Bean sprouts are simply germinated beans, and there are several common types, each with a slightly different look, flavor, and typical use in cooking.

Main types of bean sprout

  • Mung bean sprouts
    • The most familiar “bean sprout” in Asian dishes like stir-fries and pho.
* White, crisp shoots with tiny greenish bean tips and a mild, slightly nutty flavor.
  • Soybean sprouts
    • Thicker and sturdier than mung, with a yellow bean on the end and longer roots.
* Stronger beany taste; widely used in Korean cooking (e.g., kongnamul muchim, soups).
  • Chickpea (garbanzo) sprouts
    • Look like small chickpeas with short white tails.
* Firm, nutty, often eaten in salads and sandwiches rather than in hot stir-fries.
  • Kidney bean sprouts and other common bean sprouts
    • Made from common beans like kidney or other Phaseolus varieties.
* Must be cooked thoroughly, as raw or undercooked kidney bean sprouts can contain harmful lectins.
  • Pea and lentil sprouts
    • Pea sprouts are sweet and crunchy; lentil sprouts are small, flat, and nutty.
* Often used in salads, bowls, and light sautés rather than the classic “heap of white sprouts” in a wok.

If a recipe just says “bean sprouts”

  • In most Chinese, Thai, Vietnamese, or Japanese recipes, “bean sprouts” almost always means mung bean sprouts , unless specified otherwise.
  • Korean recipes that mention “soybean sprouts” explicitly are referring to the thicker soybean type, not mung.

Quick ID tips

  • Long white shoot, slender, very common in grocery produce section → mung bean sprout.
  • Thicker shoot with a clearly visible yellow bean at the end → soybean sprout.
  • Round bean with just a short tail, often sold in sprouting mixes → chickpea, lentil, or pea sprout.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.