Knowledge Base

Beet Kvass

Cultured beverage · Traditional · peer-reviewed

Eastern European lacto-ferment of beets in brine — a salty-sour, deep-red tonic drink rich in live cultures and beet pigments.

Easy to make
3–7 days ferment
live-cultures, lactic-acid, betalains supplied

Ingredients

  • Raw beetroot, scrubbed and chopped500 g
  • Non-iodised salt15 g
  • Water, non-chlorinated1 L
  • Optional: garlic, dill, or a splash of whey / sauerkraut brine as starterto taste

How to make it

  1. Step 1

    Chop scrubbed beets into chunks (peeling optional). Pack into a clean jar.

  2. Step 2

    Dissolve ~1.5% salt in the water (15 g per litre) and pour over the beets to cover.

  3. Step 3

    Add garlic or dill if you like, or a spoon of whey/sauerkraut brine to speed acidification.

  4. Step 4

    Weight the beets under the brine. Cover loosely.

  5. Step 5

    Ferment 3–7 days at 18–22 °C until the liquid is deep red, salty-sour, and lightly fizzy.

  6. Step 6

    Strain (or leave beets in) and refrigerate. Dilute to taste if too strong; reuse beets for a weaker second brew if desired.

What it is

Beet kvass is a lacto-fermented beet brine from Eastern European kitchens — not the bread-based kvass of Russia, but a savoury tonic made by submerging chopped beets in light salt water until native lactic-acid bacteria sour it. The finished liquid is deep red, salty-tangy, and lightly effervescent; it is drunk diluted or straight, and the soft beets can be eaten or re-brined.

The science

As with other vegetable ferments, epiphytic LAB on the beets (and any whey or brine starter you add) convert sugars into lactic acid under anaerobic, salted conditions, dropping the pH and preserving the drink (Breidt et al., 2013). Beets also contribute betalain pigments and natural sugars that colour and feed the ferment. A modest salt level (~1.5–2%) favours LAB while keeping the drink palatable as a beverage rather than a pickle brine.

Safety

Keep beets fully submerged. Use non-iodised salt and clean vessels. A healthy kvass smells earthy-sour, not rotten. Skim kahm yeast if it appears; discard for fuzzy coloured mould or a putrid odour. Refrigerate once it reaches a sourness you like.

Signs it worked / troubleshooting

  • ✅ Good: liquid turns deep red, tastes salty-sour, mild fizz by day 3–5.
  • ⚠️ White film = kahm yeast → skim, keep beets under brine.
  • 🚫 Mould or foul smell = contamination → discard.

How to store

Refrigerate; it keeps 1–2 weeks and slowly continues to sour. Start a new jar from a splash of the old brine for a faster next batch.

References

  • Breidt F, McFeeters RF, Pérez-Díaz I, Lee CH (2013). Fermented Vegetables. In: Food Microbiology: Fundamentals and Frontiers, 4th ed. ASM Press, 841–855. doi:10.1128/9781555818463.ch33
  • Marco ML, Sanders ME, Gänzle M, et al. (2021). The International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) consensus statement on fermented foods. Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology 18(3):196–208. doi:10.1038/s41575-020-00390-5
  • Clifford T, Howatson G, West DJ, Stevenson EJ (2015). The potential benefits of red beetroot supplementation in health and disease. Nutrients 7(4):2801–2822. doi:10.3390/nu7042801

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