How to Eat Broccoli Sprouts: 8 Steps (with Pictures) (2024)

FAQs

What's the best way to eat broccoli sprouts? ›

I eat them raw (you don't want to cook them as they lose nutritional value in the process) but I don't eat them on their own. I use them in place of lettuce or kale as the base of my salad! Super easy to do, just toss in a jar of sprouts and mix in any of your favorite salad ingredients and dressing.

Broccoli sprouts contain 100-400 times the content of sulforaphane compared with other cruciferous vegetables! Broccoli sprouts are not dangerous to eat; however, avoid them if they are moldy. Aim to eat up to ½ cup of broccoli sprouts daily.

Including the initial 8-hour soaking, sprouting broccoli takes 3-5 days in total. The sprouts will give you the highest amount of glucoraphanin (precursor to sulforaphane) as soon as the seed leaves pop out of the seed!

For people at “high risk” for food poisoning, severe and life-threatening illness may result from consuming raw or lightly cooked sprouts. People with weakened immune systems, children, the elderly and pregnant women should not eat any variety of raw or lightly-cooked sprouts.

Broccoli sprouts have a high risk of bacterial contamination, so it's important to wash them before enjoying them.

To thoroughly dry the sprouts, use a salad spinner or a paper towel before storing them in the fridge. Don't keep them under high airflow in the fridge as this can cause the sprouts to dry out a lot. Refrigerate them between 34-38 degrees Fahrenheit. Broccoli sprouts should stay fresh in the fridge for 5-7 days.

Broccoli sprouts are just what they sound like; they are seeds of broccoli that have been allowed to sprout and grow in a dish and kept moist, usually until they have one set of green baby cotyledon leaves. The whole sprout is eaten, including the roots.

Considering sulforaphane from broccoli sprout extract is particularly beneficial for supporting detoxification, protecting cells from oxidative damage, and lowering cancer risk, you'll benefit from broccoli sprout extract especially if you: Exercise regularly. Are exposed to toxins regularly.

Sulforaphane can be obtained from all cruciferous vegetables like kale, cauliflower or kohlrabi, with broccoli being the best source by far. Broccoli sprouts may be up to 25 times more potent than regular raw broccoli. Heating broccoli may deactivate the enzyme that produces sulforaphane.

The glucoraphanin in broccoli sprout is changed to another compound called sulforaphane during digestion. This chemical has antioxidant effects which might help prevent cancer and liver problems.

How do you know when your sprouts are ready to eat? ›

Sprouts are generally ready to eat when the hull/seed covers have dropped and the first pair of leaves have opened. You know they are ready to eat when they are 1/2 – 2” (1.30 – 5 cm) long. This is usually after 4-6 days.

“With broccoli, specifically, there is a high amount of a phytochemical called sulforaphane, which is a cancer-fighting plant compound that has been linked to reducing the risks of prostate cancer, breast cancer, colon cancer and oral cancers.”

Tender baby broccoli plants, known as broccoli sprouts, are an increasingly popular health food. The young plants are grown from seed and eaten when they're just a few days old. They're usually eaten raw in salads or sandwiches, so their delicate balance of nutrition isn't damaged by cooking.

Side effects might include heartburn and stomach upset. Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Sulforaphane is commonly consumed in foods. But there isn't enough reliable information to know if sulforaphane is safe to use in larger amounts as medicine when pregnant or breast-feeding.

To thoroughly dry the sprouts, use a salad spinner or a paper towel before storing them in the fridge. Don't keep them under high airflow in the fridge as this can cause the sprouts to dry out a lot. Refrigerate them between 34-38 degrees Fahrenheit. Broccoli sprouts should stay fresh in the fridge for 5-7 days.

The enzyme that releases sulforaphane is destroyed within one minute of either microwaving or boiling. When it comes to freezing, sadly those individuals who ate the frozen variety of broccoli saw no activity from the wonderful substances that give broccoli its anti-cancer powers.