Homemade Beet Kvass – Easy Fermented Beet Drink
If you enjoy experimenting with homemade fermented foods and beverages, this Beet Kvass recipe is a wonderful place to start. Made with fresh beets, water, sea salt, and a starter culture, beet kvass is a traditional Eastern European fermented drink known for its vibrant ruby-red color and distinctive earthy, tangy flavor.
Unlike fruit juices or sweetened beverages, beet kvass has a pleasantly sour and slightly salty taste that develops naturally during fermentation. The beets contribute their characteristic earthy flavor, while the starter culture encourages fermentation and helps create the drink’s signature tartness.
This homemade beet kvass recipe requires just four ingredients and approximately 15 minutes of hands-on preparation. Most of the time is spent waiting for the mixture to ferment, which takes about one week according to the recipe.
To get started, wash and cube three large beets. In a separate container, whisk the starter culture and finely ground salt into four cups of water to prepare the brine.
Place the cubed beets into a clean fermentation vessel, then pour the prepared brine over them. The beets should remain submerged during fermentation, with adequate headspace for the liquid and any gas produced.
A glass fermentation jar with an airlock lid is especially useful for homemade beet kvass because it allows fermentation gases to escape while helping protect the contents from contamination.
Allow the mixture to ferment under appropriately controlled conditions until it develops the pleasantly sour flavor characteristic of beet kvass. The published recipe suggests approximately seven days, although fermentation conditions can affect the timing.
Once fermentation is complete, strain out the beet pieces and transfer the liquid to clean bottles or jars for refrigeration.
Beet kvass can be enjoyed chilled in small servings or used as a tangy ingredient in salad dressings and savory dishes. Its earthy flavor also makes it an interesting addition to beet-based soups such as borscht.
Whether you’re new to fermentation or already enjoy making sauerkraut and other cultured vegetables, homemade Beet Kvass offers a colorful way to explore traditional fermented beverages.
Related Recipes:
- Homemade Sauerkraut
- Borscht Soup — a beet-based soup
- Fermented Salsa — another fermentation project!
Beet Kvass
- Total Time: 7 days 15 Min
- Yield: 4 1x
Ingredients
- 4 cups water
- 2 tablespoons starter culture see note
- 1 teaspoon finely ground real salt
- 3 large beets cubed
Instructions
- Whisk the starter culture and sea salt into your water to make the brine.
- Place the beets into a couple quart-sized mason jars, and then pour the brine over the vegetables.
- Seal the jar with an airlock or a tight-fitting lid, and allow the kvass to ferment 1 week, or until it tastes pleasantly sour.
- Strain and serve immediately, or pour into bottles and store in the fridge up to 1 month.
Notes
Using a Starter Culture
Unlike many fermented vegetable dishes, beet kvass really benefits from a starter culture. That’s because it ferments for a relatively short period of time. So a starter helps kickstart the process. It also reduces the need for salt, meaning a tastier and more palatable brew.
- Prep Time: :15
- Cook Time: 7 days
- Category: Beverage
- Method: Fermented