I’ve received a lot of requests for more cultured soda recipes. That’s right. I said more. Check out my Easy Peasy Pomegranate Soda, my Apple Ginger Soda and a sweet favorite of mine, Old Fashioned Root Beer.
To me, cultured strawberry soda says sparkling, sweet fun! It makes me want to wear tube socks, short shorts and go roller-skating.
This is such a delicious, crisp drink, many who’ve enjoyed it cannot believe it's organic and full of beneficial bacteria and hydrating electrolytes.
Kids of all ages love this drink. It also makes a fun mixer for grown-up drinks, and the beneficial bacteria help to buffer the effect of alcohol on the liver. Any way you choose to enjoy it, this cultured strawberry soda is so darn good.
Cultured strawberry soda ingredients
- 1/2 gallon filtered water – find great water filters for ever budget here
- 1 lb. strawberries, rinsed and hulled
- 1 cup ginger bug – learn to make a ginger bug here
- 1-1 ½ cups dehydrated cane juice or sucanat *
*Tasting the ‘wort' will not demonstrate how your final product soda will taste. The wort will always taste sweeter. So, try it with this recipe 1 1/2 cup, and if the final soda is too sweet, you can decrease by as much as a 1 cup next time.
How to make cultured strawberry soda
- Make a wort**: Place strawberries in cheesecloth or tea towel tied closed with cooking twine. Add water to a heavy bottomed pot and suspend sachet in water by tying twine to pot handle. Bring water to simmer and cover for 20 minutes. Add sugar and stir to dissolve completely. Remove from stove and leave the pot covered for 30 minutes. Remove the strawberry sachet and discard.
- When your strawberry wort has cooled to room temperature (approx. 75°F), add the ginger bug liquid (straining out the pieces of ginger) to your wort and decant into bottles. (I like to use old apple cider vinegar bottles for fermenting this soda.)
- Place a tight lid on the bottles and allow them to ferment out of direct sunlight in a warm or room temperature spot in your home for approximately 2 days. If your home tends to be cool at night, consider getting a seedling heat mat – like this one. Watch for tiny bubbles rising to the top of the bottle and if you are unsure your soda is ready, give the lid a slight twist and listen for a gas release. If there is a hiss, it is ready.
- Chill in fridge for at least 4 hours before serving.
**A wort is the soda liquid before the addition of your culture starter of choice.
Yield: 2 quarts
This post was generously contributed by Monica Ford of Real Food Devotee. Monica's delicious recipes will make your mouth water and your tummy purr. If you’re lucky enough to live in Los Angeles, Real Food Devotee can make your life easier by delivering nutrient dense goodies directly to your door.
Photo Credit: An Eye Full Studio
Does the sugar in the wort get “eaten” during the fermentation process (like Kombucha) or does the drink actually contain the sugar?
And another, do you have a fermented lemonade recipe? thanks for the treats, I’m making my ginger bug this weekend.
I have ginger bug that’s been sitting in my fridge for about a month now. I put it to sleep after I made your apple ginger soda. Is it still okay or do I need to start another one? How long will the ginger bug live in the fridge?
Also, when I take it out of hibernation, what do i do? Can I just let it sit on the counter for a day or two and start the soda or do I need to feed it for a week before I do so?
Thanks!
I made ginger bug but it seems so strong in flavor, I’m afraid it’s gong to overpower anything I put it in. Did I possibly do something wrong for it to be so strong tasting? I look forward to making this yummy looking strawberry soda 🙂
Hi @Megan
I’m so happy to here you’re making your ginger bug! Yes, most of the sugar is consumed by the lovely lactobacillius and converted into organic acids, vitamins and the multiplication of probiotics.
Hi @Valerie N Derek It’s possible that your ginger bug could last forever:) I’ve only tested them staying the fridge asleep for up to 3 months though. When you want to use it, remove it from the fridge 2 days before you want to use it. Feed it and allow it to remain at room tem (75F) until the second day and if it bubbles and the lid is taught, use it to start your soda. If not, feed it again and try it on day 3. Check out the comments on this Ginger Bug Post for all the secrets. http://holisticsquid.com/how-to-make-a-ginger-bug/
Hi @Candice
Different starters are suited to different tastes that for sure but, if you followed the recipe for the ginger bug you should be good to go. You’re gonna love this soda!
