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Ginger Bug Soda Flavours

Flavouring ginger bug soda for lots of different soda pop flavours

Sometimes a sunny afternoon needs a sweet and sparkling, yet healthy beverage. If you don’t regularly brew kombucha or water kefir, then making ginger bug soda is the perfect alternative.

Ginger but is a homemade probiotic culture that is made from sugar and fresh ginger. It only takes around 5 days to make and is reliably easy for newbie fermenters. You can check out my recipe for ginger bug here.

Simple and delicious ginger bug soda is perfect for beginners

Ginger Bug Soda Flavours

Traditionally ginger bug is used to make spicy ginger beer. However it can also be turned into all sorts of different flavoured soda pops.

Here are a few different ways to add flavour to ginger bug soda:

  • Juice: I recommend using clear juices, like blueberry, apple or pomegranate. If you want a sparkling lemonade then use just 1/2 cup of lemon juice mixed into filtered water. Avoid juices that have added preservatives, as they will slow down or stop the fermentation.
  • Teas: Unlike jun or kombucha, you can use any flavour of tea for your ginger bug sodas. Herbal, black or green teas will all add a unique flavour.
  • Other additions: You can also flavour the ginger soda with spices, dried fruits, vanilla bean or citrus zest

Favourite Flavour Combinations

When experimenting with flavouring ginger bug sodas, don’t forget that the hint of ginger will always be there. Here are a few of my favourite flavours.

These should all be brewed according to the general recipe at the bottom of the post. You always need to add some sugar (to feed the ginger bug and carbonate the drink) and 3 1/2 cups of liquid.

  1. Strong and Spicy Ginger Beer: Traditional ginger beer is hot and spicy, and sometimes it even includes hot pepper! Here’s my recipe ginger beer.
  2. Ginger Lemonade: Use 1/2 cup of lemon juice mixed with 3 cups of filtered water along with the zest from 2 lemons.
  3. Pomegranate Punch: Use 2 cups of pomegranate juice with 1 1/2 cups of filtered water for a bright pink concoction (as seen in the photo above).
  4. Iced Chia: Brew chai tea with 2 tbsp of honey in addition to the sugar. The honey will add both flavour and sweetness. Stir a little bit of milk or cream into the glass before serving.
  5. White Mint: Brew white tea, add in 3 large sprigs of fresh mint leaves.
  6. Cream soda: Brew black tea, add in 1/4 cup of raisins and 1 vanilla bean split in half.
  7. Gingered Peach: Finely chop 1 peach and mix with green tea for the 3 1/2 cups of liquid.
  8. Immune Booster: Use 1/2 cup of cranberry juice, 2 tbsp of grated fresh turmeric, and the juice and zest from 1 lemon.
  9. Turmeric Soda: Bright yellow turmeric soda is a perfect alternative for anyone who can’t handle the spice of ginger. Fresh turmeric and ginger are completely interchangeable, and I often use a mix of both.
  10. Holiday Ginger ale: Cranberry ginger ale is a winter tradition in Canada. Though the bright red beverage is delicious at any time of year.
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Ginger Bug Soda Pop

How to make ginger bug soda - the easiest fermented and probiotic soda pop

★★★★★

5 from 5 reviews

Ginger bug sodas are the easiest homemade probiotic soda pop. Ginger bug can be flavoured in all sorts of different ways. Experiment to find your own favourite combination or use one of my suggestions from the section above.

  • Author: Emillie
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: 4 cups 1x
  • Category: Beverages
  • Method: Fermented
  • Cuisine: Traditional
  • Diet: Gluten Free
Scale

Ingredients

  • 3 1/2 cups water, fruit juice or brewed tea
  • Spices, fruit and other flavour additions (See the section above for recommended flavours)
  • 3–6 tbsp sugar (see notes for more details)
  • 1/4 cup ginger bug starter

Instructions

  1. Mix the liquid with the sugar, flavour additions and ginger bug starter. Stir until all the sugar is dissolved.
  2. Cover with a piece of cloth or a coffee filter held in place with a rubber band or metal ring. Place somewhere warm and allow to ferment for 3-5 days (stirring each day).
  3. Once the mixture has begun to bubble, strain the soda and bottle it.
  4. Allow the bottled sodas to ferment at room temperature for a further 5-7 days to build up the carbonation.
  5. Once it’s fizzy, refrigerate and enjoy! Ginger bug sodas are best if consumed within four weeks of bottling.

