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
To give your kefir a flavour boost, fruit juice is ideal! Add between 60 and 200ml (¼ and ¾ cup) of your favourite juice per litre of kefir. Citrus fruits enhance water kefir particularly well. A few tablespoons of citrus fruit juice can give a special zing to a kefir lacking personality!
What fruit to add to water kefir? ›
NOTE: Avoid adding fruits to the water kefir with the grains, as some fruits may be damaging to the grains. Slices of organic lemon or organic raisins with no added oil are the only exceptions and may be added to the initial ferment with the grains.
How long does homemade water kefir last? ›
Water Kefir
| Best Tasting | Palatable Shelf Life* |
|---|
| 2-10 days | 3-4 weeks |
Mar 10, 2019
Add ONE of the following to strengthen the mixture: a pinch of baking soda, a pinch of sea salt, ½ tsp unsulphured blackstrap molasses for each quart of water, 1 eggshell (if no allergies), or mineral drops if using a low mineral water and sugar.
What can I mix with kefir to taste better? ›
Stir, shake, or blend any of the below ingredients with your already fermented milk kefir:
- honey or agave.
- fruit purees.
- fresh pressed juices.
- fresh or frozen berries.
- chopped fruit (mangoes, stone fruits, pears)
- fresh ground spices (vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, turmeric)
- Or try our Golden Milk Kefir Recipe!
Bottled Water
Plain spring water is excellent, except “sparkling” or those with higher or added mineral content. Water labeled “drinking” is usually okay, but always read the ingredient label for additives.
What sugar is best for water kefir? ›
Good: "White" Sugar
White sugar is processed using chemicals in refining, so no nutrients or minerals remain. Organic cane juice sugar or crystals aren't as refined as white, so they have a low mineral content. Both kinds create a sweet water kefir.
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.
Can you drink too much kefir water? ›
The bottom line. Adding kefir to your diet can be an easy and delicious way to increase your intake of probiotics. However, drinking too much can have several side effects, including digestive issues. It also contains carbs and a small amount of alcohol, so it may not be suitable for everyone.
How do I know if I killed my water kefir? ›
To know if your water kefir grains are dead, use them to ferment a new batch and repeat this cycle at least 4 times. If the grains are dead, the water will remain sweet, and there wouldn't be a sign of fermentation. Another way to know is the appearance of mold on the surface.
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.
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.
Can I use honey for water kefir? ›
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 put lemon juice in kefir? ›
You shouldn't add lemon, or generally any citrus, to your kefir. While the culture is acid resistant, the pH can become too high and will kill off the good bacteria you need to form the kefir.
What is the white stuff on top of water kefir? ›
Kahm yeast typically appears as a thin, white or creamy layer on the surface of fermenting liquids like kombucha, kefir, or lacto-fermented vegetables. It forms when lactic acid bacteria consume the sugars present in the food or drink, producing lactic acid and creating an acidic environment.
Can you add flavor to kefir? ›
Milk kefir can be flavoured with fruits, however as the fruits will contain sugar it is best to do this and then consume immediately, otherwise you will get fruity super sour kefir. For a slightly less sweet fruity milk kefir , puree 1 cup milk kefir with ¼ cup frozen fruit.
How to make tasty kefir? ›
Put ½ tsp kefir grains in the jar. Add a pint of milk, leaving about 2cm head room if using a clip top jar, or at least 5cm for a cloth-covered jar. Leave on the worktop for 18-24 hours to ferment. It's turned to kefir when the milk has thickened.
Can I sweeten water kefir? ›
How Much Sugar Should I Add to Water Kefir? Use three cups of water and ¼ cup sugar with your starter batch. After that, we recommend you use ¼ cup of sugar to one quart of water as the optimal ratio.
Can you add 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.
