Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHow to Grow ThemNutrition FactsBenefitsPrecautionsHow to Eat Them
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
How to Grow Them
Nutrition Facts
Benefits
Precautions
How to Eat Them
Broccoli sprouts are nutritious plant shoots that look likealfalfa sprouts.The same broccoli seeds (Brassica oleraceavar.italica) that mature into crowns are used to grow broccoli sprouts, which taste like radishes.
This article explains how to sprout broccoli seeds at home, gives the facts about broccoli sprouts' nutrition, discusses the benefits of eating more broccoli sprouts, and highlights some special precautions regarding broccoli sprouts' sulforaphane levels.
E. Coli and Salmonella RiskMost store-bought sprouts are screened forEscherichia coli(E. coli) andSalmonella.Nonetheless, because sprouts aren’t usually cooked, always be cautious aboutpathogens(germs). Rinsing seeds two or three times daily (every eight to 12 hours) while germinating in a jar lowers the risk of unhealthy bacterial growth.
E. Coli and Salmonella Risk
Most store-bought sprouts are screened forEscherichia coli(E. coli) andSalmonella.Nonetheless, because sprouts aren’t usually cooked, always be cautious aboutpathogens(germs). Rinsing seeds two or three times daily (every eight to 12 hours) while germinating in a jar lowers the risk of unhealthy bacterial growth.
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Broccoli Sprouts: How Do They Grow?
Growing nutritious broccoli sprouts at home facilitates eating freshly germinated seeds in their prime and lowers the risk of foodborne illness. If you’re considering buying broccoli seeds for sprouting, read on to learn why it’s a worthwhile health investment and an easy DIY project.
To grow broccoli sprouts at home, you’ll need the following:
The next morning, strain the seeds using cheesecloth or a screened lid and roll the jars sideways to break up clumps. Then, place them upside down at a 45-degree angle on a drip tray in a dark place or someplace that only gets indirect daylight.
Over the next few days, the sprouting broccoli seeds should be thoroughly rinsed with cool water twice daily, drained, rolled around repeatedly to break up clumps, and placed upside down at an angle to continue draining. Twice-daily washing and rinsing cycles are necessary to prevent broccoli sprouts from growing mold spores during germination. Do three daily rinses if you’re in a hot/humid climate and during the summer.
Once the broccoli sprouts are ready to harvest, shake them out of the jar, submerge the green shoots in a bowl of cool water, and gently stir to loosen the hulls. Use a kitchen strainer to skim hulls from the water’s surface and place the hull-less sprouts on a paper towel to dry.
Broccoli sprouts' benefits are most robust just after harvesting. Eat promptly or refrigerate and enjoy home-grown broccoli sprouts soon thereafter; they’ll last about five to seven days in the fridge.
Food SafetyBefore touching broccoli seeds, wash your hands and wear sanitary food-handling gloves. When preparing seeds for sprouting in the kitchen area, make sure they don’t come in contact with germs that causefood poisoning.Just like you’d sterilize canning jars before preserving food, sterilizing the tools you use to grow germinated broccoli sprouts at home is always a good idea.
Food Safety
Before touching broccoli seeds, wash your hands and wear sanitary food-handling gloves. When preparing seeds for sprouting in the kitchen area, make sure they don’t come in contact with germs that causefood poisoning.Just like you’d sterilize canning jars before preserving food, sterilizing the tools you use to grow germinated broccoli sprouts at home is always a good idea.
Nutrition Facts: 1 Serving of Broccoli Sprouts
A one-half cup serving of broccoli sprouts weighing 28 grams (g) contains:
In addition to micronutrients like calcium and iron, broccoli sprouts also contain trace amounts ofvitamin Aand a relatively high amount ofvitamin C.
Extremely high sulforaphane content sets broccoli sprouts apart from other cruciferous vegetables, including broccoli florets from the same seeds. Young broccoli sprouts contain up to 100 times the amount of sulforaphane in mature crowns.
What Is Sulforaphane?Sulforaphane is a plant-basedisothiocyanatecompound derived from glucosinate glucoraphanin found in cruciferous vegetables like broccoli,cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, andkale. Broccoli sprouts have more glucoraphanin (which turns into sulforaphane) than other cruciferous vegetables in theBrassicaceaefamily.
What Is Sulforaphane?
Sulforaphane is a plant-basedisothiocyanatecompound derived from glucosinate glucoraphanin found in cruciferous vegetables like broccoli,cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, andkale. Broccoli sprouts have more glucoraphanin (which turns into sulforaphane) than other cruciferous vegetables in theBrassicaceaefamily.
