In a world teeming with fake-tasting sodas and sugar-bomb beverages, we’re due for a change up.
Luckily, the answer is now more accessible than ever. Water Kefir grains, once a fringe ferment, have now found their place amidst the probiotic craze of the past decade. You can pick up your kefir SCOBY (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast) just about anywhere they sell glyphosate-free wheatgrass juice—that is, your local health food store—or at a variety of online shops. If you’re satisfied with your colas and Red Bulls, you may want to move along…if you’re ready to deep dive into the world of homemade sodas, welcome aboard!
The Basic Recipe
To make kefir soda you must follow a very simple four step process.
- Add Kefir grains to a vessel with a breathable opening (a jar with a paper towel over the top, a juice container with a paper towel and rubber band over the top, etc.) and add any carbohydrate-rich beverage. Examples include, but are not limited to:
- Fruit Juice
- Sweetened Water
- Sweetened Coconut Water
- Once you’ve added your grains, wait between one day and one week for the fermentation to happen. The length of time for the fermentation to occur will vary by the following factors:
- Amount of kefir grains added (aim for 1 Tablespoon grains per 16 ounces of juice)
- Amount of carbohydrates/sugars in the beverage
- Ambient Temperatures (warmer temps will speed up the process; lower temps will slow things down)
- Personal Preference (I like mine tart so I usually wait a few days—don’t be afraid to taste as you go!)
- Once the first fermentation is done, strain out the kefir grains and reserve the kefir soda. At this point it is ready to drink! If you’d like some extra carbonation, add some sweetener, cap the bottle and wait another day or two for CO2 to build up. Then pop it in the fridge and let it cool completely.
- Depending on how active your kefir soda is, you may need to “burp” your bottles on the second ferment. This simply involves unscrewing or popping the top off of the bottle temporarily to let out built up gas. Hold your bottle over the sink to be safe.
This is the basic recipe for any kefir soda and the results are exciting. It’s incredible how bubbly and flavorful these get. Experiment with different beverages. Try making your own fresh squeezed fruit juices. Explore what flavors work best for your pallet.
Kefir Soda contains a complex flavor profile so your favorite juice may not be your favorite kefir soda—on the flip side, you might find a new favorite juice once you’ve made soda out of it!
Upgraded Recipe
Now that you’ve made the basic recipe a few times, you might be interested to learn some tip and tricks for upgrading your bevvies.
Once you start exploring with different additions, the combinations are endless. Take notes on what goes into each batch so that you can replicate your favorite one.
Additions
The following is a list of a few extra ingredients you could add to either a first or second ferment to spice up your drink:
- Whole Spices
- Cinnamon
- Cardamom
- Cloves
- Star Anise
- Angelica Root
- Black Pepper
- Hibiscus
- Fruit Rinds
- Lemon
- Lime
- Grapefruit
- Orange
- Pomelo
- Pineapple
- Tangelo
- Fresh Herbs
- Rosemary
- Basil
- Thyme
- Lavender
- Sage
- Thai Basil
- Tarragon
- Aromatics
- Ginger
- Turmeric
- Lemongrass
- Habanero Chili
- Jalepeno
- Fresno Chili
- Hops
With these in your arsenal, the possibilities are endless.
Some combination considerations…
Here are a few combinations of ingredients from the list above to get the ball rolling:
- Maple Syrup+Water with Cardamom, Thyme, and Pineapple.
- Apple Juice with Cinnamon, Sage, and Ginger.
- Turbinado Sugar+Water with Hibiscus, Lemon, and Fresno Chili
- Sweetened Coconut Water with Star Anise, Thai Basil, and Lemongrass
- Honey+Water with Black Pepper, Grapefruit, and Hops
- Orange Juice with Cloves, Thyme, and Jalepeno
Are your eyes widening to the possibilities? Life’s too short to always play it safe.
My challenge for you is to make a big batch of Kefir Sodas with a few of your own flavor combos, invite some friends over, and do a taste test! I guarantee they’ll be impressed—or at the very least, intrigued! Now get brewing!
Note: Milk Kefir grains WILL work in place of water kefir grains. You simply have to “feed” them cows/goats milk a few times between water kefir ferments. Fruit juices will dye your white milk kefir grains with their color. This is no problem and won’t affect your milk kefir.