Water Kefir Three Ways
Years and years ago, when I was on a serious health kick, I went down the rabbit hole of learning how to ferment everything under the sun. I taught myself to make yogurt, jar sauerkraut, and brew kombucha. I baked sourdough, cultured pickles, and used fresh apple cores to make apple cider vinegar. In 2008, when I discovered my colicky baby couldn’t tolerate dairy (or gluten or caffeinated tea!), I turned my attention to water kefir, a simple fermented drink made from water kefir grains and sugar water.
Water kefir is a little different than most cultured beverages because instead of developing a tart or sour taste, it stays sweet. Once you’ve cultured it, you can either drink it plain (though I don’t find the flavor all that inspiring), or you can use it as a base to make flavored carbonated drinks. I like to take things one step further and use the grains to culture coconut water flavored with fresh fruit and herbs from my garden.
Culturing water kefir is easy. You just place water kefir grains - a matrix of symbiotic bacteria and yeast - in sugar water and let the grains turn the sugar into a probiotic rich drink. The kefir grains are soft and gelatinous and are thought to originate from Mexico where they thrive in the sugary water of the prickly pear cactus. They love sugar and will multiply if fed it via sugar water, fruit juice, or fresh fruit. That said, because the kefir grains metabolize the sugar to make more bacteria, the final drink is very (VERY) low in sugar.
If you want to make water kefir with less sugar (and more flavor), you can also try feeding your grains coconut water instead of sugar water. The end result is coconut water kefir, a drink packed with electrolytes, enzymes, nutrients, AND probiotics.
To make coconut water kefir, you’ll need to make sure your grains are fully hydrated and have been culturing in sugar water for at least 3 weeks. You’ll also need to refresh your grains between batches of coconut kefir to keep them happy and healthy. To do this, just culture them in sugar water (following the steps in Part II) after using them to make a batch of coconut kefir (in Part IV).
I know that was a lot of information to digest, especially because there are so many ways to use water kefir grains. In this post, I’ll walk you through the whole process, showing you how to 1) activate dehydrated water kefir, which is how it’s sold online; 2) make water kefir, which you can drink plain to aid good gut health; 3) make flavored water kefir using juice and/or fresh fruit; and 4) make herby coconut water kefir, using your favorite combination of herbs (and berries, if you wish). None of these steps are complicated and you’ll get the hang of it in no time with a little hands-on learning! If you have any questions, feel free to drop them in the comments below!
Ingredients
I. To activate water kefir grains
glass jar
non-metal stirring utensil
breathable tea towel
rubber band
muslin cheesecloth
dehydrated water kefir grains (I use these)
¼ cup organic cane sugar
3-4 cups chlorine-free water
II. To make water kefir
glass jar
non-metal stirring utensil
breathable tea towel
rubber band
muslin cheesecloth
rehydrated water kefir grains
¼ cup organic cane sugar (per quart of water)
chlorine-free water
III. To make flavored water kefir
finished water kefir (grains removed)
natural, organic fruit juice
grolsch-style bottles (like these)
IV. To make herby coconut kefir
1 quart jar of coconut water
non-metal stirring utensil
breathable tea towel
rubber band
muslin cheesecloth
rehydrated water kefir grains
3 sprigs of lavender, mint, sage, etc., (your choice)
slice of lemon
cup of frozen berries (optional)
Directions
I. Activate water kefir grains
1. Heat 3.5 cups of water, then transfer it to a glass jar.
2. Dissolve ¼ cup cane sugar in the warm water, then allow the water to cool to 68°-85°F.
3. Empty the dehydrated water kefir grains into the cooled sugar water.
4. Cover the jar with a tea towel, secure it with a rubber band, and place the jar in a warm spot (68°-85°F) for 3-4 days.
6. After 3-4 days, the kefir grains should be plump and translucent. Using the cheesecloth (and NOT a metal strainer!), strain the kefir grains and discard the sugar water.
7. Now you’ll need to make water kefir with your grains following the steps in Part II. Once you’ve been making water kefir for a few weeks, you can use your grains to make coconut water kefir (see Part IV). If this seems like a long process, remember that you CAN drink the water kefir (in Part II) and enjoy the good benefits of it while you wait for the grains to get strong enough to culture coconut water.
II. Make water kefir
1. Heat 3.5 cups of water, then transfer it to a glass jar.
2. Dissolve ¼ cup cane sugar in the warm water, then allow the water to cool to 68°-85°F.
3. Empty the dehydrated water kefir grains into the cooled sugar water.
4. Cover the jar with a tea towel, secure it with a rubber band, and place the jar in a warm spot (68°-85°F) for 3-4 days.
6. After 4 days (or so), or when the culturing is complete, use the cheesecloth (and NOT a metal strainer!), strain the kefir grains and reserve the water kefir to drink. You can either drink it immediately or store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
7. prepare a new batch of sugar water following steps 1-4 to keep the grains working. Once the grains have been making water kefir via sugar water for at least 3 weeks, you can use them to make the herby coconut water kefir, following the steps in Part IV.
Note: To make larger batches of water kefir, use 1 tablespoon of sugar for every 1 cup of water. One packet of grains from most companies (including the one I recommended above) will usually make up to 8 cups of water.
III. Make flavored water kefir
1. Add 1/2 cup of fruit juice per quart of water kefir unless you’re using lemon juice, in which case you should use 1/4 cup of juice per quart of water (it’s potent!).
2. Fill the bottle with finished water kefir from Part II, leaving about an inch of headspace.
3. Close the bottle tightly and let it sit at room temperature for 24-72 hours, or until your kefir carbonates. Burp once a day in warm climates.
4. Once carbonated, strain, and drink warm or refrigerate for a cool drink.
IV. Make herby coconut kefir
1. Place the water kefir grains and the sprigs of herbs in the quart jar of coconut water. Cover the jar with a breathable towel and secure it with a rubber band.
2. Culture the coconut water and allow it to ferment for 24-48 hours. Once the culturing process is complete, strain the kefir grains and refresh them by culturing them in sugar water (see Part II).
3. To flavor the coconut kefir water, pour it in a high speed blender, add berries, and purée. Serve cold with fresh herbs and a slice of lemon.