Are Water Kefir Grains Gluten-Free?
For a family that is gluten-free, especially for medical reasons and allergies, knowing whether or not they are bringing gluten-free items into their kitchen is incredibly important. This can be the difference between a severe reaction and being able to add a delicious new naturally probiotic beverage into your life. So while asking yourself – are water kefir grains gluten-free? – may seem silly to some, but is necessary to know.
Water kefir grains are naturally gluten-free. Water kefir is made using only sugar and water, and sometimes things like fruits. All of these ingredients are gluten-free. If you’re in a strict gluten-free kitchen due to an allergy, don’t bottle your water kefir for consumption for at least a month after getting your grains just to be safe.
There are nuances involved in making water kefir and in using excess grains – which are edible! – so read on for more information and some gluten-free water kefir tips.
What are Gluten-Free Water Kefir Grains?
Water kefir grains are naturally gluten-free. They require only water and a sugar source to stay alive and reproduce, so there are no ingredients in water kefir or in the grains that contain gluten. This means that all water kefir grains are completely safe for a gluten-free household.
But it’s important to note that cross-contamination with other ferments can occur, so if you have any allergies in your household, it’s important to wait at least 1-2 weeks before consuming your water kefir to ensure there is no contamination. During this phase, you will feed your water kefir grains as usual, but instead of bottling and drinking the resulting water kefir grains, you would empty the water kefir down the drain.
Gluten-Free Water Kefir Grain Recipe
To make gluten-free water kefir, you can mix:
- 4 cups of room temperature filtered water
- 1/2 cup raw sugar or succanat
- 2 lemon slices
- 1/2 inch sliced ginger with the skin
- 1 Medjool date (pitted)
Combine together and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Add 1/4 cup water kefir grains and put on a lid. Using a dry erase or wet erase marker, mark the date on the jar.
In 24-48 hours, filter out the water kefir grains using a mesh strainer (I like using this set of plastic mesh strainers). Set aside the water kefir while you feed the grains again as described above.
Add the water kefir to a 16 oz swing-top bottle with 1 tbs of lemon juice and 1/2 tsp chopped ginger for the secondary ferment. After 24-72 hours when sufficient carbonation has built up, burp the bottle by quickly opening and closing the lid and then put in the refrigerator to stop the ferment. Drink up within 1 week for optimum flavor!
The Science Behind Gluten-Free Water Kefir Grains
Water kefir grains are a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast, much like kombucha. But the water kefir scobys form together in small grain-like shapes that produce a tangy but light beverage. They only need water and sugar as food and they need fed every 24-48 hours to stay in optimum health.
Water kefir grains take the sugars and produce a fermented and probiotic beverage that can then be flavored and bottled to produce a naturally carbonated fizzy soda.
Unlike with kombucha, water kefir grains need regular feeding every 24-48 hours and don’t do well in the fridge or without being fed at room temperature. The best way to take a long break from water kefir grains is to dehydrate the grains – however rehydrating them can be hit or miss so it’s best to avoid this as much as possible. If you know that a 1-2 day fermentation cycle is too much for your life, it’s best to stay away from making your own water kefir and instead try jun (7-10 days between feeding) or kombucha (7-21 days between feeding).
Growing Gluten-Free Water Kefir Grains
Growing gluten-free water kefir grains is easy to do, but you have to be careful of what other ferments you are storing close by. Water kefir grains are naturally gluten-free because they are made of a colony of yeast and bacteria that take sugar water and produce a fermented, probiotic, fizzy beverage as a result. The ingredients that feed water kefir grains and the water kefir grains themselves are gluten-free.
However, bacteria and yeast CAN contaminate ferments. If you have a sourdough starter too close to your water kefir grains, yeast from the sourdough can contaminate your water kefir and give it a bready flavor. It could also result in cross-contamination when you are feeding your sourdough and stirring it up. Depending on the reason you need your water kefir to be gluten-free, this can be an issue.
It’s best practice to keep different ferments at least 5 feet away from each other to prevent cross-contamination. For example, lacto-fermented vegetables can all sit together, but should be kept away from kombucha which should be kept away from water kefir which should be kept away from sourdough. It’s important to plan your ferments and your space so that you don’t get off-flavors caused by cross-contamination!
