A few years ago, I dove in deep to research the importance of probiotics. What I found was amazing. There are so many positive health benefits that probiotics provide. The benefits extend to our overall health and to woman’s health. Most importantly, probiotics target digestive and gut health. This research inspired me to create my own coconut water kefir to find an enjoyable, refreshing way to get the benefits provided by probiotics.
Inspiration for Homemade Coconut Water Kefir
I found the method of making homemade coconut water kefir during my probiotic research after reading The Body Ecology Book by Donna Gates. She is a wealth of knowledge on gut health and probiotics.
Also, during this time, I have immersed myself in gardening, as a passion and hobby. This passion taught me about the importance of soil health. Just like the soil we have our own inner ecosystem that lives in our gut, and digestive system.
Our inner ecosystem is delicate and can easily get out of balance. When something is off, we must bring it back into balance in order to promote a healthy system. When our system is out of balance there are a lot of areas that could be affected, especially women’s health. These areas can include but are not limited to overgrowth of yeast, poor digestion, fatigue, foggy mind, and so much more.
For years I used to purchase pricey probiotic capsules. Now I just get in the habit of making sure I have a batch of homemade Coconut Water Kefir. Not only does it save me money, but it’s also so delicious and accessible to me financially.
The Process of Making Coconut Water Kefir
With this Coconut Water Kefir recipe, we use a not-so-traditional method of fermenting. This method will give you a high yield of probiotics and is fairly simple. All you will need is coconut water, a jar with a lid, and a starter for kefir.
I personally use The Body Ecology starter, but I have seen others who carry a product that is similar. I prefer to use this starter because I know exactly what strains of probiotics we are using. These probiotics have been created specifically for bringing our own gut flora back into balance. You can also use this technique to make your own Coconut Milk Kefir, simply by switching out coconut water for coconut milk.
The first step you will do is pour all of your coconut water into a large glass bowl. Next, make a double boiler with a cooking pot filled halfway with water. Turn the stove on and gently heat the coconut water to around 85 degrees. Once the coconut water has reached the desired temperature of 85 degrees, turn off the stove. Do not let your coconut water get over 92 degrees.
Make sure you have a few thoroughly sanitized and cleaned glass jars on hand. We pour a little bit of the Body Ecology Kefir Start powder into the coconut water and stir with a wooden spoon. Make sure the spoon is wooden because metal could kill the starter!
Seal the jar with parchment paper to prevent corrosion and set it in a warm place for 24-48 hours to let the fermentation magic occur. After you’ve let the fermentation take place, put it in the fridge to cool. The coconut water kefir will continue fermenting at a slightly slower rate and you will have a gut-friendly, refreshing beverage!
Benefits of Making Your Own Coconut Water Kefir
There are so many benefits to making your own coconut water kefir. Here are just a few that I found that I’m most excited about:
- Naturally a good source of electrolytes the coconut water
- An affordable and natural way to supplement probiotics
- Sustainable can make multiple batches from one starter
- Helps to curve the craving for sugar and sweet treats
- Helps and supports digestion
- High mineral content with minerals such as potassium, natural sodium, and chloride *sourced from body ecology
- Can help to clear up skin issues
- Helps to rebalance your blood sugar and yeast overgrowth
There are so many more! If you find any more benefits, let me know
How does Coconut Water Kefir taste?
Honestly, I say it’s delicious! Coconut water kefir is slightly sweet, with a little bit of tart from the fermentation. However, something that I have learned after years of making my own coconut water kefir, is that every batch will come out slightly different. When fermenting there are a lot of variables involved, such as the weather, how hot or cool your kitchen is the humidity, etc. While the changes aren’t drastic, each batch is slightly beautiful and unique.
My ideal batch of Coconut Water Kefir is a tad bit bubbly with the perfect amount of tart, from the fermentation. Think yogurt taste but with the delicious notes of coconut water.
Proper Serving Size
A question I get asked a lot is, “What is the proper serving size to make Coconut Water Kefir?” When you are just getting started intaking Coconut Water Kefir, I’d start with 1/4 cup per day if you are an adult. For a child, I’d start with 1 tablespoon per day. It’s good to gradually introduce these new probiotics into your system, so start small! Every week you can add on a little more per serving if you are seeing a good result.
Enjoying Your Finished Kefir
There are many ways to enjoy your coconut water kefir. One of my favorite ways to enjoy the coconut water kefir is right away when you wake up in the morning. It’s a great ritual that gives your body the necessary probiotics right when you wake up.
Another way to enjoy the coconut water kefir is in a fancy glass when you are hosting or attending a party. It’s the perfect non-alcoholic drink replacement. Not only will you get hydration but you will feel amazing the next day. It’s a win-win! Pro-tip, top with edible flowers to make the drink look extra special.
On the flip side, if you chose to drink an alcoholic beverage, you can drink the coconut water kefir to help with the hangover and as a digestive aid. Since it’s filled with electrolytes, it will be very beneficial for your body to have after a night on the town.
You could also use the coconut water kefir with your favorite green or fruit juice. Add in a dash of sparkling water, top with ice, and make yourself a nice mocktail!
There’s also no shame in just drinking the coconut water kefir as a ritual to get your electrolytes and probiotics. Nothing fancy, just making sure you get what your body needs.
I’d love to hear how your coconut water kefir turns out! Leave a comment below or reach out to me on Instagram (@mytinylagunakitchen).
How to make your own Coconut Water Kefir
How To Make Vegan Coconut Water Kefir for Gut Health - This easy gut-healing drinkable yogurt recipe is packed with probiotics. Made with coconut water and body ecology diet kefir starter, you can make this simple, fermented homemade drinkable yogurt recipe for its skin and health benefits.
Ingredients
- 32-64 ounces of coconut water
- 1 packet of Body Ecology's Kefir Starter
Instructions
- Run your glass jars that you are going to ferment your coconut water in under very hot water to sterilize the glasses.
- Pour coconut water into a glass bowl or large measuring bowl. You can also pour it directly into a cooking pot on the stove.
- If using a glass bowl make a double boiler by setting it into a cooking pot filled halfway with water.
- Using a thermometer gently heat the coconut water to about 85 degrees, turn off the heat quickly, and don't let the coconut water get over 92 degrees.
- Pour the coconut water into clean glass jars.
- Pour the Body Ecology Kefir Starter powder into your coconut water.
- Stir well with a wooden spoon.
- Place a lid with parchment paper in between the jar and lid to prevent corrosion from the metal lid.
- Shake well.
- Set in a warm place for 24-48 hours.
- Place in the fridge to cool the coconut water kefir, the coconut water will continue fermenting in the fridge.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- For adults, the serving size to start with is 1/4 cup, and for children 1 tablespoon per day.
- Enjoy before or after a meal.
- Enjoy when you have a sweet craving.