Kefir is a delicious fermented probiotic beverage packed with amazing health benefits and excellent supplement to a well-rounded, nutritious & healthy diet.
Fruit kefir is usually flavoring the prepared kefir or second fermenting the kefir with certain fruits and spices. Let’s understand some important terms used by experienced people about fermenting basic kefir (Fermentation 1 F1), flavoring, and second fermentation (F2).
Basically there are two types of Kefir –
Milk Kefir
The dairy milk (cow, sheep or goat milk) is fermented with heirloom kefir grains until the lactose is converted to lactic acid and turns into a sour and creamy probiotic drink. We can blend certain fruits with thick creamy milk kefir and prepare kefir fruit smoothie kind or runny lassi drinks diluting with water.
Water Kefir
The organic sugar or jaggery and water is combined with water kefir grains and ferrmented for 24-48 hours until the sucrose is completely consumed and converted to a probiotic drink. The water kefir tastes like a vinegary fizzy soda, best suitable to infuse certain fruits to make a natural fruit carbonated soda kind of drink in a second fermentation process.
Fruit Flavoring
Here, adding fruits, sweeteners, herbs, spices, etc. to your ready kefir as per your personal taste and preference. You can use a blender to make smoothies or juices just before drinking. There is no second fermentation involved.
Second fermentation with fruits (F2 – Second Fermentation)
Using a batch of prepared milk kefir, you can place it back in the same conditions you originally made it minus kefir grains and adding fruit, and letting the kefir ferment the additional ingredients you added for another 24 hrs or so with a airtight closed lid or even placing the bottle in the fridge for a slower fermentation.
How to make Fruit Flavored Milk Kefir?
(This very commonly practiced by regular milk kefir consumers.)
- It is recommended to prepare milk kefir traditional way by fermenting fresh milk with milk kefir grains for 24-48 hours.
- Separate the grains and bottle the ready prepared kefir.
- Next, flavor the ready kefir with fresh fruits by blending along with some spices and drink immediately to enjoy the sweetness of fruits, sourness of the creamy kefir and aroma of the spices.
- If you allow to second ferment, the fructose in the fruits further ferment into sourish beverage.
Some of the flavoring combination of you can try (Just blend and drink)
Berry Delight –
100 ml fresh milk kefir
4-5 strawberry / blueberry / raspberries
1 Tbsp honey (Optional)
1 cardamom
Pinch of cinnamon powder
Blend the above mixture and serve fresh.
Orange Vanilla Kefir
100 ml Fresh milk kefir
50 ml Fresh orange juice
Crushed raspberries
Vanilla powder for taste
Bananas for sweetness
Blend the above mixture and serve fresh.
Mango Smoothie
1/2 cup frozen or fresh mango,
1/4 cup frozen or fresh raspberries,
1 whole banana and
2 TBS of honey
200 ml cup kefir.
Blend the above mixture and serve fresh.
Fruit Kefir Prepared with Water Kefir / Coconut Water Kefir –
Water kefir has a strong fermented citrusy flavor with a mild fizz, it is best suitable to replace empty soda and make healthy probiotic fruit punch doing a 2nd fermentation with fruit juice.
How to prepare fruit kefir in water kefir 2nd fermentation?
- Prepare a batch of water kefir or coconut water with water kefir grains. Separate the kefir grains and bottle the ready kefir in an air tight bottle. You can also use swing top bottles to manage the carbonation build up.
- Fill the bottle with 3/4 of water kefir and 1/4 of the fresh fruit juice, add desired spices like cardamom, cinnamon, etc. and air tight the bottle.
- Place the bottle in room temperature and ferment for minimum 24 hours. Alternatively, you can place in fridge for slow fermentation. Burp the lid if you see excess carbonation build up.
- Serve chilled, it tastes like fizzy sourish fruit mocktail.
Best suitable fruit juices for second fermentation of water kefir or coconut water kefir are watermelon, passion fruit, pomegranate, sliced apples, grapes, kiwifruit, raspberry, orange, etc..