Sprouts and Bean Salad with Creamy Lime Dressing

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This Broccoli Sprout and Bean Salad packs approximately 32 grams of protein, 18 grams of fiber, and 67% of the Daily Value for iron into each large jar.

Plus, it's light, crunchy, and satisfying, with tender kidney beans and chickpeas, crisp cucumber and celery, plenty of fresh herbs, and a creamy lime dressing. Broccoli sprouts add a fresh, peppery bite. Pack it into jars for a ready-to-eat lunch, or toss everything together in a bowl and serve right away.

Broccoli sprouts, red onion, cucumber, chickpeas, red kidney beans, parsley, coriander, and creamy lime miso dressing in a salad jar.

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How to Sprout & Dressings
🔍 Quick Look: Sprouts and Bean Salad
👩🏽‍⚕️ Dietitian's Note
👩🏼‍🌾 Ingredients
🌱 Substitutions
📝 How to Make Broccoli Sprout and Bean Salad
✔️ Storage & Meal Prep
🫛 More Sprout Recipes
🙋🏽‍♀️ Recipe FAQs
🍽️ More Salad Recipes
👩🏽‍🍳 Made this recipe?
⚖️ Convert the Recipe to Metric (g & mL)
Broccoli Sprout and Bean Salad Recipe
🛍️ Shop Recipe Cookware and Ingredients
💬 Comments

How to sprout seeds for food showing broccoli sprouts with creamy sun-dried tomato dressing.

How to Sprout & Dressings

My How to Sprout guide with dressing recipes.

How to Sprout

🔍 Quick Look: Sprouts and Bean Salad

⏱️ Prep Time: 20 minutes
🎛️ Cook Time: 0 minutes
👥 Servings: Makes 4 generous salads
📊 Calories: ~540 kcal
👩🏽‍🍳 Flavor Profile: Tangy, herby, savory, and lightly peppery
💪🏼 Nutrition: 32 grams of protein, 18 grams of fiber, ~67% of the Daily Value for iron, 70% for magnesium, and 50% for zinc.
⭐ Difficulty: Easy-blend the dressing, chop the vegetables, and layer the jars; there's no cooking when you use broccoli sprouts.

👩🏽‍⚕️ Dietitian's Note

This Broccoli Sprout and Bean Salad is bright, crunchy, and creamy, with kidney beans, chickpeas, and hemp hearts making each jar a satisfying source of plant protein, fiber, and iron. I especially love the broccoli sprouts: when you chew them, an enzyme helps produce sulforaphane, a compound being studied for how it supports the body's normal detoxification enzymes. The lime dressing also brings vitamin C to a meal rich in plant-based iron.

Why You'll Love This Recipe:

This Broccoli Sprout and Bean Salad is delicious and easy to make. Plus,:

It has texture in every bite. Creamy beans meet crisp vegetables and delicate sprouts.
The dressing tastes rich without oil. Hemp hearts and white miso blend into a creamy, savory lime sauce.
It works for meal prep. Layer the ingredients in jars and keep them chilled for lunches throughout the week.

👩🏼‍🌾 Ingredients

Below, I share ingredient notes from both a nutrition expert's and trained chef's perspective.

Broccoli sprouts, red onion, cucumber, chickpeas, red kidney beans, parsley, and coriander.

Kidney beans and chickpeas make the salad hearty and give it two distinct textures. Rinse and drain canned beans well, or use the equivalent amount of home-cooked beans.
Broccoli sprouts bring a delicate crunch and a peppery finish. For a different texture, use very thinly shaved raw broccoli florets instead. (See How To Grow Sprouts at home.)
Persian cucumbers and celery keep the salad cool and crisp. Cut them into small pieces so every forkful gets some crunch.
Red onion, parsley, and cilantro add sharpness and freshness that balance the creamy dressing.

See the printable recipe card below for quantities.

For the Creamy Lime Miso Dressing:

Medjool date, rice vinegar, hemp hearts, crushed red pepper, lime, ground cumin, miso, garlic, and rice vinegar.

