If you’re keen on trying to start making your own fermented food and drinks, a ginger bug – and in turn, ginger beer – is the one of the easiest and most straightforward things to begin with. You don’t need to source any special items or ingredients (like a scoby) or any expensive or hard-to-find tools.

To make your own ginger bug, a mix of fermented ginger, sugar, and water, you only need those three ingredients plus a glass jar and some fabric to cover. Add to it each day and in a few days you’ll have a delicious spicy ginger mix that can be used as a drink on its own with sparkling water or used to make homemade ginger beer. Any type of fermented soda or pop can be made with this bug. I like to mix it with elderflower cordial and sparkling water for a quick fancy drink.

This is always what I recommend beginners to start their fermenting journey on. It’s easier than sourdough, sauerkraut, and even kombucha. You can probably start one today with ingredients you already have on hand and have fermented drinks in the refrigerator within a week. You could mix some of the bug into ginger shots, too, to add a little extra boost.

I’m planning on sharing more fermenting recipes this year (if you have my cookbook, you’ll already know that it’s something I’ve been doing for years) but in the meantime you can also start with making your own apple cider vinegar or fermented cashew cream cheese. If you’re a keen gardening you may also be interested in this quick video I did last year about fermented garlic scapes.

Ingredients

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

• Ginger: this must be fresh ginger and be sure not to peel it.
• Sugar: I have tried making ginger bugs without sugar, using honey, and while it does work, it’s much less predictable and reliable. For the purpose of this recipe I do recommend using sugar but as you gain experience you could try honey instead.
• Water: if you live in an area with questionable tap water, you can use filtered. Use whatever you’d usually choose for drinking water. When I lived in Brandon (Manitoba Canada) I used filtered water because the tap water there has a very distinct chemical taste but never noticed a real difference in terms of fermentation time or success.

Step by Step

Step 1: grate the ginger and add it to a jar with the sugar.

Step 2: add the water.

Step 3: stir very well to combine, trying to dissolve the sugar.

Step 4: the ginger will settle throughout the mixture at this point.

Step 5: cover tightly and set aside.

Step 6: feed in the same amounts each day for at least three days, or until very bubbly and active. The ginger should be rising to the top.

Recipe Notes

This is a guide on how to make a ginger bug from the beginning. Once you have it established, it’ll look a little different. You’ll need to feed it as much as is needed for the recipe you want to make, to make as much of the bug as is called for, still following the 1:1:3 (ginger, sugar, water) ratio. That being said, it’s an easygoing thing and you can be a bit approximate with what’s added and when. It really is the most relaxed ferment.

Don’t listen to anyone who tells you that the only proper sugar to use is conventional white sugar, they’re full of garbage. Any type of cane or beet sugar can be used no problem. Unrefined cane sugar will work just as well as the whitest of white beet sugar. There will be a very slight difference in taste and colour but scarcely enough to be noticed.

How to Store

For regular use: if you’re using the bug in drinks every few days, or making a lot of ginger beer or other fermented soda pops, you can keep it on the counter and continue with feeding daily. If you find that the jar is filling up too much either reduce the size of the feedings or store as outlined below.

For infrequent use: to use once a week or less, store your active ginger bug in the refrigerator with a tight-fitting lid. I usually do this after the bug has peaked and I’ve made a batch of ginger beer, so it’s not just been fed as you would when storing sourdough starter in the refrigerator. Keep at least a tablespoon of the bug in the jar. When ready to use, feed it once as usual and see how it looks – usually it’ll be active again after just one feeding, but if not, feed it a second day and then it should be very bubbly and ready to use again.

Expert Tips

• Cover very tightly: to avoid fruit flies getting caught in your ginger bug, be sure to use a tightly woven cloth and secure it tightly to the jar. They will be attracted to the fermenting mixture and you may see them sitting on the top of the jar – I usually place a trap (a dish of vinegar, with a drop of unscented dish soap) beside the bug during warmer months.
• Be patient: as with any fermenting project, your time frame might look differently from the one laid out here. Temperature, ingredients, and more can play a role in how quickly things will lacto-ferment in your space. Use this recipe as a guideline but pay attention to what’s happening rather than how many days it’s been.
• Use a clean jar: sterilise the jar, as always, before starting a new fermenting project. Running it through the dishwasher will be enough but otherwise you can use the oven method or boiling water method. If you don’t sterilise it you will run the risk or mould or other contamination ruining the bug.

More Fermented Recipes

Fruit Vinegar
Honey Oat Sourdough
Einkorn Sourdough Bread
Sourdough Spelt Waffles