Learn how to make water kefir with this simple tutorial. Water kefir is a probiotic rich superfood that may sound intimidating to make, but it is actually a very simple process. The reward is growing healthy bacteria right in your own kitchen.
I am sitting here drinking a bubbly bottle of fermented probiotic goodness as I type this blog post.
In another post, I shared how to make milk kefir, but some people have dairy issues and can’t tolerate it.
The version I’m going to share with you is a great non-dairy kefir. You still get the health benefits of probiotics, but without dairy.
The process is actually quite similar.
In this case, the bacteria is feeding on the sugar water rather than the natural sugar found in milk.
To make kefir into a delicious and bubbly healthy soda, follow the steps for a second fermentation.
How To Make Water Kefir Video Tutorial
What Is Water Kefir?
Water kefir is a probiotic drink made from the fermentation of sugar water with a starter culture, aka kefir “grains,” which contain Kefir beneficial bacteria and yeast.
Probiotics have been all the buzz for several years now.
Ten years ago, you may have only heard the term “gut health” thrown around by in-the-know, west coast Yoga types, but nowadays you’re likely to hear it coming out of your grandma’s mouth.
These things may just seem like a trendy fad, but there is actually some serious science backing up the hype.
Water Kefir Benefits
There are so many benefits of water kefir. It is rich in probiotics, great for your gut health, and is a delicious way to hydrate. Let’s take a deeper look into the benefits.
Gut Health
Water kefir is rich in beneficial bacteria call probiotics. Probiotics have been linked to increased immunity, decreased risk of certain cancers, and better gut health.
There are âgood guysâ in your gut and there are âbad guysâ.
God put the âbad guysâ in there, so they could break down your body at death (not the happiest topic, but it’s true). They were meant to be there in small quantities, and the âgood guysâ were supposed to proliferate and make a healthy body.
Well, in our modern world of stress, sugar, and processed foods, those âbad guysâ get out of balance and all kinds of bad things begin to happen.
“Leaky Gut Syndrome” happens when there are literally holes in the gut lining.
Food leaks into the blood stream, where it does not belong, and you experience minor symptoms like bloating and gas, or major symptoms like food allergies, depression, possibly even cancer, and everything in between.
Probiotic supplements are excellent and everyone should be on a good one (not just any old probiotic you find at Walmart), BUT it isn’t the entire answer to the problem.
To create a diverse inner ecosystem, you’ll want to introduce many different strains of good bacteria; water kefir can contain up to 56 different strains of probiotics.
That’s pretty good diversity if you ask me.
Boosts Immune Health
A good portion of your immune system is located in the gut, and by increasing probiotics, you are benefiting your gut flora.
Some studies have shown that probiotics can reduce the risk of intestinal infection and help prevent reoccurring urinary tract infection (source).
It can also reduce inflammation. Lower inflammation can improve immune response making your immune system work better and more efficiently.
Hydration
It is the perfect refreshing, low calorie drink. Drinking enough fluids everyday is important for many bodily functions and can help improve sleep, concentration, prevent infections, lubricate joints, and much more (source).
I mean, you are made up of about 60% water.
Now while it is best to get most of your intake from water and non-sugary beverages, water kefir can help make water intake just a bit easier.
Plus, the kefir grains digest a lot of the sugar anyway, leaving you with a glass full of tasty probiotic goodness.
Dairy Free
Many times when people think of fermented foods or drinks, they think dairy- like yogurt and milk kefir. For those who are sensitive or allergic to dairy, or vegan, getting probiotics may be more challenging.
Thankfully, there is a good variety of other dairy-free fermented foods, like kombucha, fermented vegetables, and even fruit.
This refreshing drink is not only dairy-free, but it is also vegan since you only need sugar and water to make it.
Benefits Of Fermented Foods And Drinks
Sauerkraut. Milk Kefir. Homemade Yogurt. Sourdough. Kombucha.
So, why take the extra effort to make your own fermented foods at home?
Yogurt and kefir from the store just don’t cut it. They are fermented for a very short amount of time, and by the time you get it from the store, it was probably made weeks ago.
The good bacteria are most certainly dying off by this point. Plus, they are usually filled with sugar and made with non-organic milk.
When you make fermented foods at home, they are teeming with good bacteria and can help repopulate your gut with the âgood guysâ. You have likely fermented them for days, or even weeks for some foods, so they are going to help your body significantly more than that store bought yogurt.
