I’m totally hooked on probiotic drinks! I fell hard for kombucha, but it’s out-of-this world pricey (I’ll be making my own soon!). In the meantime, I’ve found a yummy, easy-on-the-wallet way to drink my probiotics. For centuries people all over the world have relied on fermentation to preserve foods (think kimchi, pickles). But beyond preserving food, fermentation has the added benefit of providing gut-friendly bacteria.
When your natural intestinal flora balance is interrupted, it causes problems in your gut and your health. This can happen when you take too many antibiotics, or a number of different ways. Eating foods rich in probiotics improves digestion and keep things in check. You can certainly eat plenty of yogurt and take probiotic supplements, but I also like sipping homemade lacto-fermented lemonade. The “lacto” part comes from whey that has been separated from yogurt. It’s super easy to do!
HOW TO SEPARATE WHEY
Whey is the watery, protein-rich liquid left behind when milk is curdled to make cheese. It is also a component of yogurt. The best way to separate whey from yogurt is to strain it through several layers of cheesecloth placed over a fine mesh sieve. (Not only does this extract the whey it also produces a nice, thick yogurt cheese!)
Let the yogurt stand overnight in the fridge to extract as much whey as possible. Use immediately or store in fridge for about 1-2 weeks. (It might last longer, but mine started to look iffy after two weeks.) Ideally you want as much clear whey as possible, but if a little bit of the milky part ends up in the liquid, no biggie.
Once you have the whey that is full of those healthy bacteria, you need to give them something to eat. That’s where sugar comes in. Once the liquid has properly fermented, the sugar will be mostly used up and you’ll be left with a tangy, slightly bubbly drink. It’s not fizzy like soda, but there are some tiny bubbles that you’ll notice. The flavor is reminiscent of buttermilk, but lighter. It’s lightly sweet, which I really like, but if you want it a little sweeter, you could add some drops of stevia or a little more sugar.
A few things – only fresh lemon juice should be used. The bottled juice has preservatives and other things that will prevent the lemonade from properly fermenting. Any other citrus juice could be used instead. After the initial two day room temp fermentation period, the lemonade should be kept in the refrigerator. The flavor supposedly improves the longer it sits in the fridge. We drink it right away, but it does get a little fizzier after about a week and a half. It is SO good! If you’ve tried other probiotic drinks like Kevita, then you’ll know kind of what this tastes like.
Lacto-Fermented Probiotic Lemonade
Ingredients
- 6 1/2 cups filtered water
- 1/2 cup fresh squeezed organic lemon juice
- 1/2 cup organic evaporated cane juice or sucanat
- 1/2 cup liquid whey
Instructions
- Place all of the ingredients in a large glass jar or pitcher with a tight-fitting lid. Shake well to dissolve the sugar. Let stand at room temperature for two days, then refrigerate.
- Makes 2 quarts, or 1/2 gallon
Notes
Pretty soon I’m going to start experimenting with adding other flavors, like ginger and rose.
Could you use Yakult or Goodbelly (probiotic drinks) in lieu of making whey? Making yogurt is on my to-do list but I have a LOT of fermentation going right now (along with mead and beer in the works) so I think it will be some time out before I can do that. This looks very refreshing, though, and I’d like to try it!
the ‘lacto’ term refers to the lactobacillus and the build up of lactic acid, rather than a ferment derived from lactose.
however, i have tried this type of ferment and although it is somewhat more variable than a straight brine, the results are unique and very tasty. keep up the good work.
Hi! I tried this with whey I’d made from old/soured/clumpy raw milk. (the Healthy Home Economist recipe). It was okay, but the flavor of the whey was a bit overpowering. I added more sugar and lemon to make it slightly more palatable, but… I was hoping for something really delicious. Your recipe talks about whey from yogurt. Do I have to use that? Is it not whey if it is not from yogurt? I’m really looking for a healthy summer drink. We do lemonade a lot and I’d like to transition to this kind only. Thanks!
Hi Shanna, I’ve only ever used whey from yogurt because it has the probiotics in it from the yogurt, which is what helps ferment the lemonade. I can’t give you a specific answer about the soured raw milk. I’m supposing that any bacteria or yeasts naturally present in the soured milk would not be consistent like from cultured yogurt and would definitely taste different. If you were to culture your raw milk with a yogurt starter, then you could use the whey from that. I have made water kefir lemonade with great success without whey. It uses a different culture that you can purchase online and in health stores. I hope that helps! It can be a little tricky to get into a good rhythm making your own fermented beverages. Another route you could take is to use a ginger bug and add lemon to that. It has naturally occurring probiotics as well and is super easy to make. You just need ginger and sugar. Google “ginger bug” and there are a bunch of videos and blog posts with tutorials on how to get started. Good luck!
I know this post is old, but do you think I can use honey instead of sugar?
I can’t find raw sugar where I live. Thanks
I haven’t tried it with honey, but my guess is that it would probably be fine. If you can’t find raw sugar, you can try it with granulated sugar.