Notes

  • The ginger bug feeds on sucrose, so you need to use sugar or coconut palm sugar in this recipe. Over time more and more of the sugar will be consumed by the ginger bug, so if it seems to sweet, then let it ferment a little bit longer. It is possible to reduce the amount of sugar, however, the soda will not be as carbonated.
  • You can use straight juice as the liquid for a very sweet ginger bug soda. Since juice is high in fructose, the sweetness won’t be consumed by the ginger bug. Otherwise, I recommend a mix of 1/3 juice and either water or brewed tea.
  • Finished ginger bug sodas will continue to build up carbonation. Use plastic pop bottles or swing-top bottles (affiliate link) that can handle the pressure of carbonation. Test the carbonation by popping open the bottles.

Keywords: ginger ale, ginger beer, probiotic, summer, healthy, soda pop, vegan, gluten free

Filed Under: BeveragesTagged With: Ginger bug, Probiotic

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Comments

  1. maija

    October 30, 2015 at 1:25 am

    What is the ginger bug starter? Where do I get this from?

    Reply
    • Emillie

      October 30, 2015 at 7:05 am

      It’s something that you make, simply from the yeasts in your environment. Here’s the link for making the ginger bug: https://www.fermentingforfoodies.com/archives/1599. It should only take you about a week.

      Reply
  2. Paula

    November 25, 2016 at 4:40 am

    When you use”Bug”. Do you use just the liquid or both, ginger and liquid? Then how do you replace what you use:1/4c.H2O,1Tbs each,ginger and sugar?

    Lost!

    Reply
    • Emillie

      November 25, 2016 at 6:57 am

      You only need to use the liquid. It should be full of live bugs all on it’s own. I’ll update the recipe to make that more clear. Thanks!

      Reply
    • JoAnn M Lakes

      August 9, 2018 at 10:51 am

      I don’t think the question is really answered. I wonder about the liquid also. We take out the liquid and want it replenished for my next batch. Directions on keeping a continuous brew.

      ★★★★★

      Reply
      • Emillie

        August 9, 2018 at 12:24 pm

        This post is about flavouring ginger bug; for info on post on feeding and maintaining the starter check out the post on ginger bug starter. In general, to keep your starter active feed it 1 tbsp of ginger and 1 tbsp of sugar with 1/4 cup of water whenever you take out 1/4 cup of starter (or at least once a week).

        Reply
  3. Emmilie

    November 25, 2018 at 3:49 pm

    Emillie! My name is Emmilie! Haha. Thanks for the recipes!

    Reply
    • Emillie

      November 25, 2018 at 5:32 pm

      Don’t you love creative parents. 🙂 Enjoy!

      Reply
  4. Megan

    February 8, 2019 at 6:25 am

    Do you think I could bottle my sodas (like beer?) to be able to store them for longer periods in a cold room?

    Reply
    • Emillie

      February 8, 2019 at 9:28 am

      The short answer… yes.

      The long answer… you would need to brew them more like a beer. Keep everything sterile. Brew your second fermented with an airlock. Continue to ferment until it stops bubbling. Then bottle, adding a bit of sugar to get it to carbonate while in storage. Personally, I haven’t done it. I usually stash bottles in my fridge and drink them within 2 months.

      Reply
  5. Michelle Klink

    March 29, 2019 at 7:33 pm

    Hello. I have been enjoying your ginger bugs recipes. I’d like to advise others to please heed your warning about the possibility of bottles exploding from the pressure. I used a bottle I purchased from Target that had a lid that seemed just right. It exploded in my kitchen the day after I bottled it. It made a heck of a noise and a real nice mess. Thankfully, no one was in the kitchen at the time. It could have been really bad with the glass all over the place.