One of my favorite fermented drinks is water kefir.
I love to do a second fermentation with grape juice that makes it bubbly and delicious. Like a healthy grape soda.
Tips:
- Kefir grains multiply rapidly when you make it constantly. The extras can be fed to your chickens, thrown in the compost pile, blended into your smoothies for added probiotics, or sold on the internet.
- Make sure the sugar water is completely cooled before adding in the water kefir grains, because hot temperatures can kill the âgood guysâ.
- If you like a fizzy sparkling drink, ferment it a second time to create carbonation.
- Add your favorite fruit juice to the second fermentation to create a healthy soda.
- Choose filtered water. Chlorine in city tap water can damage kefir grains.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission at no extra cost to you. See my full disclosure here.
Supplies you will need:
Half gallon mason jar
Grolsch flip-top bottles (optional) – for second fermentation that creates a bubbly water kefir soda.
How To Make Water Kefir:
Step 1:
Acquire water kefir grains. *In case you are brand new to fermenting, the “grains” aren’t actually grains at all. They are actually just little symbiotic colonies of good bacteria that feed on sugar. They are ALIVE.
Step 2:
Bring one cup of water to a boil.
Add 1/2 cup organic brown sugar and stir until dissolved. Allow to cool completely.
Step 3:
Add 1/2 cup water kefir grains to a half gallon jar.
Fill the jar almost to the top with filtered water.
Step 4:
After the sugar water has dissolved and COOLED completely, add into the jar with the rest of the water and the water kefir grains. If the sugar water is still hot, it can kill the âgood guysâ in the water kefir grains, so make sure it cools off first.
You may be saying at this point, “Hey…I thought sugar was bad!”
Well, you would be right about that, BUT, those little âgood guysâ in the kefir grains loooove to feed on sugar and when they consume it, they turn the sweet sugar water into something sour and fermented. The resulting liquid will have negligible amounts of sugar left and a whole lot of beneficial probiotics.
Step 5: Fermentation Time
Place the lid on loosely and allow to ferment for 24 to 48 hours at room temperature.
If you are a person who gets squeamish with such loose directions, please know that you can’t really mess this up. As much as I would like to tell you to leave it out on your counter for exactly 32 hours, 12 minutes and 54 seconds, there are just too many variables.
Water Kefir Fermentation Considerations:
- If it is hot outside, it will ferment faster; but if the house is cooler than 68 degrees, the process will slow down.
- If you have been making water kefir for several weeks and your jar is almost full of grains, it will ferment a lot faster than if you have only a couple of tablespoons.
- Youâll need to do a taste test and if it still tastes like sweet sugar water, you need to wait a little longer.
- Sometimes I forget about my water kefir (and milk kefir, for that matter) and leave them out on the counter for three days (sometimes more, not that I would recommend that), but I have never had a problem.
- The end product always tastes great.
- So, basically, all you’re doing at this point is putting some water kefir grains into a jar of sugar water and letting it sit out.
Step 6: Strain Kefir Grains
Use a small fine mesh strainer like this one or a thin tea towel to strain the kefir grains from the fermented liquid.
Step 7: Second Fermentation (Optional)
Acquire some Grolsch flip-top bottles.
Add 1/4 cup of grape juice to each bottle. You could also use another type of fruit juice.
You could also experiment with other juice flavors to change it up a bit.
I actually have five recipes you can grab in a free ebook:
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Fill each bottle the rest of the way with strained water kefir, using a funnel like this one or a thin tea towel.
Close the flip top lid and allow to sit out for 24 more hours.
When you go to open the bottle, make sure to open it slowly. These things can sometimes be quite explosive. I have lost half my soda by not taking care to open it slowly!
If there is hardly a “pop” sound at all when opening the lid, your soda probably isn’t fermented enough.
When this happens to me, I simply close the cap and set it back out on the counter for another day. I like mine to be really bubbly!
I hope you are not intimidated by this process. It truly is so simple, and once you get it into your daily routine it’s no big deal at all.
Now, go forth and fill your gut with good bacteria! đ
How much kefir water should I drink?
That is really up to you. Most people can enjoy one or two cups a day without issue. If you are totally new to drinking kefir, I would recommend starting off slowly and working your way up.
Some people may experience some digestive issues, which is a great reason to start off slow.
