How to Sprout – 3 of 3 – Grains
If you’re new to sprouting, have a read of my article detailing the fundamentals here.
You also might want to start with trying some bean or seed sprouts, as they are a little easier – you can find details of how to do that here. If you’re ready to move ahead with grains, read on:
Details for grain sprouting:
Grain sprouts require a little more attention than beans and seeds. They also continue to grow whist refrigerated, so need rinsing every day if you are to keep them.
It is important, when buying grains, that you buy ‘groats’. These are grains that have not been processed – for example, oats will look very different to the type a lot of us are used to seeing for porridge.
oat groats
As with beans and seeds, the soaking (germination) and sprouting time differs depending on what grain you are working with and your climate conditions. Generally, things are slower the colder it is.
The table below shows average soaking and sprouting times as a guide. As you progress, you’ll start to get a feel for how long each stage takes. In the meantime the photos of successfully sprouted grains underneath will help in determining how your sprouts are doing!
The easiest grain to start with is buckwheat.
The containers should be place in a dark place at all stages, out of the way of draughts.
Rye & Buckwheat sprouting in progress!
Once your sprouts are done, remove them from the container and place covered in the fridge. They’ll need continued rinsing – the details are in the chart below.
Table with details and timing:
|
Grain
|
Soaking time
|
Sprouting time
|
How often to rinse
|
How long they keep
|
How often to rinse – in fridge
|
|
Rye
|
8-12 hours
|
36 hours
|
Rinse till water runs clear twice daily
|
48 hours
|
Rinse till water runs clear twice daily
|
|
Buckwheat
|
40-90 mins
|
24 hours
|
Rinse till water runs clear twice daily
|
48 hours
|
Rinse till water runs clear twice daily
|
|
Oats
|
8-12 hours
|
36 hours
|
Rinse till water runs clear twice daily
|
48 hours
|
Rinse till water runs clear twice daily
|
|
Wheat
|
18 hours
|
36-48 hours
|
Rinse till water runs clear twice daily
|
48 hours
|
Rinse till water runs clear twice daily
|
|
Millet
|
5 hours
|
12 hours
|
Rinse after 12 hours
|
48 hours
|
Rinse till water runs clear twice daily
|
|
Amaranth
|
3 hours
|
24 hours
|
Rinse till water runs clear twice daily
|
48 hours
|
Rinse till water runs clear twice daily
|
|
Barley
|
6 hours
|
12 hours
|
Rinse after 12 hours
|
48-72 hours
|
Rinse till water runs clear twice daily
|
|
Quinoa
|
3 hours
|
24 hours
|
Rinse till water runs clear twice daily
|
24 hours
|
Rinse till water runs clear twice daily
|
* buckwheat sprouts become coated in residue which shows up cloudy in the water when you rinse them. This is normal, but make sure you rinse your sprouts well enough to remove this each time. The tails on buckwheat will become longer – this is also fine, in fact, I think they become softer and more digestible when this is the case.
 Rye sprouts
|
 Buckwheat sprouts
|
 Wheat sprouts
|
 Oat sprouts
|
 Quinoa (multi-coloured!) sprouts
|
 Millet sprouts
|
 Amaranth sprouts
|
 Barley sprouts
|
Now you’ve got your grain sprouts you can use them in numerous recipes. They are particularly good for breakfast dishes and breads/crackers. Take a look at some sprout recipes here.
This is the third of three articles on sprouting. Check out How to Sprout 1 of 3 – The Fundamentals and How to Sprout 2 of 3 – Beans and Seeds
wow thanks for this! heaven-sent!
I wonder though, can you sprout lentils? im looking more at the ingredients we can find locally here and saw Orzo Perlato – looks like barley right? can I use that? I’ve sprouted mung beans, azuki and cecci/chickpeas lately
Yes, lentils sprout easily and taste wonderful. Read the second of the three sprouting articles to learn about lentils. You also might want to check out the first article in the series to review the basics. Orzo is barley, but perlato won’t sprout. You need to find the whole un-treated grains. I can get them in my local health food store here. I also sprout rye (segale) and oats (avena). I’ve had some adventures with chickpeas recently and have settled on the decorticata ones – they’ve had their skins removed. I soak them for a day and then cook them for 6 hours…they go down much better than raw chickpeas for me. Have fun!