Benefits of Eating More Broccoli Sprouts
Broccoli sprouts are considered a superfood. They contain an extraordinarily high amount ofglucoraphanin, which turns into theantioxidantphytochemical sulforaphane inside your body.
The benefits of eating broccoli sprouts rich in sulforaphane may include:
How to Supercharge Your Meals With Microgreens
Special Precautions With Sulforaphane
People taking certain medications should be cautious about consuming large doses of foods like broccoli sprouts that contain a lot of sulforaphane. Some research suggests that ingesting less than 100 milligrams per kilogram of body weight (mg/kg) of sulforaphane interferes withantiepileptic drugslike Tegretol (carbamazepine).
How to Enjoy Broccoli Sprouts
Raw broccoli sprouts can be added to salads, put in sandwiches, used as soup garnish, or blended into smoothies. Cooked broccoli sprouts can be steamed, sautéed, or mixed into a stir-fry.
Summary
Broccoli sprouts are freshly germinated broccoli seeds that can be homegrown in three to five days or purchased at a store. Broccoli sprouts are a nutritious superfood packed with sulforaphane, an antioxidant that may lower cancer risk, reduce inflammation, and have other health benefits. Avoid broccoli sprouts that are moldy or contaminated with bacteria that can make you sick.
12 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Tříska J, Balík J, Houška M, et al.Factors influencing sulforaphane content in broccoli sprouts and subsequent sulforaphane extraction.Foods. 2021;10(8):1927. doi:10.3390/foods10081927Miyahira RF, Antunes AEC.Bacteriological safety of sprouts: A brief review.International Journal of Food Microbiology. 2021;352:109266. doi:10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2021.109266USDA. FoodData Central. [Historical Record]:Broccoli sprouts.Connolly EL, Sim M, Travica N, et al.Glucosinolates from cruciferous vegetables and their potential role in chronic disease: investigating the preclinical and clinical evidence.Front Pharmacol. 2021;12:767975.doi: 10.3389/fphar.2021.767975Kaiser AE, Baniasadi M, Giansiracusa D, et al.Sulforaphane: a broccoli bioactive phytocompound with cancer preventive potential.Cancers. 2021;13(19):4796. doi:10.3390/cancers13194796Flockhart M, Nilsson LC, Tillqvist EN, et al.Glucosinolate-rich broccoli sprouts protect against oxidative stress and improve adaptations to intense exercise training.Redox Biology. 2023;67:102873. doi:10.1016/j.redox.2023.102873Nandini D, Rao R, Deepak B, Reddy P.Sulforaphane in broccoli: The green chemoprevention!! Role in cancer prevention and therapy.J Oral Maxillofac Pathol. 2020;24(2):405. doi:10.4103/jomfp.JOMFP_126_19López-Chillón MT, Carazo-Díaz C, Prieto-Merino D, Zafrilla P, Moreno DA, Villaño D.Effects of long-term consumption of broccoli sprouts on inflammatory markers in overweight subjects.Clinical Nutrition. 2019;38(2):745-752. doi:10.1016/j.clnu.2018.03.006Bai Y, Wang X, Zhao S, Ma C, Cui J, Zheng Y.Sulforaphane protects against cardiovascular disease via nrf2 activation.Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity. 2015;2015:1-13. doi:10.1155/2015/407580Holman J, Hurd M, Moses PL, et al.Interplay of broccoli/broccoli sprout bioactives with gut microbiota in reducing inflammation in inflammatory bowel diseases.The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry. 2023;113:109238. doi:10.1016/j.jnutbio.2022.109238Holcomb L, Holman JM, Hurd M, et al.Early life exposure to broccoli sprouts confers stronger protection against enterocolitis development in an immunological mouse model of inflammatory bowel disease. Chu H, ed.mSystems. Published online November 9, 2023:e00688-23. doi:10.1128/msystems.00688-23Yagishita Y, Fahey JW, Dinkova-Kostova AT, Kensler TW.Broccoli or sulforaphane: Is it the source or dose that matters?Molecules. 2019;24(19):3593. doi:10.3390/molecules24193593Additional ReadingLe TN, Luong HQ, Li HP, Chiu CH, Hsieh PC.Broccoli (Brassica oleraceaL. var.italica) sprouts as the potential food source for bioactive properties: a comprehensive study on in vitro disease models.Foods. 2019;8(11):532. doi:10.3390/foods8110532
