Simple Living With Nature

Grow Forage Cook Ferment logo
  • Grow
  • Forage
  • Cook
  • Ferment
  • Herbalism
  • Homestead
  • Start Here
  • Resources
  • Books
    • Healing Herbal Infusions
    • Wildcrafting Weeds
    • Simple Mead Making
    • Herbal Immune Support
    • Dandelion Recipes
    • Edible Flower Recipes
    • The Backyard Forest Garden
    • Healing Kitchen Herbs
    • Botanical Holiday Cocktails
  • About
    • About Me
    • Contact
  • Foraging Course
  • Subscribe!
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Home » Ferment » Fermented Soda » 12 Fermented Soda Recipes

12 Fermented Soda Recipes

May contain affiliate links or sponsored content. Please see my privacy policy and affiliate disclosure.

Originally published on January 5, 2024. Last updated on March 4, 2024

1.4K shares
  • 113
fermented soda recipes
fermented soda recipes

Fermented soda is a delicious and naturally bubbly way to get some healthy probiotic action. Adding herbal ingredients to naturally fermented soda makes them even more health-beneficial and tasty. These 12 fermented natural sodas have variety and light bubbly flavor you’ll love!

3 bottles of fermented soda surrounded by a gold funnel and fresh herbs and flowers.

Want to save this post for later?

We'll send it to your inbox, plus get updates from us every week!

Fermented Drinks for Health

Fermented sodas are fun to make, and are a delicious way to get some probiotics and herbal health in your diet regularly. With natural fizz, these recipes for fermented drinks that resemble sodas are easy to make and adjust to your herbal health needs.

These recipes are perfectly varied and are all natural. Many of them use a ginger bug as a starter, which adds probiotics and fermented bubbly goodness to get it going.

A ginger bug fermenting in a jar on a dark wood surface, surrounded by fresh ginger and a grater,

Another option is to use a turmeric bug, which is similar to a ginger bug but made with turmeric root instead. It’s a little bit more orange, and bubbles just the same!

A ginger bug and a turmeric bug both have their own flavor that adds to the fermented sodas, and they both have the natural yeast present to make lovely bubbling starters.

Foraged Fermented Sodas

Many of these natural sodas use foraged and homegrown ingredients, from flowers and pine needles to berries and rhubarb. Each has its own yummy flavor and benefits!

Pine Needle Soda

A super popular choice is this pine needle soda. It is perfect for winter foraging, and makes a fermented drink that tastes like Sprite!

Pine or other edible conifer needles are ok to use in this recipe, just make sure you identify them properly and stay away from any toxic families, most notably Yew trees.

A bottle of pine needle soda ready to ferment, on a circular trivet, sitting on a white counter surrounded by a jar of honey, and pine needles.
Pine Needle Soda

Dandelion Soda

When it’s springtime, dandelions are out in full force! They are easy to forage for and have tons of uses.

This spring, make sure to use some of your lion-faced beauties to make dandelion soda though. It tastes like sunshine and will refresh your afternoon with dandelion goodness!

Elderberry Soda

This elderberry fermented soda is full of immune-boosting health benefits! This natural soda can be made either with a ginger bug or using a wild yeast starter made with foraged elderberries.

This fizzy drink is super tasty, and turns out a beautiful color too! I always make this one in the late summer or fall, it’s perfect for the season!

Elderberry soda fermenting in a large jar with cheesecloth on top, sitting on a gray wood surface.
Elderberry Soda

Homegrown Fermented Sodas

When it comes to making fermented drinks, whether it’s mead, sodas, or otherwise, I like to use up what I have growing in my yard. Sometimes it’s berries, sometimes it’s roses, and sometimes it’s herbs. I haven’t had one turn out bad yet!

Strawberry Rhubarb Soda

I don’t know about you, but I’m a major fan of rhubarb. Plant it once, and it’s like a gift that keeps on giving!

Strawberries are a perfect pairing with rhubarb, and that is no different in this fizzy strawberry rhubarb soda. It has a perfect sweet and tart taste perfect for springtime!

Glasses of strawberry rhubarb soda on a wood surface with a hand holding one, garnished with fresh strawberries and a rhubarb stalk.
Strawberry Rhubarb Soda

Raspberry Soda

If you have raspberries growing in your yard or somewhere nearby, you must make this fermented raspberry soda.

It has a delicate floral sweetness, paired deliciously with a hint of ginger from the ginger bug. It’s a perfect fermented drink for summer!

Yarrow, Rose, and Strawberry Soda

Also made with a ginger bug, this fermented soda with yarrow, rose, and strawberries is perfect to make if you have wild roses climbing somewhere in your yard.

These seasonal ingredients make this drink taste refreshing and delicious, and it’s just as beautiful as it tastes. Plus, health benefits!

Large jar with homemade soda fermenting, covered with cheesecloth.
Yarrow, Rose, & Strawberry Soda

Lemon Lime Soda

If you have citrus trees or access to fresh lemons and limes during the citrus season or the summer, this lemon-lime lacto-fermented soda is a great way to use them!

What I love about this soda is that it is a natural and healthy copycat version of high-sugar lemon-lime sodas, and is just as refreshing!

Root Based Fermented Sodas

Of course, many of these sodas begin with ginger and turmeric starters, which are root herbs. While many include other fresh herbal ingredients, these two focus mainly on roots.

