Soak Your Grains!

Jenni Kayne asked me to share with her readers one of her favorite tips that I have taught in class — soaking grains. ย So we have collaborated on a today’s post! ย Do check out her amazing lifestyle website, ripplustan.com which is one of my favorite sources for learning about new products, entertaining ideas and of course, fashion!

I am a big fan of a mostly plant-based diet and more importantly, I emphasize as many whole, unprocessed foods as possible.ย  Whole grains can definitely be part of a healthful diet, but they are much more nutritious and digestible when prepared the way our ancestors did by soaking, fermenting or sprouting them before cooking or eating.

Whole grains contain an anti-nutrient called phytic acid which binds with certain minerals (e.g.ย  zinc, phosphorous, calcium and iron) and ย prevents them from being absorbed by the body.ย  Phytic acid is also very hard on the digestive system.ย  Most of the phytic acid is contained in the exterior bran and germ layers of the grain.ย  Ironically, whole grains are much higher in minerals than polished or refined grains, but we wonโ€™t receive those benefits unless we neutralize the phytic acid.

Phytic acid is also an enzyme-inhibitor which keeps the grains/seeds dormant until the conditions for germination are just right.ย  Not only does phytic acid prevent seeds from sprouting, it also helps protect them from predators by blocking digestive enzymes so that the seeds stay untouched as they pass through our digestive tract.

Soaking, fermenting or sprouting your grains before cooking them will neutralize the phytic acid and release the enzyme inhibitors, thus making them much easier to digest and making the nutrients more assimilable.ย  Phytic acid can be neutralized in as little as 7 hours when soaked in water with the addition of a small amount of an acidic medium such as vinegar or lemon juice. ย Soaking also helps to break down gluten, a hard-to-digest protein found in grains such as wheat, spelt, rye and barley.

Fortunately, grains are very easy to soak.ย  You just need to start the process the night before or the morning of the day you want to eat them.ย  Pour grains into a bowl and cover with warm or room temperature filtered water.ย  Add a tablespoon of something acidic, such as yogurt, raw apple cider vinegar, lemon juice, whey or kefir, for example.ย  Cover and allow to sit at room temperature for at least 7 hours or longer.ย ย  Change the water after 24 hours if youโ€™re still soaking.ย  Drain and rinse the grains before cooking with fresh water.

Even though 7-8 hours is the minimum recommended for soaking, even a few hours is better than nothing.ย  An extra benefit to soaking grains is a shorter cooking time.ย  The longer you soak them, the less time is needed to cook and also less water.ย  Thereโ€™s no formula to figuring this out, but usually if you soak 1 cup of brown rice for 8 hours, you can reduce the cooking time from 50 minutes to about 40 and use about 1/3 cup less water.ย  For 1 cup of soaked quinoa, you can cook for about 10 minutes and use 1 ยฝ cups of water.

If youโ€™ve been eating whole grains, nuts and seeds for years without soaking, donโ€™t stress.ย  A small amount of phytic acid is reduced just by the cooking process alone.ย  But for minimal effort, you can significantly improve the digestibility and nutrition of these important foods.

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98 Comments

  1. Katherine says:

    Hi: would it be ok if I don’t add acid in the soaking process? I’m trying to make quinoa congee for my baby, and he’s a bit young to introduce vinegar, lemon juice. I’d use yogurt or kefir except he was a bit sensitive to it.

    I’ve soaked the the quinoa for about 48 hours and notice the sprouts, and then I ground it to a paste before making it to congee. Would that be good enough in getting rid the optic acid? Thx

    1. Pamela says:

      Of course it’s ok! The acid just helps to neutralize the phytic acid more quickly. You do rinse the vinegar/lemon juice off though before cooking. But the fact that you are soaking at all is fantastic! ๐Ÿ™‚ If you are soaking for more than 24 hours however, I would change the water to avoid creating any bacteria. Thanks for your question!

  2. Azhar says:

    Should I cook sprouted or germinated brown rice like I cook pasta, boil in big amount of water then drain the water?

