Homemade Probiotic Water Kefir

Homemade water kefir drinks in flip top glass bottles with cut oranges and lemons next to them.

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5 from 1 vote

Homemade Probiotic Water Kefir

Homemade water kefir is a delicious naturally fizzy probiotic soft drink that is good for your gut health!

Prep Time15

Cook Time5

Fermentation Time2

Total Time2 20

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: American

Keyword: water kefir, homemade probiotic soda, homemade water kefir

Servings: cups

Calories: 119kcal

Author: Kaity Farrell

Ingredients

Hydrate Grains

1/4 cup water kefir grains dehydrated
4 cups water
¼ cup whole cane sugar or sweetener of your choice

First Culture

1 cup water kefir grains hydrated
4 cups water
¼ cup whole cane sugar or sweetener of your choice

Second Culture

4 cups unflavored water kefir from first culture
1 cup lemon juice or fruit juice or tea of your choice

Instructions

Hydrate Water Kefir Grains

Heat the water to 68˚F-85˚F and pour it into a quart-sized mason jar. Dissolve rapadura into the water. If the temperature of the water goes above 85˚F then allow it to cool before adding grains. Add the dehydrated water kefir grains to the sugar water.
Cover the jar with a coffee filter or cloth and secure it with a rubber band. Keep the jar in a warm spot to keep the temperature between 68˚F and 85˚F for 3-5 days. I keep it next to the stove. After that time the grains will be plump and translucent. Strain off the sugar water and discard. Your grains are now ready to make water kefir.

First Culture

Heat water to 68˚F-85˚F and pour into a mason jar. Dissolve rapadura into the water. If the temperature of the water goes above 85˚F then allow it to cool before adding grains.
Add the hydrated plump water kefir grains to the sugar water. Cover the jar with a coffee filter or cloth and secure it with a rubber band. Keep the jar in a warm spot to keep the temperature between 68˚F and 85˚F for 24-48 hours.
The first culture is now complete and you can drink it at this point if you wish. Strain off the kefir grains over a bowl to reserve the water kefir.
Prepare a new batch of sugar water and place kefir grains in it to repeat the process and start your next batch.

Second Culture

Clean and rinse flip-top wire bail bottles or mason jars. Add juice/tea to bottles and then fill the bottle with water kefir, leaving about 1" of headspace. Secure lids on bottles.
Keep in a warm place at 68˚F-85˚F for anywhere from 1 day up to 5 days or longer depending on the flavors you use. Blood orange is ready in 1 day. The lemon-gingerade takes about 5 days. When you see little bubbles rising up from the bottom it should mean that it is fizzy and ready. You can burp bottles daily to release extra built-up pressure.
Then place bottles in the refrigerator until consumption.

Notes

Rapadura can be replaced with panela or another unrefined sugar.

What I've found with using sweet citrus juice is that small "floaties" form in the finished kefir. They do not change the taste, but some people do not like the look of it. That said, sweet citrus juices do produce a lot of fizzes. Just wanted to warn you about the "floaties".

Ingredients: 1 part fresh fruit juice(s) or coconut water to 4 parts water kefir

To make a lemon-gingerade flavor, juice 4-6 lemons for 1-quart water kefir. Blend a nub of ginger with the lemon juice in a blender on high speed and strain off the juice through a fine-mesh strainer. Dissolve ½ cup of rapadura into juice. Proceed with bottling. If you do not want to use rapadura in the second culture, try using apple juice and less lemon juice.

Nutrition