I LOVE turmeric bug soda, ginger beer and turmeric & ginger soda. They just feel so healthy! Bright yellow, sparkling and not too sweet, it’s a good-for-you treat that is perfect served over ice on a sunny day.
There are a lot of reasons to love turmeric bug soda:
- Healthy: Fermented turmeric is a popular supplement with a dose of science to back the claims. It improves liver function, is high in immune-regulating antioxidants and anti-inflammatory curcumin.
- Refreshing: This naturally sparkling beverage is refreshing and delicious. A perfect alternative to commercial soda pop.
- Probiotic: Fermented beverages are naturally probiotic!
- Low-sugar: Turmeric soda must be brewed with sugar since sugar is what feeds the probiotic culture. However, you get to decide how sweet the final beverage will be. For a low-sugar beverage allow it to brew for an extra week or two.
- Affordable: It cost less than $1 to make your own bottle of turmeric soda.
Turmeric Bug Starter
Turmeric bug starter is really, really easy to make at home. In about 5 days you can have a happy bubbling starter. Here’s what you need to know to make your own turmeric bug.
- To make turmeric bug starter, follow my recipe for ginger bug starter. Just replace the freshly grated ginger with turmeric root. Otherwise, the steps are identical.
- Turmeric bug cannot be made with powdered turmeric. You need fresh turmeric root. The skin is important for helping to catch the turmeric bug.
- Ginger bug starter can be used to brew turmeric soda and vice-versa. They really are interchangeable. I’m always brewing one or the other or both together for an immune-boosting mix.
Flavouring Turmeric Bug Soda
Turmeric soda can be flavoured just like ginger bug sodas. Replace part of the liquid with juice or tea. Or add spices and other flavours to the brew.
Here are a few ways to experiment with flavours.
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 turmeric bug sodas with spices, dried fruits, vanilla bean or citrus zest
If you need more inspiration, try a few of my favourite flavour combinations.
Turmeric Bug Sodas
Turmeric bug sodas are a healthy and delicious alternative to soda pop. Made with naturally fermented turmeric, it’s sparkling, sweet and probiotic!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 3 1/2 cups 1x
- Category: Beverages
- Method: Fermented
- Cuisine: Healthy
- Diet: Gluten Free
Ingredients
- 3 1/2 cups water (see notes for alternatives)
- 3–6 tbsp sugar
- 1/4 cup turmeric bug starter (see section above for details)
- 4 tbsp finely grated fresh turmeric
Instructions
- Mix all of the ingredients in a 1-quart glass jar. Stir until the sugar has dissolved.
- Cover with a piece of cloth or coffee filter held in place with a rubber band or metal ring. Place the jar somewhere warm and dark to ferment for 3 days and give it a good stir each day. Turmeric bug needs air for proper fermentation so don’t seal it during this initial ferment.
- After 3 days there should have bubbles forming at the top of the jar. Strain the mixture and bottle it. You will need to use a bottle that can handle the carbonation. See notes for more details.
- Allow the turmeric soda to ferment for a further 1 to 2 weeks to build up the carbonation.
- Once it’s fizzy, store the turmeric soda in the refrigerator. Consume within four weeks of refrigeration.
Notes
- Turmeric sodas can be flavoured in all sorts of different ways. The water can be replaced 1 to 1 with brewed tea or juice. You can add herbs and spices. Check out the section above for more details.
- Turmeric bug soda cannot be made with powdered turmeric. If you are unable to find fresh turmeric, I recommend making a less spicy ginger beer then adding 2 tbsp of powdered turmeric to the ferment.
- The amount of sugar used will affect the final sweetness of the beverage. Using at least 3 tbsp is necessary to properly carbonate. Add more sugar if you enjoy sweet beverages.
- Use swing-top beer bottles or plastic pop bottles which will both be able to handle the carbonation. Decorative bottles aren’t strong enough and might break.
Keywords: probiotic, fermented turmeric, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, liver tonic, sparkling, homemade, turmeric bug, DIY, soda pop
Does the starter turmeric bug taste ever so slightly tart? After 5 days I’ve noticed the strong smell of the turmeric is less intense. Are there other signs of contamination besides off smells or seeing mold?
Thanks!
Yes! The turmeric decreased in flavour over time (same for ginger bug). Also the sugars get consumed turning it a bit acidic. However, I’m surprised you would notice after 5 days. I’ve only had it go off with kahm yeast (which isn’t bad, just not good). I would imagine that if it was contaminated with mold you would see evidence of mold floating on the surface. Good luck!
Hi, does it need burping when it’s bottled or do you leave it sealed after straining it and bottling it?
Thanks.
When it’s carbonated, then it’s ready to drink! No need to burp it. But you might want to pop it open to see how it is coming along. It’s good to catch it and put it in the fridge when it’s just started to carbonate so that you don’t have a massive geyser of soda.
What a brilliant homemade drink! It’s sooo good to sit on the deck with a cold glass of this elixir. Thank you for sharing!
★★★★★
Thanks!
Hi, what is the difference in this process vs making an alcoholic ginger beer beverage? Seems super similar besides maybe the added yeast and extra sugar to brew the alcohol…. I have been brewing kombucha for a looooong time and bored of it, so looking into new stuff like your website.
Last question, do you know the difference in brewing with a cloth/coffee filter vs. using an airlock to keep out the oxygen? I find that my kombucha goes to vinegar too fast, too often. Thanks!
Hi, I actually haven’t made alcoholic ginger beer. However, using a commercial yeast would allow the sugars to ferment to higher alcohol levels (not possible with typical ginger/turmeric bug or kombucha). I always brew ginger/turmeric bug with a cloth, since the culture is caught from the free-range cultures in the air and it just brews better. Kombucha could go either way as it has it’s own really strong culture. 🙂 To slow down your kombucha try using a smaller amount of SCOBY in a batch or brewing it in a cooler location (like a basement or garage). Enjoy!
Hi! I’ve just started fermenting after finding you blog last week! I started my ginger and turmeric bugs yesterday and lots of extra ginger and turmeric left so I grated it and froze it in ice cube trays. Will the frozen ginger and turmeric work for making the ginger/turmeric beers if I defrost it first? I wasn’t sure if freezing it would somehow change how it works for fermenting.
Welcome to fermenting! I haven’t tried fermenting with frozen ginger/turmeric. However, it should be fine as long as it’s in good shape (less than 3 months in the freezer and no freezer burn). Enjoy!