Making a homemade ginger bug is much easier than you’d think. When I first began this process, I found myself intimidated by fermentation times, weights, and other confusing metrics. This is why I wanted to create a ginger bug recipe for a simple, probiotic drink that comes together with minimal effort. With this bug you can create all kinds of sodas (like ginger beer) with fruit juice or whatever homemade concoctions you want to try!
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Supplies you will need for this Ginger Bug recipe
- Wide mouth mason jar that doesn’t seal too tight. I used a vintage one where the seal was a little loose
- Fresh ginger
- Organic cane sugar
- Filtered water
Ginger bug recipe
Ingredients
- 1 TBSP fresh ginger unpeeled and sliced thin with a vegetable peeler
- 1 TBSP organic, unrefined cane sugar
- 2 cups of room temperature filtered water
Instructions
- DAY 1: Add water, ginger and sugar to a jar and stir until the water is completely dissolved. Store in a warm dark place for best results
- DAY 2: add 1 TBSP each of ginger and sugar to the mixture and stir until dissolved
- DAYS 3-6: repeat the steps from day two
- DAY 7: the ginger bug should be very bubbly and fragrant- this is how you know it’s ready to make ginger beer
How to use this ginger bug recipe
This recipe is more like guidelines. I would be lying if I told you that I always measured the ingredients I put in my ginger bug. A lot of times I just eyeball it and call it a day, which you can do too. I’ve given you some measurements to aim for whether you’re using tablespoon measurements or just going on vibes. This recipe is very forgiving, I promise, so don’t be afraid to go for it!
A note on ingredients
Because this ginger bug recipe is a fermentation product, be sure you use very high-quality ingredients. This means filtered water, organic ginger that has never been sprayed with pesticides, and organic, raw cane sugar that has not been bleached or treated. Using the cleanest and best possible ingredients will yield the best results.
Always sanitize your containers and tools
This prevents the introduction of bacteria to the fermentation process. You can boil jars before using them for your ginger bug, and always use very clean spoons.
Storing your ginger bug in the fridge
After your bug is active and happy, you can store it in the fridge and feed it only once a week when you’re making ginger beer or other fermented sodas regularly. Feed it directly before placing it in the fridge and be sure to check in on it regularly.
How to maintain a ginger bug
You can store the bug in the fridge and feed it approximately once a week to keep it active. Every few weeks, discard some of the old ginger and or the liquid (if it’s smelling very fermenty). You can refresh the water and ginger as needed. I recommend tasting regularly to make sure it’s not getting too funky. Use the active, bubbly liquid as needed to make homemade probiotic sodas and ginger beer.
Ginger bug Recipe troubleshooting
My bug isn’t getting bubbly
This might be because you’re using too much sugar. If you see this, add a little more ginger than sugar and stir well to incorporate. If your bug doesn’t perk up after a few more days, it has probably been contaminated and needs to be composted and begun again.
My bug smells funny
You might need to discard about 75% of the bug and give it a fresh feed of water, ginger, and sugar.
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