Mung Bean Sprouts

Vigna radiata
part of: Mung Bean

Mung bean sprouts are the most common type of bean sprout found in Australian supermarkets and Asian grocers. They’re the pale, crunchy shoots that emerge when whole mung beans are germinated in warm, dark, moist conditions for a few days. The result is a crisp, juicy sprout with a mild, slightly nutty flavour and a satisfying crunch.

Bean sprouts are ubiquitous in Asian cooking — tossed into stir-fries at the last moment, piled onto pho and laksa, added to pad Thai, or used raw in Vietnamese rice paper rolls. They cook in seconds and are best when still crunchy. Overcooking makes them limp and watery.

Fresh mung bean sprouts are widely available and inexpensive in Australia. They’re highly perishable, so buy them close to when you plan to use them and store them in water in the fridge for a day or two at most. They’re also very easy to grow at home in a jar or sprouting tray.

Farmed
photograph to come — from twenty years of markets, farms and kitchens

How it's made

Whole mung beans are soaked in water to initiate germination, then kept in warm, dark, humid conditions — typically in rotating drums or trays in commercial sprouting facilities. Over three to five days, the beans sprout, sending out pale shoots. The sprouts are rinsed regularly during growing to prevent mould. Once they reach the desired length, they’re harvested, washed to remove seed husks, and packed for sale. The entire process uses only water — no soil is needed.

Nutrition (per 100g)

Energy 30kcal
Protein 3g
Carbs 4.1g
Fat 0.2g
Fibre 1.8g Sugar 4.1g
Mass Distribution

1 package (12 oz) is about 340 g — roughly 100 kcal of this.

What it costs the planet (per kilo)

Carbon ≈1.9kg
Freshwater ≈400.1L
Land ≈3.5m²

≈ Estimated — worked out from a category-typical value further up its supply chain. Where this comes from →

Where it comes from

In the kitchen

Used as

soup/stew base

Goes well with
garlic ginger spring onions coconut coconut milk sugar green chili
Classic dishes
  • mung dal
  • pesarattu
  • bindae-tteok
  • ginisáng monggó
  • ginataang munggo
  • cellophane noodles
  • lǜdòu tángshuǐ
  • mooncake filling
  • zongzi filling
  • bánh đậu xanh
  • es kacang hijau
  • hopia
  • nokdumuk
  • liangfen
  • māš wa-ruzz
  • lumpiang togue
  • mung-kavum
  • mangode
  • moonga gaathi
  • dal chawal

Keeping it

In the fridge: 28–42 days.

Advice from Cubud’s own keeping notes — how to keep it, not a measured number.

Keeping one at home? Track yours in your cubud →

Where this data comes from

Nutrition data from

USDA

How it was calculated

SR Legacy

Full credits, licences, and methods: the sources page →

Where to next

made fromMung Bean, sprouts goes well withgarlic goes well withginger goes well withcoconut goes well withcoconut milk goes well withsugar shares a sourceMung Bean Noodles shares a sourceMung Beans
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