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
Recipe adapted slightly from Nourishing Traditions.
Pretty soon I’m going to start experimenting with adding other flavors, like ginger and rose.
Jennifer says
December 2, 2018 at 6:51 pmCould 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!
Baj says
May 21, 2018 at 4:55 amthe ‘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.
Shanna says
June 2, 2017 at 9:07 pmHi! 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!
Lindsey Johnson says
June 9, 2017 at 2:01 pmHi 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!
Zaynab says
March 14, 2017 at 4:24 amI 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
Lindsey Johnson says
March 14, 2017 at 10:31 amI 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.
Alexis Clouse says
December 30, 2017 at 9:35 pmI 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.
Geert says
February 5, 2017 at 3:25 pmWe 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.
Lindsey Johnson says
February 5, 2017 at 4:47 pmGeert, 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.)
Geert says
February 5, 2017 at 6:27 pmThanks 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.
Susanna says
January 22, 2017 at 2:22 amI 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.
Lindsey Johnson says
January 23, 2017 at 9:55 pmI’m not 100% sure about that Susanna. The whey from the yogurt has the probiotics which lead to the lactic fermentation.
Frederique says
April 26, 2016 at 9:39 amCould 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!
Amy mullen says
March 6, 2016 at 3:31 pmWhat type of yogurt do you buy to get your whey from?
Jenny says
November 14, 2015 at 11:33 amI can’t wait to try this! This seems like a fool proof recipe!
Ethalfrida says
August 1, 2015 at 5:10 pmI 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.
J says
June 13, 2017 at 9:02 pmThis 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
Cyndi Jackson says
June 23, 2015 at 7:46 pmThank 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!!!!
Kelsey M says
May 12, 2015 at 9:37 pmThis 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
Jp says
April 14, 2015 at 2:00 pmFor the fermented lemon juice, is sugar required? I am on a no sugar diet. Thanks.
Kelly says
January 15, 2015 at 8:09 pmI 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!
Lindsey Johnson says
January 16, 2015 at 2:06 pmYep! Just shake it up before you drink it. It most likely is the whey.
christine says
December 5, 2014 at 12:40 pmhi- 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.
sharla says
October 9, 2014 at 9:15 amI 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
Lindsey Johnson says
October 14, 2014 at 1:54 amHey 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.
Megan says
January 8, 2015 at 7:40 amDid 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.
Lindsey Johnson says
January 9, 2015 at 1:34 pmIt 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. :)
Louise says
August 22, 2014 at 4:33 amJust 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?
Lindsey Johnson says
August 27, 2014 at 1:43 amI’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.
Louise says
August 27, 2014 at 5:26 amAwesome, thank you! :-D
Bonnie says
May 15, 2014 at 11:39 amHow much yogurt do you need to get the 1/2 cup of whey?
Lindsey Johnson says
May 16, 2014 at 12:16 pmThe 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!
Julie @ meybestandi says
April 27, 2014 at 9:21 pmLove this – have just made my first successful batch of sauerkraut and have gone a bit ‘fermental’! This sounds brilliant (and quick turnarond too)
Lindsey Johnson says
April 28, 2014 at 6:52 pmThat’s fantastic! My next venture. :)
lori @ thehealthminded.com says
April 26, 2014 at 6:14 pmSo interesting. Yes, the kombucha is crazy expensive. This I think I can handle. Thanks for the post!
Anne says
April 24, 2014 at 10:42 amThis lemonade screams summer. I will be making gallons of it year round to keep that feeling with me.