    Reply
    • Bob

      September 24, 2019 at 10:22 pm

      I had a glass bottle explode so now I use only plastic bottles, you still have to leave some space for expansion.
      I have used plastic water bottles and other recycled cool drink bottles, no real need to release the gases as the bottles do expand and then become hard to press in which is a good sign that they are about ready to drink. Times of brewing do vary up to 1-2-3 weeks, a longer brew brings out a better taste. When opening release the bottle caps slowly. So far no explosions.
      God bless
      Bob

      Reply
      • Emillie

        September 25, 2019 at 6:30 am

        Plastic bottles are easier. Thanks!

        Reply
  6. Jim

    April 8, 2019 at 4:41 pm

    Loves these flavouring ideas. What kind of proportions are you using? 1/4 cup of bug liquid to 3-4 cups flavoured liquid?
    Thanks for posting!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Emillie

      April 8, 2019 at 4:51 pm

      Each flavour will work with one batch of ginger bug, so if you were using juice, you would replace part of the water with juice. I usually use a mixture of 1 cup juice and 2 cups water (depending on the juice).

      Reply
  7. Miriam

    December 16, 2019 at 2:59 pm

    Hi there,

    I’ve now made a couple of successful sodas using the ginger bug, however I’ve tried twice now to make the lemonade one and am not having any luck. Does it take longer to ferment? Day three and not one bubble in sight.

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Emillie

      December 16, 2019 at 4:43 pm

      Hi Miriam,

      I also just had a batch of ginger bug that wouldn’t ferment. In my case, I think it’s because my house is a bit colder than ideal. However, lemon makes me think of a few things:
      1. If you use bottled lemon juice then it’s probably full of sulfites, which prevent fermentation.
      2. Lemon isn’t very sweet, so maybe there’s not enough sugar?

      Otherwise, I’m not sure what is going on. Fermenting is a mix of art and science, and it doesn’t always work out.

      Good luck!

      Cheers, Emillie

      Reply
  8. Joanne

    January 2, 2020 at 1:29 pm

    When using juice (1cup juice to 2. 5 c water). Do I still need to add the sugar?

    Reply
    • Emillie

      January 2, 2020 at 3:51 pm

      It depends on how sweet the juice is. I usually don’t like very sweet ginger bug sodas, so I only add 1-2 tbsp to get it to sparkle, but not enough to sweeten it.

      Reply
  9. Tim Bain

    February 28, 2020 at 5:14 am

    This isn’t exactly healthy, but for a treat you can disolve your favourite boiled sweets and use that in place of fruit. They are usually sugar, so it works well. I’m about to try liquorice and maybe mints. Kids get into making this stuff really fast 🙂

    Reply
    • Emillie

      February 28, 2020 at 9:45 am

      What a good idea! Especially for a more unusual flavour like licorice.

      Reply
  10. Greg

    April 29, 2020 at 10:01 am

    I haven’t made this yet, I’m waiting on my very first batch of Ginger Bug to finish growing and then I intend to try an orange soda out. My question though is, after I’ve bottled the soda and it is done fermenting and ready to go in the fridge, can I store the bottles on their side? Do I need to wait until they are completely chilled before laying them down? I can store them upright if I have to but it is easier on my fridge organization if they can go on their side at any point.

    Reply
    • Emillie

      April 30, 2020 at 7:49 am

      The bottles don’t have to be stored upright, however, they will be under pressure, so there’s a chance of the seals leaking. If you plan on using plastic pop bottles, then it’s probably fine, but I would be concerned about storing glass flip-top bottles on their side.

      Reply
  11. Tiffany

    May 13, 2020 at 11:26 pm

    For the recipe of the Cream Soda, how much of black tea do I need to brew?

    Reply
    • Emillie

      May 14, 2020 at 11:43 am

      Replace all of the water with black tea. Or if that’s too much caffeine then use decaf black tea. Cheers!

      Reply
  12. Julia

    May 15, 2020 at 12:23 pm

    My ginger bug is ready ! Yay !
    I was wondering if it’s possible to add some to any beverage and drink it right away, without second fermentation, or do you get less benefits from doing it like that ?
    Thank you so much !

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Emillie

      May 15, 2020 at 1:01 pm

      Definitely, yes! However, it won’t be fizzy unless you brew ginger beer (or mix it with sparkling water).

