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 add flavor 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).
How long can you keep kefir water? ›
If it is in a sealed bottle with no chance of cross contamination, the LIVE cultures will slowly continue to eat up the sugars in the drink and eventually the drink will turn to vinegar. The first ferment with no flavoring added can last in the fridge for up to 3 months.
How do you know if water kefir is alive? ›
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.
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 kefir water every day? ›
Drinking kefir water every day increases antioxidants, boosts immunity, regulates blood sugar, and confers other benefits. Drinking kefir water daily can add good bacteria to your digestive system, fight inflammation, and boost your overall health.
What bottled water is best for water kefir? ›
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.
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 you use tap water to make water kefir? ›
If using city tap water, we recommend boiling the water for 20 minutes to remove chlorine, then allow it to cool to room temperature. You can also let your tap water stand for 24 hours to allow the chlorine to evaporate. Structured, alkalized, or pH-adjusted water is not appropriate for fermenting water kefir.
What sugar is best for water kefir? ›
We believe that organic white sugar combined with rapadura or other minimally processed sugar is the best option for water kefir. Supplementing with Rapadura or unsulphured molasses keeps our water kefir grains happier, healthier, and more productive because they contain the nutrients and minerals that the grains love.
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 rinse my water kefir grains? ›
Rinse your grains. Doing so takes off the protective bacteria that makes them thrive. We would only recommend rinsing them as a last-ditch effort if they're covered in mold or about to die anyway.
What is the white stuff on top of water kefir? ›
Kham yeast is a micro-organism that, in the presence of oxygen, sometimes forms a white film on the surface of kefir. Yeast can develop when kefir grains are left in their water too long or when the fermentation temperature is too high.
Why are my water kefir grains so tiny? ›
Kefir grains usually stay around the size of a rice krispie to the size of a corn flake, but can be even smaller if they are stressed, reproducing rapidly or too hot (the size of an uncooked rice kernel or candy nerd).
What fruits go well with kefir? ›
Smoothies are an easy way to start experimenting with kefir. Blend with fruit like bananas, berries and peaches, and flavors like vanilla and cinnamon, or try this tropical-inspired variation with pineapple.
Can you add fresh fruit to water kefir? ›
When using fresh fruit, leave in the water kefir no longer than 24 hours. For a stronger fruit flavor, strain out the fruit after 24 hours and add fresh fruit; continue to ferment another 24 hours.
What fruit is good for second ferment kefir? ›
If you second ferment with a lemon or orange peel or a million other things it will flavor the kefir and make it taste unique and delicious. It also increases B vitamins, like folic acid, and makes the calcium and magnesium more bioavailable which means that your body can take it in and use it immediately.
What does water kefir feed on? ›
How do water kefir grains convert the sugar-water they're in to kefir? Kefir grains are an amazing symbiotic matrix of bacteria and yeast that work together to feed off the natural sugars (and sometimes proteins and fats too, especially in the case of milk kefir) found present in the sugar-water and dried fruits.
