Gut Healing Beet Kvass Recipe That Even Your Kids Will Drink!

If you’ve ever wondered how to get more beneficial live cultures into your kids’ tummies, I have the perfect beet kvass recipe that is super easy.  This recipe makes sweet kvass, rather than a salty one, and can be enjoyed on its own or mixed into a smoothie. 

Why Beet Kvass? 

Research now shows that your gut microbiome has tremendous implications for your overall health.  Scientists say that it is a “significant contributor” to the development of allergies, for example. 

Sadly, I had no idea about this link between gut health and allergies until, after my son’s severe anaphylactic shock in early 2024, I observed him having almost daily digestive issue for almost a month.  We’d been seeing allergy specialists for nearly four years and through three doctors, but no one had mentioned anything about his gut health. 

But it didn’t take long for me to find information on how the overall decline of gut health in the West may be contributing to the rise of modern diseases like allergies, autism and autoimmune disorders.  Reasons for this phenomenon, which include overuse of antibiotics in medicine and farming, consumption of processed foods and our hyper-sanitized environments, are beyond the scope of this post.  (I recommend the book, 10% Human, if you’re curious for more.) 

For my family, we are now working with a functional doctor to find out the root causes of his condition.  Initial results of his GI-map have indicated that, indeed, he has an overgrowth of a bad bacteria and very low counts of certain beneficial ones. 

This is all to say, we are constantly looking for ways to support the good guys in his little tummy.  It is a part of our strategy for him to be healthy and hopefully grow out of his allergies.  And one tool that has become a part of our everyday rotation is sweet beet kvass.  I give full credit to this recipe here on the Fermenting for Foodies blog, although I have tweaked it a bit to suit my own taste. 

I first read about beet kvass in a “foods that heal” book, and have since seen it mentioned kind of everywhere in discussions of gut health.  Beet kvass is a fermented food that allows the delivery of beneficial live cultures directly into your intestines, just like sauerkraut and kimchi, except in a liquid form.  For me, it was easy to get used to the idea because I’ve been making kimchi at home for years and have made water kefir drinks in the past. 

Why I Love This Beet Kvass

Now, fermented vegetables always have their place, since you’re eating the vegetable and its nutrients, as well as the cultures.  But if I was to compare beet kvass to kefir made at home, it is hands down beet kvass.  Here’s why:

1. It is so easy to make.  All you need are organic beets from your grocery store or the farmers’ market, some local honey and clean water.  No need to order kefir grains to come in the mail.
2. Beets grow in the soil and bring a diverse set of microbes and nutrients.  Nature likes diversity, even in our guts, and this is definitely a plus for beet kvass. 
3. It is easy to drink!  I’ve never even tasted the salt-fermented version and, at least in my book, there’s no need.  The final product of this recipe is mildly sweet and tangy, with the earthy flavor of beets.  I can drink it straight and do, while my kids like it in their smoothies. 
4. It uses local honey.  Raw, unfiltered local honey has probiotic strains of its own.  It is also considered good for allergies, because it gives you trace exposures to local pollen for desensitization. 
5. It’s economical.  When you buy a bunch of beets, it usually comes with the greens.  I use all of it, including the fresh greens and fermented beets (right from the freezer!) for smoothies.  You do this and it becomes a sweet deal, especially compared with store-bought fermented drinks.    

Is it safe?

Some may wonder if it would be safe to ferment without the salt.  I direct you to our DISCLAIMER page and reiterate that all information on this blog is my opinion/experience only and not to be taken as medical or scientific advice.  Still, I’ve made like a dozen batches of this recipe and never had a problem.  You just have to watch out for a bad batch—I’ve never had any—which is obviously going to smell and look funky.

Start Slowly

One important word of caution is that you should start out slowly, especially if you have a health condition or a sensitive digestive system.  If you don’t take caution, it could cause gastrointestinal problems because it can be a shock to your system.  Beet kvass is potent stuff. 

For my son, I tried to start with about a tablespoon in his 6 oz smoothie, and that was too much.  It gave him diarrhea.  So we went down to 0.25 teaspoon and stayed there for a couple of weeks.  Then we went up to 0.5 teaspoon for a while, and so on.  We are now at about a tablespoon.  I started drinking it at 4 ounces and never had a problem.  My 8-year-old daughter is unbothered, as well. 

So please consider the individual when incorporating beet kvass into your diet.  When in doubt, go slow!

What You Need to Make Gut Healing Beet Kvass

To make this recipe, you’ll need:

• Organic beets.  I usually find bunches that have three beets.  I like them to be more than 2 inches at least in diameter, otherwise it gets tedious when peeling them.
• Local, raw and unfiltered honey.  I usually have this in my cupboard and buy from a number of sources.  I’m lucky that there are many farms around and it is so easy to find them.  If you can’t find local honey or just want to try with whatever you have on hand, that’s fine of course!  Just make sure it is raw and unfiltered. 
• Filtered water.  I’ve used barely filtered water, spring water from the store and Zero-water pitcher filtered water.  They have all worked fine.  It’s up to your preference and what’s easy for you. 
• Glass jars.  This recipe uses three beets, diced, and 4 cups of water per batch.  So you’d need containers to hold about two quarts, for first ferment.  You can use plastic containers, too, if that’s what you have, although you should make sure that they’re BPA-free.  After the first ferment, I pour the kvass liquids into 16 oz flip top glass bottles for a second ferment and/or to be stored in the refrigerator.  If you want to make it frizzy to drink, the flip top is essential to trap the gas.  Personally, I don’t really care for the frizz, but the “pop” when I open the bottle is a sign that the stuff is fermenting.  I was able to pick up a couple of flip top bottles from the local Home Goods store for about $3 each, so they’re not expensive, either. 

And here’s the recipe. Hope you try it!