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Probiotic Lemonade

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probiotic lemonade lactofermented recipe Probiotic Lemonade

This week’s theme is “Getting Adventurous” since we’ve gotten the hang of the basic dietary principles and can now start incorporating some of the more exotic and fun aspects of healthy living.

I’m a big fan of Water Kefir and Kombucha for their probiotics and beneficial enzymes. They do require specific cultures though (available here) so if you don’t happen to have a SCOBY sitting around your kitchen, you are pretty much out of luck.

Luckily, as there is an easy lacto-fermented drink that you can make with basic ingredients from your grocery store, and your kids will probably even drink it!

I made probiotic lemonade recently and it was wonderful! It is very easy to make and is ready in just a couple of days. If you don’t have the water kefir grains or kombucha starter to try those drinks… make a batch of this to try today!

Probiotic Lemonade Ingredients:

  • Juice of 10 lemons or limes
  • 3/4 cup sugar or sucanat
  • 1 cup of whey
  • 2.5 to 3 quarts of filtered water
  • gallon size jar

How To Make Probiotic Lemonade:

  1. Pour the sugar into the gallon size glass jar and add just enough hot water to dissolve the sugar.
  2. Add lemon juice and fill the jar about 3/4 full with filtered water.
  3. Make sure the liquid is at room temp and add the whey.
  4. Cover tightly and let sit on the counter for 2-3 days. The longer it sits, the less sugar in the final product.
  5. After 2-3 days, keep in fridge and drink 4-6 ounces per day. The flavor will continue to develop in the fridge.
  6. Since the sugar ferments out, it is rather tart. Add a couple drops of stevia if it is too tart for you!
Some notes:
  • Lemons or limes can be used, or a mixture
  • You can add about 1 tsp of molasses to the sugar before dissolving to add extra minerals and make a slightly sweeter taste
  • Blending this with ice cubes make a delicious smoothie (or margarita if using limes!)
Feeling adventurous? Will you try this one?
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Wellness Mama is a full-time housewife with a background in nutrition, journalism and communications. Her passion is helping others achieve optimal health through a “Wellness Lifestyle.” She has helped hundreds of clients lose weight, increase athletic performance, improve fertility, and overcome numerous health problems and diseases. Connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, Google+, & Pinterest.

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  • http://www.thecottagechild.blogspot.com Rachael

    This sounds delicious, and my kids love lemonade – I’m guessing with a little stevia they’ll drink it up. 

    Do you (or anyone?) have any thoughts on coconut palm sugar – is it just like any other?  Is the taste different?

  • Leslie

    I’m going to try this today!!

  • http://profiles.google.com/ceciliapowers Cecilia Powers

    i am so excited to try this! and thanks for the link on whey!

  • Getfitkate

    I love coconut palm sugar.  It has fewer carbs and more fiber than white or brown sugar.  In my opinion, the taste is pleasantly sweet, with notes of butterscotch and caramel.  I get mine from Whole Foods – the brand is “Thai Taste”, and you can find a little white tub of it in the asian food aisle.  This product is called “jaggery”, and the texture is a paste. 

    I’ve heard that you should avoid the hard nuggets of “palm sugar” that you find in some asian markets, because it is usually not from the coconut palm and is often adulterated with regular white cane sugar.   

  • Leslie

    Done!  On the counter fermenting now…

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=5006550 Megan Ciampa

    I’ve always wanted to make lemonade but I do not have a juicer. Is there an easy way to juice at home, or should I aks my friend who has had a juicer for 5 years and never uses it if I can use hers??

  • Bree

    Can you give a rough estimate for how much the juice of 10 lemons comes to?  I juice lemons when they’re ripe here in the winter and keep it in the freezer, so I have juice, I just don’t know how much to use!

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    Just do it to taste, but a cup to a cup and a half should be about right

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    Just do it to taste, but a cup to a cup and a half should be about right

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    juicers do make it faster, but you can juice by hand too. Just make sure the lemons are at room temp and roll them firmly on the counter with your hand before cutting open. I also use a spoon to help
    squeeze out all the juice.

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    juicers do make it faster, but you can juice by hand too. Just make sure the lemons are at room temp and roll them firmly on the counter with your hand before cutting open. I also use a spoon to help
    squeeze out all the juice.

  • http://profiles.google.com/ezekiels.garden Amy Gault

    This is super good when you add some fresh grated ginger to it, too! :)

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Otis-Hill/100000513118350 Otis Hill

    can you use honey instead of sugar?

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  • Cecilia Krueger

    I am sure you can. I usually use 1/2 honey because it is sweeter.

  • Melissa

    When the recipe calls for whey, are you referring to whey protein powder? I’m not very educated about it.

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  • http://profiles.google.com/ceciliapowers Cecilia Powers

    typically you do not want to use honey with fermented drinks, as the sugar is the food for the fermentation. 
    also, melissa, the whey is different from whey protein powder. WM linked to an easy way to do whey, with just some plain organic yogurt and the liquid drippings from it becomes the whey. check out her link in the recipe. 

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    If you click on “whey” in the recipe above, it will link to a post that explains how to extract it from plain yogurt :-)

  • Gpilnick

    I made this a few days ago and am drinking my yummy lemonade as we speak.  It really is delicious and my kids love it. 

