NOTE: I now have real water kefir grains. If you have some or want to know how to make it with real grains, click here over to my water kefir page. If you have spare milk kefir grains and don’t want to invest in a new culture, try it this way!
I kind of cheat on water kefir. Although most of the sugars are converted, it is still a pretty sweet drink which makes it an occasional treat in our house rather than an everyday ferment. (The sugars that are left are converted to fructose, which is why it’s still so sweet. I learned that on Cultures For Health.) I always have extra milk kefir grains floating around (pun intended) so rather than buy separate water kefir grains for my monthly water kefir batches, I just repurpose my milk kefir grains to make some bubbly, probiotic-rich, offbeat-flavored faux-soda for my husband.
I like to do it in a clear, sealable container. This allows me the fun of seeing the grains bubble up to the top and fall as fermentation takes place! Water kefir needs a little longer to ferment than milk kefir does, so be prepared to give your kefir at least 24 and up to 48 hours to complete fermentation.
Water kefir is very versatile, so I recommend experimenting with different sweeteners and flavors. I love using maple syrup, and I’ve done honey, although the experts say honey can damage your grains (since I’m using extras, I’ll take the risk for that flavor payoff). You can use any type of sweetener you like! Just make sure it is well-dissolved and mixed into the water before you add your grains.
A couple of notes: since these grains are intended for cow’s milk, you should put them back in cow’s milk and let them kefir before using them again in juice or sugar water. Think of them as bees; while they may survive off of sugar water, they will only thrive on the honey that nature intended for them.
If you have access to unpasteurized juice you can just throw the grains right into the juice. This is very satisfying and tasty, but I haven’t had success with citrus juices which are too acidic right from the start.
As with most ferments, if your water smells chlorinated, chances are you don’t want it touching your grains. A regular, charcoal water filter can take care of the problem.
Process:
- Add 1/4 cup of preferred sweetener to preferred container (a quart jar works well). I’ve used molasses, maple syrup, white sugar, rapadura and honey.
- Add 2 3/4 cups of water and stir/shake thoroughly until sweetener is completely dissolved (if using granular sugars, you might want to heat a small amount of water to help dissolution. Just make sure the water is totally cooled before it gets anywhere near your kefir grains!)
- Rinse 1-2T milk kefir grains under filtered water to remove milk residue, add to container
- Close container and let mixture sit at room temperature for 24-48 hours, away from direct sunlight
- Once it’s kefired, I like to strain out my grains and pour the liquid into an airtight bottle. It will get bubblier in the fridge. Like I said, delicious, probiotic soda!
To make regular water kefir, with the grains that are meant to ferment sugar water, click here.
Elsabeth says
I just managed to get my hands on some kefir grains and I’m wondering about the appearance. Yours look very contained and rounded, like little cauliflower bunches. Mine are more like long stringy flat pieces that curl in on themselves. Any idea if that is normal, and if not, if I am doing something wrong? I’ve only had them for a week or so.
Amanda says
Hmmm. Could you email me a picture? My grains are sometimes tiny balls that stand alone, but I have never had them in long pieces. My rule of thumb is that if they make the thing you expect them to make, they’re fine! Not the most scientific approach, I realize.
Also, be aware that theses are MILK kefir grains that I’m using to make water kefir. It’s a little bit of a cheat, but it works for how infrequently I make water kefir. Water kefir grains are pretty translucent and have a different kind of crystal shape, so maybe that’s what you’re seeing? Let me know!
Amanda
aziz says
Hi I’m from Iran, I call Mr. feed water kefir I want you to help me
thanks aziz
wendy says
Hello, Wendy here,I found this info from you,wonderful! I need some help….my water kefir is not fizzy, just taste like sugar water.Is this alright? thankyou.
Amanda says
Hi Wendy,
I don’t think so. A lack of fizziness could be okay, but if the sweetness doesn’t diminish and it’s not fizzy and the flavor isn’t noticeably different, I would guess that your grains aren’t doing so well. I can’t be 100% sure without seeing them, but I would guess you need new grains. I highly recommend the grains from Yemoos.com. Sorry to be the bearer of possible bad news!
Amanda
Elsabeth says
I would really appreciate you taking a look at a picture of them, but I can’t find your email on the site.
Amanda says
amanda@phickle.com
Thanks!
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Marvellina says
Thank you for this article. I don’t like the taste of milk kefir and thinking of using it as water kefir instead. I’ll try this and see how it turns out. Just to clarify, once the sugar water is kefired, I need to put the, milk kefir grains back into cows milk and for how long before I can use it again to kefir sugar water ? And once i put the milk kefir in the sugar water to culture do i need to seal it in air tight container or cover with coffee fillet (like how milk kefir is, being, made)Thanks
Amanda says
Hi Marvellina,
First, I would definitely recommend working with spare milk kefir grains as this process can tax some grains but works fine for others. You should fully culture them in milk before putting them into sugar water again. If you notice that your grains are no longer growing or seem to be shrinking (worse) you should discontinue using them in sugar water. And don’t forget, there’s always the option for Water Kefir Grains, which are adapted to sugar water and are meant to be cultured in it.
I hope that helps!
Marci says
I need to start aip and was hoping I could rotate grains to still make milk kefir for my friend and coconut water kefir for my family. I read another article that said one converted they cannot go back so I am hoping that you switch between water and milk regularly? http://www.culturesforhealth.com/learn/milk-kefir/convert-milk-kefir-grains/
Amanda says
Hi Marci,
I have not had good success with converting my grains. At their core, milk kefir grains want to eat lactose, and don’t seem to love sucrose. It’s definitely possible to change the cultural make-up of different cultures by gradually changing their food source, but I would approach this with spare grains, because they might die. I have only had success doing this by putting the grains back in to milk ever 2 or 3 batches, but even then, the grains withered and weren’t reproducing (that’s what you see here), and that was in sugary water.
Also, if water kefir is okay, then I would recommend getting some high quality water kefir grains, which do pretty well in coconut water. I would still recommend culturing them in sugar water every few batches, but you can not drink that and keep your grains healthy. I hope that helps! Good luck with AIP.
Denise says
Hi Amanda,
I purchased some Kefir grains that I thought were the milk variety but now realised that they are actually water Kefir…they are clear instead of cream. I have been putting them in milk which has not resulted in much flavour or fermentation, have I destroyed them?
Denise
Amanda says
Hi Denise,
I would switch them to sugar water, and change the solution ever 2 days for a week. You should have something that smells soda-like or pleasantly yeasty. I bet you’ll be able to rehabilitate them!
joe says
Hi, In my case I have bought kefir grains thinking they were meant for water but when they arrived in the pack was saying milk kefir. I did not open the envelope yet. I guess firstly I have to activate them. Do you think I can activate them straight with water and sugar?
Amanda says
It’s not a great idea to do it that way. Your grains might survive sugar water, but milk is their true food source, and especially after travel, it’s best to feed them that. Afterwards, a very short term diet of sugar water will keep them alive, but over time, the cultural diversity will likely diminish and they’ll shrink and die. Sorry I don’t have better news for you!