Name: Ginger Bug Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 7205 min
Ingredients: 1-2 fresh organic ginger roots; ½ cup white sugar; 2 cups filtered water

If you aren’t familiar with naturally fermented beverages, you might be asking what the heck a ginger bug is and why you should make one…

A ginger bug is a culture of beneficial bacteria made from fresh ginger root and sugar. It is similar to a sourdough starter for bread or a kombucha SCOBY. The ginger imparts its flavor and as it naturally ferments, creates a mixture of beneficial bacteria.

Though not overly tasty by itself, the ginger bug is the base for many homemade sodas and tonics. We use it to make root beer, ginger ale, fruit “sodas”, and more.

The recipe we use is an adaption of the recipe in Nourishing Traditions (p. 591) and is the culture we use for all homemade sodas. There is also an easier way to make soda that doesn’t require a ginger bug if you prefer to skip this step, but to make an authentic soda, the bug is needed.

Ginger Bug Recipe

Once this ginger bug is made, it can be kept alive and used continuously to make healthy soda at any time.

How to Make a Ginger Bug for Natural Soda

Ginger Bug Recipe

How to create a ginger bug to use as the beneficial culture to make healthy fermented homemade sodas like old fashioned ginger ale or root beer.

Prep Time 5

Fermentation Time 5

Total Time 5 5

Author Katie Wells

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Servings

Ingredients

1-2 fresh organic ginger roots
½ cup white sugar
2 cups filtered water

Instructions

Cut a piece of ginger root about 1.5 inches long and grate to make 2-3 Tablespoons of grated ginger. You can also finely chop instead of grating. There is some debate about if it is better to peel the root or not. My general rule is that non-organic ginger gets peeled and organic just gets rinsed before grating.
Place the ginger in a quart size mason jar and add an equal amount of white sugar (2-3 Tablespoons). Nourishing Traditions insists that white sugar is needed to create the bug and I’ve had the best success with this, but a local friend claims that unrefined sugar or sugar with 1 tsp of molasses added works better. Try what you have and adapt as needed.
Add 2 cups of filtered water to the mason jar. Make sure that the water has been filtered so that it does not contain chlorine which can affect the culturing process.
Stir with a non-metal spoon and lightly cover. I cover with a coffee filter and rubber band.
Each day for the next five days, stir the mixture at least once and add 1 Tablespoon of grated ginger root and 1 Tablespoon of sugar. Depending on temperature, it may take up to eight days of adding sugar and ginger to create the desired culture.
You can tell if the culture is active if there are bubbles forming around the top of the mixture, it “fizzes” when stirred, and it takes on a sweet and mildly yeasty smell. It will also become somewhat cloudy and opaque. If mold appears on the top, scrape it off if it can be removed. It this happens more than once, you will need to start again. If the mixture hasn’t taken on these characteristics by the 7-8th day, you need to discard it and start again.
Keep the culture away from other cultures like sauerkraut and kombucha or it can cross-culture.
Once the ginger bug has cultured, it can be used to create fermented sodas and drinks at the ratio of ¼ cup ginger bug starter per quart of sweetened herbal mixtures for ginger ale or root beer or diluted fruit juice for fruit flavored sodas.

Notes

To keep the bug alive and continue growing it, you will need to feed it regularly. Add 1 teaspoon minced ginger and 1 teaspoon sugar per day if kept at room temperature. You can also “rest” it in the fridge and feed it 1 Tablespoon each of ginger and sugar once a week. To reactivate it, remove and let it reach room temperature and begin feeding it again.

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Do you have a pet ginger “bug” sitting on your counter? Will you make one?

A ginger bug is a culture of beneficial bacteria made from ginger root and is the starter culture for many homemade fermented sodas and drinks.

