Just read through all of the comments and realize the post was over a year ago but can these be frozen once sprouted?
I would assume so but I haven’t tried it. I’ve only frozen them cooked but non-sprouted.
I just wanted to sprout some lentils so I came online to see how to do it. I first soaked them for only two hours, so maybe it won’t work. Today is day two and no sprouts yet. Thanks for your help.
yeah i would say you need to let them soak for at least 12 hours.
Day 4 sprouting an entire bag of lentils. Gonna make the bread and Google some other things. What’s the longest time you’ve let them sprout?
not more than 3-4 days i don’t think!
I have bought sprouted lentils but never thought about making my own, and this is SO easy! Thank you!
yay! have fun!
Thank you for this great post! I started mine midday Saturday & used black beluga lentils. I had no idea it was so easy, I just remember my mom making alfalfa sprouts when I was a kid. There was almost always a Mason jar on the counter with sprouts in one stage or another!
Today is Monday and by the time I got home from work these little guys had already sprouted impressive tails!
I nibbled a few & they were tasty but I will do another rinse tonight then let them sit until tomorrow.
awesome! enjoy!
This will be my 1st time sprouting….I’m super excited. Would these be good to add to a soup?? I have a great lentil soup recipe!
i think they’d be great in soup!
This is exactly what I was looking for! perfect thank you.
Finally, a person that knows what she’s writing about! Thank you for this information. I have sprouted all sorts of things but I’ve not sprouted Beluga Lentils and the bread looks wonderful. I am an avid baker, canner, and gardener. I plan to look in and learn from you. Cheers, Leslie
Oh, My Goodness! I sprouted mine a few days ago! They are awesome. I just made a sprout salad. Just mixed some sprouts with a sprinkle of Greek lemon olive oil, garlic powder and lemon pepper. It was so tasty all by itself. Can’t wait to add some more veggies to it.. I’m going to roast some of them with the above mixture and I’ll let you know how that tastes. YUM!
I have sauteed some onions in a little butter, when soft, added my sprouted lentils and a bit of salt!!!!!! Absolutely delish!
WOW! I was cleaning out my pantry and found vacuum sealed lentils I purchased 7 years ago WAY in the depths in the back. This time around, I decided to try to sprout them due to your post. What did I have to lose? Incredibly, they sprouted beautifully. They are a wonderful addition to Greek salads and Gyro, a quite nice garnish to Gazpacho, or just topping on anything where sprouts are welcome. ….This time I used the green lentils, but I also have crimson and baluga. Based on the reviews here, I have the baluga growing. Thank You very much for your advice.