Sprouting Black Onion Seeds For Tasty Onion Sprouts

They are officially my favorite looking sprout! They are also VERY tasty. They have a sweet, nutty onion flavor that is not overpowering, like onion can be, and they don't give you "onion breath", like mature onions do, or make you cry.

We have had the unpleasant experience of eating too many. They were so good we decided to eat half a jar full, which was about 2 1/2 cups of sprouts... basically an onion sprout salad.

They gave us the same hot, acidic effect as eating too many raw onions. So, we now eat them in smaller quantities. But, because they are so flavorful, you really just need a small handful.

Onion sprouts are the micro shoots of an onion plant and do not grow roots like other sprout varieties. Allium is the Latin name for the plant family that includes garlic, leek and onions.

Alliums grow slower than other sprouts, sometimes taking 10-15 days to mature into an edible sprout because of their slow germination process. But be patient, they are worth the wait!

You can sprout onion sprouts as a microgreen or by using the vertical tray sprouting method, but if you are a newbie to sprouting, we recommend the jar sprouting technique. It is just easier.

1. Add 4T of seeds per quart mason jar.
2. Rinse your seeds in filtered water.
3. Soak overnight in water.
4. Strain and rinse.
5. Place jar tilted to the side in a container to catch any draining water and ensure air flow.
6. Continue to rinse 1-2 times daily.
7. Place in a sun lit window when greening your onion sprouts.
8. (See our sprouting seeds page for more on jar sprouting.)
9. It will take about 10-15 days before you get sprouts.

If you are a serious sprouter, onion sprouts are an essential sprout to include when blending seed mixes.

It just takes a little bit of these black onion seeds to round out the flavor of your favorite sprout salad blends.

You will, however, need to sprout them for about 5 days before adding them to other sprout mixes because they take a little longer to germinate.

The black onion seeds themselves are very dignified and dark, like all of the Allium seed family.

Sometimes they are hard to find from organic sources. So, just in case you need to buy conventional black onion seed, know that the use of chemicals on these seeds is very minimal.

You just need to make sure they are coming from a non-GMO seed source. Onion seeds can take farmers years to establish, so for this reason they can be somewhat expensive when compared to other sprout varieties.

For black onion seed storage, it is good to store them in the freezer if you don't plan to use them within a year or so.

Onion sprouts are very nutritious being high in minerals and vitamins A, B, C, E and are 20% protein. They contain calcium, chlorophyll, iron, magnesium, niacin, phosphorus, potassium and amino acids.

They are super yummy with salads, raw food meals, soups or atop seed cheese and raw crackers.

These sprouts are delicious in a nori wrap with avocado, raw veggies and sauerkraut (see pic above)... yum!

Onion sprouts go very well with other sprout varieties, my favorite salad blend includes using them with alfalfa sprouts and sunflower greens.