Alfalfa Sprouts How To Grow Alfalfa Sprouts

About Alfalfa Sprouts

In Hindi, alfalfa sprouts seeds are called ‘rajko‘. I like to buy organic alfalfa seeds from the Fabindia store or superstores. One of my friends showed me how to sprout alfalfa seeds at home and I am so thankful as now I get to enjoy these sprouts whenever I like! Alfalfa seeds are really tiny but, once they grow they become tasty, nutritious sprouts. They are crunchy and can be eaten in different ways. These sprouts will add texture and nutrients to your family’s diet. Add them to your breakfast, lunch or dinner meals – sprinkle on salads, soups, top in sandwiches, burgers or serve as a side with your main course. I sprouted these seeds for 3 days in the hot month of May in India. For colder temperatures, sprout the seeds for 4 to 5 days. You will get beautiful green sprouts that are a delight to look at! I love to add these little beauties to my morning toast with tea and my simple salads. Once sprouted, store sprouts in a zip lock bag or airtight box for 4 to 5 days in the fridge. Alfalfa sprouts also have health benefits. They are rich in antioxidants, an excellent source of protein for vegetarians, they contain valuable minerals and vitamins like calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, B complex vitamins and Vitamins A, C, E and K.

How to Make Alfalfa Sprouts

1. Grab a clean jar. You can opt to sterilize the jar by rinsing it with hot water. Pick the stones and damaged seeds from about 2 tablespoons alfalfa seeds. Then add the seeds in the jar.
2. Rinse the seeds a couple of times in the jar. Pour the water out and be careful not to spill the seeds. Add water to the same jar, cover the jar and leave the seeds to soak in the water for 5 to 6 hours. You could opt to rinse the seeds in a bowl instead of the jar. And use the jar only to grow the sprouts. 3. Cover the jar with a muslin cloth, cheesecloth or thin cotton kitchen napkin. 4. Tighten the muslin to the mouth of the jar. Then use a rubber band or string to hold it in place. 5. Drain the water from the jar as shown in the picture below. After draining all the water, gently pour some clean filtered water inside the jar through the cheesecloth or muslin. Shake the jar and drain all of the water.
3. Below is a picture of the soaked alfalfa seeds. Leave the seeds in the jar and leave the rubber band and muslin on top. I opened the muslin cover to show what the soaked seeds look like.
4. Keep the bottle inverted in a bowl to ensure that all of the water is removed from the jar. Any remaining water will cause the seeds to rot.
5. Rinse the seeds with clean filtered water every day. In hot temperatures, you may need to rinse the seeds a couple of times. You can keep the jar inverted and slightly tilted in the bowl so that any extra water drains out. Discard this water from the bowl. Rinsing removes toxic substances and harmful microorganisms that may grow in the jar. After one day, you will start to see sprouts.
6. After the second day, some greens will appear on the sprouts. Remember to rinse the sprouts every day. After rinsing drain the water completely. Rinsing will also help the seeds to retain moisture and prevent drying. If during the sprouting process, any time you get an awful smell, trash all of the seeds.
7. On the third day, the sprouts should be fully grown. I stopped sprouting after 3 days as it was very hot. So the sprouts are quite small compared to when they are sprouted for 4 to 5 days in cooler temperatures. Before consuming alfalfa sprouts, rinse them thoroughly with warm or lightly hot water. This may get rid of the harmful bacteria if any on the sprouts. Note that if you have a weak immune system, avoid eating any type of raw sprouts.
8. After rinsing and draining all the water, add these sprouts to your salads, rice, curries, sandwiches or burgers for an extra healthy bite!

Expert Tips

Sterilize jar: If you can, sterilize the jar with hot water before you add the alfafa seeds. This will ensure that the jar is not contaminated and help the sprouts to grow to their maximum potential. Rinse alfalfa seeds: Make sure you rinse the alfafa seeds a couple of times. Be careful when pouring the water out of the seeds as you don’t want to lose any of the seeds. To avoid this use a fine strainer.Seasons: Growing alfafa seeds will yield different results in different weather conditions. If you are growing sprouts in hot weather then they will only need 3 days to grow. However, if you are growing alfafa seeds in colder weather then they will take more than 3 days to grow. When sprouts are grown in the summer over a three day period they tend to be quite shorter in comparison to sprouts grown in colder weather. This is because the extra days allow the sprouts to grow longer in length.Serve: Get creative with these delicious seeds and serve them with any dish of your choice. My favorite things to serve alfalfa sprouts with are morning toast, salads, veggies, burgers, curries and more. Don’t forget that these sprouts are rich in protein too and can be added to vegetarian or vegan dishes too!

Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter. Mung Bean Sprouts | How to sprout Mung Beans Mixed Sprouts | How To Make Mixed Sprouts This How to grow Alfalfa Sprouts post from the archives first published in August 2012 has been republished and updated on November 2022.

title: “Alfalfa Sprouts How To Grow Alfalfa Sprouts” ShowToc: true date: “2024-11-01” author: “Gene Whitehead”

About Alfalfa Sprouts

In Hindi, alfalfa sprouts seeds are called ‘rajko‘. I like to buy organic alfalfa seeds from the Fabindia store or superstores. One of my friends showed me how to sprout alfalfa seeds at home and I am so thankful as now I get to enjoy these sprouts whenever I like! Alfalfa seeds are really tiny but, once they grow they become tasty, nutritious sprouts. They are crunchy and can be eaten in different ways. These sprouts will add texture and nutrients to your family’s diet. Add them to your breakfast, lunch or dinner meals – sprinkle on salads, soups, top in sandwiches, burgers or serve as a side with your main course. I sprouted these seeds for 3 days in the hot month of May in India. For colder temperatures, sprout the seeds for 4 to 5 days. You will get beautiful green sprouts that are a delight to look at! I love to add these little beauties to my morning toast with tea and my simple salads. Once sprouted, store sprouts in a zip lock bag or airtight box for 4 to 5 days in the fridge. Alfalfa sprouts also have health benefits. They are rich in antioxidants, an excellent source of protein for vegetarians, they contain valuable minerals and vitamins like calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, B complex vitamins and Vitamins A, C, E and K.

How to Make Alfalfa Sprouts

1. Grab a clean jar. You can opt to sterilize the jar by rinsing it with hot water. Pick the stones and damaged seeds from about 2 tablespoons alfalfa seeds. Then add the seeds in the jar.
2. Rinse the seeds a couple of times in the jar. Pour the water out and be careful not to spill the seeds. Add water to the same jar, cover the jar and leave the seeds to soak in the water for 5 to 6 hours. You could opt to rinse the seeds in a bowl instead of the jar. And use the jar only to grow the sprouts. 3. Cover the jar with a muslin cloth, cheesecloth or thin cotton kitchen napkin. 4. Tighten the muslin to the mouth of the jar. Then use a rubber band or string to hold it in place. 5. Drain the water from the jar as shown in the picture below. After draining all the water, gently pour some clean filtered water inside the jar through the cheesecloth or muslin. Shake the jar and drain all of the water.
3. Below is a picture of the soaked alfalfa seeds. Leave the seeds in the jar and leave the rubber band and muslin on top. I opened the muslin cover to show what the soaked seeds look like.
4. Keep the bottle inverted in a bowl to ensure that all of the water is removed from the jar. Any remaining water will cause the seeds to rot.
5. Rinse the seeds with clean filtered water every day. In hot temperatures, you may need to rinse the seeds a couple of times. You can keep the jar inverted and slightly tilted in the bowl so that any extra water drains out. Discard this water from the bowl. Rinsing removes toxic substances and harmful microorganisms that may grow in the jar. After one day, you will start to see sprouts.
6. After the second day, some greens will appear on the sprouts. Remember to rinse the sprouts every day. After rinsing drain the water completely. Rinsing will also help the seeds to retain moisture and prevent drying. If during the sprouting process, any time you get an awful smell, trash all of the seeds.
7. On the third day, the sprouts should be fully grown. I stopped sprouting after 3 days as it was very hot. So the sprouts are quite small compared to when they are sprouted for 4 to 5 days in cooler temperatures. Before consuming alfalfa sprouts, rinse them thoroughly with warm or lightly hot water. This may get rid of the harmful bacteria if any on the sprouts. Note that if you have a weak immune system, avoid eating any type of raw sprouts.
8. After rinsing and draining all the water, add these sprouts to your salads, rice, curries, sandwiches or burgers for an extra healthy bite!

Expert Tips

Sterilize jar: If you can, sterilize the jar with hot water before you add the alfafa seeds. This will ensure that the jar is not contaminated and help the sprouts to grow to their maximum potential. Rinse alfalfa seeds: Make sure you rinse the alfafa seeds a couple of times. Be careful when pouring the water out of the seeds as you don’t want to lose any of the seeds. To avoid this use a fine strainer.Seasons: Growing alfafa seeds will yield different results in different weather conditions. If you are growing sprouts in hot weather then they will only need 3 days to grow. However, if you are growing alfafa seeds in colder weather then they will take more than 3 days to grow. When sprouts are grown in the summer over a three day period they tend to be quite shorter in comparison to sprouts grown in colder weather. This is because the extra days allow the sprouts to grow longer in length.Serve: Get creative with these delicious seeds and serve them with any dish of your choice. My favorite things to serve alfalfa sprouts with are morning toast, salads, veggies, burgers, curries and more. Don’t forget that these sprouts are rich in protein too and can be added to vegetarian or vegan dishes too!

Please be sure to rate the recipe in the recipe card or leave a comment below if you have made it. For more vegetarian inspirations, Sign Up for my emails or follow me on Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter. Mung Bean Sprouts | How to sprout Mung Beans Mixed Sprouts | How To Make Mixed Sprouts This How to grow Alfalfa Sprouts post from the archives first published in August 2012 has been republished and updated on November 2022.