Monica,
I love these recipes. I started my bug March 5th and it’s been going strong since then. I’ve been giving them away this week for other people to join the bug revolution! Thank you for sharing this ancient wisdom 🙂 My question is this: why cook the strawberries instead of juicing them? Thanks, Chance
Hi @Chance
How wonderful and sweet of you to share this with others!
Fermented juice of strawberries turns quickly to alcohol and have an unpleasant off taste.
Thanks so much! I can’t wait to try it. Grape juice doesn’t work great with my bug, but it works great with my water kefir. My partner thinks it tastes like Fanta (yeah, it’s been a good while), so I was thinking about making a strawberry one soon. Chance
@Chance
I hear the makings of a party!!!
I’m confused about the best bottles to use. I gather from related posts that bottles with the wire swing tops are bad. I keep seeing reference to empty apple cider vinegar bottles, but the ones they sell in my neck of the woods are plastic. It can’t be good to make it in plastic, can it? Is it any glass bottles with plastic twist tops that re the best combo to use? Will metal screw top lids work too?
Our local grocer had sparkling water in glass bottles with twist tops on sale 3 for $5. I bought those and use them to make my soda. They work great and were very affordable!
Hi @Amanda
Apple Cider Vinegar is only sold in plastic in your hood? What in the what?!?! No. Best not to choose plastic when fermenting anything. You are right! If you use ACV, you can order it in glass here
http://www.drvita.com/p-1570-bragg-organic-raw-apple-cider-vinegar-32-fl-oz.aspx?CAWELAID=1916422803&catargetid=1911270040&gclid=CJnO_oCG3LYCFUeCQgodiWQAQg
Metal lids will work but, I suggest plastic twist on lids because they have a little but not too much give which is the perfect lid for fermenting the perfect soda.
Bring water to simmer and cover for 20 minutes. Does this mean you simmer it for the whole 20 minutes or does it mean bring to simmer and then shut it off and leave with the lid on for 20 minutes.
Just want to be sure. And thanks for sharing. Great time to be making this.
Hi @Laurie
Yes. simmer for 20 minutes. Not a vigorous simmer but, yes simmer into yumminess:)
Thank you for the very quick response!
Hi, how long do these sodas last in the fridge? do they have to be consumed in a few days, a week? thanks!
Hey, quick question. Would love to make some of the strawberry soda. I strive to not eat sugar. Is there going to be a lot of sugar in the end result of these sodas? It seems the “ginger bug” requires a lot of sugar so I wanted to check before I undertook the endeavor 🙂
Hi again,
I made the soda and it turned out great. I had not had great success with the bug sodas with anything other than lemon. I had a can of freeze dried strawberries and I used those, since I really don’t have any other use for them 🙂 (impulse food-saving buy). I used a cup of dried strawberries and poured 2 cups or so of boiling water over them and added 1 cup of sugar. When I use my bug, I also use 3 cups of bug-liquid and then top off the bug and feed it sugar and ginger again. The soda tastes great, very strawberry. It’s a much brighter color than the one above, but it’s also a little foamier. Anyhoo, I wanted to share that there is room for experimentation with the recipe. Also, the first few sodas I tried weren’t great, so I that’s why I upped the amount of bug.
@Chrissy: It seems like the bug has a lot of sugar in it, but the bacteria eats it. When I use the bug for soda, it is not sweet at all. That is why you have to add so much sugar to the recipes, unlike water kefir, which is still a little sweet. The above soda is mildly sweet, but not overly sweet and very refreshing. We just started making the sodas and before that only drank water, so I my sugar baseline is very low. It also does not give me a sugar crash if I have a small glass, although I still try to drink it with food.
Good luck!
Hi @Caroline
The sodas last about 1 1/2 weeks in the fridge. Although like most fermented foods they do not go rotten, they do lose much of their sweetness and no longer taste like a sweet soda.
Awesome, thanks!
Great answer, @Chance
@Chrissy just remember that when we feed a ferment like a ginger bug, we are feeding the bacteria. In this case lactobacilli metabolize the sugar yielding organic acids, vitamins, more beneficial bacteria, electrolytes AND CO2. The sugar is not for us. It’s for our symbiotic bacteria friends. We’re feeding them and in turn, they feed us. We are partnering with mother nature. Enjoy1
Is frozen fruit okay to use. I freeze a lot in the summer (added sugar) and am stocked with that.
