Updated January 8, 2024

Is there any better way to grow healthy, fresh food in the winter than sprouting raw beans and seeds in jars? I don’t think so. Sprouting seeds in jars is possibly the easiest way you can grow nutritionally dense food at any time of year. We like sprinkling our sprouts on soups, chili, salads, sandwiches, pasta, toast with eggs… and we also love eating them straight out of the jar. Sprouting with mason jars is also a fun kid activity and will help encourage kids to eat more vegetables!

Materials for 1 Sprouting Jar

1 quart-sized glass mason jar
Cheesecloth, 12” square
Rubberband (or, simply screw the metal mason ring around the cheesecloth)
Raw sprouting seeds or legumes of your choosing

Simple 3-Step Process for Sprouting

Rinse seeds through a mesh sieve to remove any residues and then add the seeds to the mason jar. Cover with cold water and soak seeds in jar for the initial soak time (see chart below).
After the initial soak, drain and rinse the seeds through the cheesecloth top using cold water 2-3 times. Make sure to drain all excess water out of the jar - leave jar resting upside-down at a 45 degree angle to drain water for a few hours if necessary. Leave on a countertop out of direct sunlight.
The next day, pour cold water into the jar through the cheesecloth to rinse the seeds. This is a simple rinsing process, no more soaking required, so drain the water out of the jar through the cheesecloth. Rinse 2-3 times per day for the number of “days to sprout” required (see chart below).
After a few days of rinsing the seeds through the cheesecloth, you will begin to see sprouts! The days to sprout depends on the type of seed (see chart below). When seeds have a 1/4” tail on the end, they are ready to eat! Consume fresh within 3-4 days. Store in refrigerator when not in use.
Related: How to DIY a Seed Starting Setup

list of seeds & legumes with sprouting instructions:

tips for growing your own sprouts in jars

Always use RAW, organic seeds, nuts and legumes.
Store your sprouts in an air-tight container in the fridge. Use a paper towel or fabric towel to soak up excess moisture before putting in the fridge.
Use big quart-sized mason jars, as opposed to smaller pint sized jars. As the seeds sprout, they take up 2-3 times the original amount of space in the jar.
You can sprout a medley of different types of seeds in one jar as long as they are similar in size.
During the last day of sprouting, you can move the jar into sunlight so the sprouts grow green in color.
Go to the bulk section of your grocery store and experiment with any of the raw seeds, beans, nuts or grains (not all nuts and grains will sprout “tails,” but soaking them greatly aids in digestion and absorption of nutrients).
Related: On Following My Dreams (or Why I Quit My Desk Job to Start a Farm Business)

Comment below and let us know what sprouts you tried!

peace, love + plant magic,

Fran Parrish