Making water kefir at home is easy. You’ll need a few basic ingredients and supplies, most of which you probably have hanging around your kitchen. Let’s dive right in and show you how to make your own Water Kefir at home!
The good news is that making water kefir at home is easy. It not only saves you money, but it puts you in total control of your batch, which unlocks the unlimited flavoring world, allowing you to customize your water kefir with your favorite flavors, fruits, spices, and herbs. If you have water and sugar at your house, then you can make water kefir!
In this article, we will go over exactly what you’ll need and how to start making water kefir at home.
Water Kefir is the original soda – seriously, people have been brewing this delicious carbonated concoction for hundreds of years and most likely even more. Water Kefir is a natural, light, and refreshing carbonated drink made from water, sugar, and the water kefir grains. These “grains” are not actual grains, but a Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast: a SCOBY just like in Kombucha! These little guys turn your sugar water into Water Kefir packed with nutritional probiotics and amazing flavor.
Water Kefir is a fermented drink boasting similar health benefits to other fermented food and beverages. According to the Harvard Health Blog, these benefits include better gut health and improved cardiovascular health. When brewed correctly and under the right conditions, Water Kefir can be brewed indefinitely using the same starter culture, just like a kombucha or sourdough starter. Water Kefir is much easier to make than yogurt, beer, or wine and typically only takes 48 hours for a complete brew. Just add the water, sugar, and water kefir grains to your brewing jar and watch your grains dance and float while nature takes its course and brews you a beautiful drink!
While store-bought kefir is great and there are many great choices on the shelves, regularly drinking kefir at $3-$5 per bottle can add up quickly.
The good news is that you can easily make your own probiotic water kefir that tastes as good as it makes you feel, for a fraction of the cost of store-bought!
Making water kefir starts with the primary fermentation. This consists of fermenting sugar and water to create a base that is later flavored and carbonated in bottles. For those who prefer little to no carbonation, you can drink your water kefir after the primary fermentation is finished. If you’d like to add flavor and carbonation, you can do a secondary fermentation. The primary fermentation is when you make water kefir, and the secondary fermentation is when you take the water kefir, bottle it, and add flavor plus carbonation.
#1
The primary fermentation is the first step of the water kefir making process. This is where your water kefir grains, or SCOBY, transform regular sugar water into the refreshing water kefir we love. At the end of this stage, you will have water kefir, but it will be unflavored and flat.
#2
This is the step where you bottle your water kefir. In addition, this is where you carbonate and/or flavor your water kefir by adding sugar and flavors. This step involves adding a bit of sugar or flavor to bottles with lids designed to hold the pressure of fermentation and then letting them ferment a little longer. This second fermentation allows the yeast to naturally carbonate the beverage in the sealed bottle.
To start making water kefir, you’ll need a few supplies and ingredients:
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Glass Jar: Glass or lead-free porcelain are popular options for making water kefir. Choose anything non-porous and non-reactive. Mason jars work great.