Oh no, Monica! I made the soda last night with the hibernating ginger bug that I left out and fed for a couple of days. Today, less than 24 hours (and already fizzy), there is a slimy clump of brownish gunk on the top of all the jars (I doubled the recipe). I have fermented things several times before and have luckily avoided any colonies forming on top of any of them, so this is new to me. Is this still okay to drink or should I throw the whole thing out?
Wait, I just looked again and there might be tiny pieces of the brownish gunk at the bottom.
Does it taste like ginger though? I hate ginger. Am I able to make a culture with something else?
@Kathy you can use frozen fruit:)
@Ashley you’re strawberry soda will not taste like ginger:)
This week I made my ginger bug and today I prepared the wort and just now poured the soda into it’s bottles. I’m so excited and can hardly wait to try it! Can I do this with any berry? And would lemon/lime work too?
Hi @Megan
Great! I’m excited for you. It’s like making magic!
Yes. This will work for most berries but, this is not the right method for a citrus soda. If there’s interest in it though, I’ll happily post a recipe for citrus soda in the near future. Let me know! xo-Monica
Hi @VK
I know it can be frustrating when something does not work perfectly the first time especially when I know you are taking great care, pride and anticipation into the process. I am not sure what the “brown gunk” is. It could be from the surface of the berries if they were not well rinse. Could be contamination from another ferment project like kombucha if you’re fermenting along-side another ferment project. Or a bit of yeast. I wish I was there to give you an on-site diagnosis.
I’m going to share a few tips with you. If you are in LA, contact me about a fermentation and sodas class. Summer is almost here!
I wish I was there to smell your ginger bug and give you an on-site diagnosis. This nose knows a lot about ferments:)
Begin a new and let me give you a few pointers that are not a must by any means but may serve to up your odds at this stage. Later, you will not be so strict and it will become second nature as all things practiced and understood do:)
Ginger Bug:
Ginger: choose organic, dry ginger (meaning the skin of the fresh ginger is not wet or darkened by wetness)
Sugar: use organic sugar
Water: use filtered
Jar: should be clean but not with anti-bacterial soap. tight closing lid.
Feeding your Ginger Bug: try to feed your ginger bug at approx the same time each day. Screw the lid back on tightly before putting it back to ferment.
Fermenting: Ferment your ginger bug in an area where you are not fermenting other things. Ferment in an area that remains warm during the day and night (72-80F). If you do not have a spot like this in your home, consider buying a seedling. You can find them in most hardware stores or on Amazon http://tinyurl.com/6t6d9nc
don’t worry. You will master this.
Same tips can be applied to the soda and soda equipment. Let us know how it goes. It’s worth another try. Promise!
Hi Monica! Can I use the same recipe for peaches? I have a bunch and am
Wondering the best way to make soda with them. Thanks!
I could use some help, please. I made the ginger bug and all went well….. I made the strawberry soda with some of it and all went well. I bottled it at 3 days in those self capping beer bottles and left them out to get a bit more fizzy. Sadly, it went the other direction. Instead of more fizzy it was less fizzy. It had a great taste but only a little carbonation. I was wondering what I might have done wrong? Any help would truly be appreciated.
Hi @Dorsey
Ferment your soda in the bottles you will use to serve or drink from. You fermented (completing the soda making process) in one bottle and then decanted in to other bottles. Sounds like you initially made a successful batch though. yaaay!
Hey, thanks for the recipe, I’m making it as I type! (Well, I stepped away from the stove, it’s kind of making itself right now…). Anyways, I’m enjoying the site, so thank you for doing such a great job!
Hi @Jon
I’m so happy to hear you’re making the soda! Thanks for sharing and let us know how it turns out! xo
I made my strawberry soda yesterday.. I put it in my (fermenting room) ( the furnace room) and I checked on it this morning.. They already have bubbles and the lid hissed when I opened it! Does that mean that they are already ready? It was only 12hrs now 18hrs since I bottles them. I would be SUPER excited if they are ready..but I don’t want to stop the process to soon.
Hi @Tiffani
They’re ready!
Yay! They have been in the fridge for almost 4hrs now…45min and I can’t wait to try them. I let them ferment over night again..and they did lighten in color. I am not sure what difference this makes..But they look like your photo now. 🙂 Thank you for the recipe..I can’t wait to try the Root Beer next! My lil bug is very active. 🙂
@Tiffani
Nice!!!! I’m so proud. Please let us know how the root beer goes:)
This looks fantastic — it’s so hot today, I could go for some right now. Up all night and not feeling right, that would be refreshing. Glad you explained how to make the bug! Good project for me and the kids, SoCal is hot today. Thanks for sharing!
