Once your pot of water comes up to a boil, this Korean bean sprout side dish can be made within minutes. Taste the crunchy texture of bean sprouts mixed with sesame oil just like you're in a Korean restaurant.

Korean bean sprouts topped with toasted sesame seeds in a glass small glass serving dish with a rectangular white plate of Korean bean sprouts blurred in the background

This recipe can enjoyed nearly everyday for any meal as part of a 'banchan' spread of Korean side dishes.

Serve alongside a vegan Korean tofu soup, homemade fresh kimchi, or Korean fernbracken if you're feeling very adventurous.

Jump to:

Ingredients
Instructions
Variations
Storage
Pro Tip
Bean Sprout Trivia
Related Korean Recipes
Pairing with Asian Side Dishes
Recipe

Ingredients

There are just 4 main ingredients to this dish.

Bean sprouts - These usually come in perforated plastic bags to keep them fresh.
- Since they have a high water content, they can spoil quickly, so use within a few days of purchasing.
- Depending on how fresh they are, the tips of the sprouts may have started to turn brown. Snip them off before cooking.
Sesame Oil - Made of 80% unsaturated fat, it can turn rancid and should be used within a year of purchasing.
Toasted Sesame Seeds - You can buy these already toasted, rather than toasting raw sesame seeds in a hot pan.

See recipe card for quantities.

Instructions

This dish cooks very quickly in a pot of boiling water. You can also fish out the sprouts and use the same hot water to make Korean sesame spinach.

Mung bean sprouts on a white background with browned tips of the bean sprouts separated in a pile

Step 1: Bring a pot of water to a boil. While you're waiting, pick through the bean sprouts and discard any tips that have browned.

bean sprouts in a silver pot of hot water

Step 2: Drop the sprouts into the boiling water. Wave the sprouts around for 30 seconds to a minute to soften.

bean sprouts in a colander with running water pouring over them

Step 3: Drain the sprouts and run under some cold water to stop cooking.

Korean bean sprouts in a glass bowl with sesame seeds and salt on top

Step 4: Mix the drained, cooled sprouts with the sesame oil, salt, and toasted sesame seeds.

Hint: While this dish is usually made by boiling the sprouts, you could also stir fry all the ingredients in a hot pan.

Variations

Soybean sprouts - This is also traditionally made with soybean sprouts, which have a bright yellow bean head at the top. However, those are bit harder to find if not in the Korean supermarket.
Garlicky - You could also add minced raw garlic if you dare...(or just love garlic) like this Korean broccoli salad.
Red Chili flakes - Mix in some gochugaru, Korean red chili flakes. This is typically done with soybean sprouts but works for these bean sprouts too.
Serve warm - While this is usually served cold or at room temperature, you could skip rinsing the sprouts with cold water and toss them with the seasoning ingredients while they're still hot.

Storage

Store in the fridge for up to 3 days for best flavor.

Bean sprouts are delicate, so this dish does not stand up well to freezing.

Korean bean sprouts topped with toasted sesame seeds on a rectangular white plate

Pro Tip

Use your hands. In Korean cuisine, there is something called 'hand taste.' Known as son-mat, it is thought that the hands impart flavor.
- It also has references to family history and is a mechanism for triggering special memories and a deep sense of belonging through the act of eating.

korean bean sprout salad with green onion — Adding Korean chili flakes, gochugaru, will tinge them shade of red orange and give them a kimchi flavor.

Bean Sprout Trivia

Bean sprouts are sprouted from a whole green mung bean.
Mung beans can also be yellow, but only the green ones will sprout.
Bean sprouts contain the same amount of carotene as carrots.

Looking for other plant based Korean recipes like this? Try these:

Pairing with Asian Side Dishes

Check out these ideas for more side dishes:

Recipe

Print Recipe

No ratings yet