Ginger Bug is a liquid culture full of beneficial probiotics made from fresh ginger, sugar, and water. It's easy to make, taking a week or less. Then it can be used to craft homemade ginger ale, sarsaparilla, fruit-flavored sodas, tonics, and more all teeming with natural carbonation.
Once you have your wild ferment, it can be kept alive indefinitely. I've lost track of how long I've had my faithful culture in the refrigerator.
I am going to guess it's been well over 2 years. Just imagine, all I have had to do is feed it periodically. As a result, we have been rewarded with countless bottles and flavors of refreshing homemade soda.
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Why make a ginger bug
- Probiotics
- Easy to maintain
- Use to make naturally carbonated sodas
- Refeshing sparkly drinks in 24 hours, unlike kombucha that takes weeks to brew and become fizzy.
Ingredients
- Ginger - Organic is best. Look for crisp, firm ginger without any traces of mold.
- Raw sugar - Organic granulated cane sugar from evaporated sugar cane juice.
- Water - Filtered or bottled spring water without any chlorine or additives.
Equipment
It's amazing you can make a wild yeast miracle with such simple equipment. You don't need anything fancy and the rubber band is probably the hardest thing you'll have to hunt down.
- One quart jar and two smaller jars with lids.
- One six-inch square of breathable cotton cloth.
- Sturdy rubber band.
- Small strainer and teaspoon measure.
Step by step
How to make it
- Leave skin on and chop ginger.
- Measure chopped ginger, raw sugar and filtered water.
- Place all three in a jar and stir.
- Cover jar with cloth and a rubber band.
How to ferment it
- Day one - let sit at room temperature and feed at the end of 24 hours.
- Days two to three - continue feeding on schedule.
- Days four to five - feed and watch for some of the signs listed below.
- Days six to seven - Look for all of the signs listed below confirming your starter is ready to use.
The time it takes for your culture to mature varies depending on the climate and natural microorganisms in your environment.
Keep in mind the timing is not an exact science, but use this feeding schedule and expect your probiotic mixture to be ready anywhere from 3 to 10 days.
When is it ready?
You can use your senses to get to know your ginger bug. Then, the otherwise elusive signals that your starter is ready are clear. Look for all of these markers.
- Sight - Liquid changes from clear to opaque and darkens. Ginger pieces float up and accumulate at the surface. There will be tiny bubbles, but don't worry if they are hard to see. A foamy top with larger bubbles will show on the top. Also, look for sediment building at the bottom of the jar.
- Smell - A ripe ferment smells clearly of ginger with a more subtle yeasty or slightly soapy smell.
- Sound - When you feed your starter, give it a good stir and put your ear closer to the jar. You can actually hear the tiny bubbles fizzing.
- Taste - Yes, go ahead it's safe to taste it. Just use a clean spoon and don't dip it back in after you have used it. A ready culture tastes sharp and gingery. It will be both sweet and tangy like a mild lemonade.
How to use
Using a ginger bug to make lively bubbling beverages is simple and straightforward. All you need to do is strain your healthy brew and add the measured amount called for in your recipe.
Some of the drinks you can make with it are sparkling teas, natural fruit sodas, dry ginger ale, herbal tonics, and festive holiday beverages.
How to maintain
Just like a sourdough starter, this amazing brew full of beneficial bacteria lasts indefinitely if stored and fed regularly.
- Once your ferment is complete, strain off all the chopped ginger and toss it out. Transfer the liquid to a clean jar. Add one tablespoon each of sugar and fresh ginger.
- Stir your mixture and place the lid on the jar. Put it in your refrigerator and feed your culture once a week.
The recipe below has everything you need to create your first ginger bug. After that, you can look forward to making Homemade Ginger Ale.
The best-tasting homemade ginger ale you've ever had is just the start of what you can do with this recipe.
From there, you can move on to endless flavor options. Some of the favorite varieties in our house are tamarind, pineapple, elderberry, and grape soda.