Are Grolsch style bottles okay for this? I used them and they were extremely fizzy by the end of the day. I had to slowly open them or they would have exploded – like kefir! I put them in mason jars to sit for the rest of the time so the pressure wouldn’t be so strong. Were these bad ideas?
Hi @Alicia
I’m so happy your making the soda!
I don’t recommend the Grolsch style bottles because they simply build up too much pressure and require use to be far more attentive than we as busy women have time for:) Use your old apple cider vinegar bottles. THEY’RE PERFECT!
Could you use plain kombucha as a starter instead of the ginger bug?
Planning on starting a ginger bug this weekend or next. (Actually, I’m getting the ginger and jaggery, my friend is going to “bug sit” for me since I’m a scatterbrain and will forget to feed it!)
We don’t go through enough ACV to get the bottles – would glass screw top bottles from drinks like snapple work? If so, do you think they’d also work for a 2nd ferment on kombucha? (Which I still haven’t started yet, same friend who will be bug sitting is waiting for her scoby to give it’s first baby. )
Yes! @Rebecca
Old snapple will work for soda fermentation:)
Well now! I wanted to leave a comment so read down the many that were already here and learned that you can keep the “bug” going! WhooHooo!
I started from your blueberry soda recipe that was 6 cups fruit and almost a gallon of water total… but only had frozen strawberries so figured they would work. I have fallen madly in love with strawberry soda. I have been several batches now and I learned that using 5 cups frozen strawberries and a 5 oz bag of dried cranberries tends to speed the process. I guess because there is more sugar in dried fruit.
I have also learned that the stored bug also works faster than the fresh one. I didn’t realize I was to take it out and feed it for two days so have been just using a cup of it straight from the fridge and it works wonderfully. This last batch was ready in 2 1/2 days.
Lastly… I do the bug just as you say but this time I tried coconut palm sugar in the soda syrup. Again, it worked perfectly.
It is so cool finally getting a soda fix again. I was really sad when I had to stop buying soda once I learned how bad it is for one. Now I am one happy camper who gets her bubble fix almost daily. 🙂 Thanks big time for sharing all of this with us.
Again…. clarifying that the recipe I am using is your bigger one that you posted as blueberry soda. 🙂 I get 10 – 10oz bottles from a batch.
So sorry…… that blueberry soda recipe is from another site. There are so many wonderful sites that I follow that I messed up. My thoughts though about the dried fruit addition are good though. 🙂
I just tried my first batch and it tasted great however was over carbonated, what do I need to do for the next batch to stop this happening? My 750ml bottled bubbled over (think shaken champagne bottle) to leave us with about 300ml!
Hi Monica and Emily, just wanted to let you know how much our family have loved this recipe. So much that I popped a link (with your photo of the soda) on my blog with my Sons recipe for lemonade (using the ginger bug:). Let me know if this is a problem, the post will be up on Nov20, 2013.
xRachx
I have a question.I just started my first ginger bug. It looks like it’s doing very well. My question is after it’s ready for use do I leave it on the counter and continue to feed it? I know the strawberry soda recipe only uses 1 cup of the ginger bug. So I just wanted to know what do I do with the rest of my ginger bug to keep it going?
I made a bug 2 days ago. I did it in a regular quart mason jar… which gave me 2c Ginger Bug so far… & covered it with a coffee filter & elastic. Was I supposed to cover it with it’s real cover? It is fizzing a little on it’s own. How much should it fizz before it’s ready? Also, when it is done, I would like to double the recie, how do I do that? Just add water and sugar & ginger & continue like I did before? Thanks in advance 🙂
This looks AMAZING! Sharing and pinning now. Thanks.
I really want to make these, but don’t quite understand the process with the tea towel cloth and pot, is it possible to show it on video or pictures? That would be wonderful!
I suppose I could bottle this in quart mason jars? Or does it need to have extra head space?
