How about adding something super nutritious, healthy, delicious and cheap to your diet? If you ever wondered how to sprout lentils, here’s your guide to this easy and fun project.
Sprouted Lentils have a lot to offer. They are so easy to make and they cost next to nothing.
They can be eaten with almost anything and they immediately raise nutritional value of any dish.
Why should we grow lentils sprouts?
- they are very healthy and nutritious
- super fun projects to do with kids
- so much cheaper than store bought sprouts
- little work involved
- easy way to add nutrients to any dish
- they go with most dishes
What do we need to sprout lentils?
DRY LENTILS
Lentils are one of the most nutritious ingredients in a plant based diet. In sprouted lentils all the important nutrients levels are even higher.
Lentil sprouts are fantastic source of good carbs and protein, with very little fat level. They contain loads of antioxidants too. Here’s more information about nutritional benefits of sprouted lentils as well as other sprouts.
You can sprout any kind of lentils: red, green, black. Each will have a bit different taste and texture when sprouted. You cannot sprout split lentils.
Your lentils will grow considerably while sprouting. I started with only 1/3 jar of lentils and after 3 days I had 3 full jars of sprouts. That’s why sprouting lentils yourself is a very budget friendly way to introduce super nutritious ingredient into you diet.
WATER
It is best to use filtered water, especially for soaking. You can also boil and cool water down for soaking and rinsing lentils.
MASON JARS
Any jar will do, just make sure it is big enough for the lentils to grow. You can actually prepare more jars. I obtained 3 jars of lentils sprouts from just a handful of lentils.
I used the lid with a hole from a drinking jar (the hole is for the straw). If you don’t have such a jar and don’t want to destroy the lid by making the holes in it, just use clean cloth to cover lentils.
Make sure that the jar is clean. You can rinse it with boiling water just to be safe.
STRAINER
How to sprout lentils?
A little earthy and nutty, crunchy lentil sprouts are interesting addition to sandwiches, salads and soups. Delicious and healthy lentil sprouts are so easy to make.
Total Time: 3 days
Soak Lentils
Rinse lentils in a strainer to get rid of any dirt. Place lentils in mason jar and add water. It should cover lentils completely. It’s best if there’s twice as much water as lentils.
If you have a lid with holes, use it to cover the jar. Alternatively you can use cheesecloth or a clean kitchen towel and rubber band.
We want lentils covered, so no dirt gets inside, but they need to be able to ‘breathe’.
Soak lentils for 8 hours (or overnight).
DAY 1 – RINSE & DRY
After soaking, rinse lentils well using strainer. Put them back in a jar making sure there is no excess water.
My lentils became swollen and doubled the volume, so I already placed them in 2 jars knowing they will keep growing.
Rinse them again in the evening.
DAY 2
Repeat the steps from day 2.
At this point I don’t take the lentils out of the jar to rinse them anymore. I just pour the water in the jar and drain it 2 or 3 times.
DAY 3
Repeat rinsing and draining again in the morning and in the afternoon. Make sure your sprouts have enough space to grow.
You can already eat your sprouts at his stage, but they will grow even further if you let them.
RINSE, DRY and STORE
Rinse your lentil sprouts for the last time and dry them on a paper towel or a clean kitchen towel.
You can line a bowl, in which you will store your sprouts with a layer of paper towel. Cover them with paper towel too. This will prevent them from being wet, but also from drying too much.
I hope that you found this guide How to Sprout Lentils easy to follow.
There are even more tips and information below.
HOW TO SPROUT LENTILS – ADDITIONAL TIPS
- Make sure your lentils do not stand in the water. Apart from step 1 – soaking, when you rinse lentils remove all the water from the jar.
- Be prepared for the lentils to grow. You can see, that I started with 1/3 jar of lentils and in the end I had to use 3 mason jars for all my sprouts.
- While sprouting lentils may lose the shell, it’s a completely normal process. You can get rid of the shells while rinsing, but you can leave then too. They are edible.
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How to eat sprouted lentils?
Simple answer.. with everything!
They go well with most savory dishes like soups, salads, sandwiches.
SANDWICHES
I love lentil sprouts on a good hummus sandwich. They add crispiness and delicious nutty flavor. This is the sandwich I made with my Easy Homemade Vegan Bread, hummus and some red bell peppers. You can go for this Sun Dried Tomato Hummus. Yum!
SOUPS
You can add lentil sprouts to vegetable soup while cooking to increase it’s nutritional value. You can also sprinkle them on top for decoration and to add crunchy texture.
SALADS
I love crunchy additions in my salads. Roasted pumpkin seeds, various nuts and sprouts are common ingredients in most salads I make.
This Vegan Chicken Salad will definitely be better with a handful of fresh and crispy sprouts.
HOT DISHES
Add lentil sprouts to vegetable stews, casserole dishes, baked vegetables and many more. As with soups – you can add them in the cooking process of just as a topping and decoration.
How to store Lentils Sprouts?
Once your lentils are ready to eat we need to dry them very well. Use paper towel to make sure there is no water in them.
Keep your sprouts in a plastic container, a bowl or a jar in the fridge. You can cover your sprouts with paper towel. It will absorb any excess humidity, that could make them go bad.
Store your lentils sprouts for up to 5 days. If you have any doubts check the smell – If there is no weird foreign smell they should be fine.
How did you like my guide on How To Sprout Lentils? Feel free to share it on Pinterest and Yummly!
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