How to Make Water Kefir

How to Make Water Kefir

Watch this video on YouTube

Hi Sweet Friends,

Water Kefir is a delicious, probiotic-rich fermented beverage, offering you a perfect alternative drink when you grow tired of Kombucha.  It’s easy to make and involves preparing a solution of sugar and water and pouring it into a jar over your grains.

Get ready to enjoy fermented water

After you pour the water, let the kefir grains in the sugar water sit for 24-48 hours in a warm place at about 75 degrees Fahrenheit. Then drain off the grains and enjoy a delightfully effervescent, slightly tangy fermented water!

Try a second ferment with fruit

If you like, you can perform a second ferment.  Take your strained water kefir (minus the grains), add some fruit, and ferment overnight.  Now you have fruit-flavored water kefir.  It couldn’t be easier!

And now try more fermented and cultured beverages

Now that you have mastered Water Kefir, be sure to check out my other videos for fermented and cultured beverages:

	How to Make Milk Kefir
	How to Make Beet Kvass

Step-by-step instructions

So be sure to watch this YouTube video as I walk you through the step-by-step process of making Water Kefir.  Start making fermented beverages today!

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You can print the recipe below.

How to Make Water Kefir

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Prep: 5 minutes mins

Total: 1 day d 5 minutes mins

Yield: 4

Author: Mary Bryant Shrader

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Water Kefir is easy to make once you have some water kefir grains. It makes a wonderful effervescent and probiotic-rich drink.  It's also an economical beverage to make because other than the grains, all you need is water and sugar.

Ingredients

• ▢ 1 pkg Water kefir grains
• ▢ 4 tbsp Cane sugar
• ▢ 4 cups Filtered water

Instructions 

• Place water kefir grains in a 1-quart jar.
• Mix water and sugar in a 4-cup measuring cup until the sugar has dissolved.
• Pour the sugar water into the 1-quart jar over the water kefir grains.
• Cover the filled 1-quart jar with a coffee filter or clean cloth and secure with a rubber band.
• After 24 hours, taste the water kefir using a clean spoon. If it is to your liking, drain off the grains and use them to make a second batch of water kefir. If you would like the water kefir to be less sweet, let it ferment for another 24 hours for a total of 48 hours.
• Once the water kefir is to your liking, drain off the grains as mentioned above. You can now decant your water kefir and refrigerate it.

Notes

You can make a fruit-flavored water kefir.  Put your strained water kefir into a clean jar without any kefir grains and add a small amount of fruit. Cover the jar with a coffee filter or clean cloth and secure with a rubber band.  Allow the water kefir and fruit to ferment for 12-24 hours. Once the taste is to your liking, strain the fruit (or you can leave it in the water kefir), decant the fruit-flavored water kefir, and refrigerate.

Water kefir is best enjoyed when first made. It's a treat, as opposed to something that should be consumed on a daily basis. Think of it as a soda—just a soda that has been made for centuries by traditional cultures.

Store your water kefir in the fridge after it's ready. It will become less fizzy after a day or two but is safe in the fridge for up to three months.

For a less sweet kefir, allow your water kefir to ferment longer.

Don't throw out your kefir grains! You can use them indefinitely. And they will multiply and grow. You can also share them with others who are interested in making kefir. You can also eat them. (They have a mild taste with the texture of gummies.)

Nutrition

Calories: 46kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Fat: 0.04g | Sodium: 12mg | Potassium: 0.2mg | Sugar: 12g | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 0.01mg

Course: Beverages

Cuisine: Eastern European

Calories: 46

Keyword: Fermented Beverages, Probiotic Rich Beverages, Water Kefir

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