Beet kvass is a deeply nourishing fermented drink that is tangy, earthy, and salty. Beet kvass originated from eastern Europe and is prized for it’s liver tonifying properties. You also get a hit of beneficial bacteria to support healthy digestion and a boost to the immune system.

If you like kombucha, then beet kvass should be right up your alley. If you want to support your body with a nutritious diet, then you can’t go wrong by adding this to your arsenal of nourishing foods.

If is perfectly fine to drink this daily, however, word of caution - go slow. If your body isn’t ready for it, you might experience some gastrointestinal symptoms. Listen to your body. I stick to about 4 ounces a day at the moment.

Your body might crave more or less after a bit. You may even need to start with less than a tsp. a day and work your way up. Gastro symptoms doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have it at all - it just means that you need to slow down and allow the body to adjust to the beneficial bacteria that you’re adding in, especially if you already have some digestive issues. If you can’t tolerate any fermented foods, then there’s a good chance you have intestinal damage that needs some repair. You can ask me about that another time :).

The ingredients are simple:

Organic beets
Sea salt (any salts I mention here work well)
Filtered water

I like beet kvass with just these simple ingredients but I also like it with some add ins to change up the flavour.

Some optional add-ins:

ginger
garlic
cabbage
onion
cucumber
carrot

Adding fermented foods to your diet is always a good thing. Our North American diet tends to shy away from fermented foods - but there is plenty of research to show that we need the beneficial bacteria that comes from fermenting foods.

If you are brand new to fermenting, this is a good start. I would also recommend a simple sauerkraut - though the beet kvass is a lot less chopping and pounding and it only takes 3-5 days until it’s ready to enjoy.

How do I start?

I used some brine from some fermented carrots I had in my fridge when I first started making beet kvass. Now I just keep a little of the beet kvass for the next batch. If you have any lacto-fermented vegetable in your fridge, you can use liquid from that to get it going. You can also use natural liquid strained off of homemade sour cream or yogurt.

alternatively, you can just use salt and the beets and veggies and let the magic happen. Just be sure to check that no vegetables float to the top and cause mold.

Mold on the top and/ or a funky smell definitely means your ferment has gone bad and you’ll have to toss the whole thing. It happens to everyone eventually.

To make this recipe, you’ll need:

2 L glass jar with lid (cut recipe in half for 1L)
fermentation weight

This recipe is the flavour combination I like the most and now almost exclusively make it this way.

Beet kvass

3-4 medium beets
filtered water
2 tbsp. unrefined sea salt
1/2 onion, sliced
1/8th - 1/4 cabbage

Directions

Scrub beets clean and do not peel. Remove the tops and roughly chop them. You want medium to large chunks.
Add beets to the jar. Then add a layer of optional add ins. In this recipe, It’s the chopped cabbage and sliced onion. You can save a large cabbage leaf to put in the jar before adding the fermentation weight to better keep everything under liquid.
add 2 tbsp. salt
Add filtered water to about 2 inches below the mouth of the jar.
place fermentation weight on cabbage leaf to keep veggies under water.
put a lid on tightly. You may need to burp it. Check on it daily to make sure lid isn’t ballooning up. If it is, simply burp it by turning the cap just enough to let air out then tightening again.
place on the counter and wait 3-5 days. If your kitchen tends to be cooler, it might need to go a little longer.
when ready, store in the fridge.

Notes

*you can strain it and keep the liquid out and store it in a glass jar in the fridge. I don’t do this. I keep mine in the fridge with beets and all still in it. When I done drinking it, I make another batch.

*you can also ferment the same veggies twice. I do this by keeping the veggies in the jar and just adding more filtered water, another 2 tbsp. unrefined sea salt. I typically leave a little beet kvass in the jar to help the ferment along.

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Beet Kvass