In this study the changes of phenolic compounds and antioxidant activity of four different pulses namely white bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L), Common vetch (Vicia sativa), Lentil (Lens culinaris) and Chickpea (Cicer arietinum) seeds before and after germination were investigated. Seeds germinated in dark chambers maintained near 100 % relative humidity at 20 °C. Three different solvents namely acetone, hexane and methanol were employed to extract the phenolic compounds present in the seeds and sprouts. Total content of phenolic compounds was measured by the Folin–Ciocalteu method and antioxidant activity determined by the delay in fat oxidation. Different concentrations of extracts (0.02 and 0.1 % w/w) were added to tallow and the stabilities of the treatments were determined by the peroxide value and induction period measurements to evaluate the antioxidant activities. The results indicated that the increases in phenolic content from dormant seed to sprouted seed were significant (P ≤ 0.05) in all the samples. The significant differences between induction periods of tallow treated with sprouted seed extracts were observed (P < 0.05). The results indicated that the greatest increase in stability was obtained when tallow was treated with a 0.1 % concentration of acetone chickpea sprout extract. The pulses' sprout flour or extract might be recommended for use as a source of natural antioxidants in functional foods.