How To Make Water Kefir Soda (Recipes And Benefits)

Water Kefir is one of the easiest and best fermented drinks to start off with. In this post I will share with you what kefir grains are, how to ferment, how to do a 2nd ferment, different ways to flavour your kefir to make an amazing drink, recipes and storing tips!

Don’t worry this is all very easy and you will soon come to love this bubbly delicious drink! Plus, did I mention the kids and even husbands will love drinking this healthy beverage too!

There is a quick video below if you prefer to watch how to make this amazing bubbly drink!

Water Kefir Video

What Are Water Kefir Grains?

Water kefir grains, which are also known by the name Tibicos, are not actually grains at all. They are called grains because of the way they look, but they are actually made out of bacteria and yeast.

This yeast feeds of the sugar in the water and leaves behind a bubbly healthy drink that has a rich nutrient profile, delicious flavour and gut boosting benefits. Plus, it’s dairy free and very easy to make at home!

Benefits Of Drinking Water Kefir

There are many benefits to drinking water kefir because it’s so high in probiotics.

1. It can support a healthy gut due to its wide array of healthy bacteria.
2. Support a healthy immune system because of the bacteria it contains and also has anti-inflammatory properties.
3. It can help to support weight loss because water kefir is low in calories. So, if you are swapping out other sugary beverages and sodas for this fizzy drink you may notice a big difference in your weight with time. Having good bacteria in your gut also helps to manage your appetite, metabolism and what foods you eat.

How To Make Water Kefir?

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Making water kefir is really very easy. You will need kefir grains, a glass jar, flip top lid bottles (for 2nd fermentation) ,mesh strainer, sugar and filtered water to get you started.

1. Place your grains into a jar, a 1/4 cup makes a litre of fermented liquid.
2. Add 1/4 cup of sugar you can use brown sugar, rapadura sugar or raw sugar.
3. Fill the jar almost to the top with water leaving an inch gap from the top.
4. Mix the ingredients together with a spoon so the sugar dissolves in the liquid. I do a gentle mix, don’t worry if all the sugar is not dissolved it still gets eaten up.
5. Place the lid loosely on and allow it to ferment for about 48 hours away at room temperature away from direct sunlight.
   • Depending on how hot or cold your house is will depend on how long to ferment your liquid for. After about 24 hours check to see that it’s bubbling and give it a smell. If it still smells very sweet and super bubbly I leave it longer. It should have a mild sweet taste and be mildly bubbly at this point.
6. Strain your kefir grains using a mesh strainer to separate the grains from the liquid. Add the grains with more sugar and water and either do another ferment or you can place them in the fridge until you are ready to start again. The strained liquid is your plain water kefir which you can drink as is or do the 2nd fermentation for the flavourful bubbly drink!

How To Make Kefir Soda? (2nd Fermentation)

You will need some swing top bottles that are airtight for fermenting. These are very important if you want that super fizzy drink! Once you have those bottles there are several ways you can flavour your kefir soda.

1. You can add 2 flavoured tea bags per 1 litre bottle. This is one of my favourite and easiest ways to flavour my water kefir soda. Simply pull the paper tags of the tea bags, leave them in their bags and place them into your bottle.
2. You can add dehydrated pieces or fresh pieces of fruit into your bottles. If using dehydrated fruit just add about 2 tbsp worth into your bottles. Fresh fruit I like to add about a 1/4 cup into my bottles. You can use whatever fruit you like and experiment with flavours. I’ll list a few flavour combinations I like below.
3. You can add fresh juice into your bottles. Add about 1/4 cup into your bottles of whatever natural fruit juice you choose.
4. Next top up your bottles with the water kefir liquid leaving an one inch gap from the top. Close the flip top lid and let it sit for about 12 to 24 hours away from direct sunlight. You can ferment up to another 48 hours, but I find mine are ready closer to the 24 hour mark.
5. You will need to check your bottles and burp them to let out extra pressure build up. Slowly open your bottles and listen for the hiss noise. The pressure build up can make your soda come pouring out quickly if you are not careful.
6. If there isn’t any noise or bubbles leave your soda to ferment longer on the bench.
7. Once it’s the way you like it place it in the fridge to get nice and cold and enjoy!

Ingredients You Might Need

Live water kefir grains I like to purchase local if possible but here is a good option if you need it!

2 litre mason jars These are so handy for so many other things!

Fermentation Swing Top Bottles You want good quality ones that keep their seal for a good fizzy drink!

Flavour Combinations

Here are a few of my favourite combinations so far!

1. 3 dates split in half and 1 tsp vanilla extract. Taste like cream soda!
2. 1tsp dried lavender and 3 chopped up strawberries.
3. 2 tbsp dried cranberries and 1 tsp vanilla extract.
4. hibiscus tea with rose tea one bag of each
5. chamomile tea bag with 1 tsp vanilla extract.
6. 1/4 cup chopped apple and 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder.

Questions and Answers

1. Can you eat water kefir grains?
   • Yes you can eat the grains. They don’t have much of a taste to them, but they are healthy and full of probiotics!
2. Is it full of sugar?
   • No. The kefir grains consume the sugar and leave behind only the good stuff for you!
3. How do you make it extra fizzy?
   • Doing a 2nd fermentation, making sure your lids are sealed properly and leaving your bottles to ferment longer should give you a very fizzy kefir soda!
4. Which is better milk kefir or water kefir?
   • Milk kefir is better than water kefir as it has a wider variety of beneficial bacteria and more nutrients. If you want to start making milk kefir, I have an article about it here! How To Make Homemade Milk Kefir And Its Benefits