<p>The present research aimed to evaluate the impact of cereal germination time on the nutritional and antioxidant profiles of selected cereals. Cereal germination is associated with significant biochemical and dietary changes that can enhance nutritional status and human health. Most previous studies utilized a germination time of 96&#xa0;h. This study explored the effects of a 120-h germination time on the nutritional and antioxidant profiles of selected cereals. Germination of selected cereals, such as <i>Triticum aestivum</i> (wheat), <i>Avena sativa</i> (oat), <i>Panicum miliaceum</i> (millet), and <i>Hordeum vulgare</i> (barley), was conducted for 120&#xa0;h, followed by analyses to examine the impact of prolonged germination duration on proximate composition (fat, ash, moisture, crude protein, and crude fiber contents, nitrogen-free extract &#xa0;or&#xa0;NFE percentage, and free carbohydrates), mineral content (Fe, Zn, Cd, and Pd), total phenolic compounds (TPCs), and the antioxidant potential of the selected cereals. Results revealed that the moisture, fat, total carbohydrate, protein, crude fiber contents, TPCs, and antioxidant potential of germinated cereals significantly (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.05) improved with an increased germination time of up to 120&#xa0;h. Nonetheless, extending the germination time significantly (<i>P</i> &lt; 0.05) reduced mineral and ash contents in all cereal samples, possibly due to changes that occur during the germination process. Prolonging the germination time enhanced the nutritional and health benefits of wheat, oats, barley, and millet while boosting their moisture, fat, total carbohydrate, protein, crude fiber contents, TPCs, and antioxidant capacity. This method could also be applied to other cereals to explore their potential positive outcomes.</p> Graphical abstract <p></p>