How to Grow Your Own Sprouts Indoors

Posted on Feb 8 2012 - 1:27am by Mike Lieberman

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Today I am going to show you the easiest way that you can start to grow your own food.

And you won’t need any outdoor space…

You just need a spot on your kitchen counter.

I am going to share with you how to grow your own sprouts indoors.

No need to buy fancy gadgets or machines. You can do this on the cheap.

You ready?

Let’s do it!

What you’ll need to grow your sprouts

Mason jar

Cheescloth or another breathable cloth

I used organic alfalfa seeds from SeedsNow.com (you can also do this with any other sprouting variety they have HERE)

Canning lid or rubber band

Bowl or dish

Steps to grow your own sprouts

The first thing to do is to soak the seeds for 8 hours in the mason jar. I prefer to do this right before I go to bed to let them soak overnight.

The next morning, put the cheesecloth over the mouth of the jar and secure it with the canning lid. Drain out the water. Refill with water to rinse the seeds and drain again. Place the jar out of direct sunlight at an angle in a bowl. This will allow the rest of the water to drain.

Repeat the previous step every 8-12 hours (about 2 times per day).

Generally it’ll take 5-7 days for them to be ready to eat. The seeds are ready to eat as soon as they start to sprout. Just rinse and drain them one last time before you store them in the fridge.

Sound off

What is your favorite sprout?

32 Comments so far. Feel free to join this conversation.

Karen February 8, 2012 at 4:58 am -

Thanks! I was wondering how to do that. I hate buying them at the store. They cost like $5 and they usually go bad before I can eat them all.
Mike Lieberman February 8, 2012 at 7:35 am -

Exactly. Much cheaper and easier to do at home.
Spiderling February 8, 2012 at 8:08 am -

Can you use the same method for bean sprouts?
Jes February 8, 2012 at 8:29 am -

I really like sprouted lentils (brown/green). I got so excited when I realized they were the same ones I buy at the store. I would say, though, just don’t store them in a lidded jar in the fridge for a month. That was the worst rotten food I’ve ever had to get rid of from my fridge. Almost knocked me out after I took the lid off the jar, ha!
Ronda T. Pauley February 8, 2012 at 8:32 am -

I would like to make a link to this from my blog. Do you mind?
Mike Lieberman February 8, 2012 at 10:06 am -

Yes, but don’t sprout kidney beans.
Mike Lieberman February 8, 2012 at 10:07 am -

I just threw up in my mouth a bit.
Barbara February 8, 2012 at 10:36 am -

Mike, you CAN sprout kidney beans and soy beans, too, but they need to be thoroughly cooked before you eat them to kill the toxin cooties (scientific term). A most excellent vid, btw. You make sprouting seem easy and accessible to all–which it is, of course! Have you sprouted clover? It’s almost indistinguishable from alfalfa, often cheaper and has many of the same vites. Happy sprouting!
Phil (Smiling Gardener) February 8, 2012 at 12:21 pm -

I used to use mason jars and it’s a perfectly good way to do it, but we eat so many sprouts that I found it was worth my time to buy a dedicated sprouting container. My favorite is the easysprout (no affiliation). I actually have 3 of them with different sprouts going all the time. It saves time rinsing and gets better airflow.
Mike Lieberman February 8, 2012 at 2:21 pm -

Absolutely. If you have the space and eat a lot of them, the machine makes sense.
Mike Lieberman February 8, 2012 at 2:22 pm -

Thanks for the correction. I meant can’t sprout and eat them in the raw form. Don’t want cooties now.
Anonymous February 11, 2012 at 2:54 am -

In the UK these “sprouts” are often referred to as” micro-greens”. Doesn’t that sound posh? They are the latest craze in all the top restaurants and you’ll probably pay a fortune for them. But they are SO CHEAP to grow at home. I love pea-shoots best… J xx
Mike Lieberman February 11, 2012 at 10:58 am -

