We enjoy water kefir all year round as a fermented beverage full of healthy probiotics. Even our dog, Pearl, looks forward to her daily allotment each morning. It helps all of us maintain gut health. It’s our most consistent ferment.
While kombucha is more popular and well known, I find water kefir to be easier to ferment and a lot tastier! To learn more about this easy ferment and how to make it, check out my post, How to Ferment Water Kefir.
During the summer months though I especially look forward to making flavored bottles of water kefir in a second fermentation step.
This offers a bubbly refreshing fruity alternative to sodas, juices, or other sugar filled beverages that are tempting as thirst quenchers. I love experimenting with different flavor options!
Why Drink Water Kefir?
- It’s a probiotic rich drink full of valuable enzymes, B vitamins, and minerals.
- Water kefir is a great dairy free alternative to milk kefir while offering the same benefits.
- Drinking it regularly helps maintain a healthy balance of good bacteria in your digestive tract.
- It aids the immune system by optimizing gut health.
- With proper care you can use the same set of grains indefinitely to continuously ferment.
How to Make Carbonated and Flavored Water Kefir
What You Will Need:
- a clean sealed container for fermenting in like swing top bottles, clean soda or water bottles, or even a jar
- finished water kefir
- flavoring of your choice
- a small funnel
Notes and Tips for Flavored Water Kefir:
I use 16 oz swing top bottles for my second ferment. Some people prefer 32 oz bottles. I know others who use plastic bottles for their second ferment to completely avoid the possibility of exploding glass. That’s a great option if you’re absent minded about burping your ferments.
To flavor or carbonate water kefir you need finished water kefir or water kefir that has gone through the first fermentation process.
Flavorings can be anything from fresh fruit to juice to dried fruit or herbs and spices. For a 16 oz bottle I recommend adding 1/4 cup of juice, 1/8 cup of sliced fresh fruit, and just dash or a few leaves of spices or herbs. If you’re using a strong juice like lemon or lime start with only 1/8 cup of juice.
If you only wish to flavor your water kefir, you could move the bottles to the fridge immediately.
To carbonate the water kefir in addition to flavoring, leave the bottles out for 24 to 72 hours to undergo a second ferment. Remember to burp the bottles once a day! Pressure can build up quickly and lead to exploding bottles that are both dangerous and messy.
I’ve also taken to burping the bottles outside after having to clean watermelon off the ceiling once due to an unexpected pressure change. That sort of pressure has never occurred again but once was enough.
Flavored Water Kefir Directions:
1. Add your flavoring of choice to the bottom of your bottle or container.
2. Use the little funnel to pour the finished water kefir in. Leave at least 1 inch of head space of the top of the bottle.
3. To carbonate and flavor, allow 24 to 72 hrs for a second ferment. Burp the bottles once a day!
4. When the bottles have carbonation, move them to the fridge until you’re ready to enjoy. The cold stops the fermentation process and make the beverage even more refreshing.
10 Flavored Water Kefir Recipes to Try
All recipes are to make one 16 oz bottle of flavored water kefir and require adding just under 16 oz of finished water kefir.
1. Strawberry Pineapple
- 1 medium strawberry sliced
- 1 pineapple ring sliced or 3-4 chunks
- 1/8 cup pineapple juice
2. Pineapple Mint
- 1 pineapple ring sliced or 3-4 chunks
- 1/8 cup pineapple juice
- 5 – 6 mint leaves (chopped or muddled will give even more flavor)
3. Strawberry Watermelon with Lemon
- 1 medium strawberry sliced
- 1 watermelon chunk sliced (about 1/8 cup)
- 1/8 cup lemon juice
4. Blackberry
- 4 – 5 blackberries muddled up
Note: This is one that we definitely strain right before drinking to avoid annoying seeds. If you like mint, a few leaves are a refreshing addition to the blackberry
5. Mango Ginger
- 1 mango slice cut up or muddled (about 1/8 cup)
- 1/2 inch to 1 inch piece of ginger minced depending on how strong you like your ginger
6. Ginger Beer
- 1/2 inch to 1 inch piece of ginger minced
- 1/8 cup lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon sugar
7. Strawberry Lemonade
- 1 medium to large strawberry sliced
- 1/8 cup lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon sugar
8. Lemon Lime
- a tbsp lemon juice
- a tbsp lime juice
- 1 teaspoon sugar
9. Mojito
- 1/8 cup lime juice
- 6 to 8 mint leaves chopped or muddled
- 1 teaspoon sugar
10. Watermelon with Lemon Cucumber
- 1 watermelon chunk sliced (about 1/8 cup)
- half of a lemon cucumber sliced (about 1/8 cup)
Have you tried water kefir before? What are your favorite fruit flavor combinations for summer drinks?