I have heard that the natural antibacterial properties of the honey interfere with the fermentation and that granulated sugar is best. Raw sugar is probably even better, but I think plain granulated sugar is just fine.
We have bottles homepicked apple/pear juice that I try to ferment with yoghurt whey. The juice has been pasteurised to preserve longer. Is that a probleem ? It’s already 5 days in a bottle with waterlock, but stink no bubbles. I placed in a warm room. Didn’t read a lot about the ideal temp on the blogs.
Geert, I don’t have much experience with directly fermenting juice with whey. I have used water kefir grains before with success. Room temperature should be fine for fermentation to occur. Sometimes it just takes a longer time.
You may want to look up where to find water kefir grains where you live and see if that works better. Or another thing I’m wondering about is using a “ginger bug” and seeing if that will work. (You’ll have to do a Google search and see. Essentially you combine fresh ginger with sugar and create a starter for fermentation.)
Thanks for the feedback. I had read about the ginger bug last week and was planning do a next test with that starter on the apple/beetroot juice we have (blend good). I was just doubting about my pasteurised juice.
I made some ricotta by adding vinegar to hot milk and have a ton of whey left-over. Do you think I could use this whey instead of the whey from yogurt. It is yellow-ish instead of white.
I’m not 100% sure about that Susanna. The whey from the yogurt has the probiotics which lead to the lactic fermentation.
Could you put the 2-day fermented lemonade into bottles for another day or so to carbonate? My family loves their fizz and fizzy lemonade hits the spot on a summer day!
What type of yogurt do you buy to get your whey from?
I can’t wait to try this! This seems like a fool proof recipe!
I must have missed a step or ingredient. My lemonade just tasted like slightly sour lemon water. I am disappointed because everyone says how great lax fermented lemonade is. I used sucanat, whey, spring water and whey with Meyer lemons. My whey was fresh also and organic.
This post is ancient but the lactobacteria uses the sugar up and you no longer have the sweet flavor. You must add sugar after the fermentation process for flavor
Thank you you for posting this! I found a picture on Foodgawker of your lacto-fermented lemonade – love your blog! I am excited to try it and save a little bit of money!!!!
This looks great! I’ve been trying to up my good probiotic, gut friendly foods. I’ve never tried making my own whey before but this looks right up my alley- can’t wait to try it!
-Kelsey
For the fermented lemon juice, is sugar required? I am on a no sugar diet. Thanks.
I made everything, but after day 2 there is cloudy stuff (I’m assuming the whey) in the bottom of the jar, do you shake it up before you drink it?
Thanks!
Yep! Just shake it up before you drink it. It most likely is the whey.
hi- i have a question- forgive me if you’ve already answered it.
i made my whey, and then refrigerated it, without the sugar, as i had to leave town for a few days. i was hoping to continue with the probiotic lemonade making when i returned- but now im worried that i waited too long and i can’t ferment the whey now that it’s been in the refer. am i right in this assumption? do i need to throw it out and start all over? thanks for your time.
I am using coconut sugar and don’t see much happening. This is Day 2. What is it supposed to look like? I did add a wee bit of molasses as well.
thanks
Hey Sharla, it can take longer than that depending on how cold your kitchen is. I’ve had it take as long as two weeks for it to get fizzy. But you can drink it after two days, or before then if you want. After two days you should have all the benefits of the healthy bacteria in the lemonade.
Did you leave it on the counter for the full time it took to get fizzy? Or should I put it in the fridge and wait for the fizz? I started mine two days ago and have seen bubbles on the top, but it wasn’t fizzy when we tasted it (it tastes great, by the way!). Thanks.
It really just depends, as far as length of time goes. I’ve had some get fizzier more quickly. But usually I just pop it into the fridge after the two days and hope we can wait long enough for it to get fizzy. And actually, I am now making water kefir more often, which uses a culture that is strained out rather than the whey. It tastes pretty similar, though I still prefer the taste of the one made with whey. :)
Just wondering if you can freeze any leftover whey for future use, do you know?
And whether you could grate up raw cane sugar block for this?
I’m sure you could freeze the whey, but it should keep for awhile in an airtight container – several weeks at least. And you sure can use any kind of raw sugar you’d like to.
Awesome, thank you! :-D
How much yogurt do you need to get the 1/2 cup of whey?
The amount will differ depending on the yogurt you buy, or if you’re using homemade. For a runnier yogurt, I get a lot more. For 2 cups of yogurt, I might get a full cup of whey. The longer it drains, the more whey there will be. Great question!
Love this – have just made my first successful batch of sauerkraut and have gone a bit ‘fermental’! This sounds brilliant (and quick turnarond too)
That’s fantastic! My next venture. :)
So interesting. Yes, the kombucha is crazy expensive. This I think I can handle. Thanks for the post!
This lemonade screams summer. I will be making gallons of it year round to keep that feeling with me.