Is ginger bug good for you?
If you can handle a little sugar, this recipe will give you a sparkling refreshment that has a justification for its indulgence.
When ginger and sugar ferment together, it creates gut-healthy probiotics. Those microorganisms continue to grow when you use them to make beverages with natural sweeteners.
In the same way the beneficial bacteria in kombucha, yogurt, and kimchee aid digestion, natural sodas made with ginger bug culture support a healthy gut.
I reserve my soda sipping for special occasions and never experience unpleasant effects from the modest amount of sugar.
In my book, the pure pleasure and joy from these ginger-bug sodas combined with helpful microbes feed my overall health.
You can even use unsweetened concentrated fruit juice if you want in place of added sugars when crafting sodas at home.
It seems almost too good to be true when you pop open a swing-top bottle, and all those bubbles rush to the top.
Expert tips
Ingredients
- Use filtered water without chlorine or water bottled without additives.
- You can use peeled ginger, but I recommend leaving the skin on for convenience. The extra bacteria in the skin is helpful.
Equipment
- Make sure your equipment is sterilized or very clean.
- Use a jar large enough to provide some air space while fermenting.
- Cover your jar with a breathable cotton cloth and keep it out of direct sunlight.
Preparation
- It's not necessary to grate the ginger. Diced small is fine.
- Chop all your ginger in advance.
- Store ginger and sugar for the weeks feeding in small jars. (Refrigerate the ginger.)
- Don't overfeed your mixture. It needs time to digest the fresh sugar and ginger.
Maintaining
- Mark your jar with the date when you first put it in the refrigerator to store.
- Each time you remove some liquid to brew soda, replenish with an equal amount of water, and feed the starter.
- If you have a ginger bug that has been in the refrigerator for several weeks, you can "wake" it up. Strain out the old ginger pulp and feed it with 1 tablespoon each of ginger and sugar. Place it at room temperature for 12- 24 hours to ferment before making your soda.
- Over time the chopped ginger will accumulate. Go ahead and strain it all out and toss it away. Add a tablespoon each of sugar and ginger and replenish water if needed.
FAQ
If you have stored it in the refrigerator, it's likely still fine for up to a month or more. Just start feeding it again daily at room temperature and look for the signs listed in this post after a few days.
No. A ginger plant is a symbiotic culture that looks like small translucent grains. A true ginger plant has been carefully preserved over time and is not made from baker's yeast or brewer's yeast like some substitute ginger plants are. If you would like to take on making ginger beer, you can purchase a genuine ginger plant from Yemoos Nourishing Cultures.
Some of the reasons for a failed ferment are water with chlorine, contaminated containers, mold spores on ginger, other cultures like sourdough nearby, and direct sunlight or too high a temperature. If you have fed your bug regularly and it smells bad, has mold, or doesn't show any signs of activity after 5-6 days, throw it out and start over.
More cultured and fermented recipes
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📖 Recipe
Ginger Bug Recipe
Ingredients
Start Ginger Bug
- 2 cups filtered or bottled spring water
- 1 tablespoon organic ginger chopped in ⅛ inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon organic raw cane sugar
For Feeding
- ¼ cup chopped ginger
- ¼ cup organic raw cane sugar
Instructions
Prep ginger
- Wash whole ginger and dry with a clean paper towel. Leave skin on and chop ginger into ⅛-inch pieces. You can chop all the ginger in advance and keep it in the refrigerator to use each day as needed.
Start Ginger Bug
- Pour 2 cups filtered or bottled spring water into a one-quart jar. Add 1 tablespoon organic ginger and 1 tablespoon organic raw cane sugar. Stir to mix. Cover the jar with a square of breathable cotton cloth cut to size. Secure with a rubber band. Set aside at room temperature out of direct sunlight. A countertop or table is fine.