12 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Tříska J, Balík J, Houška M, et al.Factors influencing sulforaphane content in broccoli sprouts and subsequent sulforaphane extraction.Foods. 2021;10(8):1927. doi:10.3390/foods10081927Miyahira RF, Antunes AEC.Bacteriological safety of sprouts: A brief review.International Journal of Food Microbiology. 2021;352:109266. doi:10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2021.109266USDA. FoodData Central. [Historical Record]:Broccoli sprouts.Connolly EL, Sim M, Travica N, et al.Glucosinolates from cruciferous vegetables and their potential role in chronic disease: investigating the preclinical and clinical evidence.Front Pharmacol. 2021;12:767975.doi: 10.3389/fphar.2021.767975Kaiser AE, Baniasadi M, Giansiracusa D, et al.Sulforaphane: a broccoli bioactive phytocompound with cancer preventive potential.Cancers. 2021;13(19):4796. doi:10.3390/cancers13194796Flockhart M, Nilsson LC, Tillqvist EN, et al.Glucosinolate-rich broccoli sprouts protect against oxidative stress and improve adaptations to intense exercise training.Redox Biology. 2023;67:102873. doi:10.1016/j.redox.2023.102873Nandini D, Rao R, Deepak B, Reddy P.Sulforaphane in broccoli: The green chemoprevention!! Role in cancer prevention and therapy.J Oral Maxillofac Pathol. 2020;24(2):405. doi:10.4103/jomfp.JOMFP_126_19López-Chillón MT, Carazo-Díaz C, Prieto-Merino D, Zafrilla P, Moreno DA, Villaño D.Effects of long-term consumption of broccoli sprouts on inflammatory markers in overweight subjects.Clinical Nutrition. 2019;38(2):745-752. doi:10.1016/j.clnu.2018.03.006Bai Y, Wang X, Zhao S, Ma C, Cui J, Zheng Y.Sulforaphane protects against cardiovascular disease via nrf2 activation.Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity. 2015;2015:1-13. doi:10.1155/2015/407580Holman J, Hurd M, Moses PL, et al.Interplay of broccoli/broccoli sprout bioactives with gut microbiota in reducing inflammation in inflammatory bowel diseases.The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry. 2023;113:109238. doi:10.1016/j.jnutbio.2022.109238Holcomb L, Holman JM, Hurd M, et al.Early life exposure to broccoli sprouts confers stronger protection against enterocolitis development in an immunological mouse model of inflammatory bowel disease. Chu H, ed.mSystems. Published online November 9, 2023:e00688-23. doi:10.1128/msystems.00688-23Yagishita Y, Fahey JW, Dinkova-Kostova AT, Kensler TW.Broccoli or sulforaphane: Is it the source or dose that matters?Molecules. 2019;24(19):3593. doi:10.3390/molecules24193593Additional ReadingLe TN, Luong HQ, Li HP, Chiu CH, Hsieh PC.Broccoli (Brassica oleraceaL. var.italica) sprouts as the potential food source for bioactive properties: a comprehensive study on in vitro disease models.Foods. 2019;8(11):532. doi:10.3390/foods8110532
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Tříska J, Balík J, Houška M, et al.Factors influencing sulforaphane content in broccoli sprouts and subsequent sulforaphane extraction.Foods. 2021;10(8):1927. doi:10.3390/foods10081927Miyahira RF, Antunes AEC.Bacteriological safety of sprouts: A brief review.International Journal of Food Microbiology. 2021;352:109266. doi:10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2021.109266USDA. FoodData Central. [Historical Record]:Broccoli sprouts.Connolly EL, Sim M, Travica N, et al.Glucosinolates from cruciferous vegetables and their potential role in chronic disease: investigating the preclinical and clinical evidence.Front Pharmacol. 2021;12:767975.doi: 10.3389/fphar.2021.767975Kaiser AE, Baniasadi M, Giansiracusa D, et al.Sulforaphane: a broccoli bioactive phytocompound with cancer preventive potential.Cancers. 2021;13(19):4796. doi:10.3390/cancers13194796Flockhart M, Nilsson LC, Tillqvist EN, et al.Glucosinolate-rich broccoli sprouts protect against oxidative stress and improve adaptations to intense exercise training.Redox Biology. 2023;67:102873. doi:10.1016/j.redox.2023.102873Nandini D, Rao R, Deepak B, Reddy P.Sulforaphane in broccoli: The green chemoprevention!! Role in cancer prevention and therapy.J Oral Maxillofac Pathol. 