How to Make Beet Kvass [Homemade Recipe] - My Fermented Foods (2024)

FAQs

How long do beet kvass ferment? ›

Some recipes call for adding whey, which speeds up the fermentation process, but kvass can be made more simply with just beets, water, and salt. Depending on the ingredients, your environment, and your personal taste, the fermentation process may take a couple of days to a couple of weeks.

We like to brighten the flavor with a few slices of ginger, and a squeeze of lemon or a sprig of mint are nice additions too. Once the mixture has fermented for anywhere from 3-14 days, you can remove the beets and eat them in salads, but the liquid that is left behind is the real treasure.

CAN I HAVE TOO MUCH? BEET KVASS is a live cultured tonic, so whilst you become accustomed to its incredible living properties, it is best to start out slow and steady. Drinking too much too soon can result in unpleasant symptoms such as bloating, abdominal discomfort, nausea or loose stools.

Usually, kvass contains not more than 1.5% of alcohol by volume, but if it stands for longer time, the concentration can become 2.5% or higher. Unlike beer, the kvass is generally considered to be a nonalcoholic beverage and is drunk by children of all ages without any limit.

Two cups of beetroot juice daily are recommended to achieve nitrate levels beneficial for cardiovascular health. While recent scientific interest in beetroot juice has surged, historical reports suggest its use as a natural medicine dates back to Roman times.

And as every chef knows, the best way to test something is to taste it. Kvass can take anywhere between 2-7 days before it's fermented to perfection, so try tasting a little after the second day. What you're looking for is that perfect balance of sweet and sour, with a hint of carbonation.

Beet Kvass is a traditional fermented Russian drink that supports healthy liver detoxification, contains various nutrients, and only requires 3 ingredients!

It's important to note that blood nitrate levels peak within 2–3 hours of consuming beets or their juice. Therefore, it's best to consume them a couple of hours before training or competing to maximize their potential benefits ( 16 ).

Why is my beet kvass slimy? ›

Beet brine is very thick and viscous because beets have so much sugar. The other thing is that 3 days isn't very long for a ferment like this and sometimes there is a thick slimy phase in fermentation that will work itself out.

Beetroot juice is rich in nitrates, which might negatively interact with certain blood pressure-lowering medicines, leading to a severe drop in blood pressure.

Do they need to be refrigerated? Yes! Once they are done fermenting we package and put in refrigerator to drastically slow down fermentation. As the cool stalls fermentation and keeps them alive.

Unlike the sweet, vinegar-forward flavor of kombucha, kvass has a light, crisp, clean taste and is full of all three biotics: pre- (fuels beneficial bacteria), pro- (live bacteria), and post- (beneficial metabolites). All the good stuff, none of the bad.

I use (scandinavian) tap water or filtered tap water. The natural alcohol level in homemade Kvass is very very low, about 0.05%-1.0%, which means that children can drink it too. Keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Scientific evidence suggests that fermented beetroot juice has potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antimicrobial, antidepressant, antihypertensive, hepatoprotective, hypocholesterolemic, immunomodulatory, and probiotic properties [3,8,9,10,11,12,13,14].

As time goes on, Quas gets slightly more sour and less sweet. You should expect Quas to taste like kvass within the best-before date. It tastes a little too sour to our liking after that, however, it is still absolutely safe to drink!