Daily Feeding
- Every day, remove the cover from the jar and add 2 teaspoons each raw sugar and chopped ginger. You'll need a total of ¼ cup chopped ginger and ¼ cup organic raw cane sugar for a week of feeding. Give a quick stir and replace the cover. Don't overfeed your ginger bug. It needs time to digest and convert sugar.
- In a couple of days the ginger bug may show bubbles or signs of fizziness. Don't worry if you don't see obvious signs. Your culture is working behind the scenes growing beneficial probiotics. If your culture grows mold or smells bad, toss it out and start over.
- After 4-7 days your healthy culture will be ready. If you aren't sure, just give it the full 7 days to ferment.
- Strain your ginger bug into a clean jar and toss away all the old ginger. Now you can use it to make homemade, naturally carbonated sodas.
- Once you have measured out the needed ginger bug to make your first soda, replace the liquid with an equal amount of filtered water and add 1 tablespoon each of finely chopped ginger and raw sugar.
Store
- Store your freshly fed ginger bug in the refrigerator and feed it one tablespoon each of chopped ginger and raw sugar every week.
Notes
- Use filtered water without chlorine or water bottled without additives.
- You can use peeled ginger, but I recommend leaving the skin on for convenience. The extra bacteria in the skin is helpful.
- Make sure your equipment is sterilized or very clean.
- Use a jar large enough to provide some air space while fermenting.
- Cover your jar with a breathable cotton cloth and keep it out of direct sunlight.
- It's not necessary to grate the ginger. Diced small is fine.
- Chop all your ginger in advance.
- Store ginger and sugar for the weeks feeding in small jars.
- Don't overfeed your mixture. It needs time to digest the fresh sugar and ginger.
- The first time you put your ginger bug in the refrigerator, mark the date on the jar.
- Each time you remove some liquid to brew soda, replenish with an equal amount of water, and feed the starter.
- If you have a ginger bug that has been in the refrigerator for several weeks, you can "wake" it up. Strain out the old ginger pulp and feed it with 1 tablespoon each of ginger and sugar. Place it at room temperature for 12- 24 hours to ferment before making your soda.
- Over time the chopped ginger will accumulate. Go ahead and strain it all out and toss it away. Add a tablespoon each of sugar and ginger and replenish water if needed.
Cristina says
I’ve kept a jar of ginger bug in the refrigerator for a couple of years. I use it occasionally to make the Jamaica soda - my favorite! I would feed it to wake it up and use it to make the soda a day or so later and put back in the refrigerator for weeks or months. But this time, when I pulled the jar out, it had a blob of mold on top. Is it now trash? (Crying!) Should I start fresh or could I use some of the liquid still? I was able to spoon the blob of mold out, but I’m afraid it’s not safe to use anymore? Thank you for your advice.
Poppy Hudson says
Congratulations on years of successful soda making! Unfortunately, I share your concern about using the liquid after the mold being present. It may not be safe or viable. Beeter safe than sorry as they say. The good news is you CAN create a new ginger bug and hopefully looking back it wonʻt seem like a big deal having had to wait.
Ron Britten says
After you have made the bug and divided it how much ginger beer will that make? How many bottles?
Poppy Hudson says
The ginger bug recipe should make approximately 2 cups of ginger bug. Given that you need 1/2 cup of ginger bug to make 8 cups of ginger soda, if Iʻm not mistaken one recipe of ginger bug should make 32 cups of soda. Remember though, you want to keep replenishing your first ginger bug by following the maintenance tips in the ginger bug recipe! Hope that helps, Aloha.
Kathryn Lewis says
Can you use coconut sugar?
Poppy Hudson says
I have not tested it, but it is worth a try. Itʻs not as sweet as regular raw sugar so you may need to adjust amounts. Also, I am not certain how the naturally occurring microbes in the coconut sugar will affect fermentation. No harm in experimenting!
andrew says
will the cloth maintain the carbonation or do i also put on a lid cuz i like my soda extra fizzy!
