Water kefir is a brilliantly delicious way to enjoy a fizzy, soda-like beverage while getting a healthy dose of gut-loving probiotics. Cultured and fermented foods are an important part of overall health, though modern diets tend to be lacking in these tangy foods. I won’t go into the endless benefits of improving or maintaining gut health, but suffice it to say that new, credible research is coming forward every day touting the benefits of bacterial balance for the entire body.
That said, healthy can be SOOOO delicious. I’m not much of a soda drinker but I can down a bottle of water kefir in a blink! It’s far less sweet and the flavoring possibilities are endless. Similar to kombucha, water kefir uses a live culture of grains that contain a spectrum of healthy bacteria and yeast. Unlike kombucha, kefir is quick and easy to make (3-4 days) with a much milder flavor. The process consists of culturing the grains in sugar water for up to 48 hours, then bottling the strained kefir in a grolsch style bottle with your desired flavors allowing carbonation to build. The more sugars you add to your second ferment, the more carbonation will build more quickly. Also, the grains do multiply, and nothing says “I love you” like a cup of bacteria and yeast culture! Ha!
As with all probiotics, start slowly. You’ll be improving the bacterial balance of your gut which is best done over time.
This is my process for brewing water kefir. Keep in mind that grains are a living thing and are always changing. This recipe is a good start point, and the possibilities for flavoring are endless.
Final word of caution: When doing your second ferment make sure to “burp” the bottles at least a couple of times a day to release pressure. We have had some serious explosions here even after a batch has been refrigerated. While some batches will be flatter than others, always open a bottle with caution because champagne ain’t got nothing on the fizz capabilities of kefir! YOWZA!
I bought these water kefir grains years ago. They have treated me well and remain lively as long as you keep using and feeding them (similar to a sourdough starter). Not to mention they are so cheap!
- quart mason jar
- small clean cloth or towel
- rubber band
- ¼ cup brown sugar (great mineral content to feed grains)
- ¼ cup water kefir grains
- grolsch bottle
- 3 cups boiled and cooled water (chlorine damages grains so we must boil it out)
- Boil 3 cups water and dissolves ¼c brown sugar in it. Let cool to room temp. Gently stir in kefir grains and molasses and/or raisins if using. Cover with cloth and rubber band and keep on the counter 24-48 hours. *Don't leave grains for longer than 48 hours as they die once they "eat" all of the sugars and run out of food. It's better to replace the sugar water more frequently than less frequently for the health of your grains.
- 24-48 hours later the sugar water should be much lighter in color and there may be some bubbles on the surface. This means the grains have consumed much of the sugar and cultured the water. Strain cultured water from grains and remove raisins if using. Brew again in new sugar water. For a fizzy, soda-like kefir you must do a second ferment and bottle the strained water in tightly sealed bottle with flavors (my favorites are below) for another 24-48 hours burping the bottles regularly to release pressure and avoid explosions. Refrigerate and ENJOY!!
- juice from 2 small limes and 1 lemon
- juice from 1 grapefruit & a pinch dried lavender flowers
- ½ TB cut hibiscus flower petals & 1 tsp lavender flowers (can make a tea concentrate)
- juice from 2 meyer lemons & ⅛ tsp vanilla powder
- ½ cup fresh tangerine juice
- juice from 2 lemons, ⅛ tsp salt, 1/16 tsp cayenne
- ⅛ c each spearmint & peppermint (as a tea concentrate)
- 1+ cup tart cherry juice
- generous amount of fresh ginger (be careful, ginger fizzes like a sonofabitch!!)
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