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flavored water kefir in glass
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5 from 8 votes

How to Make Water Kefir - Easiest Step-by-Step Method

Make your own easy water kefir with this simple step-by-step method with about 10 minutes of hands-on time. Learn how to make this refreshing probiotic carbonated drink at home for all the health benefits - and because it's delicious!
Prep Time10 minutes
Fermenting Time2 days
Total Time2 days 10 minutes
Course: Drinks
Cuisine: American
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 53kcal
Author: Jami Boys

Equipment

  • Nylon/plastic mesh strainer
  • quart jar wide mouth
  • Wooden spoon
  • Fermenting Lid, or muslin or coffee filter and rubber band
  • swing-top glass bottles, 1 pint
  • 4 cup glass measuring cup

Ingredients

First Ferment

  • water kefir grains, 2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup - can use more
  • 1/8 cup sugar, see types to use and not use below in notes (can use up to 1/4 cup)
  • 2½ cups water, total (use well/spring water; filter or leave treated water out 24 hours and add a mineral supplement each first ferment)

Mineral Supplements (use if water doesn't have or if grains appear sluggish)

  • 1/8 teaspoon unrefined sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon plain baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon unsulfured blackstrap molasses

Second Ferment

  • strained water kefir
  • 1 cup 100% fruit juice

Instructions

First Ferment

  • Add 1/8 of sugar(s) of choice to a quart jar (I often use half cane sugar and half brown sugar). Add one of the mineral supplements, if needed, here.
  • Add about 1/3 cup of hot water (about 110-120 degrees, which is typically your hottest tap water) and stir well with a wooden spoon to dissolve. Fill the jar with cold water, stirring, until it's about 3/4 of the way full (about 2-1/2 cups total). NOTE: The resulting water temperature should be about room temperature (70-75 degrees) to not damage/kill the grains.
  • Use a nylon strainer to separate the water kefir grains from the water in the jar they're in - if it's from storage, DO NOT keep the water; if it's from another ferment, keep the water in a large glass measure.
  • Gently add the strained kefir grains to the prepared room temperature sugar water, using a funnel if you'd like. Give it all a little stir. Attach the Easy Fermenter Lid and set the date for 2 days ahead. Or use a coffee filter or piece of muslin attached with a rubber band.
  • Let sit at room temperature for up to 48 hours - you should see bubbles when you move the jar and maybe some of the grains floating. TIP: If it's cold in your kitchen, find the warmest place for your water kefir or provide a warming light next to it.

Second Ferment

  • Make another quart jar of sugar water the same way as the first ferment.
  • Strain the first kefir ferment through the nylon sieve into a 1-quart (4-cup) glass measure.
  • Transfer the strained kefir grains to the newly prepared jar. Place the lid on and set date dial for two days and keep at room temperature (now you will just be repeating this until you have enough water kefir or you want to move it into refrigerated storage).
  • The fermented kefir water in the glass measure should be about 2-1/2 to 3 cups. Add 1 cup of your choice of 100% juice and mix with wooden spoon.
  • Pour the water kefir-juice mixture into swing top bottles. A quart jar fills two pint-sized bottles, you can also use quart size bottles if you'd like one bottle from each quart jar.
  • Set the bottles on the counter to ferment again (the second ferment) for another two days - OR until you see some bubbles on the top. In warm weather, it may only take one day, in colder weather maybe three.
  • Once you see the bubbles, place the sealed jars into the fridge where they can stay for up to a month at 40° to 45°F. (Technically, you can leave it at room temperature (68° to 78°F) for 3 to 4 days, but I've always thought it tastes better refrigerated.)
  • Keep repeating this process - both the first and second ferments - until you run out of bottles or you need to take a break.

Storing Water Kefir

  • In the second ferment above, after straining the grains and adding them to the new sugar water, place a regular storage lid on the jar instead of the fermenting lid (note: I do add 1/4 cup sugar when making water for storage just to give the grains more food).
  • Place this in the fridge for a few weeks up to 6 months. While the sugar water will feed the grains slowly, it's still recommended to replace the sugar water every few weeks if you can (I have left them for a month while traveling and they were fine).

To Wake Up Refrigerated Grains

  • Remove the jar of kefir grains in water from the fridge and strain the grains from the water, THROWING OUT the water that's been used up while in hibernation.
  • Add the grains to a new sugar water jar and start the process again.

Notes

Types of Sugar Okay to Use (use one or a combo):
  • Refined White Sugar
  • Organic Cane Juice Crystals
  • Turbinado or raw sugar
  • Rapadura or Sucanat
  • Brown Sugar
Types of Sugar NOT to Use:
  • Coconut/Palm Sugar
  • Maple Sugar/Syrup
  • Honey or Molasses (okay to use 1/2 teaspoon molasses as a mineral supplement)
  • Sugar Substitutes (including stevia, monk fruit, agave)
 

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 53kcal | Carbohydrates: 13g | Protein: 0.1g | Fat: 0.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.01g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.03g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.003g | Sodium: 10mg | Potassium: 63mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 9mg | Iron: 0.1mg
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