Beet Kvass is easy to make and gives you a wonderfully effervescent and probiotic-rich drink. It’s also an economical beverage when made at home because you can reuse the beets a second time.
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Table of Contents
- What is Beet Kvass?
- Ingredients
- How to Make Beet Kvass
- Recipe Tips
- Frequently Asked Questions
- More Probiotic-Rich Drinks
- The Modern Pioneer Pantry
- Download Your Free 36-Page Pantry List
- Join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy
- More Kitchen Pioneer Videos
- How to Make Beet Kvass Recipe
- Shop for items used in this blog post or video
What is Beet Kvass?
Beet Kvass is a delightfully tasty beverage by itself, but you can also use it in place of vinegar to make your favorite homemade salad dressings.
Kvass has its roots in Eastern Europe where it’s enjoyed as a healthy tonic or drink because of its probiotics and health benefits. Its flavor is a little bit like pickle juice but earthier and a little bit sweet.
Ingredients
Find the full printable recipe with measurements below.
For this specific kvass recipe, I recommend the following ingredients:
- Beets: Use fresh beets that are peeled with their tops and tails removed.
- Salt: I am using coarse ground Celtic sea salt.
How to Make Beet Kvass
Step 1 – Cut the beets into 1-inch cubes and place inside a half-gallon jar with a lid.
Step 2 – Add the salt to the jar and fill it with water. Be sure to leave about one inch of space at the top of the jar.
Step 3 – Add the lid and tighten with fingers.
Step 4 – Place the jar in a warm location.
PRO TIP: Choose a spot where it can sit undisturbed and is out of your way. A corner of your kitchen counter corner, on top of a refrigerator, or in a cabinet or pantry works great.
Step 5 – In 1-2 days check the jar for bubbles. If you see bubbles, loosen the jar lid to allow some of the carbon dioxide to escape and then cover again with the lid and tighten.
Hint: The appearance of bubbles may happen sooner in warmer months and take a little longer in cooler months. If you don’t see bubbles right away, it’s ok just let it sit longer.
Step 6 – Use a clean spoon to taste the Beet Kvass after it’s been sitting for seven days. If you like the flavor then it’s ready.
Step 7 – Strain the liquid from the beets. This liquid is your Beet Kvass which you can now transfer to a clean bottle, cover with a lid, and refrigerate. Reserve a quarter cup to make another batch.
Recipe Tips
- The beets can only be used to make two batches of Beet Kvass.
- Do not discard the fermented beets used to make the first 2 batches of Beet Kvass. They are rich in probiotics now, and you can now add them to a salad.
- For an extra flavor kick, use some of the Beet Kvass in place of vinegar when you make your salad dressing. It’s delicious!
- Store in the fridge but don’t freeze as freezing reduces the probiotic effects of the kvass.
Frequently Asked Questions
Beet kvass is best consumed within 6 months.
After you have strained the beets from the kvass, you can add in a few whole cinnamon sticks and a few star anise, along with some dried orange peels. Allow this to steep on the bottom shelf of the back of your refrigerator for 3 to 6 months. After straining the spices, this makes the perfect non-alcoholic aperitif or digestif to serve before or after a large holiday or special occasion meal.
You can enjoy it straight from the fridge, however if you find the flavor too strong you can water it down with a bit of water.
More Probiotic-Rich Drinks
How to Make Milk Kefir
Learn how to make milk kefir and discover the champagne of milk.
How to Make Water Kefir
Learn how to make probiotic-rich Water Kefir and discover this wonderful alternative to Kombucha.
How to Make a Ginger Bug for Making Probiotic Rich Fermented Drinks
Use this to make probiotic-rich fermented sodas.
Fermented Ginger Ale Recipe—A Probiotic-Rich Homemade Soda for Good Gut Health
Enjoy this Probiotic-Rich Homemade Soda.
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How to Make Beet Kvass
Ingredients
- 4 Beets Peeled with tops and tails removed
- 2 tablespoon Coarse ground Celtic sea salt
- 1 Filtered water Sufficient to fill jar
Instructions
- Cut up beets into 1-inch cubes.
- Place beets into a half-gallon jar that has a lid.
- Add salt.
- Fill jar with water, leaving approximately 1 inch of head space.
- Put lid on jar, finger tight.
- Place jar in a warm, undisturbed place, such as in a kitchen counter corner, on top of a refrigerator, or in a cabinet or pantry.
