Mung beans (Vigna radiata) are small, round, green-skinned legumes native to the Indian subcontinent. They are one of the most widely cultivated pulses in Asia, with a history of use spanning thousands of years across South Asian, East Asian, and Southeast Asian cuisines.
The beans are eaten in many forms: whole and cooked in curries or soups, split and hulled as moong dal, ground into flour for noodles and pancakes, or sprouted to produce the bean sprouts commonly found in stir-fries and salads. Mung bean starch is used to make glass noodles (cellophane noodles), a staple across East and Southeast Asia.
In Australia, mung beans are both imported and domestically grown, primarily in Queensland and northern New South Wales. They are a significant rotation crop in Australian broadacre farming, valued for their ability to fix nitrogen in the soil.
How it's produced
Mung beans are an annual warm-season legume grown in tropical and subtropical climates. In Australia, they are planted in spring or summer in Queensland and northern New South Wales, typically as a rotation crop following cereals. Like other legumes, mung beans form a symbiotic relationship with soil bacteria that fix atmospheric nitrogen, reducing the need for synthetic fertilisers and improving soil health for subsequent crops.
The plants grow as low bushes and produce clusters of narrow pods containing the small round seeds. Harvesting is done mechanically with grain headers once the pods have dried on the plant. The beans are then cleaned, graded, and either sold whole, split, or processed into flour or starch. For sprout production, whole beans are germinated in controlled conditions over several days, with regular watering and temperature management to produce crisp, fresh sprouts.
What it costs the planet (per kilo)
≈ Estimated from its category — typical for legumes & pulses, not measured for this item yet. Sources & methods →
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