Ginger Bug Soda Pop
Ginger bug sodas are the easiest homemade probiotic soda pop. Ginger bug can be flavored juice, tea or herbs, and spices. Experiment to find your own favorite combination or use one of my suggestions from the section above.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 4 cups 1x
- Category: Beverages
- Method: Fermented
- Cuisine: Traditional
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 3 1/2 cups water, fruit juice, or brewed tea
- 3–6 Tbsp sugar (see notes for more details)
- 1/4 cup ginger bug starter
- Spices, fruit, and other flavor additions (See the section above for recommended flavors)
Instructions
- Mix the liquid with the sugar, and ginger bug starter in a quart-sized (1 L) glass jar. Stir until all the sugar is dissolved. Add any additional fruit, spices, or other flavor additions.
- Cover the jar with a piece of cloth or a coffee filter held in place with a rubber band or metal ring. Place the jar somewhere warm and allow it to ferment for 3-5 days. Give the mixture a good stir each day.
- Once the ginger bug soda has begun to bubble it is ready for bottling. Strain the liquid into a bottle that can handle the buildup of carbonation. See below for details.
- Allow the bottled sodas to ferment at room temperature for a further 5-7 days to build up the carbonation. Pop the bottles every two days to test the carbonation.
- Once it’s fizzy, move it to the refrigerator to slow down the fermentation. Ginger bug sodas taste best if consumed within four weeks of bottling, as they will continue to ferment until all the sugar is consumed.
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 too sweet, then let it ferment a little bit longer. It is possible to not include any additional 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 the juice is high in fructose, the sweetness won’t be consumed by the ginger bug. Otherwise, I recommend a mix of 1/2 juice and 1/2 water.
- Finished ginger bug sodas will continue to build up carbonation. Use plastic pop bottles or swing-top bottles
that can handle the pressure of carbonation.
- If you end up making a lot of soda, I recommend getting a funnel that has a filter built-in.
that can handle the pressure of carbonation. Keywords: ginger ale, ginger beer, probiotic, summer, healthy, soda pop, vegan, gluten free
Find it online: https://www.fermentingforfoodies.com/ginger-bug-soda-flavours/