Fermented Root Beer

I didn’t drink much soda as a kid, but as a treat, I’d always choose root beer, hands down! What I didn’t know then is that root beer was traditionally made with actual roots.

Once I learned that, I HAD to put the root back in root beer with this amazingly delicious traditional fermented root beer soda. Trust me when I say you’ll love this one as much as I do!

Root beer fermenting in a large jar with cheesecloth on top, on a gray wood surface.
Fermented Root Beer

Turmeric Soda

Turmeric is a popular anti-inflammatory root, with a beautiful orange color that lends itself really nicely to this fermented turmeric soda.

This soda is vibrant, naturally bubbly, and is a great way to access the benefits of turmeric root.

Fermented turmeric soda in a glass.
Turmeric Soda

Kvass and Kefir Fermented Sodas

Slightly different than other fermented sodas, but still fermented and lightly fizzy, kvass and kefir sodas have probiotic goodness.

These don’t use a ginger bug, because the vegetables have the yeast needed to bubble these sodas up in no time!

Sweet Potato Kvass

Also called sweet potato fly, this sweet potato kvass is simple to make and brings the delicious sweet and earthy flavor of this root veggie to your glass.

This drink ferments quickly and is a great place to start if you’re interested in making a kvass.

two bottles of fermented sweet potato kvass
Sweet Potato Kvass

Winter Herb Kvass

This winter herb kvass uses radish and easy-to-find cold-weather herbs. This recipe is super simple, ferments on its own, and gives a lovely fresh winter flavor!

A jar of kvass fermenting with fresh herbs and a radish, top view.
Winter Herb Kvass

Water Kefir Soda

Water kefir is easy to make, whether you’re interested in an herbal water kefir or a fruity, strawberry water kefir soda these fermented sodas are loaded with probiotics. Water kefir is similar to kombucha, but uses tibicos which are like tiny SCOBYs (symbiotic cultures of bacteria and yeast).

This recipe uses herbal tea to infuse the water kefir and then ferments it into a delicious lightly bubbly soda. It’s healthy, full of probiotics, and has herbal benefits!

Several jars and bottles of fermented strawberry kefir water, with a jar of cheesecloth covered regular kefir water.

Fermented Soda FAQs

Is fermented soda good for you?

Yes! Fermented sodas are full of healthy bacteria and probiotics. Once you add in herbs and the vitamins from veggies used, this is a very healthy drink and a perfect replacement for store-bought soda pop.

Does fermented soda contain alcohol?

All fermented drinks have a small amount of alcohol as a byproduct of fermentation. It is usually a trace amount, and fermented sodas are not considered to be an alcoholic drink. However, if you have concerns, it’s best to use discretion for what is best for you.

What does a ginger bug do?

A ginger bug is a simple beginner fermentation recipe that works as a starter or base for a variety of naturally fermented soda drinks. This also applies to a turmeric bug.

  • Join My Free Foraging & Herbalism Email Course!

  • This will also subscribe you to the Grow Forage Cook Ferment newsletter. You can unsubscribe at any time. Please see my Privacy Policy.

  • This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Previous Post: « 30+ Pine Needle Recipes: Drinks, Desserts, Syrups, Balms & More!
Next Post: Lemon Poppy Seed Loaf with Lemon Glaze »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. bart says

    January 12, 2024 at 2:03 pm

    Whow, today I found your URL in a forum about healty food, so I decided to take a look.
    Fantastic, Thanks for this sharing.
    bart

    Reply
  2. Jennifer L Johnson says

    January 10, 2024 at 7:28 am

    So is a Ponderossa Pine safe to use for this? I get such conflicting information. Thank you!

    Reply
    • Grow Forage Cook Ferment says

      January 17, 2024 at 11:09 am

      No, I wouldn’t use ponderosa.

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Hello there! I’m Colleen.

I want to inspire you to live seasonally, become more self sufficient, and protect your health. I share information on foraging and wildcrafting, fermenting and preserving, cooking whole foods from scratch, permaculture gardening, and making herbal products. And that’s just the beginning! Learn more.

My Books

Spring Favorites

purple dead nettle uses benefits look alike

Foraging for Purple Dead Nettle: an edible backyard weed

50+ Dandelion Recipes: Drinks, Sweets, Soap, Remedies + More!

A jar filled with lilacs and honey, surrounded by fresh lilacs.

Lilac Flower Infused Honey

Dandelion Mead Recipe (Dandelion Wine Made With Honey)

Popular Posts

How to Make Soap For Beginners + Calendula Soap Recipe

10 Reasons to Grow Mint (Without Fear)

How to Make and Use Dandelion Salve

What to Forage in Spring: 20 Edible and Medicinal Plants and Fungi

how to make mead

How to Make a Gallon of Mead: A Simple Mead Recipe

How to Make Hard Cider: Homebrew it!

Fermented Honey Garlic

8 Easy to Identify Edible Mushrooms

Mountain Rose Herbs
×

Join list.

More info

Footer

Explore

  • Grow
  • Forage
  • Cook
  • Ferment
  • Herbalism
  • Homestead

Learn To Forage

The gather + root online foraging course will help you to safely identify, harvest, and use common edible and medicinal plants with confidence.

Enroll Now

As Featured On

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • Privacy Policy
  • Affiliate Disclosure
  • Amazon Affiliate

Copyright © 2025 Grow Forage Cook Ferment & Cocos Creations LLC.

1.4K shares
  • 113