How to Grow Alfalfa Sprouts in a Jar

5 from 4 votes

Course: Side Dish, Salad, Topping

Cuisine: Indian, Global Cuisine

Prep Time: 15

Sprouting Time: 4 12

Total Time: 4 12 15

Servings: 2 cups (33g each)

Calories: 10kcal

Author: Kelly

Cost: $0.15 per cup

All you need for growing alfalfa sprouts safely and cheaply are water, seeds, and vinegar (for sanitizing). Enjoy freshly grown sprouts in five days, start to finish.

Print Recipe

US Imperial (Cups) - Metric (Grams)

Equipment

1 1-qt mason jar
Muslin or cheesecloth

Ingredients

1 tbsp alfalfa seeds
2 tbsp white vinegar (see "Safety Measures")
running water

Instructions

Vinegar Wash (15 minutes)

Add alfalfa seeds and vinegar to a clean bowl. Make sure all the seeds are covered. Let soak for 15 minutes.
Skim off anything floating on the surface of the water.
Pour off the vinegar and rinse the seeds for a full minute under running water.

Soak (12 hours)

Add seeds to a clean mason jar along with enough water to cover the seeds four times over. Make sure all seeds are submerged in the water.
Cover jar with a clean muslin cloth or a few layers of cheesecloth (see Note 1 if you don't have either), and secure in place with an elastic band.
Leave overnight, then pour off most of the water and rinse the seeds for a minute under running water. Drain off as much water as you can (see Note 2).

Sprout (4–5 days)

Set the jar tilted sideways, with a slight angle downwards, in a shallow bowl. (I use an empty takeout container for this.) Allow the seeds to spread out along the length of the mason jar. Inverting the jar allows excess water to gradually drain out through the cloth.
Leave the jar setup in a sunny spot, but not in direct sunlight (see Note 3).
2–3 times a day, pour off the water, and rinse them in cold water. (See "Safety Measures.") Drain off as much water as possible then return jar to the inverted position.
Repeat these steps for 4–5 days total. The sprouts are best to eat once they've sprouted little green leaves. Refrigerate if not using immediately and re-rinse with cold water every two days.

Notes

1. If you don't have muslin or cheesecloth, you can use any thin cotton fabric. You can also order special-purpose sprouting lids online. But I like using a piece of cloth because it works perfectly fine and why buy another single-purpose tool.
2. When draining and rinsing the seeds, you'll want to remove the cloth to allow the water to drain faster. Be careful not to pour out the seeds. When you've poured off most of the water, just replace the cloth and elastic, and the inverted position will take care of draining the remaining water.
3. Although sprouts need sunlight, they should not be exposed to the sun directly as they will get too hot. I kept my jar of sprouts on a windowsill that never got any direct sunshine. You can also leave it on the kitchen counter.

Nutrition