More Of Our Family Favorite Fermented Recipes:
- Lacto Fermented Salsa Recipe
- Kefir Ranch Dressing Recipe
- How To Make Sour Cream From Raw Milk
- How to Make Milk Kefir
- Sourdough Recipes
Water Kefir Recipe Card
If you try this recipe and love it, I would appreciate if you came back and gave it a 5 star rating!
Water Kefir
Delicious, probiotic rich drink that can be made into a healthy soda.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup organic brown sugar
- 1 cup of water
- Water kefir grains
- 7 additional cups of water
- Juice - optional. Used to make water kefir soda
Instructions
Bring one cup of water to a boil.
Add 1/2 cup organic brown sugar and stir until dissolved. Allow to cool completely.
Add 1/2 cup water kefir grains to a half gallon jar.
Fill the jar almost to the top with filtered water.
After the sugar water has dissolved and COOLED completely, add into the jar with the rest of the water and the water kefir grains.
Place the lid on loosely and allow to ferment for 24 to 48 hours.
Use a small fine mesh strainer like this one or a thin tea towel to strain the kefir grains from the fermented liquid.
Second Fermentation For Water Kefir Soda (Optional)
Grab a flip-top lid jar. Add 1/4 cup of grape juice to each bottle.
You could also experiment with other juice flavors to change it up a bit.
Fill each bottle the rest of the way with strained water kefir, using a funnel like this one or a thin tea towel
Close the flip top lid and allow to sit out for 24 more hours.
After it has been sitting for 24 hours, pop the lid. If there is hardly a “pop” sound at all when opening the lid, your soda probably isn’t fermented enough.
Close the cap and set it back out on the counter for another day. Now it should be ready.
What happens when you let the second ferment go too long?
How long does water kefir last?
After it has been fermented and strained, water kefir can be kept in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
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Valerie says
Loved this! Thanks so much for going into detail about the reason behind it all and the process of making it…so helpful!! Would love to know more about the things you ferment. đ
Lisa Bass says
Thank you so much for stopping by and reading! I will definitely be sharing more of my fermented stuff in the future!!
Dianne says
We have our own raw honey. Could I use this in place of the brown sugar?
Lisa Bass says
I have heard it is not good to use honey. I think the reasoning is that honey has its own beneficial bacteria and enzymes that may compete with the other cultures.
Lisa Bass says
I really don’t know if that would work or not. Can’t say I’ve tried it. I wonder if the sugar content would be high enough to support the grains.
Kerri says
Honey is anti-bacterial, so it would definately compete with the bacteria of the kefir, which is why I stopped adding honey to my kefir smoothies and water keifir & kombucha juices. Now I just take a spoonful of honey with a pinch of pink sea salt at bed time. No competition.
Lisa says
Very good points! Do you put honey in homemade yogurt?
Heidi says
We made this using your recipe and it is so good! Even my super picky husband loved it. We did one with grape juice, and one with organic apple juice and it tasted like sparkling cider. Thanks for the awesome recipe, keep them coming! So glad I found your blog!
Lisa Bass says
I am SO glad you enjoyed it! And yay for getting the picky husband to enjoy all that probiotic goodness! ;). Thank you so much for stopping by my blog!
Emily says
What other fruits have you tried during the second ferment? Are there any that work better than others?
Lisa says
Hi Emily! I have tried berries, but I almost always just do grape juice. I get the best results that way. I know a lot of people get fancy and add ginger to make a ginger ale.
Tori says
Do you have to leave headspace in the bottles? I have been saving bottles like yours from Aldiâs. They have an amazing sparkling pink lemonade, and yummy pumpkin spice beverage thatâs seasonal, mmmmm! Another question is how do you store the water kefir grains?
Lisa says
I have totally done that with Aldi bottles too! Yes, you do want to leave a little headspace. About 3/4″ ish. đ When you want to put them on rest, just store them in a little sugar water in the fridge.
Brooke says
Hi there! What size bottles do we use? I have a 34oz. Will that suffice? how much grape juice and kiefer water do I add to that 34oz (if the bigger bottles are okay).
Thanks!
Joanna Arceo says
I tried this recipe and created a bomb! Thank goodness my kids were sleeping when it happened. I realized I left a couple inches of headspace. Could this have attributed to creating a bomb? It hadn’t been 24 hrs yet and it wasn’t a hot day or anything.
Cheryl says
What about alcohol? I was reading that it depends on the length of fermentation but still will have residual levels of alcohol even with a short fermentation. Any concern?
