How to Use a Ginger Bug to Make Soda
With my ginger bug soda recipes, fruit is simmered with a bit of juice, sugar, and water to create a refreshing, natural soda flavor. Then we add our ginger bug to the cooled mixture to initiate fermentation.
I break out the mixture into these percentages:
- 70% water
- 4% sugar
- 12% fruit
- 10% citrus juice
- 4% ginger bug
With this formulation, we obtain a total sugar concentration of approximately 6-10%. Unlike our other fizzy drinks, such as water kefir and kombucha, we don’t add any more sugar during the secondary fermentation. The same 6% to 10 % sugar fuels both primary and secondary. Which gives us similar, low ABV results.
Naturally Fermented Soda
I usually decide how much wild soda to brew by the volume of bottles I have available.
Let’s say I have two 1-liter bottles and a half-liter bottle. So I want to make 2500 ml of berry lemonade soda using the wild blackberries I picked from my best friend’s backyard.
Using this recipe logic, we’re going to simmer together:
- 70% water = 1750 mL water
- 4% sugar = 100 grams organic sugar
- 12% fruit = 300 grams blackberries
- 10% juice = 250 mL lemon juice
We’ll simmer that mix, then strain that and let it cool, then add in:
- 4% ginger bug = 100 grams ginger bug
How long does it take to ferment ginger bug soda?
The total time it takes to brew ginger bug soda depends on the temperature of your home. If it is cooler, fermentation will take longer, and if it’s warmer, it will ferment faster. Generally, primary fermentation lasts two days, and secondary fermentation takes approximately the same amount of time. So, expect at least four days. When I brew natural soda in the colder months, my secondary fermentation can take up to five days.
The secondary fermentation time is also adjustable, allowing you to control the level of carbonation. Carbonation depends on your unique ginger bug, temperature, and the remaining sugar from the primary fermentation.
Does ginger bug soda contain alcohol?
Yes and no, it really depends. When following this recipe exactly, ABV content is usually below 1%. The amount of alcohol is variable, however, and depends significantly on the amount of sugar used in the mixture. Higher sugar fruit juices and fruits can lead to higher alcohol levels.
This is why we don’t toss a ginger bug in 100% juice. Most fruit juices are 20% to 30% sugar. If we added ginger bug to grape juice, for instance, that would give us something like sour grape wine, not “soda”.
It’s important to note that people historically used ginger bugs to brew alcoholic beverages, specifically ginger beer. So there will always be, at least, trace amounts of alcohol. Remember, when it comes to fermented beverages of any kind: lower sugar = lower alcohol.
Why does ginger bug soda explode sometimes?
Sugar, carbonation, and alcohol go hand in hand. Ginger bug sodas are explosive when people do not measure or control the sugar content.
This is also why we don’t toss a ginger bug in 100% juice. Again, most fruit juices are 20% to 30% sugar. If we added ginger bug to 100% apple juice, for instance, that would give us apple cider that would explode in a pressurized bottle. There’s too much sugar.
Any ginger bug “sodas” that explode on the ceiling when opened are also, most definitely, alcoholic.
Things You May Need:
Ginger Bug Soda Master Recipe (Make Any Flavor Soda)
Use my ginger bug soda master recipe to brew any flavor natural soda at home! This recipe controls sugar content to achieve the lowest possible ABV (below 1%), while still maintaining good carbonation.
- Prep: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 96 hours 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 100 grams ginger bug
- 300 grams fruit*
- 250 mL citrus juice*
- 1750 mL water
- 100 grams organic cane sugar
Instructions
- You need an active bubbly ginger bug for this recipe. Click here for my ginger bug recipe.
- Primary fermentation: Wash your fermentation equipment well. Gather all your ingredients.
- Using your scale, measure out the called-for amounts of sugar and fruit.
- Add the sugar, fruit, citrus juice, and water to the large pot.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for about 15 minutes. Remove the mixture from heat. Using a colander, strain off all of the fruit pieces.
- Carefully pour the mixture into the two clean glass jars, cover with a cloth and a rubber band, and allow it to cool.
- Once cool, add 50 grams of the ginger bug to each jar, and replace the cloth lid.
- Primary ferment for about 2-3 days.
- Secondary fermentation: Wash your fermentation equipment (bottle, strainer, and funnel).
- Strain off all of the ginger pieces from the primary fermentation mixture.
- Place the funnel in the bottle’s opening and pour the primary fermentation mixture into the bottle, leaving only about 1/2 to 1 inch of headspace.
- Close and secure the lid, making sure to snap the metal closure closed.
