3 Favorite Easy Water Kefir Flavors

Did you ditch carbonated drinks? Do you want to add gut health benefits to your life in a tasty way? Water kefir is a simple, economical way to do this! Kid approved and easy to make, these 3 water kefir flavors are our favorites.

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Have you tried water kefir?

It isn’t as well known as kombucha or milk kefir, but it should be!

Similarly to kombucha, you need a starter culture. This comes in the form of water kefir “grains”, which aren’t really grains, but rather little blobs of wonder that grow beneficial microbes in the right conditions. They are a bit like tiny kombucha SCOBYs.

Milk kefir works similarly. You have “grains” that are really not grains, but they culture milk into kefir. Milk kefir grains are totally different from water kefir grains– you have to acquire the water kefir ones separately– but the process is similar.

The process is also extremely easy! A minute or two here and there is all you need to keep delicious water kefir treats going indefinitely.

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Why You Want to Make Water Kefir

If you have read this far, I’m guessing you already have some interest in supporting your health, and you are well aware of the many reasons to steer clear of soft drinks, at least most of the time. Whether sweetened with sugar, corn syrup, or sugar substitutes, these drinks take a toll on our bodies and minds.

Water kefir is different. Much lower in sugar, it can provide:

• antioxidants
• help with blood sugar regulation
• improved digestive health (via probiotics)
• immune support
• vitamins and minerals (including B vitamins, vitamin C, calcium, magnesium)
• improved blood pressure balance
• anti-inflammatory properties
• asthma and allergy help

Water kefir is also gluten and dairy free, making it an option for many people with dietary restrictions.

Besides health benefits, water kefir has more to offer, such as:

• it’s fast and easy to make
• once you have the grains, you don’t need to spend much to keep it going indefinitely
• it is ready in a few days, and you can keep a steady supply going
• it can be flavored many different ways to taste great! It is a very friendly ferment for children, picky eaters, and anyone not familiar with ferments.

How Do You Make Water Kefir?

Water kefir is a two step process. The first step is essential!

First, you need water kefir grains. You might be able to get some from a friend, as they can multiply. Or you may be able to find them locally. A farm shop near us sells them sometimes. Then, there is always the Internet… This is one of many good sources.

Following the directions on the package, get your grains started. This will be different based on whether you need to reconstitute dehydrated grains or start with fresh grains ready to roll.

Fill a quart jar with filtered water. Add the grains and a sugar source. I usually use evaporated cane juice, and now and then I use coconut sugar to give the grains a dose of minerals. Two tablespoons is about right; eyeballing it is fine.

Many instructions direct you to start with hot water, dissolve the sugar, then bring the sugar water to room temp and add the grains. You could do it that way; just be sure you add the grains to cool water, since heat will kill off the microbes.

I used to dissolve the sugar in a half cup or so of hot water, cool it, and add it to the jar with more water and the grains. That worked fine.

I have had no problem adding sugar to water straight from the filter for the past couple of years. No more messing with hot water. The sugar seems to dissolve and feed the grains just fine. One less step!

Put a lid on the jar and let it sit at room temperature for 1-3 days. Any longer and the grains will suffer! They need to be fed with sugar. Happily for our health, a lot of the sugar is consumed in fermentation, making the water bubbly and leaving us with less sugar to consume.

The water kefir is ready quickly — I usually do a couple of days, and often just one day in summer when the kitchen is extra warm. Strain the grains out, put them in a fresh batch of water and sugar, and let the process repeat. Read more here.

Meanwhile, we want to add flavor to the plain water kefir!

How to Add Water Kefir Flavors

This is the fun part! We are going to add things to give the water kefir delectable flavors, and the sky is the limit. We will ferment it a second time with an addition of a flavorful sugar source.

Remember, the water kefir microbes need sugar to live and multiply, supplying us with probiotics and other nutrients and making the final drink bubbly! A lot of the sugar (but not all) is consumed, leaving us with a just slightly-sweet beverage.

A classic way to flavor water kefir is to add fresh or frozen fruit, herbs, etc. The fruit has enough sugar to feed the cultures, and it lends flavor to the water kefir without making it very sweet. Here are lots of suggestions for good flavors to try if you prefer to use fruit.

I like to do this an easy way. Somewhere along the line, you need to strain out the chunks of fruit or whatever you added, and I guess I am lazy about that. It isn’t that hard… Here are my family’s three favorite simple flavors:

Grape

This one is super simple and economical. You need just a quarter cup or so of grape juice, or maybe a bit more, per bottle. A bottle of grape juice goes a long way! While any juice works, this one tastes really good and goes with lots of meals.

Pour the strained water kefir into a glass bottle. While I often use empty glass juice bottles, you get fizzier water kefir in swing top bottles. You can find these in thrift stores, too; just be sure the seals look intact.

Be sure to “burp” them (open and re-close the top) once or twice a day to release pressure, and get them in the refrigerator to settle them down when they are starting to fizz up when you open them. The bottles can explode. It happened to me. Once. In the wee hours. Now I remember to burp them.

The quantities of water kefir and juice depend a little on the bottle. The proportions needn’t be precise. Fill the bottle, leaving enough space for 1/4-1/2 cup juice, add the juice, leaving a half inch or more of space, and it will be fine. More juice is fine, too.

Pomegranate Blueberry

This is more of a special occasion drink for us, or a sale price splurge. Any pomegranate juice is just wonderful, but pomegranate blueberry is especially delicious! Follow the instructions for the grape flavor.

Root Beer

While we were never huge soft drink consumers, we did miss root beer. This isn’t exactly the same, but in some ways we like it better. The flavor is similar, but the sweetness is less, allowing you to really savor the earthiness of root beer. Made with real roots with additional health benefits!

Follow the same directions as for the grape flavor, but instead of juice, add sweetened root tea. Make the tea/syrup and bring it to room temp first so you don’t kill off the cultures!

Here is my root beer syrup and the water kefir. The water kefir in its quart jar is a little darker brown because I had fed it with coconut sugar a couple of days earlier.

Questions and Answers

Will other juices work?

Yes, as long as they have sugars from the fruit. I recommend 100% fruit juice, though I have used cranberry juice cocktail with sugar with good results. Steer away from the ones with sugar substitutes. The cultures need sugar, and I don’t know how sugar substitutes affect the culturing process.

Can I use juice without water kefir?

Yes, people culture juice with water kefir grains and ferment that just once. Strain the grains and use again. You get more sugar this way and it is more expensive, but it will taste great– a stronger fruit flavor.

Is water kefir GAPS friendly?

Sadly, no. The sugar is not GAPS compliant, and juice isn’t either. Save it for after GAPS is complete.

What if it isn’t bubbly?

You may need to ferment it longer, or you could use a bit more sugar. You could try setting the bottles in a warmer spot to speed them up, like near a stove, over a dishwasher, or close to a slow cooker that is operating.

If it never gets fizzy at all, your grains my not be active. Then you would need new ones.

What if it gets too fizzy?

Next time, use a little less sugar, or try a shorter fermenting time. It will ferment faster in warmer spots, so you may need to adjust a bit in warm weather.

There you go! Your healthy, delicious replacement for soft drinks!

The natural fizziness can be a bit much! Burp your bottles, chill them if you think they might do this, and if in doubt, open outside or over the sink! This is a living product and it can do interesting things!

Try some other delicious, cultured drinks!

Bubbly Lemonade

Old-Fashioned Root Beer

GAPS Root Beer