homemade water kefir

Gut-friendly, probiotic, fizzy water kefir is naturally fermented and bursting with flavor!

Homemade Water Kefir

water kefir grains (fully hydrated)

water

sweetener

pastured egg shell (rinsed)

grape juice (organic;

Dissolve 3/4 cup of sugar in about 1 cup of water, by bringing it all to a boil in a 3 to 4 quart pot.

Fill a gallon-sized glass jar with about halfway with cold water.

Once sugar is dissolved, remove from heat, and pour sugar water solution into the gallon jar.

Add additional cold water to fill the gallon jar to about 3/4 full, or about to the shoulder of the jar.

Add 1/4 cup of hydrated water kefir grains to the jar. These can be free-floating, or in a cotton muslin bag.

Add egg shell (or mineral drops stirred into the water before adding the grains).

Cover with a paper towel or cloth napkin and secure with rubber band.

Let water kefir culture, at room temperature, away from other ferments, for 24 to 48 hours, or even up to 5 days if temperatures are cool. The amount of sugar will decrease over time, as the grains consume it.

Stop this fermentation when you’re happy with the amount of remaining sweetness. There may or may not be bubbles. Don’t depend on bubbles for a sign that this is working — depend on reduction in amount of sweetness.

When you are happy with the first fermentation, remove water kefir grains* (either pull out the muslin bag or use a strainer to separate them from the water kefir).

Store grains in the refrigerator or freezer (see Recipe Notes below), or use to start another batch. All you need is 1/4 cup of water kefir grains to make 1 gallon of water kefir, so feel free to share any extra with friends!

Retrieve the egg shell(s) with a wooden spoon.

For the first ferment...

To the gallon jar, add organic grape juice.

Carefully (using a funnel) pour the flavored water kefir into Grolsch-style swing-top bottles. VERY IMPORTANT: Fill only to the shoulder, or slightly below! Leave room for the carbonation to build. Do not overfill.

Allow to sit at room temperature for 1 to 3 days.

Burp every 12 hours or so, using caution to release the pent-up gases. You can do this in a large bowl to catch overflow so it&#039;s not wasted.

When you&#039;re happy with the flavor and carbonation level, store in the refrigerator or in cool storage. Enjoy!

For the second ferment...

Make your own easy water kefir with this simple step-by-step method with about 10 minutes of hands-on time. Learn how to make this refreshing probiotic carbonated drink at home for all the health benefits - and because it&#39;s delicious!

How to Make Water Kefir - Easiest Step-by-Step Method

water kefir grains, (2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup - can use more)

sugar, (see types to

water, total

unrefined sea salt

baking soda

unsulfured blackstrap molasses

water kefir

100% fruit juice

Add 1/8 of sugar(s) of choice to a quart jar (I often use half cane sugar and half brown sugar). Add one of the mineral supplements, if needed, here.

Add about 1/3 cup of hot water (about 110-120 degrees, which is typically your hottest tap water) and stir well with a wooden spoon to dissolve. Fill the jar with cold water, stirring, until it&#39;s about 3/4 of the way full (about 2-1/2 cups total). NOTE: The resulting water temperature should be about room temperature (70-75 degrees) to not damage/kill the grains.

Use a nylon strainer to separate the water kefir grains from the water in the jar they&#39;re in - if it&#39;s from storage, DO NOT keep the water; if it&#39;s from another ferment, keep the water in a large glass measure.

Gently add the strained kefir grains to the prepared room temperature sugar water, using a funnel if you&#39;d like. Give it all a little stir. Attach the Easy Fermenter Lid and set the date for 2 days ahead. Or use a coffee filter or piece of muslin attached with a rubber band.

Let sit at room temperature for up to 48 hours - you should see bubbles when you move the jar and maybe some of the grains floating. TIP: If it&#39;s cold in your kitchen, find the warmest place for your water kefir or provide a warming light next to it.

First Ferment

Make another quart jar of sugar water the same way as the first ferment.

Strain the first kefir ferment through the nylon sieve into a 1-quart (4-cup) glass measure.

Transfer the strained kefir grains to the newly prepared jar. Place the lid on and set date dial for two days and keep at room temperature (now you will just be repeating this until you have enough water kefir or you want to move it into refrigerated storage).

The fermented kefir water in the glass measure should be about 2-1/2 to 3 cups. Add 1 cup of your choice of 100% juice and mix with wooden spoon.

Pour the water kefir-juice mixture into swing top bottles. A quart jar fills two pint-sized bottles, you can also use quart size bottles if you&#39;d like one bottle from each quart jar.

Set the bottles on the counter to ferment again (the second ferment) for another two days - OR until you see some bubbles on the top. In warm weather, it may only take one day, in colder weather maybe three.

Once you see the bubbles, place the sealed jars into the fridge where they can stay for up to a month at 40° to 45°F. (Technically, you can leave it at room temperature (68° to 78°F) for 3 to 4 days, but I&#39;ve always thought it tastes better refrigerated.)

Keep repeating this process - both the first and second ferments - until you run out of bottles or you need to take a break.

Second Ferment

In the second ferment above, after straining the grains and adding them to the new sugar water, place a regular storage lid on the jar instead of the fermenting lid (note: I do add 1/4 cup sugar when making water for storage just to give the grains more food).

Place this in the fridge for a few weeks up to 6 months. While the sugar water will feed the grains slowly, it&#39;s still recommended to replace the sugar water every few weeks if you can (I have left them for a month while traveling and they were fine).

Storing Water Kefir

Remove the jar of kefir grains in water from the fridge and strain the grains from the water, THROWING OUT the water that&#39;s been used up while in hibernation.

Add the grains to a new sugar water jar and start the process again.

To Wake Up Refrigerated Grains

Thank you for the informative video &amp; recipe ! To make kefir in a 1/2 gallon Mason jar (instead of 1 quart) - If I double the recipe do I need to double the 1st fermentation time ? Any other tips, tricks or advice for 1/2 gallon ?

I read this post two months ago and thought it looked interesting. I immediately ordered the supplies and started my kefir making. I just have to let you know, I LOVE it!! It tastes wonderful and I look forward to it every day. I thought I had to go without carbonated beverages when I gave up pop, but this is wonderful--probiotics, fruity, fizzy, and good for you!! Win-win!! I've also found it interesting for the various carbonated levels I get depending on the type of juice I use, the weather, and if I add the molasses or baking powder. If it's not very fizzy, I add the extras. If it's overly fizzy (that's exciting!), I cut back on the extras or the time I leave it to ferment. Either way, I love the way it tastes, I love the way it makes me feel, and it's super easy and doesn't take but a few minutes every other day. I'm planning on doing this for quite awhile! Thanks so much for sharing such a great post!

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