  • Carol Procter

    I have just made half quantities of this but forgot to measure the whey and tipped it in, will it be ok?

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    It will be fine. It may ferment a little faster, so just keep an eye on it, but it should still taste great.

  • Carol Procter

    I am now drinking this each morning and it is lovely, will have to make some more. Its coming up to flu season here, so the vitamin C should ward off the bugs!

  • Themommybug

    I have a jar on my counter and I’m excited to give it a try tomorrow. Question, though… should I strain it before drinking? My juice had a lot of pulp and there’s a film on the top. Don’t want to remove anything I should be keeping in… Thanks!

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  • Ljonthebay

    How do you know when it is ready?  I made some and it ended up with a bunch of black stuff in it.  So I figured that I left it out too long.

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    Usually about two days, but it depends on the temperature in your kitchen…

  • Jallison

    I made this a couple of days ago, it actually tastes nice, the kids drunk it under duress!

  • Sonja

    Made this-it was wonderful!!! And you’re right..kids love it.

  • Mconsuegra

    So good! I am enjoying this lemonade thanks so much!! Even been using it to mix with my daily dose of apple cider vineger for added punch of tartness! Thanks again for your inspired and well informed outlook!

  • Quadplus1mom

    Made my second batch this week (the first batch was a hit when mixed with stevia sweetened iced tea for “Arnold Palmers”).  Question…I did not get it in the fridge last night (day 3), and when I came out this morning, there were three little pieces of mold floating on top.  I scooped them out, and stuck it in the fridge, but not sure if its safe.  Do you know?  Certainly don’t want to put any of us in danger, but hate to waste a gallon of it if it’s OK to drink.  Your thoughts?  Thanks!

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    I’ve done the same thing before and drank them with no problem…

  • Quadplus1mom

    Thanks for your reply.  After I left my question, I searched around on other blogs a bit, and others said the same thing, so we drank it…no problem!  Thanks again.  Another question…I’m all out of lemons, but have some whey left that I would like to use up.  I do have oranges, is there any reason that I can’t make probiotic orange juice?

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    I don’t see why it wouldn’t work… let me know if you try it!

  • Homeskoolmom

    I LOVE that I’m giving my children healthy, good for them lemonade, instead of yucky stuff!  I have shared this recipe with several people since finding it!

  • Jess

    I tried this one and after 2 days of fermenting it developed a skim of mould on top.  Thoughts?

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    It could be a temperature thing or from some other bacteria in the air. Mine did that once, but I just carefully removed the top layer and it was fine.

  • http://profiles.google.com/adamsmom09 Maryanne Anthopoulos

    Think I can use 1 cup of ginger bug instead of the whey?

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    It should work… let us know how it turns out!

  • Rbrockrea

    Can you use whey powder or will that not work? I happen to have some and no yogurt. It has no additives or added sugar, and it say it is “non-denatured, microfiltered pure whey.” What do you think?

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    It would probably taste good, but wouldn’t ferment the same since it isn’t a living strain

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  • Guest

    I am lactose intolerant. Was wondering if the whey would bother me. If so; do you have any suggestions of any thing else that I can add to help the fermentation process along?

  • Freeheart

    This sounds absolutely delicious am lactose intolerant. Was wondering if the whey would bother me. If
    so; do you have any suggestions of any thing else that I can add to help
    the fermentation process along?

  • Shaleen

    We made it for the first time this weekend. It doesn’t seem to taste tart at all and makes me wonder if it worked. You said to make sure the liquid is room temp before adding the whey. My home is usually at about 64 to 68 degrees during this time of year so my room tempature water is kind of cold. Can that affect the process?

  • Heather

    Didn’t read through all of the comments section, but wondered if you’ve had anyone talk about using plain water kefir in place of the whey? Would that work to culture/ferment veggies and/or make this lemonade? Thanks for your time!

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  • http://www.facebook.com/heidi.tyson.9 Heidi Tyson

    I tried this………but I don’t know if it worked or not. My house is pretty cool- about 66 degrees, with this cold winter. I let this lemonade sit out for the 2 days, then tasted it and it is pretty sweet- doesn’t taste “fermented” in anyway. So then I started questioning if it needed more time out on the counter……I let it sit for about 5 days. No black stuff has grown on it. I took a sip and it is still tasting on the sweet side. Is that normal? Did the whey not work? Is it safe to consume after being out 5 days?

  • Beverly

    Could I use the liquid off of coconut milk….the “whey” type stuff for this. I can’t do dairy at all. Thanks.

  • http://wellnessmama.com Wellness Mama

    No… it has to be the actual living whey with the bacteria for it to ferment…

  • Charity

    Actually – I’ve seen at Whole Foods a liquid coconut whey that is living and that would work.
    Another thing that works, & would also make it a bit fizzy, is bakers yeast as well as brewers yeast.
    I’ve been making homemade ginger ale and lemonade with the “live active baker’s yeast” for years!

    This is the link for making the ginger ale. To make the lemonade version, simply omit the ginger and use 1cup of lemon juice for the 2liters. :)

  • Beverly

    LOL there’s no link for the ginger ale. sounds good though.