2020;24(2):405. doi:10.4103/jomfp.JOMFP_126_19López-Chillón MT, Carazo-Díaz C, Prieto-Merino D, Zafrilla P, Moreno DA, Villaño D.Effects of long-term consumption of broccoli sprouts on inflammatory markers in overweight subjects.Clinical Nutrition. 2019;38(2):745-752. doi:10.1016/j.clnu.2018.03.006Bai Y, Wang X, Zhao S, Ma C, Cui J, Zheng Y.Sulforaphane protects against cardiovascular disease via nrf2 activation.Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity. 2015;2015:1-13. doi:10.1155/2015/407580Holman J, Hurd M, Moses PL, et al.Interplay of broccoli/broccoli sprout bioactives with gut microbiota in reducing inflammation in inflammatory bowel diseases.The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry. 2023;113:109238. doi:10.1016/j.jnutbio.2022.109238Holcomb L, Holman JM, Hurd M, et al.Early life exposure to broccoli sprouts confers stronger protection against enterocolitis development in an immunological mouse model of inflammatory bowel disease. Chu H, ed.mSystems. Published online November 9, 2023:e00688-23. doi:10.1128/msystems.00688-23Yagishita Y, Fahey JW, Dinkova-Kostova AT, Kensler TW.Broccoli or sulforaphane: Is it the source or dose that matters?Molecules. 2019;24(19):3593. doi:10.3390/molecules24193593
Tříska J, Balík J, Houška M, et al.Factors influencing sulforaphane content in broccoli sprouts and subsequent sulforaphane extraction.Foods. 2021;10(8):1927. doi:10.3390/foods10081927
Miyahira RF, Antunes AEC.Bacteriological safety of sprouts: A brief review.International Journal of Food Microbiology. 2021;352:109266. doi:10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2021.109266
USDA. FoodData Central. [Historical Record]:Broccoli sprouts.
Connolly EL, Sim M, Travica N, et al.Glucosinolates from cruciferous vegetables and their potential role in chronic disease: investigating the preclinical and clinical evidence.Front Pharmacol. 2021;12:767975.doi: 10.3389/fphar.2021.767975
Kaiser AE, Baniasadi M, Giansiracusa D, et al.Sulforaphane: a broccoli bioactive phytocompound with cancer preventive potential.Cancers. 2021;13(19):4796. doi:10.3390/cancers13194796
Flockhart M, Nilsson LC, Tillqvist EN, et al.Glucosinolate-rich broccoli sprouts protect against oxidative stress and improve adaptations to intense exercise training.Redox Biology. 2023;67:102873. doi:10.1016/j.redox.2023.102873
Nandini D, Rao R, Deepak B, Reddy P.Sulforaphane in broccoli: The green chemoprevention!! Role in cancer prevention and therapy.J Oral Maxillofac Pathol. 2020;24(2):405. doi:10.4103/jomfp.JOMFP_126_19
López-Chillón MT, Carazo-Díaz C, Prieto-Merino D, Zafrilla P, Moreno DA, Villaño D.Effects of long-term consumption of broccoli sprouts on inflammatory markers in overweight subjects.Clinical Nutrition. 2019;38(2):745-752. doi:10.1016/j.clnu.2018.03.006
Bai Y, Wang X, Zhao S, Ma C, Cui J, Zheng Y.Sulforaphane protects against cardiovascular disease via nrf2 activation.Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity. 2015;2015:1-13. doi:10.1155/2015/407580
Holman J, Hurd M, Moses PL, et al.Interplay of broccoli/broccoli sprout bioactives with gut microbiota in reducing inflammation in inflammatory bowel diseases.The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry. 2023;113:109238. doi:10.1016/j.jnutbio.2022.109238
Holcomb L, Holman JM, Hurd M, et al.Early life exposure to broccoli sprouts confers stronger protection against enterocolitis development in an immunological mouse model of inflammatory bowel disease. Chu H, ed.mSystems. Published online November 9, 2023:e00688-23. doi:10.1128/msystems.00688-23
Yagishita Y, Fahey JW, Dinkova-Kostova AT, Kensler TW.Broccoli or sulforaphane: Is it the source or dose that matters?Molecules. 2019;24(19):3593. doi:10.3390/molecules24193593
Le TN, Luong HQ, Li HP, Chiu CH, Hsieh PC.Broccoli (Brassica oleraceaL. var.italica) sprouts as the potential food source for bioactive properties: a comprehensive study on in vitro disease models.Foods. 2019;8(11):532. doi:10.3390/foods8110532
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