    1. Pamela says:

      You could if you want, but it’s not really necessary since the grains have already been soaked. ๐Ÿ™‚

      1. Allison says:

        Hi Pamela,

        Am I understanding correctly that if I have purchased sprouted quinoa or brown rice it does not need to be soaked?

        Thanks ๐Ÿ™‚

        1. Pamela says:

          Yes, that it correct. If it has been sprouted, it has been previously soaked. ๐Ÿ™‚

  3. Cesar says:

    Hey ! i’m wondering if i can soak my nuts overnight in a bowl and then just throw the water away and eat the nuts right away or do i have to do something after the soaking like dehydrating or sprouting or something like that. Also how long does the nuts last after only soaking (in case is possible to do that)
    Thanks !

    1. Pamela says:

      Hi! Yes, you can eat the nuts right away, but you must keep them refrigerated after soaking and they only last a few days UNLESS you dehydrate them fully. Sprouting is just extending soaking with multiple changes of water over a few days. Again, you can eat right away, but they must be kept refrigerated and they only stay good for a few days. ๐Ÿ™‚

  4. Josh says:

    hi, I was just wondering about eating roed oats raw. After soaking them do I need to rinse them the next day if I’m going to eat them right away? Or should I rinse before I eat?

    1. Pamela says:

      You don’t necessarily need to rinse soaked grains before eating. But if you have soaked with some sort of acid, like lemon juice or whey, you might enjoy the test better if they have been rinsed. An exception is when I soak my oats for oat and chia porridge or bircher muesli and then there is no rinsing.

  5. Jeff says:

    Hello Pamela,

    If phytic acid is released into the soak water, does it need to be rinsed off before cooking so that the phytic acid doesnโ€™t bond back up with the minerals youโ€™re trying to release?

    Jeff.

    1. Pamela says:

      Yes, you shouldThe physic acid is neutralized more than it leaches into the soaking water, but you should rinse the grains to remove any residue. Thanks for your question. ๐Ÿ™‚

  6. Todd says:

    How do you neutralize an acid with another acid?

    1. Pamela says:

      By adding a little of an acidic medium like vinegar, for example, you are helping to activate phytase which is what breaks down the phytic acid.

      1. Todd says:

        Thanks for the response Pamela. After reading a little more about the subject it seems to be a multi stage process to break down the photic acid as you say. Do you happen to know if grinding makes them more digestable too?

  7. Kelly says:

    Hi Pamela,
    Do you use separate bowls/jars to soak, that you do not then use for other purposes? When I soak brown rice, for example, should I not use that container for other cooking because of the arsenic that is presumably in the water?

    1. Pamela says:

      Nope. I use all glass bowls and doubt that anything (like arsenic) permeates the glass. So I just soak and wash the bowls like everything else — with hot water and soap. I’m sure that is completely safe. ๐Ÿ™‚

  8. Christine says:

    I love the flavor of roasted hulled barley. What would you recommend, roasting BEFORE soaking or soaking THEN roasting?

    1. Pamela says:

      I would say soak then roast!

      1. Christine says:

        If I soak then roast will I still get all the benefits of soaking once roasting dries out the grain?

        1. Pamela says:

          As I understand it, once you’ve neutralized the physic acid, it’s neutralized!

  9. Ilana says:

    Question- Pamela do you make overnight oats, of the yogurt and meusli variety? If so, do you soak those oats in water was well? thanks!

    1. Pamela says:

      Yes, I do. I have a few recipes on the site. Those are soaked in yogurt or almond milk or both and they are not drained the next day. But the effect is the same — phytic acid is neutralized and the oats become more digestible. ๐Ÿ™‚

      1. Ilana says:

        Thank you!

  10. Lisa says:

    Hi Pamela,
    Thank you for this post! If it’s a hot day, let’s say it’s 85 degrees in my apartment, is it okay/safe to soak the grains on the counter top for 12-24 hours? Can soaking be done in the fridge?

    Thanks,
    Lisa

    1. Pamela says:

      Yes, you can soak in warm weather. Maybe change the water after 12 hours if it’s really hot out.