There are so many great probiotic rich benefits of water kefir. And it is incredibly simple to make at home!
And with a little bit of flavoring you can have your own all natural homemade soda! It is pretty easy to make with a little bit of effort and some fermentation time.
I used to be majorly addicted to Diet Coke. So much so that I would drink about 2-3 a day while sitting at my desk at work. But after making the changes to my diet and improving my health, I have lost all interest in the stuff.
Besides its just bad news to our guts and overall health. I still have the cravings for it on occasion. So, I’m pretty thrilled that I learned how to make this natural soda replacement.
And it’s a lot easier than you would think.
This post has been updated from it’s original publish date of November 2017.
Homemade water kefir
I didn’t learn about water kefir until a few months ago. And I became hooked immediately, but unfortunately, I couldn’t find any local sources for it. I would stock up on it anytime I could make the journey to the big city.
Because of the probiotics, it needs to remain refrigerated. So I couldn’t even have it shipped to our rural farm.
Haven’t heard of water kefir? Water kefir is a probiotic drink made with water kefir grains. But don’t be fooled by that term, they don’t actually contain any grains such as wheat or anything like that.
It is slightly sweet, acidic, and carbonated making it a great and healthy alternative to sodas or sugary drinks.
And it’s filled with gut beneficial bacteria and yeast.
You can make water kefir from either powdered form or using live cultures. I prefer the live culture method because there are more beneficial bacteria strains. Plus, once you use your water kefir grains, they can be used over and over.
I have ordered mine through this site with great results. And if you keep your grains healthy, they will last forever!
When making your water kefir, always use an organic sugar, but avoid using raw honey.
Here’s what you will need…
- 2 tablespoons water kefir grains
- ¼ cup sugar
- 4 cups of filtered or distilled water
After you make the fermented you may want to flavor it as desired.
Add ins, such as natural dried fruit, lime or lemon slice, ginger root, dried herbs, etc. This is to be used after the initial fermentation. And you can play around with desired flavors.
How to make your own “homemade soda”
Add filtered water and sugar to a large mason jar and mix until sugar is dissolved. Once the sugar is dissolved, add the kefir grains.
Cover with a plastic lid and allow to ferment for 24-48 hours. Keep it out of direct sunlight.
Strain the grains and make another batch or save for future use.
It will be slightly sweet and have a mild carbonation and can be drank as is. But adding in the next steps will give it flavor and more carbonation.
Follow the above steps for creating your water kefir and once you’ve separated the water kefir grains, add your water kefir to bottles. These are my favorite.
If flavoring your water kefir, place the fruit directly into the bottle (a little goes a long way!)
I find using this type of funnel is easiest to pour the water kefir into the bottles and strain my grains out by using a small sieve over top.
Set aside for 1-3 days and then move to the fridge as soon as you’ve reached your desired flavor.
Note: you may need to “burp” the bottles periodically to prevent too much pressure building up from the carbonation.
Once you get the hang of making your own soda, naturally, you can play around with all sorts of fun flavor combinations.