Kefir is cool. It’s even cooler when it’s made without dairy. By simply mixing yeasts and bacteria, you get Water Kefir Grains (WKG), a tasty and versatile “grain-like” ingredient that can be used to make delicious probiotic-rich drinks. Water Kefir Grains create a fizzy lacto-fermented beverage from sugar water, fruit juice or coconut water, making this a great alternative to milk kefir.
Unlike other cultured beverages that taste tart or tangy, water kefir stays sweet. After culturing, this probiotic drink can be bottled to create soda-worthy carbonation and effervescence.
How long will it take?
Total fermentation time: 5 – 7 days
Active, hands-on time: 5 – 10 minutes every 1 – 2 days
How does this work?
First, prepare sugar water:
- Heat ½ cup water and pour into a glass jar or plastic container
- Dissolve ¼ cup sugar in water
- Add 2-1/2 – 3-1/2 cups room-temperature water (Note: total volume should be 3-4 cups of sweetened water.)
- Check that the temperature of the water is 68 – 85 degrees F; adjust as needed
Now you can activate your water kefir grains:
- Add water kefir grains to jar
- Cover jar with coffee filter or cloth, secured by a rubber band
- Keep in a warm spot (68 – 85 degrees F) for 24-48 hours
- Once culturing is complete, prepare a new batch of sugar water
- Strain the kefir grains from finished water kefir and place in new batch of sugar water. Repeat process every 24-48 hours.
