Water kefir grains can be used to ferment all sorts of sweet liquids (honey, juice coconut water). Here is how to make water kefir without sugar.
Here are a few things to know about experimenting with water kefir grains:
- Either use excess grains or refresh you grains in a sugar-water solution after every non-sugar ferment to keep your grains healthy.
- Water kefir made without sucrose (sugar) won’t be as fizzy.
- Always follow the basic fermenting rules for water kefir to keep your grains healthy.
Water Kefir Without Sugar:
Water kefir is happiest in a sucrose water solution. This can be made from white sugar, brown sugar, maple syrup or coconut palm sugar. However, here are some sugar free options that can be used to make water kefir:
- Honey: Heat 1/4 cup of filtered water, and 1/4 cup of honey on the stove, and bring to a boil to pasteurize the honey (to avoid potentially contaminating the water kefir grains.) Mix the honey water with and additional 3 3/4 cups of filtered water and cool to room temperature. Mix with 3 tbsp of water kefir grains.
- Coconut Water: Mix 2 tbsp of water kefir grains with 4 cups of coconut water and ferment on the counter for 24-48 hours.
- Juice: Mix 2 tbsp of grains with 4 cups of clear juice (grape, apple, blueberry) and ferment for 24-48 hours. The fructose will result in a slightly alcoholic beverage, so it’s not recommended for children. Don’t use acidic juices (orange, pineapple, etc) as they are harmful for water kefir grains.
- Other First Ferment Additions: In general it is best to flavour water kefir during the second ferment. Adding fruits or other herbs and spices to the first ferment may damage the water kefir grains. However, whole organic lemons, organic raisins (without oil) or organic figs can be added to the first ferment without hurting the grains.
Why does the honey need to be pasteurised?
Raw honey contains its own bacterial culture, which ferments into mead, but is not the best for water kefir. If you only have raw honey, just mix it into boiling water to kill the culture first.
Hi Emillie!
Great and thoroughtful post with not that easy to find info. I’ve a simple question; is there a visual cue to tell if the grains are healthy or not? (color, flotability, texture, brightness, etc) ?
Thanks!!
Healthy grains will start to reproduce in sugar water. The colour will depend on your sugar (white or brown). Perhaps avoid experimenting with your water kefir grains until you have enough to make two different batches. I personally haven’t managed kill my grains, so I don’t know what that would look like!
Can I use xylitol as sweetener instead of sugar or honey?
Yes, but just like honey and other alternative sweeteners, it won’t be as sparkly. Water kefir really only eats sucrose (sugar). However, fine to use an alternative sweetener for a second ferment! 🙂 Enjoy!
How can I make water kefir without sugar or no sweets?
There must be a way to Ferment it?
I want to make hydrogen water Kefir.
Once Ferment it, I put-it in the refrigerator so the bacteria go to sleep.
Then when I drink it they wake-up and go all over my body and eat the sugar keeping me in ketosis.
Water kefir needs sugar to ferment. Otherwise the grains will starve. However, you don’t have to use any sugar for the second ferment. It won’t carbonate without sugar, as that’s a byproduct of the fermentation. If you are looking for a sugar-free and probiotic beverage, either try a salty vegetable kvass or a dairy-based ferment. https://www.fermentingforfoodies.com/salty-beet-kvass/
Cheers, Emillie
Is it possible to use kombucha Scoby instead of water kefir grains (can’t find them here in Australia)?
Thank you
Yes! I have a different post about making a less than happy kombucha (no tea and sugar-free). You can find it here: https://www.fermentingforfoodies.com/caffeine-free-sugar-free-kombucha/
Hi Norm, I found water kefir grains easily online in Australia. I ordered 2 tablespoons, and they have now multiplied to probably 2 cups worth in a few months. The grains were dehydrated slightly to be posted, but it was very easy to reconstitute before use. Gina
Thanks for sharing!
Is it good to rinse the grains in filtered water sometimes
If you’re brewing regularly, and everything is happy and healthy, then you don’t need to rinse your grains. However, if you are worried about contamination (like you dropped them on the floor or there was kahm yeast in your ferment) then you should definitely rinse them. Cheers!
Hello, how long do you ferment the honey kefir?
About 24-36 hours, just like typical water kefir. Enjoy!
How do you do a second ferment with these methods?
Brewing with an alternative sweetener is probably more similar to making a second ferment, as the yeast won’t be well fed by those sweeteners. However, feel free to flavour your water kefir as you would usually do after fermenting. You may not need to add more sweetener, because the kefir won’t have consumed it as it does with sugar. So taste before adding more honey/maple syrup, etc. Cheers!
What are the sizes of the cup and tablespoon used in this recipe ?
Here in Australia, a cup equals 250 ml and a tablespoon equals 20 ml.
Thank you for this natura recipe.
Our measurements are similar. 1 cup = 250 mL, however, 1 Tbsp = 15 mL. Enjoy!
Unfortunately, fructose isn’t consumed as much as glucose.
Honey is sucrose (glucose+fructose). Fructose can only be metabolised in the liver, hence it could be source for fatty liver.
Might be interesting:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3993195/
Thanks for sharing Georges. Always love some fermentation-focused research! However, honey is not sucrose. The bees have already done their part by breaking the sucrose into constituent parts (glucose/fructose). So it is not ideal for feeding water kefir. Cheers!