The Best Lemonade Kefir

Lemonade kefir is not only refreshing, but it’s also packed with probiotics. This is the best drink to make for a hot summer day.

I don’t know about you, but I often think lemonade has way too much sugar in it. Most of the time it’s basically just lemony sugar water. I wanted to reimagine the refreshing summer drink that we all know and love but make it healthier without losing any flavor. That’s where water kefir shines.

Water kefir is fermented sugar water that you can flavor however you like. “Sugar water? Didn’t you just say you wanted less sugar?” Why, yes. Thank you for making such a valid point, dear reader. When sugar is added to the fermentation, it actually isn’t for you but for the culture that makes it fermented. There is actually very little sugar left in it by the time you are ready to drink it, but it’s packed full of flavor and probiotics. Read a little more about this process here.

Kefir versus kombucha

If you’ve never heard of water kefir before maybe you’re thinking, “is this like kombucha?” The answer is yes! The fermentation process and even the result is very similar. The difference is the base liquid and the starting culture. Kombucha is fermented tea that uses a disc like starter culture called a SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture Of Bacteria and Yeast). It looks like this:

Kefir is fermented sugar water. There is no tea added. Just sugar dissolved in water. The taste of kefir is much less vinegary than kombucha. And the starting culture is a collection of grains that look like this:

They need to be purchased from a good source before attempting to make water kefir. I like Cultures for Health. (not sponsored)

Why lemonade kefir instead of regular lemonade?

To be clear, kefir is a project. I actually like projects in my kitchen. If you don’t like to try new culinary endeavors this may not be the recipe for you. But the time and energy it takes to make lemonade kefir is minimal compared to the satisfaction I get from having a bubbly, healthy, delicious treat that I enjoy giving to my kids.

This is also a drink that you’ll never get to taste unless you make it homemade. I think it’s really special when I get to have something in my kitchen that can’t be purchased. And even if it could be purchased, there’s no chance it would taste better than what would come from my own hands.

THIS POST CONTAINS AFFILIATE LINKS WHICH MEANS I MAKE A SMALL COMMISSION AT NO EXTRA COST TO YOU. SEE MY FULL DISCLOSURE HERE.

Supplies

I use swing top bottles to build up pressure during the fermentation which gives the final product a lovely fizziness. When transferring the water kefir and the lemon syrup into the bottles, I use a small strainer that sits inside a funnel. The set of bottles does come with a funnel, but it’s too small to hold the strainer and very flimsy. I prefer the larger stainless steel one, but it’s completely optional.

• Swing top bottles
• Strainer
• Funnel

Making bubbly lemonade kefir

Lemonade kefir is a result of a second ferment of water kefir. Before adding any flavors, the first 24 hour ferment needs to happen. Learn more about that and how to do it from my post on How to Make Water Kefir.

In that post, I detail how to start up water kefir and put it through it’s first ferment which takes about 24 hours. This recipe is for the second ferment where flavor and fizziness are added. In this case, the flavor comes from a lemon syrup that we make. When we mix the syrup and the kefir together in a bottle, and let it sit for a few days, we have refreshing, effervescent lemonade kefir.

The lemon syrup

Using only three ingredients, this syrup comes together in 10 minutes, and is delightfully tart. Start by peeling the rind from 6-8 lemons. I had smaller lemons, so I peeled eight rinds.

Throw them in a pot with equal parts sugar and water. I choose which vessel I plan on storing the syrup in before I make the syrup. I use that bottle to measure how much water I’ll need. Filling up about half of the bottle with water will result in the perfect amount to fit in whatever container you have. Bring it to a low simmer. Be sure to whisk frequently to prevent any sticking. This only needs to be cooked long enough for the sugar to dissolve in the water – about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, and let it cool it cool enough to pour into your container.

Strain the syrup into a bottle, and save to use for our kefir!

The lemonade kefir

Pour about a quarter cup of the lemon syrup into a bottle, and fill the rest of the way with the kefir. I don’t like to fill too much past the neck line of the bottle. Leaving a little head room at the top gives the ferment room to breathe.

Let it sit out at room temperature for 2-4 days. The time this takes will depend on the temperature of your environment (cooler=slower fermentation/longer time, warmer=faster fermentation/shorter time), and your preferred level of fizziness. I don’t live in an extreme hot climate, and I like my kefir very fizzy. So my water kefir ferments take closer to a week.

Be sure to check every day by opening up the bottle to see how it’s doing. This not only helps you gauge the level of fizz in the kefir, but doing this also allows gas to escape. This is key because just like any other ferment, the build up of gasses leads to a build up of pressure, and not letting them escape can result in an explosion of bottle.

After the second ferment is done, it’s time to make this deliciously unique lemonade kefir!

Leave a comment and let me know how your lemonade kefir turned out or save this recipe for later!