- After a few days, check the jar to see if bubbles are beginning to appear. In warmer months, bubbles will appear sooner than in cooler months. If you see bubbles, loosen the jar lid to allow some of the carbon dioxide to escape. Retighten the jar lid.
- Continue to check the jar each day. Loosen the jar lid to release carbon dioxide and retighten lid. After approximately 7 days, use a clean spoon to taste the Beet Kvass. If it is to your liking, strain out the beets from the liquid. This liquid is your Beet Kvass. Decant the Beet Kvass into a clean bottle, reserving 1/4 cup. Place a cap on the bottle and refrigerate the Beet Kvass.
- Place the beets back into the half-gallon jar along with the reserved 1/4 cup of Beet Kvass and 1 tablespoon of coarse ground sea salt. Repeat Steps 4 thru 8, but do not reserve 1/4 cup of the Beet Kvass unless you have a new batch of beets. The beets can only be used to make 2 batches of Beet Kvass.
- Do not discard the beets used to make the first 2 batches of Beet Kvass. They are rich in probiotics now, and you can now add them to a salad.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Hi Mary, Thank you for all of your wonderful videos. I really liked your prepping videos a lot. As for the Beet Kvaas. Can I substitute a different salt for the gray Celtic coarse salt?
Hi Kathy,
Thanks for your kind comments! Yes. You can use a different salt, but make sure the salt does not have any anti-caking ingredients.
Love and God bless,
Mary
Thank you Mary once again for a wonderful video! They should be prescribed by doctors as your voice is soothing and relaxing! PLUS we learn all these healthy things to make. My husband suffers with bloating and an upset tummy often. We tried the shop bought pro-biotic drinks and they didn’t help. So I’ve got him on home made kefir and will try this too (once we can get beetroot in the UK again!). I loved the idea of the cloves and orange peel. Please can you let me know how much cloves to use? I don’t want to kill the lovely beet taste with too much cloves. Thank you so much again! Angie
Hi Angela, Thank you so much for all the kind words! As to the cloves, yes go easy – just a small handful – maybe 10 at most. I generally don’t measure! LOL!! Thanks again for being here!! Love, Mary
Hi there, just trying this for the first time. Do I need to strain it through a cheese cloth? or just a sieve?
Thank you so much for your videos, I am really enjoying them, and trying to slowly change things in the home.
Corinne
Hi Corinne, Thank you so much for your comment. I am thrilled to hear that you are transitioning over to a traditional foods kitchen! As to kvass…you do not need to strain it through cheesecloth. You have options. You can remove the beets or you can leave them in the kvass for a few more weeks once you refrigerate it. If you leave the beets in for a few weeks, they absorb more of the kvass which helps to mellow the salty flavor but increase the flavor of the beets. Either way, the kvass will mellow in flavor over time. But yes, once you go to strain it, just a sieve is fine.
Do you enjoy learning about making other traditional foods? If so, I have a playlist of some of my videos titled “Mastering the Basics of Traditional Nutrient Dense Foods Cooking”. It’s a series of 15 detailed videos that covers How to Make Bone Broth, Cultured Dairy, Ferments, Sourdough Starter (my foolproof stater), Sourdough Bread, Soaked and Sprouted Nuts and Beans, and How to Soak and Sprout Grains to Make your own Sprouted Flour at Home. You can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkRuW3pBo2U3b4eu0QraZReKlGzA11h3y And please share the playlist with any other folks you think might be interested in learning about these types of things. Iโm passionate about the book Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon (of the Weston A Price Foundation) and want to help as many people as I can learn how to make Traditional โNutrient Denseโ Foods.
