Before I get into how to sprout black beans I want to take a second and talk about sprouting foods. I have always soaked my beans. I thought that this was the healthiest way to eat them. But it turns out that sprouting your beans is actually one step above soaking them. From what I have been learning is that Sprouting beans make them easier to digest and raises their nutrition level.
I do not have a great digestive system and have always looked for ways to help my gut. It turns out that sprouting will do just that! Anyway, If you are like me then I’m sure you will be interested in how you can sprout your black beans! So how do you sprout blacks beans?
Let me preface this by saying black beans can sometimes be a little tricky and not want to sprout all the way. But if you get just a tiny bit of a sprout you will still reap the benefits!
Okay, let’s get to it.
Sprouting Black Beans
A few tips…
- Ideal Temperature
Try to keep your sprouting beans between 68-70 degrees.
- Make sure the container you use has plenty of ventilation.
You want to make sure that the beans do not mold so you need room for the water do get out.
- Don’t worry about the skins
The skins will most likely fall off of some of the beans. This is totally fine. Whether the skin is on or not will not change the flavor.
The Sprouting Process
Follow these simple steps to sprout your own beans and begin reaping the benefits today!
Supplies
- 1/2 cup beans
- Mason Jar
- Sprouting lids (You can grab them on Amazon here)
- Small container
Instructions
- Rinse your beans ( get out any debris or dirt)
- Fill your Jar/Jars 3/4 the way up with water
- Put beans into the jar
- Screw on sprouting lid
- Soak beans overnight
- Drain and rinse beans
- Place jar upsidedown and tilted in a jar
- Rinse and drain 3-4 times a day until sprouts appear
- Drain well before use (you HAVE to cook before consuming)
Here is a PDF file that you can download and print for future use! Here is what it will look like.
More about sprouting black beans…
Can you eat raw sprouted black beans?
NO! You can’t eat black beans without cooking them. Raw black beans have something in them called phytohemagglutinin which can be toxic. When you are sprouting things mold can become a problem and even if you are careful some might sneak in. It is always safer to just cook your black beans before you eat them.
How long do the beans take to sprout?
Black beans will sprout in 3-4 days. You can plan on using them on day 5 after they have had time to dry out.
Sprouted beans Vs. soaked beans
I always grew up with my mom soaking our beans. I knew it was good because my gut felt so much better after having soaked beans but I had no clue what it did to the bean or why she soaked her beans.
I decided to find out for myself why my mom soaked her beans and if there is a difference between soaking and sprouting. Here is what I learned…
Soaking beans…
Dry beans are chocked full of vitamins, minerals, protein, and fiber. Like I mentioned my mom always used dry beans growing up. It was partially because it was so much cheaper but also because she could soak her beans which companies do not do with canned beans.
But again why soak beans? Here are 2 reasons why you would want to soak your dry beans.
- Health
When you soak your beans it reduces something called phytic acid. Phytic acid stops our bodies from absorbing certain minerals. So by reducing this your body can absorb more minerals.
Do you ever get gas when you eat beans? This is caused by oligosaccharides. Which is basically a fancy word for sugars that cause gas. By soaking beans it reduces the effect of oligosaccharides in your body.
- Time
By soaking your beans the time you need to cook them goes way down. If you are like me you forget how much time beans take to cook so if I can cut down on that time it really helps me out!
So Is soaking beans the best?
I had never even heard of sprouting beans. I knew about soaking and I thought that was it! The benefits sounded great to me and I was happy with that. Until I learned about sprouting.
Sprouting beans…
It turns out that sprouting beans is a step up from soaking beans. It has the same benefits of soaking beans plus more! These are some of the benefits of sprouting beans.
- Digestion
When you sprout beans they become much easier to digest.
- Higher nutrient count
When the beans sprout it releases nutrients for a new plant. It makes protein easier to digest and carbohydrates as well. This is crazy because an unsoaked or not sprouted bean is hard on my digestive system but once it is soaked or sprouted it all of a sudden is good for my system and helps by system break down other foods.
- Increased Fiber
When beans are not sprouted they can be hard to digest but also our body can’t absorb the good things in the beans such as vitamins and minerals. The other thing we have not really talked about is the fiber.
When we sprout the beans it helps to increase the crude fibers in the bean. The crude fiber is what helps our bodies push out waste and toxins.
- Weight loss
Now, I’m not saying that sprouting your beans makes them magical weight loss beans. But it is possible that when you eat sprouted beans it will help you with portion control because your body is able to break down the elements of the bean and use it properly.
- Antioxidant increase
It is also a possibility that your sprouted beans can higher the antioxidants in your body. Antioxidants defend your cells against harmful molecules.
Soaking vs. Sprouting Conclusion
After going over both soaking and sprouting I have figured out that both are great! But sprouting seems to have more health benefits. So If you can I would recommend sprouting anything that you can not just black beans! If you can’t sprout then at least soak! Either way is better than just eating canned beans from the stores.
Conclusion
We went from knowing that soaking our beans was probably a good idea to learning that sprouting is actually the best way to prepare beans for eating. Soaking is good but sprouting has the best overall health benefits.
We also learned that we can sprout our beans in just a few simple steps and some household supplies. (well besides the sprouting lids).
I hope this article was helpful to you and it expanded your knowledge of sprouting and the benefits it provides to your body. Don’t forget to print off the PDF for future use!
I am all about finding things that help my digestive system and If you are in the same boat this article might be interesting to you!