Lisa says
It does have a very small residual amount, but so does an overly ripe banana. I don’t worry about it. đ
Dina says
Intrigued! Bought some grains from amazon. Looks easy, even for the impatient nonniâs like me. Opening the bottle once fermenting can be tricky. But you gotta start somewhere! Thanks for sharing!
Lisa says
It’s super easy once you get the hang of it.:) You’ll love it!
Rachel says
Hi there! I just read your blog post on kefir and youâve inspired me to get new grains and start doing this again. Itâs been several years since I had my own little âkefir farmâ, haha! My question for you is, do you rinse your grains out each time you strainand change out the water? I always did, but wondered if you thought that step was necessary? Thanks!
Holly says
Thank you for sharing. I just made my first batch!! How long can I keep the flip top bottles in the fridge? Thank you Holly
Lisa says
I would say a week would be a good rule of thumb, but I doubt they would go bad very quickly, especially with all those good bugs in there. I don’t know for sure, but I would probably drink it after a month even. It just never lasts that long, because we drink it all!
Amber says
Hi Lisa, a couple quick question.
1) is water Kiefer the same as Kombucha?
2.) would you let your 16 month old take a few sips of yours if you wanted too? I know the alcohol content is negligible, but I wonder if too much of a good thing is too much.. haha. Thanks đ
Holly says
I was wondering if there is other things you can do with water kefir? My grains are growing very quickly! Thank you Holly
Lisa says
You can compost them, feed them to the chickens or even blend them up in a smoothie. They are full of probiotics! đ
Karina says
Do you worry about alcohol level when giving to the kids? I have heard that during the second ferment, the alcohol level can get high. Can you advise? I am not sure if to give to my son, but I do want to.
Lisa says
Hey Karina! I don’t think it can ferment long enough to create much alcohol. I think the lids would be blowing off before that. I’m pretty sensitive to alcohol. I can already feel it after a couple sips of wine, and I don’t notice anything like that with water kefir. Definitely use your own discretion though! đ
Christina says
Hey Lisa! Thank you for making this process seem less intimidating. So what do I do with the kefir grains after making my first batch? Do I start over with the sugar water?
Can I keep the grains in the fridge if I am pressed for time? And then pull them out to start another first ferment?
Thanks for any help!!
Lisa says
Yes, you can hibernate the grains in a little sugar water in the refrigerator for up to a couple weeks, if you want a break. Otherwise, just start over with new sugar water to keep the process going. Hope that helps!
Christina says
Thanks a bunch! We are SO enjoying your recipeâ I canât believe how easy it is to do it. âşď¸
Kristel says
Hola Lisa,
I followed all the steps but didnt get any bubbles… why do you think it might be?
Thank you
Alyssa says
I have the same question. I put them in the flip top bottles and theyâve been out for 30 hours or so now with just a few bubbles on top. Itâs a first batchâŚdoes it take longer the first time?
Lisa says
Hmmm have you opened the bottles and tried the water kefir? Did you add some type of just or sugar for the second ferment? I wouldn’t think it was because it was the first batch.
Heather says
Hey Lisa! I am wanting to make this for my sister, but she can’t have any fructose which means no brown sugar. Can you do this same recipe with plain cane sugar?
Lisa says
Yes! You sure can đ
Tyler says
Can you increase the amount of juice you add for the second ferment to increase the fruity flavor of the final beverage? Whatâs the limit?
Lisa says
You can, but too much sugar will make it ferment more quickly and it could get a little more explosive.
Greg says
Hi Lisa. I just started making water kefir a couple of weeks ago as a potential solution to a condition I’ve had diagnosed as Ulcerative Colitis, It’s a bowel condition that has no known cause or remedy in the medical industry however, it seems many people have been diagnosed by alternative practitioners as having a Candida overflow; so I followed that path of investigation. There are a few other steps in the process for killing off the Candida, but kefir and other fermentation processes are high on the list to getting the gut health back in balance. So far I have to admit, my condition is improving. I’m hopeful the condition will be eradicated completely.
Anyway đ to the questions I wanted to ask. At what stage during the 2nd fermenting process can the bottles be placed in the fridge and how long will it keep in the fridge.??
Lisa says
So the second ferment is put in the pop topbottles without the kefir grains, correct?
Also, can I use regular twist top bottles (like the store bought kevita or kombucha bottles) instead of the pop top bottles for the second ferment?
Thank you! Loved the video!