FAQs
Good: Rapadura Sugar
Rapadura (and similarly pressed cane sugars called sucanat or panela) is the least refined sugar. It's produced by pressing the pure juice from the sugar cane, then cooking at low temps to evaporate the water.
How do you make the best water kefir? ›
Directions
- Add ¼ cup of sugar to the jar.
- Add water to the jar.
- Stir thoroughly to dissolve the sugar.
- Add 2 TB of kefir grains to the sweetened water.
- Cover with a plastic lid, cloth cover or Fermentation Cap.
- Let sit for 24-48 hours – no longer than 72 hours or the grains will begin to disintegrate.
Store grains in the fridge unless absolutely necessary. If you have to, we recommend storing them no longer than two weeks, and even so, expect the grains to take a few rounds of culturing to snap back. Rinse your grains. Doing so takes off the protective bacteria that makes them thrive.
Is water kefir a laxative? ›
So even though kefir may act as a mild laxative, it did not cause diarrhea or softer stools for people who have normal bowel movements.
Why add raisins to water kefir? ›
Add a small handful of raisins to your next culturing batch, ensuring the raisins are free of oil and sulfur. Your grains will feast upon the natural sugar. Fun fact, if you eat the raisins after the culturing time, they won't be sweet anymore. Bonus: because of the extra fruit sugar, extra carbonation should develop.
Is honey good for water kefir? ›
Honey. Raw honey has its own bacteria that can compete with water kefir grains; some honey is contaminated with high fructose corn syrup; We DO NOT recommend using this for making water kefir.
How much kefir water should you drink a day? ›
How much should you drink? Kefir can be a healthy and delicious addition to a well-rounded diet. For best results, stick to around 1–3 cups (237–710 mL) per day and pair it with a variety of other fermented foods and beverages to increase your intake of probiotics.
Does water kefir raise blood sugar? ›
Why is water kefir sometimes ok for diabetics to consume? The bacteria and yeast produce enzymes that break down the sucrose (the double sugar that sugar is composed of) into fructose and glucose. Fructose is digested by the liver and does not spike the blood sugar of diabetics like sucrose or glucose.
Should I stir my water kefir? ›
Before pouring in the fermented water kefir, give it a good stir with a spoon to evenly distribute the probiotics. Then pour it into the bottles, allowing the grains to collect in the strainer. Leave a little airspace at the top of the bottle.
How do you know if water kefir is working? ›
Always test aroma and flavour to make sure the water kefir grains are working properly. The finished water kefir should smell pleasant and maybe a bit sour, and it will be less sweet than the sugar water or juice you started with.
Taste: After the 48-hour culturing process, the finished kefir should be less sweet than the sugar water you started with. Please note: finished kefir will still be fairly sweet as it does still contain fructose which is naturally very sweet. But it should be at least a bit less sweet than the original sugar water.
What happens if you let water kefir ferment too long? ›
When water kefir is finished, it tastes a bit sweet still. If you prefer it more sour you can overferment it. If you leave it for a very long time it may become even to sour to drink. The same is with kombucha.
How much sugar do you add to water kefir? ›
Use Proper Ratios of Sugar, Water, and Kefir Grains
While it can be tempting to reduce the amount of sugar used to make water kefir, this can be quite detrimental to the health of the water kefir grains. We recommend using ¼ cup sugar per quart of water when making water kefir.
Can I add maple syrup to kefir? ›
A fizzy, slightly tangy, and uniquely flavored beverage. Ingredients You'll Need: 1/4 cup water kefir grains. 1/4 cup pure maple syrup (adjust to taste)
Can you add fruit to water kefir? ›
Add fresh or dried fruit to the water kefir. If using fresh fruit, change the fruit out every 24 hours. Dried fruit can be changed out as infrequently as once a week. Culture the fruit and kefir for 1-7 days.
What fruits are good for secondary fermentation of water kefir? ›
Adding strawberries, mangoes, cherries, vanilla, berries, and ginger are some of our favorite secondary ferment flavors! A couple drops of extract also makes for a quick and delicious flavor in your kefir.
Can you eat the fruit in water kefir? ›
When the kefir is ready, you need to separate the water kefir from the kefir grains. Set a plastic or stainless steel strainer over a jar or bowl and pour everything in. Pick out any fruit or lemon. You can eat these, discard, or even keep in your bottled water kefir.
What do you put in kefir water? ›
Or you can add small pieces of fruit, vegetables, or tea leaves (like blueberries, ginger, or hibiscus) to the kefir once you've strained out the grains. The additional sugars from these additions will make the kefir lightly carbonated. If you want to use the kefir as a starter culture, leave it plain.
