How to Cook Mung Beans: Easy 30-Minute Recipe
Simple, creamy, herbaceous, and delicious, this 30-Minute, Easy Mung Bean recipe takes you through the basics of how to cook mung beans. Soft and savory, these mung beans (common in East Asian and India) are cooked simply in white wine with herbs. A great base to a Buddha bowl, or as a delicious side dish, these mung beans are easy to throw together and will add a little deliciousness to every meal. It’s a great, basic, go-to recipe for when you want to add a little mung bean to your life, and a great place to start for those searching for the answer to “how to cook mung beans”.
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About Mung Beans
Mung beans are most commonly eaten across Asia, from India, to China, to the Middle East. Although you might not know it, it is very likely that you’ve had mung beans before, in the form of bean sprouts! They are closely related to lentils (which is why I chose to treat them very similarly in this dish). You can likely find them at your local Asian grocery store, health food market, or online. Mung beans can be purchased whole or split- I use split mung beans because they have a shorter cook time- and are typically added to curries and stews.
Mung Bean Nutritional Information
Although mung beans are not yet hugely popular in the United States, it’s really only a matter of time until these protein-packed peas become popular. They are high in protein (about 14 grams for a cup of cooked beans) and fiber, and low in fat. They are more nutritious than many other beans, and contain high levels of potassium, magnesium, copper, zinc, folate and B vitamins. Like many vegan foods, they are a great, healthy option, and have all sorts of health benefits (you can read more about those here).
How to Cook Mung Beans
The most basic formula for cooking mung beans is 1 cup of dried bean to 3 cups of liquid, bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. Whole mung beans will cook in about 45 minutes, and split mung beans take around 25 minutes to be tender. Mung beans with their outer skins removed are often used in Indian cooking to make a porridge-like dal, in China they can be found sweetened as a dessert, and in the Middle East they can be commonly found in pilaf dishes. Ultimately, there is no single answer for how to cook mung beans, but the 3:1 ratio can sure help!
This 30-Minute, Easy Mung Bean Recipe
This easy, 30-minute recipe uses split mung beans in a simple, vegan preparation. It is flavored with onion, garlic, white wine, and spices. While we used sage, parsley, thyme and rosemary, feel free to use your favorite dried herbs, and the fresh herbs you have on hand. Think of this dish as more of a starting point, that can be easily adapted to use the items you have on hand. If you have purchased whole mung beans, increase the cook time to about 45 minutes. It is a fairly hands-off, simple recipe. Enjoy!
30-Minute Easy Mung Beans with White Wine and Herbs
Ingredients
- Olive oil, for cooking
- ½ medium-sized onion, diced
- 2 cloves of garlic, minced
- 3-5 fresh sage leaves, chopped
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- ½ tsp. dried rosemary
- 1 cup split dried mung beans
- 1 cup vegan white wine
- 2 cups water
- 1 tbsp. vegan butter
- Fresh parsley or cilantro, chopped
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a medium-sized skillet, heat oil on medium-high heat. Add the onions, and sauté for a couple minutes until fragrant. Next add the garlic and spices, sautéing for another minute or so. Add the mung beans, stirring to coat them all in the spices. Add the wine and water, cover the skillet, and bring to a boil before reducing to a simmer.
- Allow to cook on a low heat for 20-25 minutes, until soft. When cooked, remove the lid and increase the heat for a minute or two, stirring, to evaporate any extra water. Turn off the heat, add the vegan butter, parsley, and salt and pepper. Stir well, and serve.
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Let’s hear from you…
- Have you had mung beans before? Did you like them? How did you prepare them?
- Should I write more simple recipes like this one?
- Do you feel more confident in your knowledge of how to cook mung beans?
Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Mung beans might be more commonly recognized in their raw sprouted form, but when cooked, they have a wonderful earthy flavor similar to lentils
Agreed! That’s why we treated them very similarly to lentils in this recipe.
This recipe was delicious! I used leek instead of onion and cooked it in a pressure cooker, since I was using whole mung bean. It paired very well with Basmati Rice and a Curried Sweet Potato & Fennel Salad. Mmmmm!
I’m so glad you liked it, and good thinking on the pressure cooker for the whole beans. The whole meal sounds delicious!
As someone from a culture where a lot of mung beans have been eaten for a long time, I don’t find them similar to lentils. Here’s a shocker: In East Asia, mung beans are more frequently used for desserts. There are countless mochis, cakes, cookies, drinks, and sweet soups that make wonderful use of mung beans. Rather than earthy, mung beans are inherently sweet, with a subtle custardy flavor that seems just made for coconut milk, pandan, sticky rice, or palm sugar. I hope people will enjoy this unique food for its unique characteristics.
Hi DT! Of course lentils and mung beans are different- but they are closely related! I know I only touched on other ways to prepare mung beans, so thanks for sharing a few more ideas here. I’ve tried a few mung bean desserts myself, and while sweet and tasty, I can’t say I ever felt they had a custard-like flavor. Thanks for your comment!
I’d appreciate recipes that specify whole mung beans. It’s been difficult in several places that I’ve lived to find organic split mungs.
Hi Margaret,
Thanks for the input! I’m not sure if you have any Asian grocery stores near you, but I find they tend to have split mung beans. There’s also always the internet!
We do use whole mung beans in this recipe, but I’ll totally put some thoughts into more ways to use whole mung beans!
I added some diced zucchini and carrots. It was delicious 😋 Thank you
Love the added veg! Thanks for the comment!