When I first followed this recipe, I got a VERY sweet soda with very little fizz, so I did some googling. It appears that to make the soda more carbonated and less sweet, you are supposed to leave the soda out covered with a cheesecloth or a coffee filter so that the bacteria can multiply faster and get air. You aren’t supposed to seal it until it has had 3 days to ferment in open air, stirring twice a day. Then after a day or two of being sealed, it is fully carbonated and put in the fridge to stop fermentation. I just wanted to share my findings so that people who want a more carbonated soda can make it. I’m currently in the process of making a new batch so hopefully it turns out better.
I absolutely LOVED this!!!! I had so much fun making my ginger bug. It is so magical!!! I had a bubbling baby bug within the week!
I am so amazed by the final result of the strawberry soda. The strawberry aroma is intoxicating and it has such a crisp refreshing flavor. For me, I followed the directions and everything worked perfectly. My strawberry soda is extremely carbonated, just like a commercial soda…but one that I am excited to share with my family. I added the suggested amount of sugar and I did not find it very sweet. I put mine in sealed bottles for about 3 days at room temp, then in fridge overnight, and was excited to hear that audible ‘POP’ of a fizzy soda. Best of all, I have maintained a healthy ginger bug ready for making more soda!
I am so happy I found this recipe via Pinterest as I am in love with your site. I can’t wait to explore even more! Thank you so much!!!!
Thanks Janice! I’m so glad you love it as much as I do 🙂
Hi! I made this strawberry soda a few days ago, and I’m a little afraid of it. This was the first time I used my ginger bug, and I was very excited to try it. I followed the recipe to the letter, but it smells and tastes a little funky, like strawberry farts, and it is sickly sweet on top of that! It did carbonate just fine, which is the one thing I was worried about.
I know that this article was posted a long time ago so I hope someone still checks it and can reply. Please, I beg, tell me what I did wrong! Thanks…
Hi @Amanda
I’m glad to see you’re fermenting. As for the soda tasting too sweet, you could use a little less sugar next time and you might enjoy it more “1-1 ½ cups dehydrated cane juice” Even a little less than a cup would be ok.
As for a “little funky” taste – that sounds like it could be a couple of things. It’s hard for me to tell you exactly what when not there with your soda (this nose knows a lot;) but, possibly one of the following…
1) Contamination by another ferment: if you were fermenting near kombucha or kefir for instance…sometimes there can be some cross over. Fix this by letting different items ferment in different areas.
2) A fermenting bottle that is not completely clean. Maybe the bottle was brand new? Manufacturers spray anti-bacterial film in new bottles. New bottles should be rinsed with very hot water before using. Maybe the bottle had been sitting on the shelf for a while and needed a rinse or maybe there was a film of dishwashing soap.
3) Sometimes you can’t put your finger on the source of the issue. I encourage you to try again because naturally effervescent sodas sure are a joy to sip!
Hope this helps. xoxo – Monica
Hi there! When making the strawberry soda (not the ginger bug) does the sugar HAVE to be sucanat or dehydrated sugar cane, or can it be any type of organic sugar?? Thanks for the help!
Organic sugar will work perfectly! xo Monica
Hi
I have tried this recipe twice and I have had the same problem both times – no fizzing!
My ginger bug is very fizzy when I have used it. And its a bit cooler here, so I have tried wrapping the bottles of Strawberry soda in a towel and putting them in the airing cupboard. But I am now 6 days in with batch number two and there are still no bubbles!
Is there anything advice you can give/tips to help me?
Thanks very much!
Hi Monica. My ginger bug has been “cooking” very nicely on our counter. It has a pleasant sour-sweet smell and is fizzy. This is my first fermented drink adventure, and the kids and I are super excited! My question is about frozen fruit versus fresh… I can’t get organic fresh strawberries around here this time of year, but I have plenty in the freezer. I was wondering if it tastes as good with frozen (I know I prefer fresh when eating them whole.) Any thoughts?
Would Pellegrino bottles work? We also don’t have the glass apple cider vinegar bottles here.
Is ginger bug and kefir water interchangeable in exact quantities or is one stronger or weaker than the other?
Hi, and thanks for the strawberry idea!
Sooo yummy!
Actually, the ginger bug is the ‘wort’. Wort means ‘plant’, and is the reference to the mother culture.
great recipe, i like.
i did find it very sweet. i usually half cookie recipe sugar measurements. i found i preferred to halve the bug also.
1/2 cup ginger bug, and 1/2 cup sugar was just great for me super bubbly and nice. The rest i leave the same.