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
You can add your first-stage strained liquid to fruit juice. Add ¼-½ cup (depending on how you like it) per 1 quart of water kefir. You can add around 2tsp of extracts like vanilla or maple for a sweet flavor. Try crushed berries and other fresh or dried fruits at about ½ cup per quart.
What can you Flavour water kefir with? ›
you can also use fresh fruit if you wish, slices of lemon and ginger are a nice addition). You can also use fuit infusions (fruit tea- just make sure it has cooled before adding it) or cordials can work well (like ginger cordial) or fresh/dried herbs and spices.
Can you add fruit juice to water kefir? ›
You can flavor water kefir with nearly any fruit you like or even coconut water. I suggest using freshly made juices whenever possible. But bottled juices should work if you're in a pinch.
What sugar is best for water kefir? ›
We recommend organic cane sugar. Raw sugar, refined white sugar, and brown sugar can also be used with varying success. Brown sugar or palm (coconut) sugar can be used but may stress your water kefir crystals over time due to its high mineral content.
What is the best sugar for water kefir grains? ›
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.
What happens if you let water kefir ferment too long? ›
Additional fermenting time will also change the taste, it will become more sour. Water kefir will not change much in appearance. When water kefir is finished, it tastes a bit sweet still. If you prefer it more sour you can overferment it.
Can I add baking soda to water kefir? ›
The ratio of grains to water should be one tablespoon of grains to one cup of water. If adding molasses, you will need 1/2 teaspoon per batch. If using baking soda, use 1/4 teaspoon per batch. If you use too much of the soda, the batch will taste like salt, and it can kill off some of your grains.
Should water kefir be open or closed? ›
It really comes down to personal preference. Water kefir can be fermented with either an open lid or a closed lid, or in other words, aerobic or anaerobic. Aerobic basically means a ferment with oxygen, which is done with an open lid. Anaerobic means without oxygen, which is done with a closed lid or airlock.
What not to do with kefir? ›
We do not recommend mixing maple syrup, agave, or honey with your kefir. Maple syrup and agave have a high GI rating, which disrupts your microbiome. Honey is a natural antibiotic, which interferes with the good probiotics in the kefir.
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.
Water kefir: Making up a batch of water kefir with honey is quite a treat. The honey doesn't kill the grains due to antimicrobial action, though it will eventually kill the grains. The real reason is two-fold: Honey is fructose and water kefir grains must have glucose. It's also high in minerals.
Can you 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.
Can you put lemon juice in kefir? ›
You shouldn't squeeze the lemon, it may actually lower the ph too much, without being gradual. Simply put a quart or a half of a lemon in, and when you have finished fermenting and bottling the kefir, you can squeeze the lemon into your kefir beverage if you desire.
What is the mother of water kefir? ›
Water kefir is a live naturally sparkling drink, fermented with a water kefir mother culture, a naturally occurring symbiotic culture of bacterias and yeasts (SCOBY). It is organic, vegan and obviously packed with live cultures, which ensures it has a multitude of health benefits.
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.
How do I get more fizz in my water kefir? ›
There are some basic principles we need to follow so we can prepare water kefir full of bubbles. Add pieces of fruit like lemon or lime to your first fermentation to increase bubbles. Ginger is also very effective.
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.
