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
The best fruit to use is dried figs. It provides the essential minerals needed for the kefir grains to develop properly. Dried fruit such as dates, raisins, and cranberries can also be used.
How do you make water kefir taste better? ›
People enjoy it for its sweet taste, natural fizz, and ease of preparation. All you have to do is put some water kefir grains in sugar water, add some dried fruit and a slice of citrus fruit, and then wait 48 hours.
Is kefir water better than kombucha? ›
Kefir is creamy, slightly sour, and often compared to a thinned yogurt. Kombucha is carbonated, and it has a vinegar smell, bitter taste, and characteristic slimy live culture that often sits at the bottom.
How long does homemade water kefir last? ›
Kefir has a slightly sour, tangy flavor and can be enjoyed plain or flavored with fruit or other ingredients. It can be enjoyed as a drink or used in recipes in place of yogurt or buttermilk. Kefir can be stored in the fridge for up to 3 weeks. However, it will continue to ferment and become more sour over time.
What sugar is best for water kefir? ›
Good: "White" Sugar
Evaporated cane sugar (light blonde in color) is the most popular for fermenting water kefir grains. We use this sugar when we make water kefir for our families or customers to sample, as the mildness of the light sugar allows the kefir to be easily flavored and is appealing to more people.
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.
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.
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.
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.
What is the disadvantage of water kefir? ›
For most people, water kefir can safely be enjoyed with minimal risk of adverse symptoms. Like other probiotic-rich foods, the most common side effects include digestive issues like bloating, nausea, constipation and cramps ( 13 ). These side effects tend to decrease with continued consumption.
Using the renal ischemia-reperfusion model, we demonstrate that chronic treatment (60 days) with kefir was able to prevent renal dysfunction induced by I/R, by reducing superoxide anion, increasing nitric oxide production and preventing apoptosis.
How much kefir water should I drink a day? ›
Just like eating one banana usually sounds great, but that 2nd banana usually does not for most people. Kefir is like that, you will crave it in small quantities, typically around 1 cup per day. The average is around 1/2 cup to 2 cups per day. Water kefir is more mild, so people tend to drink a little more each day.
How do I know if I killed my water kefir? ›
To find out if your water kefir grains have died, you can test them by making them ferment a new batch. If the grains are dead, the water will remain very sweet and there will be no sign of fermentation. Another sign is the appearance of mould on the surface. Unfortunately, there is nothing you can do if this happens.
Should water kefir be refrigerated? ›
Water kefir does not need to be refrigerated unless you want it chilled. It's best to consume within 10 days after opening a bottle. Unused grains can be fed and stored, covered, in sugar water (1/4 cup sugar to 1 quart water), and refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.
Can you bring water kefir grains back to life? ›
For water kefir grains, we recommend simply storing the grains in a jar of water or sugar water in the fridge. They typically revive quite well coming out of the fridge. Unlike, milk kefir grains, growth is rarely suppressed.
What can I mix with 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.
How much fruit to add to water kefir? ›
We would recommend 1/3 fruit juice to the bottom of the bottle (I like organic fruit juice but that's a personal preference, avoid cloudy fruit juices as they can add stringy bits to your drink! you can also use fresh fruit if you wish, slices of lemon and ginger are a nice addition).
Can you eat the fruit in water kefir? ›
Pick out any fruit or lemon. You can eat these, discard, or even keep in your bottled water kefir. You can also re-use dried fruit for one more ferment if desired. If you used lemon, you can squeeze it into your strained/bottled kefir for a stronger lemon flavor if desired.
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.