Sources

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About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Co-founder of Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

Comments

433 responses to “How to Make a Ginger Bug”

Misty

February 5, 2014

I started a ginger bug, basically from the recipe that you mentioned above, but before reading yours here. However, mine’s doing great and actually I did not start mine with white sugar. I started it first with unrefined sugar, and because We’ve been trying to stay away from so much fructose (namely the syrups and all) we’ve started trying dextrose to sweeten when we want something sweetened. I also like honey. So, the ginger bug actually really likes both here. 🙂 The dextrose, which is pure glucose, it loves.. it just eats it up. My ginger bug is bubbly and has a beautiful smell and we like to use it for soda too. However, using the dextrose versus any other sugar it doesn’t get as sweet. So, I’ve also been using the dextrose with my water kefir, which again loves it and the grains multiply even faster with that than with the molasses added, however, again, it too is not as sweet as it would be when I’ve used other sugar. So, that actually makes me wonder if what it’s mostly eating up in the ginger bug or in the water kefir is glucose and the reason it remains sweet tasting or even slightly sweet later is because the fructose remains. It’s almost like it’s gobbling up all the glucose and leaving the fructose. Have any ideas? Thanks! 🙂

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1. Louise
  
  August 6, 2014
  
  Do you think agave nectar would work? I got some to use in my iced tea, but don’t much like the flavor. Maybe it could be used here?
  
  Reply
  1. Rachel
    
    January 31, 2015
    
    I use agave in my home made no bake granola bars. Check on Pinterest, they have lots of recipes for agave
    
    Reply
  2. Karen
    
    March 7, 2016
    
    Agave is basically fructose so it should work here
    
    Reply
Nori

February 4, 2014

This is Sally Fallon’s recipe, isn’t it?

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annie

February 3, 2014

i don’t get how it makes a culture though, it is simply ginger with sugar water? where does it get the yeast and good bacteria from?

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1. Amanda
  
  February 6, 2014
  
  Vegetables all have (good) bacteria on them so the ginger will already have bacteria that will grow with the addition of the sugar and wild yeast is present in the air and the culture will pick that up (which is why you can’t seal it while it is starting).
  
  Reply
Steven Lattimer

January 26, 2014

i have made this a couple times about 3 gallons now. I have used fresh home grown ginger and store bought because I ran out. I used a very small amount of distillers yeast (like 10 grains or less) in the wort. After the whole process as described in directions was complete I let it set in the refrigerator for 5-7 days and it was perfect. very fizzy like store bought. tastes better than store bought because I know it’s probiotic and contains no fluoride, HFC and not much refined sugar. I used molasses in one batch sorghum in another. Molasses was best for me. Fully intend to experiment with everything in the spice rack though. Thanks wellness mamma. I have been looking for this for awhile.

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Jamie Campbell

January 23, 2014

I created a bug with this recipe. I’m glad I read it again today — I’ve been overfeeding the bug, giving it a full tablespoon per day of both sugar and ginger. It hasn’t seemed to mind, it’s been making ginger ale just fine and is bubbling like a normal ferment should, but it’s good to know it will stay alive if I cut back to teaspoon amounts instead. I think that in reading it quickly I probably got confused with the “once a week” fridge feeding.

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Kayla Brooks

January 11, 2014

What is the difference between this and kombucha? is one more beneficial?

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Brianna King

January 10, 2014

What happens if things cross culture?

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Patricia Linkous

January 6, 2014

Hey! Will coconut sugar work? I’ve got molasses as well if needed.

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Sarah

December 30, 2013

My bug has a slight pink tinge to it, is that ok?

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1. Katie – Wellness Mama
  
  December 30, 2013
  
  Yes
  
  Reply
Todd Dina Johnson

November 29, 2013

Is there a way to make such a ‘bug’ with dandelion root?
Can ginger be grown in Southeast Idaho?

Reply
1. Curt
  
  June 17, 2017
  
  Yes, you can
  Just substitute the dandelion root for the ginger root! Dig fresh dandelion root and wash all the dirt off. There are more and (I think) better “critters” on the dandelion root than what you will get from store bought ginger! We are working with the bug here, not the flavor of the final soda, so we are just developing the fiz component at this point.
  
  Reply
  1. David A
    
    June 17, 2017
    
    Good idea which reminds me I have wild carrot (flowers known as Queen Anns Lace) growing as weeds. As you said not worried about the flavor for the bug. I get the flavor from the tea I make for it. I vary my teas using ginger and sometimes add cloves, cinnamon stick, allspice, orange extract etc. Really comes out great.
    Thank for the idea!
    