Hemp hearts make the lime dressing smooth and rich. A high-speed blender gives the creamiest result.
Lime juice and zest give the dressing its bright flavor; rice vinegar adds another tangy note.
White miso, a date, garlic, cumin, and red pepper flakes round out the dressing with savory depth, a touch of sweetness, and gentle heat.

See the printable recipe card below for quantities.

🌱 Substitutions

This recipe is versatile and easy to adapt. Below are some simple ingredient substitutions.

Broccoli sprouts: Use 2 cups of very thinly shaved raw broccoli florets instead to make a crunchy Broccoli and Bean Salad.
Chickpeas: Use cannellini beans instead. They have a soft, creamy texture that works especially well with the lime dressing. Cooked black beans also work if you want a firmer bite.
Kidney beans: Swap in an equal amount of cooked black beans or white beans. The flavor and nutrition will vary.
Cilantro: Replace it with more parsley, fresh dill, mint, basil, or chives.
Red pepper flakes: Reduce or omit them for a milder dressing.

📝 How to Make Broccoli Sprout and Bean Salad

The complete recipe with exact amounts is below. These additional tips will help you get the best results.

Make the dressing. For a milder garlic flavor, briefly sauté the garlic and let it cool before blending. Zest only the green outer layer of the lime; the white pith can taste bitter. Blend all the dressing ingredients until smooth, adding a little more water if needed to make it pourable. Taste before adding salt, since the miso is already salty.

Creamy lime miso dressing in a glass salad jar.

Use a roomy jar to leave enough space to shake the ingredients together. Add the dressing first.

Rinse and drain the beans and chickpeas. Drain the beans thoroughly before layering the jars. Add the beans after the dressing.

Prep the salad. Dice the cucumbers, celery, and red onion; chop the herbs. Add the celery after the beans.

For a milder onion flavor, soak the diced red onion in cold water for 10 minutes, then drain and pat dry. Add the red onion after the celery.

Use firm Persian cucumbers for the best crunch in these jars. Cut them into ½-inch pieces rather than a fine dice, and pat them dry before layering. Add the cucumber after the red onion.

Dry the sprouts well so the salad stays crisp. Keep the sprouts on top and the dressing on the bottom until you're ready to eat. (See How To Grow Broccoli Sprouts at home.)

Seal and refrigerate the jars. When ready to eat, shake a jar well or tip it into a bowl and toss.

To serve immediately:

Broccoli sprouts, red onion, cucumber, chickpeas, red kidney beans, parsley, coriander, and creamy lime miso dressing in a wooden bowl.

Skip the jars and simply add the ingredients to a large bowl.

Toss everything with the blended dressing until evenly coated.

Creamy broccoli and bean salad in a bowl.

✔️ Storage & Meal Prep

Storage

Store the assembled salad jars upright in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Keeping the dressing beneath the beans helps the cucumber, herbs, and sprouts stay crisp.

If you've already tossed the salad with dressing, refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. The dressing may thicken in the refrigerator; add a little water or fresh lime juice as needed. I do not recommend freezing the assembled salad because the cucumber, herbs, and sprouts lose their texture.

Meal Prep

For grab-and-go lunches, divide the dressing among four large jars. Add the kidney beans and chickpeas, followed by the celery, red onion, cucumber, parsley, and cilantro. Finish with the broccoli sprouts. Seal and refrigerate the jars upright for up to 4 days. For serving, shake vigorously or empty into a bowl and toss before serving. For maximum crunch on day four, pack the cucumber and sprouts separately and add them just before eating.

🫛 More Sprout Recipes

Learn how to sprout seeds at home in just a few minutes a day. This step-by-step guide covers soaking, rinsing, storing, and troubleshooting

Mung bean sprouts: Nutrition and How to Sprout.

Boost your protein and fiber intake with this delicious crunchy Sprouts Salad Recipe.

🙋🏽‍♀️ Recipe FAQs

Can I use broccoli instead of broccoli sprouts?

Yes. Very thinly shave 2 cups of raw broccoli florets and let them stand for about 40 minutes before adding them. There is no need to cook the broccoli.

Can I make this without jars?

Absolutely. Put all the salad ingredients in a large bowl, add the dressing, and toss just before serving.

Is the dressing oil-free?

Yes. Hemp hearts give it a creamy texture without added oil.