Poppy Hudson says
The ginger bug will only make slight bubbles. Youʻll need a soda recipe and very tight lid to build up carbonation. I recommend swing top bottles designed for home brewing. You can find all the tips in my Ginger Bug Soda Recipes post. Enjoy!
Kristina says
Hi, my ginger bug, was growing perfectly, at the day 4-5 I had most bubles, on a day 6-7, become less bubles, I mix a part of it for a soda and bottled it, day 3 today and from my soda even no sign of bubles coming up. My thoughts is, I have very cold house and our room temperature is ussualy around 18C, may be less, is that cause a very slow fermentation? Or I did something wrong..
But the finished soda smells good and taste good too, just missing those sparkling bubles
Poppy Hudson says
Ah thatʻs dissapointing. Iʻm glad the flavor is good. Temperature may be the problem, but there are many possibilities why you havenʻt gotten good carbonation yet. I suggest reading over "Expert Tips" in the ginger soda recipe post. Also, the "FAQ" in the ginger bug recipe post. Good luck on future attempts!
Sonia says
My ginger bug was bubbling on day 3-4 and then just went flat thereafter . Day 7 today , it smells good , no scum or mould. Is it ok to make soda or should I chuck the whole things and start a new batch ?
Poppy Hudson says
Iʻd give it a try! Aloha
Tegan says
When you drink your finished soda do you dilute it? I'm thinking not a huge amount of liquid if in taking nearly all out on a nightly basis to drink it and adding the same quantity back in filtered water plus the extra ginger and sugar it may not have time to fizz up again for the next night? I'm only day one with my ginger bug just thinking ahead!
Poppy Hudson says
Aloha. The ginger bug and finished soda are two separate things. The finished soda is meant to be drank entirely. The ginger bug on the other hand is not for drinking. So, you are on the right track regarding the ginger bug. The recipe post has lots of tips for storing, maintaining and refreshing your ginger bug! Have fun.
Marcy Grote says
I forgot to feed my bug in the fridge last week. It's been in there 2 weeks.
Poppy Hudson says
No problem. From my FAQ: What if I forget to feed my ginger bug? : If you have stored it in the refrigerator, it's likely still fine for up to a month or more. Just start feeding it again daily at room temperature and look for the signs itʻs ready to brew again. It may only take a day or two. Also, here are some more tips from the recipe post: Mark your jar with the date when you first put it in the refrigerator to store it. Each time you remove some liquid to brew soda, replenish with an equal amount of water, and feed the starter. If you have a ginger bug that has been in the refrigerator for several weeks, you can "wake" it up. Strain out the old ginger pulp and feed it with 1 tablespoon each of ginger and sugar. Place it at room temperature for 12- 24 hours to ferment before making your soda. Over time the chopped ginger will accumulate. Go ahead and strain it all out and toss it away. Add a tablespoon each of sugar and ginger and replenish water if needed. Once you get the hang of it, youʻll find itʻs pretty forgiving! Aloha
Marcy Grote says
On day 3 I had a ring of tiny bubbles on the edge of the jar and thought, wow, this is actually going to work this time! But by day 5, no bubbles. Tomorrow is day 7 and I don't know what to do with it after I feed it.
Poppy Hudson says
The bubbles were a good sign. You could try making ginger soda from it now. Make sure you use enough sugar, your mixture is cool when you add the bug and you have tight fitting bottles like with swing tops. Good luck!
Marcy Grote says
well, on day 7 it went super bubbles!!!!!
Poppy Hudson says
Fantastic! Hooray 👏
Marcy says
how long does the chopped ginger stay good in the fridge? I bought a large container and wonder if I should freeze some of it? Maybe use a vac sealer?
Poppy Hudson says
I would enough chopped ginger in the refridgerator to feed the ginger bug up to 7 days. Any quantity more than that, I would freeze as you suggest. Aloha!
Marcy Grote says
Thank you . . .