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    Nourished Kitchen » Fermented Drink Recipes » Cherry Water Kefir

    Posted: Jul 24, 2017 · Updated: May 19, 2020 by Jenny McGruther · This post contains affiliate links.

    Cherry Water Kefir

    Cherry season always has a way of making summer seem just a little more special. Making cherry water kefir, slightly sweet, slightly bubbly and full of probiotics is a great way to use summer's bounty.

    Jump to Recipe | Brewing Tips

    Cherry water kefir in a glass bottle, surrounded by sweet cherries.

    If you have kids in the house it is always a fun event to watch those irresistible juicy cherries disappear when they haven’t seen a cherry since last summer. I like to snag a bowl or two to create a few seasonal recipes and cherry water kefir is usually on the list.

    It's simple to make. Plus, it makes a great replacement for sodas and sweet fruit juices. It also contains a burst of minerals and a fair amount of probiotics. In fact, homemade probiotic sodas like this one are an easy way to get fermented foods into your kids.

    Making Cherry Water Kefir

    After you've made basic water kefir a few times, it's fun to experiment with new flavors. You can flavor your basic brew with sweetened herbal teas, fruit juices or fruits like cherries.

    Cherry water kefir relies on a process called secondary fermentation. That is, after you brew your initial batch, you can strain and store the tibicos grains, and ferment the water kefir a second time.

    For the secondary fermentation, you'll want to use flip-top bottles. That's because these bottles will capture the carbon dioxide that builds up during fermentation. As a result, your cherry water kefir will be naturally fizzy and bubbly.

    Brewing Tips

    • When the cherries float it's a good sign that your homemade soda is ready.
    • Cream of Tartar and Sea Salt add minerals and flavor. They also help support the bacteria in the water kefir. You can omit them, if you like.
    • To get the cherries out of the bottle, shake the bottles vigorously, or consider brewing in mason jars with tight-fitting lids.
    • Open the bottles over the sink. Water kefir sodas can behave unpredictably and may foam when you open them.
    Rate this Recipe
    5 from 1 vote

    Cherry Water Kefir

    Mildly sweet, slightly tart and wonderfully bubbly, this homemade soda gets its probiotic fizz from water kefir and its vivid red color from sweet cherries. It's like a homemade cherry soda, but without all the sugar or food dyes.
    Prep Time5 mins
    Fermentation2 d
    Total Time2 d 5 mins
    Servings: 5 servings (1 quart)
    Print Save Recipe Saved!

    Ingredients

    For the Cherry Water Kefir

    • 1 cup sweet cherries pitted and halved
    • 4 cups water kefir
    • ⅛ teaspoon finely ground real salt
    • ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

    Equipment

    • flip-top bottles

    Instructions

    • Drop the cherries evenly into two (16-oz) flip top bottles.
    • Whisk the brewed water kefir with sea salt and cream of tartar in large pitcher, and then pour it into the bottles over the cherries. Allow it to culture at room temperature 1 to 3 days.
    • Transfer to the fridge where it will keep for 2 weeks. Strain and serve chilled over ice.
    Tried this recipe?Mention @nourishedkitchen or tag #nourishedkitchen!

    Probiotic Lemonade

    Like cherry water kefir, this naturally fermented lemonade is an easy, probiotic drink that you can make at home. And kids positively love its fizz and bubbles.

    > Grab the Recipe
    Previous Post: « Strawberry and Blueberry Kefir Popsicles
    Next Post: Surprise! Bone broth isn’t rich in minerals, but you should eat plenty of it anyway. »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Kasia says

      April 26, 2020 at 2:12 am

      5 stars
      Can you use frozen fruit instead of fresh?

      Reply
      • Jenny says

        April 30, 2020 at 9:57 am

        You can try and let us know how it goes.

        Reply
    2. Greig says

      July 31, 2017 at 9:00 pm

      This sounds delicious! My hanging question is will this same recipe work,, with regular kefir grains -with/w/out a wee drop of it's whey, or kambucha? I have either here at my disposal! To put it another way, shouldn't this work with just whey as well as a 'plain' fermented drink? The more I think of it flora and fermenting for same doesn't need a totally exact recipe in order to work!!! Am I not right?-not that this wouldn't be as directed!! I'm not worried about picture quality drinkables here just if it will work with either of them for flavour, effervescence and flora! Trying to think/create outside of the box here!
      Please do tell!

      Reply
    3. Amanda R. says

      July 31, 2017 at 4:54 am

      I've got the silly question for the day...how do you get the pieces of cherry back out of the flip-top jar once you're done??

      Reply
    4. Rebecca says

      July 29, 2017 at 8:44 am

      What other ways can you use the concentrace? I like to have multiple uses for a new product before investing! Thank you!

      Reply
      • Jenny says

        July 29, 2017 at 9:37 am

        I use it as a mineral supplement and add it to water.

        Reply
    5. Tami says

      July 28, 2017 at 10:20 am

      Is the Concentrace essential?

      Reply
      • Jenny says

        July 28, 2017 at 1:19 pm

        Hi Tami,

        Concentrace helps to keep your water kefir grains healthy as they benefit from a high mineral environment. You do not need them for this recipe.

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Jenny! I'm a nutritional therapist, herbalist and the author of three natural foods cookbooks. You'll find nourishing bone broths, simple herbal remedies and loads of fermented goodness on this site.

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