A Ginger Bug is a fermentation starter for making homemade carbonated beverages. Once you learn how to make this delightful ingredient, you’ll be able to make delicious fermented sodas. Your homemade carbonated sodas will be gut healthy, probiotic rich, and much better for you than commercially made sodas.
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Table of Contents
- How to Make A Ginger Bug
- Fermented Beverages
- Masontops Mason Jar Fermentation Kit Discount Coupon
- The Modern Pioneer Pantry
- Download Your Free 36-Page Pantry List
- The Modern Pioneer Cookbook
- Join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy
- Kitchen Academy Videos
- How to Make a Ginger Bug for Making Probiotic Rich Fermented Drinks Recipe
- Shop for My Favorite Items
How to Make A Ginger Bug
A Ginger Bug is easy to make and only takes a few minutes a day of preparation over the course of 5 days to ferment. Once it’s fermented, you will add a 1/4 cup of the ginger bug liquid to a quart of a sweetened beverage that you’ll decant into a sealed bottle.
Left undisturbed, the sweetened liquid ferments and becomes a carbonated drink that is gut healthy and probiotic rich and much better for you than commercially made sodas.
After you’ve made the Ginger Bug, be sure to use it to make Fermented Ginger Ale.
Fermented Beverages
Homemade Strawberry Soda—A Sweet and Bubbly Probiotic Treat
Made with fresh fruit and a ginger bug—simple, healthy, and so refreshing!
How to Make Tepache – An Anti-Inflammatory Fermented Pineapple Drink
This sparkling fermented pineapple beverage is rich in probiotics to support a healthy digestive system.
Beginner’s Guide to Kombucha Making
Now you can make Kombucha at home!
Masontops Mason Jar Fermentation Kit Discount Coupon
Although you don’t need any special equipment to start making ferments, the Masontops kit can help you simplify the process and enable you to create your ferment successfully. In my Masontops unboxing video, I show you my Masontops Complete Mason Jar Fermentation Kit and go over everything the kit includes.
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How to Make a Ginger Bug for Making Probiotic Rich Fermented Drinks
Ingredients
- 10 tablespoons Grated ginger, peeled
- 5 tablespoons White cane sugar
- 10 tablespoons Filtered water Chlorine free
Instructions
- Day 1: Add 2 tablespoons of grated ginger, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 2 tablespoons water to a quart-sized jar and stir well. Cover the jar with a coffee filter or clean fabric and leave undisturbed in a warm place for 24 hours.
- Day 2-5: Repeat steps outlined in Day 1.
- After 5 days, your Ginger Bug is ready to use to make fermented beverages, such as Ginger Ale. (See Recipe Notes.)
Video
Notes
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Favorite Fermentation Equipment
- Food Processor
- Measuring Cups and Spoons
- Stackable Glass Bowl Set
- Colander
- Flour Sack Towels
- 4-cup Measuring Cup
- Magic Whisk
- Funnel
- Bottles with Screw Top
- Swing Top Bottles
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Recommended Reading
- The Modern Pioneer Cookbook
- The Modern Pioneer Pantry
- Nourishing Traditions
- Fermentation Books
- Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods (2nd edition)
- The Art of Fermentation: An In-Depth Exploration of Essential Concepts and Processes from around the World
- Fermented Vegetables, 10th Anniversary Edition: Creative Recipes for Fermenting 72 Vegetables, Fruits, & Herbs in Brined Pickles, Chutneys, Kimchis, Krauts, Pastes & Relishes
- The Farmhouse Culture Guide to Fermenting: Crafting Live-Cultured Foods and Drinks with 100 Recipes from Kimchi to Kombucha
- Traditionally Fermented Foods: Innovative Recipes and Old-Fashioned Techniques for Sustainable Eating
My bug isn’t fizzy, doesn’t look fermented at all. Let me tell you what I did, it might be my fault. Day 1 was a leisure day, so I grated all 10 tbsp of ginger. I knew the rest of the week would be hectic, so I froze the ginger in tbsp cubes, and just dropped 2 in every day, with the water (Poland spring) and sugar. It’s been so hot here so I knew the cubes would melt fast, which they did, and I know the fridge doesn’t kill ferments, so I figured they’d be ok. But there’s no bubbly action happening. Day 6 I even added another helping of water and sugar, but still nothing. What are your thoughts? Is there any hope?
Hi Chris, I understand completely. Ferments of any type can be VERY persnickety! I think the problem is the heat. Ferments don’t do well when it gets too hot – and unfortunately, they don’t like temperature swings either. So trying to modulate the temperature can upset them! Oh dear! They are so fussy!! I think the best thing to do, might be to try and start another “bug” once the temp in your home can be somewhere in the 68F-72F range. Keep me posted. Love, Mary