And for more details on some of these subjects mentioned aboveโฆ(and more), be sure to check out these detailed playlists:
โก๏ธHow to Make Bone Broth: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkRuW3pBo2U0JFsTi2N7sHSpU-vBR04CH
โก๏ธHow to Make Fermented Vegetables: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkRuW3pBo2U2EhVspEV5d4Xs2s4pcbHbr
โก๏ธHow to Make Fermented Condiments: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkRuW3pBo2U0hCKYoMMBeVD-9bA6TckEj
โก๏ธThe Complete Guide to Sourdough: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkRuW3pBo2U3NKN0GHvGCpiWNxcTefLof
โก๏ธAnd if you are interested in learning about how to make various types of Homemade Dairy including Cultured Butter, Cottage Cheese, Sour Cream, Ricotta Cheese, and more, be sure check out this playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkRuW3pBo2U2R7u0Ri26HwdLMjUa4iJJX
๏ฟผ
โก๏ธAlso…If you enjoy making homemade pantry type items, you might enjoy my playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkRuW3pBo2U1MqC3YAw7ZRYjuL9FBGSwc where I show how to make Apple Cider Vinegar (see more info about this below), 10 Flavored Extracts including Vanilla Extract, 10 Seasoning Blends including Ranch Dressing Mix and Onion Soup Mix, 1- Minute Homemade Mayonnaise, Homemade Bouillon – and how to dehydrate it, Natural Food Colorings, Evaporated Milk, Condensed Milk, Preserved Citrus, and more!
And if you like the idea of making your own Apple Cider Vinegar as mentioned aboveโฆBe sure to check out the Apple Cider Vinegar Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkRuW3pBo2U1QPA95O2-oOvxwtO-v3L4L which a 3-part series where I walk you through the entire 30-day process. And if you like making vinegar, I also have a Homemade Citrus Vinegar Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkRuW3pBo2U3apQRTzhfQBkR_x0rb514U And I have one more vinegar video where I show how to make vinegar from Strawberry Scraps. You can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkRuW3pBo2U2M3dRA483q5KJ7JkJfn3fS
โก๏ธAndโฆHave you seen my playlist for making immune boosting foods and natural remedies including a Super Mineral Detox Broth? You can look through the playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkRuW3pBo2U0p9nRAWldbyqYSbgwzARGd You may like some of these recipes.
โก๏ธAnd if you are interested in how to make probiotic rich fermented drinks, here is my playlist of some fun drinks including How to Make Homemade Sodas, Mocktails, Drinking Vinegar, Homemade Energy Drinks, Switchel, Shrubs, and More: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkRuW3pBo2U2w2-CiBrkNnZj_IIlqZc9h You may enjoy these videos. And if you are interested in learning how to make Kombucha and/or Water Kefir, I have a playlist which includes a Beginners Guide to Kombucha Making along with a video on making water kefir for beginnersโฆwhich you can watch here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkRuW3pBo2U3YysV0OYOMsxsJuf_sxPTK
โก๏ธAnd in the Modern Pioneering spiritโฆIf you enjoy canning, or are interested in learning about canning, I have a playlist of my canning videos here which include step-by-step tutorials: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkRuW3pBo2U3HJRCmwVAvBNS90WjifR1U
โก๏ธOhโฆAnd here is my 2020 Channel Update for everything I have planned for this year: https://youtu.be/qjOJh8Cb_-k
Please let me know if you have any questions. Iโm so happy to help! And Iโm SO glad youโre here!! Love and God Bless, Maryโค๏ธ๐โค๏ธ
PS – Do you know about our FB group? It’s called Mary’s Nest Modern Pioneers. Come join us! We have a lot of fun chatting about Traditional Foods: https://www.facebook.com/groups/171869080205145/?source_id=210509998974645
Love your videos! Thank you! You are a blessing! Today, I made my first Beet Kvass!
Hi Julia,
Oh my goodness!! Thank you for the kind words!! You made my day!! So glad you make beet kvass!!
Do you enjoy learning about making other traditional foods? If so, I have a playlist of some of my videos titled “Mastering the Basics of Traditional Nutrient Dense Foods Cooking”. It’s a series of 15 detailed videos that covers How to Make Bone Broth, Cultured Dairy, Ferments, Sourdough Starter (my foolproof stater), Sourdough Bread, Soaked and Sprouted Nuts and Beans, and How to Soak and Sprout Grains to Make your own Sprouted Flour at Home. You can watch it here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLkRuW3pBo2U3b4eu0QraZReKlGzA11h3y And please share the playlist with any other folks you think might be interested in learning about these types of things. Iโm passionate about the book Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon (of the Weston A Price Foundation) and want to help as many people as I can learn how to make Traditional โNutrient Denseโ Foods who may not be able to afford the online programs that have a cost associated with them.
Please let me know if you have any questions. Iโm so happy to help! And Iโm SO glad youโre here!! Love, Mary PS – Are you in our FB group? Itโs called Maryโs Nest Modern Pioneers. Come join us! We have a lot of fun chatting about Traditional โNutrient Dense Foods and itโs a great place to get questions answered.