Water Kefir Recipes
Water Kefir Recipes: 10 Easy Flavours to Try at Home
About These Recipes
All of the recipes below are for water kefir second fermentation, the stage where you bottle your finished first ferment with fruit, juice or other flavourings to build natural carbonation and develop flavour. Each recipe uses a 500ml swing top bottle as the base. Add your chosen ingredients, fill with finished first ferment water kefir, leave 2 to 3cm headspace, seal and leave at room temperature for 24 to 48 hours before moving to the fridge.
Jump To a Recipe
Water kefir is one of the most versatile fermented drinks you can make at home. Once you have mastered the first fermentation, the second ferment is where the real fun begins. A small handful of raspberries, a thumb of ginger or a splash of mango juice is all it takes to turn a plain probiotic drink into something you will genuinely look forward to every day.
All recipes below use a 500ml swing top bottle as the base. New to second fermentation? Read our water kefir second fermentation guide first to understand the process before diving into specific recipes.
The Base Method for Every Recipe
Every recipe on this page follows the same four step process. Get this right and the specific ingredients do the rest.
Step 1: Strain your grains from the first ferment and start a new batch immediately.
Step 2: Add your chosen recipe ingredients to a clean 500ml swing top bottle.
Step 3: Fill with finished first ferment water kefir, leaving 2 to 3cm headspace at the top.
Step 4: Seal and leave at room temperature for 24 to 48 hours. Burp once daily. Move to the fridge once carbonated to your liking.
Always open bottles slowly over a sink, particularly after 48 hours or in a warm kitchen.
Classic Soda Recipes
These recipes recreate the flavours of familiar soft drinks using nothing but natural ingredients and your live water kefir cultures.
1. Spiced Raisin Soda
Ingredients per 500ml bottle:
- 1 tablespoon organic raisins
What it tastes like: Warm, slightly caramel and spiced, surprisingly similar to a cola.
Carbonation: Medium to high.
Tip: Remove the raisins before serving cold for a cleaner flavour.
2. Vanilla Cream Soda
Ingredients per 500ml bottle:
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Half a teaspoon organic cane sugar
What it tastes like: Smooth, lightly sweet and gently vanilla flavoured.
Carbonation: Medium.
Tip: The extra half teaspoon of sugar gives the yeast enough fuel to produce a good pop with the vanilla.
3. Orange Cream Soda
Ingredients per 500ml bottle:
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
What it tastes like: Citrusy, smooth and creamy, similar to an orange ice lolly.
Carbonation: High.
Tip: Use freshly squeezed orange juice rather than carton juice for the best flavour.
Citrus and Botanical Blends
These recipes are refreshing, sharp and work particularly well as a lighter alternative to fizzy drinks. The citrus provides natural sugar for carbonation and a bright, clean flavour.
4. Lemon Ginger Fizz
Ingredients per 500ml bottle:
- Juice of half a lemon
- Half a thumb of fresh ginger, grated
What it tastes like: Zesty, sharp and warming. One of the most popular combinations among regular brewers.
Carbonation: High.
Tip: Grate the ginger with the skin on for a stronger, more robust flavour.
5. Citrus Mint Refresher
Ingredients per 500ml bottle:
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
- 4 to 5 fresh mint leaves, lightly pressed
What it tastes like: Fresh, light and aromatic. Perfect for summer.
Carbonation: Medium to high.
Tip: Press the mint leaves lightly between your fingers before adding to release the essential oils without tearing the leaves.
6. Winter Vitamin Blend
Ingredients per 500ml bottle:
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
- Half a teaspoon dried rosehips
- A small strip of orange zest
What it tastes like: Bright, tangy and slightly floral with a deep colour.
Carbonation: Medium.
Tip: Strain before drinking to remove the rosehips and zest for a cleaner pour.
Berry Recipes
Berry based recipes are ideal for beginners because the natural sugars in fruit are highly accessible to the yeast, producing reliable carbonation and a vivid colour. Frozen berries work just as well as fresh ones.
7. Raspberry Fizz
Ingredients per 500ml bottle:
- Small handful of raspberries, fresh or frozen
What it tastes like: Tart, fruity and vibrant. One of the most popular beginner recipes.
Carbonation: High.
Tip: Lightly crush the raspberries before adding to release more juice and speed up carbonation.
8. Blueberry Lemon
Ingredients per 500ml bottle:
- Small handful of blueberries, fresh or frozen
- Juice of a quarter lemon
What it tastes like: Rich, slightly sweet with a clean citrus lift.
Carbonation: Medium to high.
Tip: The lemon brightens the blueberry flavour considerably. Do not skip it.
Tropical Flavours
Tropical juices produce strong, reliable carbonation and pair naturally with the light tangy base of water kefir. These recipes are crowd pleasers and work well for anyone new to second fermentation.
9. Mango Passion
Ingredients per 500ml bottle:
- 100ml mango juice
- 1 tablespoon passion fruit pulp, optional
What it tastes like: Sweet, tropical and smooth with a natural effervescence.
Carbonation: High.
Tip: Use pure mango juice rather than a mango drink or blend for the best results.
10. Pineapple Ginger
Ingredients per 500ml bottle:
- 75ml pineapple juice
- Half a thumb of fresh ginger, grated
What it tastes like: Tangy, tropical and warming. A bold combination with strong carbonation.
Carbonation: Very high.
Tip: Burp this one daily without fail. Ginger and pineapple together produce aggressive carbonation, particularly in a warm kitchen.
Coconut Water Kefir: The Advanced Option
Coconut water can be used instead of regular sugar water as the base for your first fermentation, producing a naturally mineral rich kefir with a lighter, more delicate flavour than standard water kefir. It is worth trying once you are comfortable with the basic process.
Important before you try coconut water kefir:
Coconut water is very mineral rich and can be too concentrated for water kefir grains if used exclusively. Using it for every single batch will eventually cause the culture to stall or decline.
The rule: After every coconut water batch, return your grains to a normal batch of plain sugar water for 24 hours before doing another coconut water ferment. This keeps the culture balanced and healthy long term.
Coconut Water Kefir: Basic Recipe
Base: Replace your usual sugar water with 500ml of plain coconut water, no added sugar needed as coconut water contains natural sugars.
Grains: 25g water kefir grains.
Ferment time: 24 to 36 hours at room temperature.
Second fermentation: Bottle as normal and add a small handful of fresh mango or pineapple for a naturally tropical flavour combination.
After this batch: Return grains to plain sugar water for one full batch before repeating.
Tips for Better Fizz in Every Batch
Use Ripe Fruit
Ripe fruit contains more accessible sugar than unripe fruit, which means faster and more consistent carbonation. Overripe fruit works especially well.
Crush or Blend Fruit First
Blending or lightly crushing fruit before adding it to the bottle breaks down the cell walls and releases the sugars more quickly, giving the yeast immediate access to its food source.
Keep Bottles Warm
In an Irish winter kitchen below 18°C, carbonation can take significantly longer. Move sealed bottles to a warmer spot such as on top of the fridge or near the boiler to speed things up.
Watch for the Fruit Float
When using whole fruit like berries or raisins, watch for the fruit rising to the surface and staying there. This is a sign that CO2 has saturated the liquid and your carbonation is ready. Move to the fridge immediately.
Ready to Start Brewing?
Everything you need to make, flavour and enjoy water kefir at home.