Very posh 😉
Franque Michele February 11, 2012 at 4:57 pm -

Thanks for this post! It is appropriate for the novice and I love that you have something for the newbies, as well as things for the seasoned gardener. As a teacher, we call it differentiating instruction! I totally appreciate the fact that your blogs are accessible to people at all different levels of gardening! Keep it up!
Saunya ODwyer February 12, 2012 at 9:57 am -

Awesome post. I have place this content on my own blog so that othes can follow you and learn as I do.
Mike Lieberman February 12, 2012 at 5:52 pm -

Glad you are enjoying!
Michelle A. February 12, 2012 at 6:54 pm -

Thanks Mike! I’m totally going to give it a try. We love alfalfa sprouts, and growing them at home is so much better than buying them.

Peace. 😉
Mike Lieberman February 12, 2012 at 7:55 pm -

Lemme know how it turns out!
Cmadisonster February 19, 2012 at 9:31 am -

Great post as usual! I also grow mung bean sprouts, takes a little longer, needs to be rinsed a couple of times a day, but they are wonderful for stir fry etc.
Mike Lieberman February 19, 2012 at 11:11 am -

Loves the mung beans.
Andrea Aguin February 20, 2012 at 7:50 pm -

I liked this post so much I tried it, blogged about it, and linked back to you. Thanks!

-Andrea from thisrednecklife.blogspot.com
Mike Lieberman February 20, 2012 at 8:02 pm -

Good stuff.
Kagalwmail-raw February 22, 2012 at 6:23 am -

Alfalfa, since they are the best for my blood type!
Mike Lieberman February 22, 2012 at 10:22 am -

Nice!
nate February 26, 2012 at 12:58 pm -

I love lentil sprouts. easy, they never fail, better nutrition than cooked lentils, and you just let them sit. very long fridge life, too. and lentils make good house plants. its a tie between lentil and garbanzo sprouts though, because sprouted garbanzos make the best humus. The. Best. garbansos are tricky to sprout though. tip one-use large shallow container. in a mason jar the shape of the chickpea locks together in a wonder of physics buckminster fuller would be proud of. an impenitrable geometricly glued mass. interesting, but not the objective. Also, they need more heat to germinate than usual. not a problem if you keep a warm house, or put them in a cabinet next to the stove or over the fridgerator or under your blankets to snuggle(kidding), but because they are warm, they mold fast. real fast. so the trick is, use warm water to soak 12 hours, drain and rinse with warm water 3 times a day. this frequent rinsing A: keeps mold at bay B: keeps them warm C: provides excelent water for other gardening pursuits. Then as soon as they sprout little tiny tails USE THEM FAST! or fridgerate, Fast! but with lots of garlic, some olive oil, and citrus juice, mash or blend, and yummus! or eat fresh on salad. this sounds complicated, but is so better than normal. but if it fails, compost. and a fledgling sprouters ego has never been bruised by a lentil.
Mike Lieberman February 27, 2012 at 1:27 am -

Sprouted garbanzo hummus is hardcore. I find that stuff to be rough.
Kagalwmail-raw February 28, 2012 at 5:56 am -

HELP! I tried to make black eyed peas yesterday, but never did. I drained them and left them in a bowl overnight without refrigerating. They have started to sprout and I want to grow them. How deep should I plant them, or do I even need to plant them?Do you have any suggestions? Please let me know. I don’t know how much longer I have before they just die on me.
Mike Lieberman February 28, 2012 at 9:27 am -

Not sure about sprouting black eyed peas…I’m sure that you can just cook them up and they’ll store for a bit.
Kagalwmail-raw February 29, 2012 at 11:57 am -

They just sprouted on their it, this was not intentional. Now they’re really grown out so I want to let them grow. Thanks anyway – I’m sure I’ll figure something out.
Saunya ODwyer March 5, 2012 at 2:50 am -

Excellent post nate
Rahulgarg June 30, 2012 at 11:49 pm -

i love your __________-
marc February 27, 2013 at 5:06 pm -

Has anyone ever sprouted teff? What do they taste like?