To make water kefir at home, stir 1/3 cup of sugar into 6 cups of chlorine-free water, add 3 tablespoons of hydrated water kefir grains, two dried figs and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, cover the jar with a cloth, and leave it on the counter for 24 to 48 hours. When the figs float, strain out the grains and you have a lightly sweet, gently fizzy, dairy-free drink. In fall it is good bottled with a splash of apple juice and served cold at a get-together.
Why You Will Love This
Water kefir tastes like cold sparkling lemonade, dry rather than sweet, with a clean mineral finish from the fermentation. The first sip is bright and barely sugary. It is a live ferment, which is the appeal, and a fizzy, sour, dairy-free drink you made yourself is good to have waiting in the fridge in any season.
The Story Behind It
Water kefir grains are not really grains. They are translucent clusters of bacteria and yeast living together in one culture. They originated in Mexico, where they grew on the pads of Opuntia cactus and fermented in sugary cactus water. By the 1800s, European herbalists were culturing them in sugar water and calling the drink “tibicos.” Fed properly, the grains keep multiplying, so one starter can make fizzy probiotic drinks for years. This recipe uses the traditional method, with dried figs for minerals and lemon juice for brightness.
What You Will Need
- 6 cups filtered water, free of chlorine
- 1/3 cup cane or brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons hydrated water kefir grains
- 2 dried figs
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- A large glass jar, a cloth and rubber band, a plastic or stainless strainer
- Optional for fizz: two 750 ml pressure-resistant glass bottles with swing tops
How to Make It
Pour the water into a large clean glass jar and stir in the sugar until it dissolves completely.
Add the water kefir grains, the dried figs and the lemon juice.
Cover the jar with a cloth and a rubber band. Fermentation needs air, but the jar needs protection from dust and bugs.
Leave it at room temperature for 24 to 48 hours, until the figs float to the surface. Warmer rooms ferment faster.
Strain out the grains and figs with a plastic or stainless strainer. Keep the grains for your next batch and discard the figs. Skip the metal spoon and the rinsing, and handle the grains gently.
Drink the kefir as it is, or pour it into pressure-resistant bottles, seal them and leave them at room temperature for 1 to 2 days for more fizz.
Refrigerate and serve chilled over ice.
Herbalist Notes
The figs earn their place. Dried figs supply trace minerals like iron, calcium and magnesium, which help the grains stay healthy and multiply. They also tell you when the jar is ready, because they float once the ferment is working.
Chlorine kills fermentation. City tap water often contains chlorine or chloramine, which damage the bacteria. Use filtered or spring water.
Lemon juice brightens the jar. A little acid keeps the flavor clean. Add fresh juice with each new batch.
Make It Your Own
Second fermentation builds both flavor and fizz. After you strain, stir in about 1 cup of fruit juice or a little lemon-ginger juice for every 4 cups of kefir, bottle it, and let it sit warm for a day or two. Apple juice makes a softer, lower-sugar bottle that suits a fall table. Ginger slices add heat, and a handful of mashed berries turns the liquid pink. Our water kefir flavors guide has ten bottle combinations with measurements, and the peach ginger fizz and mint mojito mocktail show how the same flavors work in other glasses. For less fizz, skip the second ferment and drink the kefir straight after straining. It is the same live drink with a gentler fizz.
Common Questions
What are the benefits of water kefir for gut health?
Water kefir is a live fermented drink , and the bottle holds the Lactobacillus, Leuconostoc and Acetobacter that came with your grains, working on sugar water. That sets it apart from a soft drink. The count depends on your grains, your kitchen temperature, and how long the jar sat on the counter, so we do not print a number for your jar. The organic acids the ferment makes also give it that clean sour edge on the finish.
How do you make water kefir at home?
Combine 3 tablespoons of hydrated water kefir grains with 6 cups of chlorine-free water, 1/3 cup of sugar, 2 dried figs and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice in a glass jar. Cover with a cloth and ferment at room temperature for 24 to 48 hours, until the figs float. Strain out the grains and figs. You can drink the finished liquid as is, or bottle it for a day or two to build fizz. Use glass, plastic or stainless steel, and keep the grains in fresh sugar water between batches.
Is water kefir better than kombucha for digestion?
Water kefir ferments in 24-48 hours compared to kombucha ’s 7-14 days, so it ends up milder and a good deal less vinegary. Kombucha is tea-based and tannic. Water kefir is clean and closer to lemonade. Different cultures make them, and they taste like different drinks, not two versions of one. Which is better depends on what you want in the glass. If sour makes you wince, water kefir is easier to drink and faster to brew. If you like the vinegar edge, go with kombucha.
What is the best recipe for water kefir with fruit?
Use about 4 parts finished water kefir to 1 part fruit juice. For 4 cups of strained kefir, stir in 1 cup of juice, pour it into swing-top bottles leaving about an inch of headspace, and keep them warm for 1 to 5 days depending on the fruit, opening them daily to let out pressure. Lemon-ginger takes the longest, and blood orange can be ready in about a day. When small bubbles rise from the bottom, it is fizzy and ready for the fridge.
How long does water kefir last and how should I store it?
Keep finished water kefir in the refrigerator in a sealed glass container and drink it within about a week. It keeps fermenting slowly in the fridge and turns more tart and less sweet. For the grains, keep them in fresh sugar water in the fridge if you are taking a break from brewing, and change the sugar water weekly.