- Allow secondary fermenting and carbonation to proceed for about 48 hours.
- If your house is warm, please check the carbonation level at 24 hours. If your home is cool, you may need to allow secondary fermentation to proceed for a longer period.
- Once carbonated, store in the refrigerator.
Notes
- Any citrus juice will do. I love using lemon, lime, and orange juice.
- You can use any fruit in this recipe, depending on the flavor you want to make.
- You must cook the ingredients before culturing with your ginger bug.
Excited to try this with a bunch of different fruits! Is the citrus juice required or is it just suggested for this particular flavour profile? For example if I wanted to use cranberries which are already very tart could I just juice the cranberries for the “juice” component?
Citrus juice isn’t required, it’s just an ideal add in to temper the pH and keep the flavor balanced! So you have the right thinking! Cranberries are already acidic, so you can leave out the citrus juice, or replace with another kind of juice for flavor.
How do we know when the first ferment is done and to move on to 2nd ferment? Also, what should the ph be on the finished product? Thanks!
You just follow the directions! Primary is 2-3 days (step 7). pH should be right around 4, usually lower.
I can’t figure out what I’m doing wrong. I started my ginger bug following your recipe. And about 24 hours into my primary ferment using this recipe (strawberries & oranges for fruit and citrus) both jars have white mold spots and smell horrible. My home temp is steady at around 73-75 although it did get super cold last night. It’s not humid. I’m not sure what could’ve gone wrong. I’d like to try again, any suggestions? Raging 5 because I know if I do it right it’ll be amazing as all your other recipes we’ve followed have been.
This sort of situation usually means your ginger bug culture is bad. Ginger bug cultures are complicated (and I teach more in depth about this nuance in my online course), but you are growing wild microbes from the ginger itself, in sugar. So If you use basic store bought ginger, you’re really just growing wild “grocery store microbes”… and that’s not exactly a good thing.
Hi, I’m making my ginger bug. It appears to be fine. I’m not sure what other ginger to use besides store bought ginger from Costco? This is organic fresh ginger.
if it’s organic and non-irradiated it should work great!
Hi, can I use frozen fruit or only fresh? Thanks.
Thank you for replying back about fresh ginger being ok to use.
You’re welcome! I try to answer comments on the weekend when people are working on their ferments! You can totally use frozen fruits. The berries I used in the pics here were some I froze after picking.
perfect. I will make it with frozen fruit.
Hi,
I made my liquid with fruit and my ginger bug looked bubble, but not as bubbly as I wanted it. I fed my ginger bug and I don’t have any bubbles. Should I dump some of the water off and feed again? I have my fruit/water mixture already in the jars ready to go. thanks
You can pop the fruit mix in the fridge until your ginger bug is back bubbling. I’d say dump a little of the bug liquid off and feed it some fresh sugar water. Once it’s bubbly you can put it in your fruit mix to make your soda.
Hello, I boiled the water and fruit for 15 minutes and lost about half the liquid. Should I add more so it’s the original amount water or was that supposed to happen and then I would still add the same amount of ginger bug?
Some liquid should evaporate but not half of it, so I updated the instructions! It should be okay either way though, if you added more water or not. Might just effect the final carbonation a little.
I am enjoying trying this! But how do I know when to do the second ferment? Is there something that should be happening in the first ferment that I should watch for before straining and bottling it? I did 3 days and then 2 in the bottle and it isn’t fizzy yet. Did I mess it up somehow? My ginger bug was bubbling well before I added the juice step. I was also not sure if I was supposed to be adding just ginger pieces from the bug or both ginger and liquid so I did both. Was that maybe where I went wrong?
I love your recipes!! Would love help knowing if I did it wrong
You didn’t do anything wrong! Glad to hear your ginger bug is bubbling well. Sometimes carbonation can take longer, especially if it’s winter and cooler in your house, or if you used a more acidic type of fruit.
First, yes you can use some liquid and ginger pieces from the bug; that’s not an issue.
You should follow the times in the recipe, 2 to 3 days for the first ferment. You can look for a color change and a little cloudiness in the first ferment, that means the ginger bug microbes are multiplying. I live in south Louisiana, so it’s often warmer in my kitchen and this happens in 2 days. If it’s cold where you are, three days might be better. If it’s not bubbly after bottling yet, just leave it alone and see if it carbonates after 3 days or so. Don’t open the bottle too often, or the carbonation won’t build up.
Ginger bugs are wild ferments, so everyone will have slightly different timelines and results since no two ginger bugs will be exactly the same.