A traditional recipe for homemade ginger ale that is lightly fermented with cultured starter which adds beneficial probiotics and enzymes to the brew.
Ginger ale is one of the easiest drinks to whip up at home in a matter of minutes. The bonus of making ginger ale yourself is that you can ferment it.
This means it is loaded with beneficial bacteria known as probiotics. In addition, traditionally brewed ginger ale is rich in enzymes and enhanced nutritional value.
Fermentation of grains, fruits and herbs into refreshing and delicious drinks is nearly universal in ethnic cuisines. However, the rush to convenience in our modern society means that this practice is largely forgotten with the rise of commercial sodas.
Commercial versions of ancestral beverages offer no redeeming nutritional benefit. Worse, the consumption of these sugar-laced or artificially sweetened drinks encourages obesity and other chronic ailments.
Soda really can be healthy! Learning traditional preparation techniques is all that is required.
This easy recipe below for fermented ginger ale is a popular choice of readers of this blog. Note that raw whey is the suggested starter, but if a dairy allergy is present, a ginger ale starter is necessary.
In addition, while sucanat is the recommended sweetener, jaggery is a healthy option as well that produces great results.
The recipe plus video provides convenient instructions for how to make a “ginger bug”.
Homemade Ginger Ale Recipe
A traditional recipe for homemade ginger ale that is lightly fermented with cultured starter which adds beneficial probiotics and enzymes to the brew.
Ingredients
- 2 quarts filtered water
- 1/2 cup lime juice freshly squeezed, about 3 limes (preferably organic)
- 2 tsp ground ginger preferably organic
- 1/3 cup sucanat
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 cup liquid whey do not use powdered whey
- 1-2 Tbl raw honey optional
- pinch green stevia powder optional
Instructions
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Mix all ingredients together thoroughly in a half gallon glass jar. Be sure to leave 1 inch at the top else the soda will get moldy instead of ferment. Affix a secure lid.
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Leave at room temperature on the counter for 2-3 days and then refrigerate. D not leave near a fruit bowl. Homemade ginger ale is mildly fizzy. You can then mix with a bit of natural mineral water to add even more fizz if desired.
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Alternatively, you can bottle the homemade soda and leave on the counter for an additional 1-2 days before refrigerating to produce a very fizzy beverage. Be sure to let the bottled soda get very cold before opening. Opening in the sink is also a good idea.
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If the finished homemade ginger ale is not sweet enough for your taste, add a tiny pinch of optional stevia or stir in a small amount of mild, raw honey.
Recipe Notes
2 tablespoons of freshly chopped ginger root may be substituted for ground ginger.
If you have a dairy allergy, you may substitute 1/4  cup ginger bug starter for the liquid whey.
Alternatively, you can use coconut water kefir or the liquid strained from coconut milk yogurt as the fermentation starter.
Other Fermented Beverages to Try!
That is really intriguing! I’m taking the first step today … I’ll be making my own whey for the first time. I am passing this recipe info along to a friend as well, whose wife is undergoing cancer treatment and who finds even the store-bought ginger ale to be helpful for her nausea. I’m sure this homemade ginger ale would be oh, so much better (and better for her).
Looks delicious and ginger is super healthy! Will be trying this soon – thanks 🙂
Next on my to-do list of drink recipes. Looks delicious! http://t.co/7G9Gvup
I am really enjoying raspberry kefir water!
I’m wondering how you would tweak the recipe if you used fresh ginger? have you tried that instead of the ginger powder?
Yes, I’ve tried fresh ginger (use 3/4 cup finely grated and peeled). It just takes so much time to grate the ginger so I typically make with the ginger powder. The results are basically the same taste-wise. I’m sure the version with the fresh ginger is even more beneficial.
I find it hard to believe that 3/4 CUP of grated fresh ginger is equal to 2 tsp. of dried ground ginger. Is this a typo?
If you have organic ginger, you don’t have to peel it. I have heard from an Indian chef that there is a lot of flavor is in the ginger skin. Not sure if there would be too much fibery stuff in the ginger ale liquid, but it could be strained. Ginger is easy to grate with a good, rasp type grater. I sometimes make a simple ginger ale with grated or chopped ginger which I put in a small food processor with water to make a raw ginger syrup, and then add this to sparkling mineral water with lemon, lime and a bit of stevia. But I’m excited to try to make this naturally fizzy fermented ginger ale. Thanks for the video and info.
That is true about the ginger skin. Ive made meads before and there was a discussion I was on, and with experienced meadmakers they were claming you had to add a lot of ginger to get the desired effect and to do this it was recommened to leave the skin on. I only would with organic ginger though.
Yum! Will be trying this one as soon as I get some jars!
Grated ginger produces a slightly spicier result. I find grating all that ginger so time consuming which is why I usually use the organic ginger powder.
Hi Sarah, may I ask how much grated ginger in place of the powdered one? I learned the coolest way to remove the skin from ginger.. just use a spoon to scrape the skin off, soooo easy! So for me it would be easy and fun and I would prefer the fresh ginger thanks!
I’ve made the ginger ale with no salt too and it is fine. Try that for your next batch and sweeten up the salty one you have now with stevia or honey so you don’t waste it for sure.
I recently made N.T. recipe for Ginger Ale, in which I see your recipe does not call for fresh ginger, but powdered & using less salt & adding optional stevia or honey. I tried it & the salty taste turns me off cold or warm, maybe I should add the sweetner to see if that improves, then maybe some seltzer water. Bc as of now I hate to see it all go to waste.
How to Make Ginger Ale – The Healthy Home Economist http://t.co/kQ2o9Hl
Do you always need the original starter to make new batches? Or can I use the ginger ale drink I made?