Lisa says
That’s correct! I don’t think the twist top bottles would be airtight enough to build carbonation during the second ferment.
Stephanie says
Hi. I was wondering how much sugar is left in the kefir when itâs done? Iâm not supposed to have sugar. If there is sugar in it is there a way to make it without sugar?
Sue says
I have a friend with a rÊfractomètre which measures the sugar in wine . I got him to test to see how much sugar was left after fermentation and found it was only 1/8th of the original amount put i,
Karen says
I was wondering…do I rinse the grains after the first ferment then start another batch, or do I just add more sugar water for another Batch?
Bre says
Have you ever added any EOs to the final product to add flavor?
Tamra Walters says
Hi⥠I’ve never fermented a thing (on purpose) before – except my 8 day old sourdough starter. I just ordered the water kefir grains you suggested. Will the grains come with instructions on how to reuse them? (Thank you for your tutorialsâĄ)
Iris says
Do you have a water kefir and milk kefir grain that you recommend? Thanks.
Iris says
I donât see a link for a recommendation for water kefir grains. Do you have one you recommend? What about milk kefir grains?
Thanks!
Amber says
Yes please! Can you recommend a site to order kefir granules?
Georgina Mcdonald says
Hi Lisa,
Thanks for this post…I made my first batch! It didn’t turn out as fizzy as yours looks…where did I go wrong?
I am also wondering if you drink Water Kefir when you are pregnant? There is no solid advice on the internet so I was just wondering what you do personally.
Thanks!
Georgie
Kathryn says
Hey. This sounds great. I have a question if it is safe to drink while pregnant. I read that it is safe as long as it is pasturized but don’t drink if it is raw. Is this recipe considered raw or pasturized? Thank you.
Lisa says
This is considered raw if you use raw milk. I personally do.
Sarah Harvey says
i was wondering if water kefir grains can go in the fridge when you aren’t using them, like you can with milk kefir. or do they need to stay out on the counter?
Lisa says
Yes!
Roseanna Hofer says
Hi Lisa!
So I have had my water kefir going for over 2 months now and there not growing but my water kefir is delicious! I follow your recipe exactly how you do it. M kitchen is over 70 all the time and I feed it every 48 hours should I be concerned at all????
Anna says
Hi Lisa! I just ordered some water kefir grains to make this and found at that I am expecting as well. Have you drink this while pregnant? Is this something your kids drink as well?
Suzanne says
This looks so good! I had no idea I could make kefir with water! What a great way to get in a natural probiotic!
Vanessa says
Thanks for sharing! How long is it good for?
Kathi Bilkie says
I am excited to make water kefir, I already do raw milk kefir. When we travel I put my milk kefir in the fridge to slow it down. Is the water kefir the same?
JANET RICHARDSON says
Lisa, can this be made with monk fruit as the sweetener, or only with actual sugar? Thanks, đ
Brianna says
Hey I got my water keifer grains in today and it says to let sit in sugar water for seven days and your recipie says 2 days ??
Most Rev. Archbishop Gregori says
Lisa, I do not have a comment, but I do have a question: can root beer soda be made using water kefir and root beer syrup? I tried once, but no matter how long I let it sit, it never gave me any carbonation. Am I doing something wrong?
RENATA KIELBASA says
Where can I buy kefir
Lauren says
Can you use filtered water from a filtration system like the brita filters? We have city water that we filter through a big brita system, but I don’t want to destroy the grains on my first try. Any thoughts?
Amy says
Wait! What??! Ok so the whole purpose of drinking fermented dairyâin the case of prior claiming they have dairy sensitivityâis so that you now CAN have some dairy. My sister is totally âdairyâ sensitive, but can completely tolerate milk kefir. Maybe said dairy-free folk should (safely, with note from doc or health person or at your own risk) try milk kefirâin small amounts at first because of the new bacteria they create in the intestines and you donât want to go too crazy at first).
With all that said, I LOVE water kefir for summertime or just anytime bubbly freshness.
Diana M says
Which brand water kefir grains do you use? purchased on line? Could not find it in a health food store.
Lisa says
Cultures For Health usually.
Emma says
Iâve been making this recipe for months. We absolutely love it. But my grains arenât multiplying. What could be the problem?
Lisa says
There are a couple of reasons this could be. Most likely the fermentations are happening to infrequently or let ferment too long. Hope that helps.
Jenn says
Sounds interesting! Wondering Where can I get water kefir grains? Or how can I make them?