      Reply
  13. Kim

    May 15, 2020 at 6:01 pm

    I dislike anything carbonated but really like ginger, so I have been wondering if I can make a ginger bug beverage without it being carbonated. I think Julia’s question and your reply kind of answered that. So, do I just stop at step #3 in your recipe then store the liquid in a mason jar in the fridge or do I do something else? And, how long will the drink keep in the fridge. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Emillie

      May 16, 2020 at 9:00 am

      Ginger bug should last about 1 month in the fridge. You could either take your starter and mix it into non-carbonated water/ cold tea/juice. Alternatively, for a really ginger drink, follow my recipe for ginger beer, using only 2-3 tbsp of sugar, then put it in the fridge right after bottling. It might be slightly carbonated, but it won’t build up the carbonation typical of fermented drinks. Enjoy! https://www.fermentingforfoodies.com/homemade-ginger-beer/

      Reply
    • Wendell

      August 3, 2020 at 12:57 pm

      You could just brew some grated/chopped ginger in hot water then cool it. Add to whatever you like, no sugar or fermentation needed.

      Reply
  14. Marie de Klerk

    July 31, 2020 at 2:01 am

    I made the ginger bug which came out lovely. I will now keep in fridge…BUT
    I made “soda” with berry juice as directed AND AFTER 3 DAYS NO FERMENTATION?
    I NEED HELP PLEASE?

    Reply
    • Emillie

      July 31, 2020 at 9:53 am

      Hi! I have two ideas: Double check that your juice didn’t contain preservatives, which will prevent fermentation. Preservatives don’t have to be labelled in Canada or the USA (if used in small amounts). So you need to see Preservative Free on the label.
      Did you add sugar? If you used straight juice then it’s still fermenting, it just won’t be as bubbly since ginger bug consumes sucrose, not the fructose in juice.
      Regardless, let it ferment for 5 days, then bottle and hopefully, it will carbonate! Juice does take longer than straight ginger bug or ginger ale. It’s just not as robust without the dose of sugar and ginger to feed the bug. Good luck!

      Reply
  15. Wendell

    August 3, 2020 at 1:00 pm

    Great recipe! Thank you! We’ve really enjoyed this. The lemonade recipe was great! Going to try other flavors on the next batch.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Emillie

      August 4, 2020 at 2:43 pm

      Thanks!

      Reply
  16. Angie

    August 4, 2020 at 4:24 am

    I have an active Ginger Bug in my refrigerator. This is going to sound strange, but I recently canned peaches, and had the lemon juice/water mixture (to prep the peaches), and some of the sugar/water syrup leftover (that the peaches were simmered in for canning). I mixed it together for drinking, because why waste it?! Then I thought…why not try making a soda out of it with my Ginger Bug?! It’s been fermenting for 2 days, and bubbling nicely. Like yours, most recipes I read, say to strain and bottle after fermenting for a few days. Is there some benefit to “bottling” in an actual bottle shaped vessel? Does it help the carbonation? I don’t have any bottles. I have it fermenting in a canning jar covered with a coffee filter. Could I just filter it into another jar, put an actual lid on it and let it finish “carbonating” in that container? Thanks!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Emillie

      August 4, 2020 at 2:46 pm

      Sounds yummy! Bottling is what allows for carbonation. If you capped it in the mason jar, then either it wouldn’t hold in the CO2 or (much worse) it could explode! You need to use glass bottles or plastic bottles that are able to handle the build-up of carbonation. However, even if you don’t carbonate it, it will still be delicious! Feel free to drink and enjoy with fewer bubbles than you would have with bottling. 🙂

      Reply
  17. Cream Soda

    October 28, 2020 at 2:09 am

    This is a really great content, I can see how detailed you have gone through and explained about ginger bug soda flavours. I love this article, thanks for producing such great contents. I love your posts always.

    Reply
    • Emillie

      October 28, 2020 at 9:58 am

      Thanks!

      Reply

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Hi, I'm Emillie, an island dwelling fermentation enthusiast. Fermenting For Foodies features healthy recipes designed feed your microbiome.
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