    Reply
Shadi Mirza

November 27, 2013

You do indeed need to use the plain white stuff. I tried using evaporated cane sugar and there were small bubbles, but it never really came together.

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Haley Holden

November 11, 2013

I was almost done with my bug… but then got too busy to feed my it for two days and now it has lost its fizzy-ness. How can I fix it to make my soda? Or do I have to start over fresh?

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Mo

October 23, 2013

There is a much easier way to make natural soda.
Fill one 2 liters soda bottle with 1/2 can 100% juice concentrate, 1/8 tsp champagne yeast, 1/4c sugar top it off with water. Seal and shake to mix. Wait 24 hours at room temp, check firmness of bottles. (time=firmer=more fizz) Then chill
Replace the concentrate with grated/chopped ginger if you want ginger ale (powder might work too)
I make four 2 litters bottles of Welch’s grape at a time take less than 5 min
If you put it in a cupboard and forget about it, it will blow up; don’t ask me how I know.

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Kim

October 11, 2013

Would you recommend this for someone with multiple food allergies, GI issues, and a Candida allergy? I am considering making ginger syrup (no sugar added) and just adding it to seltzer water. What do you recommend?

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Laura Rich

October 1, 2013

I’m so excited to find this recipe! I adore ginger ale but hate all the store bought options with corn syrup. Started my ginger bug last night and checked it this morning. We have bubbles! I hope it keeps it up! BTW, I used unrefined organic sugar (all I had on hand) and a tsp of black strap molasses. 😉

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Nicola Faraci

September 29, 2013

Can you please tell me if you keep the ginger bug in a sealed container when resting in fridge?

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1. Ruthie
  
  September 17, 2014
  
  Wondering same thing— do you keep the coffee filters on the bug in the fridge or go ahead and seal them when they are “resting”?
  
  Reply
  1. Jessica
    
    January 25, 2015
    
    hi! I’m wondering the same. When resting the bug, do you cover or seal?
    thanks
    
    Reply
    1. Owen
      
      January 26, 2015
      
      I doesn’t matter either way. The cold temperatures will drop microbial activity dramatically so they do not need nearly the amount of oxygen needed if it were fermented at room temperature. I put a cap on mine if I put it in the fridge just in case it spills or if there might be some funky stuff in the fridge. Just add a little bit of sugar every week and shake it up a bit. Also you can use that ginger bug to “inoculate” other jars that have not begun fermenting. Make sure though that after you add water to your ginger bug you add some lime and lemon. This will drop the pH to discourage molds from colonizing…also great flavor. I think lime and lemon take away from the spiciness ginger has. Cheers.
      
      Reply
Amy Fletcher

September 29, 2013

You have peaked my curiosity! I have komboocha fermenting and want to start a ginger bug too. But now I want to know what would happen if they do cross culture? Lol. Must know.

Reply
1. Kimi Wei
  
  January 20, 2015
  
  The word you want is piqued …
  
  Reply
Danny

September 24, 2013

Hi,

If the bug is just sugar, ginger and water, then wouldnt a ginger ale with just sugar, ginger and water ferment on its own anyway without the bug? (or am I missing the point)

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Blair Higgs

September 3, 2013

My ginger bug looks great until day 5 and then when I wake up on day five ready to make ginger ale all the fizz is gone and it looks dead? 🙁 I feed it 1 table spoon of sugar and ginger each day and stir at the same time each day. Any suggestions?

Reply
1. erikasalzeck
  
  September 6, 2013
  
  I am having exactly the same problems -fizzed nicely for the second & third day but now has stopped. I read on another blog to leave it uncovered during the day so am trying that – fingers crossed!
  
  Reply
  1. Serena
    
    October 7, 2013
    
    Mine did the same thing! It was awesome, and so I went out and got more ginger, and found some bottles to make ginger ale, and now no fizzies. I fed mine each day at the same time too. This is the second time this happened to me. I may just give up.
    
    Reply
Katie

September 2, 2013

Wellness Mama, do you know what the sugar content is of the final product? I’m really really trying to watch my sugar intake. If you could tell me the amount of sugar in about 8 oz. of ginger beer I’d appreciate it. Thank you.

Reply