Easy Raspberry Beet Kvass

Easy Raspberry Beet Kvass

Sweet Raspberry Beet Kvass is such a delicious and refreshing probiotic beverage, full of living enzymes and electrolytes.

Course Beverage, Dessert, Drinks, Side Dish

Cuisine American, Russian, Ukrainian

Keyword beet kvass, kvass, probiotic, raspberry

Prep Time 10

Total Time 2 10

Servings servings

Calories 37kcal

Author Megan

Cost $2

Equipment

mason jar
lids
warming mat or yogurt maker (optional)

Ingredients

1 large beet 1 ½-2 cups, chopped into about 1” cubes, not grated or diced
4 cups filtered water
1 Tablespoon whey (or sauerkraut juice for AIP): strained through a coffee filter or cheesecloth (Use sauerkraut juice or a dairy-free whey for AIP diet and dairy-free needs [see whey how-to in Recipe Notes below].)
½ cup raspberries fresh or frozen (optional)
1/16 teaspoon or less stevia (or maple syrup for AIP): or to taste, about 10-15 drops of liquid stevia, depending on brand (Do not use stevia for the AIP diet; for the AIP diet, use up to 2 T. maple syrup to sweeten after the ferment is complete, to taste.) Or monkfruit may be used.
Optional additional ingredients include: strongly brewed hibiscus tea, cooled and used as the liquid for your second batch of kvass, a 1-2" piece of fresh ginger or turmeric nub, cut into slices, 2 tsp. lavender blossoms, citrus zest, to taste, 1 cinnamon stick, or ¼ tsp. cayenne (not for AIP).

Instructions

Place the beet pieces into a one-quart mason jar. Fill the jar to within one inch of the neck with filtered water.
Add the whey or sauerkraut juice.
Cover, screwing the lid on loosely to allow gasses to escape. Or, preferably, use Airlock Lids (find link in Recipe Notes).
Keep the brew at warm room temperature and out of direct sunlight for two days in warm weather, or up to 8 days or longer in colder weather. In cold weather, I recommend using a warming mat or yogurt maker for a warm steady temperature, to prevent spoilage or kahm yeast from developing.
After the kvass has deepened in color, has a pleasantly sour flavor, and shows signs of bubbles near the surface, or active effervescence, strain it into a fresh jar, and reserve beets. (Also reserve about 1/4 cup kvass in the original jar if you want to make another batch!) Add the raspberries and optional sweetener to fresh jar of kvass. Stir to dissolve sweetener.
Transfer to the refrigerator. Chill and serve within one week. (Strain out the raspberries when serving, if desired, or add fresh ones for garnish.)
To make another batch: Have beet chunks and 1/4 cup kvass in original jar. Fill this jar again with fresh filtered water or cooled hibiscus tea. (Do not add new whey.)
Again, keep the mixture at warm room temperature for 2 to 8 days.
This second beverage may be milder and less potent than the first, (which is when and why I like to substitute the healthful hibiscus tea for the water). The beets are now “exhausted” and can be thrown away, but ¼ cup of the strained kvass may again (!) be used for a following batch in place of whey.
Recipe Variations: The above listed optional additional ingredients can be fermented with the beets for added flavor variations and nutrition, then strained out with the beets.

Notes

How to collect dairy-free whey:

Pour one cup dairy-free yogurt into a coffee filter-lined colander, positioned over a bowl — overnight. In the bowl, in the morning, is dairy-free whey.

Find Airlock Fermentation Lids here.

Nutrition