Bubbly Fermented Sparkling Apple Cider
Fermented apple cider is the ultimate probiotic soda that is great for entertaining. Wild fermented and chocked full of health benefits, no champagne yeast needed.
Growing up, no Thanksgiving or Christmas holiday was complete without a bubbly glass of sparkling apple cider on hand. I looked forward to having some every holiday season. As an adult, not much as changed about my admiration for apple cider. But, how I get it has. Let me explain.
I give much more thought into what’s in the foods and beverages at the grocery store, than I did when I was a child. You should too!
And trust me, the more you learn about how most food is raised, processed and prepared, the more food that you’ll want to prepare at home.
What’s the Difference Between Sparkling Apple Cider and Fermented Sparkling Apple Cider
Oh yes…I’m guessing that the question on your mind is, “What’s the difference between sparking apple cider (from the store) and fermented sparkling apple cider?” Let me enlighten you.
Many years ago, before the industrial revolution, a large portion of our food was naturally fermented. I’m talking about baked goods, sauerkraut, ketchup. cheese, milk (kefir), sausages, yogurt, alcohol and even soda.
I know…I know…hard to believe right? This wild fermentation not only helped to preserve the food, but boosted the health benefits by acting as a natural probiotic.
The difference between sparkling apple cider (that you find at the grocery store) and naturally fermented apple cider, is that the former is not a probiotic and is not associated with known nutritional benefits. Yes, you do get some empty calories from sparkling apple cider, but that’s it. It may even have added sweeteners and artificial flavors.
Sparkling apple cider is made from apple juice to which carbon dioxide is added. The pushing of carbon dioxide into the liquid phase is not naturally occurring.
On the contrary, fermented apple cider goes through a natural fermentation process where wild yeast and other microscopic organisms (like bacteria), feed on natural sugars in fresh juice and create carbon dioxide as a byproduct. This spontaneous fermentation is captured and results in bubbly fermented cider that is wonderful for gut health.
Lactic acid bacteria and yeast also produce a small amount of alcohol in the latter stages of fermentation. These levels can be reduced by natural means or amplified if making hard apple cider. Just so you know, this is a family friendly apple cider recipe, so I’ve provided options naturally reduce alcohol content
Benefits of Making Fermented Sparkling Apple Cider Or Probiotic Soda
There are so many good reasons to make fermented apple cider at home.
Great healthy alternative: First of all, fermented apple cider is a great alternative to bottled sparkling apple cider because it’s a probiotic. As a matter of fact, you might as well call this recipe apple probiotic soda. Probiotic foods (like probiotic soda), that you make at home using natural fermentation, is much better than store bought probiotics.
And of course fermented apple cider is made from apples. Apples are loaded with health benefits.
More affordable: Buying apples in season drives down the cost of apple cider per gallon.
It’s Fun: OK, maybe I’m a bit nerdy, but I think it’s so much fun to make probiotic foods like real apple cider at home. I get excited checking out the bubbles and foam in my cider ferment. It is truly satisfying.
When to Make Homemade Apple Cider
The best time to make sparkling apple cider is during apple season and right into the Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years holidays. If you decide to make fermented apple cider in the early fall, you’ll have the benefit of potentially picking apples from a local orchard or perhaps you can get fresh apples from your own apple tree.
If using fresh apples you’ll need to extract the juice first.
If you don’t have access to getting your apples this way, don’t worry. That’s what grocery stores are for! You can make this recipe starting from fresh apples or using apple cider or apple juice. Just make sure that you can see sediments on the bottom of the bottle.
What Type of Apples To Use In Fresh Sparkling Apple Cider?
If you’re making this recipe starting with fresh apples, rather than from apple juice, It’s best to use a mixture of different types of organic apples. You want a bright, crispy, sweet flavor. Use apples that you would want to eat.
Do I Need Any Special Equipment?
That depends on which route you’re taking? Are you starting from fresh apples or are you starting with fresh apple cider or using apple juice?
If you will be using fresh apples, an apple press will help you get the freshest juice possible. If you don’t have an apple press, and want to make the freshest sparkling apple cider at home, you can do this using a high speed blender.
Equipment Needed
apple press (optional) – This is the real deal, and the best way to make fermented apple cider if you have access
high speed blender (optional) – Can use a high speed blender to make apple cider/juice at home
64 oz large mason jar – to mix everything up and start the initial fermentation
cheesecloth and rubber band– to cover the top of the mason jar during fermentation
silicone funnel– For easy transfer. Also is less likely to react than metal to bacteria in ferment.
hermetically closed bottle or swing bottles – Used for the second fermentation after the mixture is moved from the mason jar. It’s important to use swing bottles during this stage to help keep carbonation in and to make sure that the glass doesn’t explode due to a build up of pressure. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is to use the right type of bottles. This is not the time to use craft or second hand glass bottles. The pressure can really build up.
Where to Buy Glass Swing Top Bottles
Click below to see where to buy quality swing top bottles for safe and quality fermentation.
Glass Swing Glass Bottle (It’s very important to use these type of fermentation bottles to avoid accidents. Glass can crack or break if not thick enough. This is often the case with craft and non tempered glass.
Favorite Ways To Make Fermented Apple Cider
I have three options to help you get started. Whether you’re using option one, two or three, using high quality juice is key. Starting with your preferred option (depending on your preference, and then proceed to the recipe. See the three options below:
(Option 1) Apple Press or Blender: Best Flavor and Effervescence, May Not Be Accessible For All- Start with a Variety of Apples
If you’re starting with fresh apples, you’ll want to use a mix of apples with different sugar content to get the flavor you want. That could be more sweet or tart, depending on what you like. I recommend a mix of both.
Sweet : Gala, Cortland, Fuji are options
Tart : McIntosh, Pink Lady, Braeburn are option
Mix:: Use a mixture from both tart and sweet for best flavor
How To Use Your High Speed Blender as an Apple Press
- Wash and dry (5) pounds of organic apples.
- Core and slice. I don’t usually peel them because the mixture will be strained later.
- Cut into pieces.
- Blend apples in batches with a total of 1 cup of water.
- Strain the resulting mixture. Do not push it through the sieve. Just let it sit in the strainer and the juice will separate from the pulp.
- The pulp can be reserved and refrigerated to use in other recipes like gluten free apple muffins.
(Option 2) Use Unpasteurized Apple Cider: Minimal Effort
It’s best to start with unpasteurized apple cider or unpasteurized juice for best results. The problem is, depending on where you live, unpasteurized apple juice is not always easy to find. It is easier to find bottled unpasteurized juice if you live near an orchard or when visiting a local farmer’s market.
(Option 3) Pasteurized Apple Juice: Second Fermentation Recommended for Best Results
Some people say that it can’t be done but, that’s not true. You can make fermented apple cider from pasteurized apple juice or pasteurized apple cider. You may get less bubbles initially, but you can get those bubbles back.
I’ve used this method time and time again with a little innovation to get it just right. I’ll list those tips further below.
Using second fermentation is highly recommended for best results. This is accomplished by moving the ferment from the mason jar (once foamy and the first fermentation is over), to a closed swing bottle to ferment for one more day.
Tips to Make the Best Lacto Fermented Apple Cider
After making this recipe almost everyday for a year, I have come up with some tested, tried and true tips that I think you will appreciate.
When you make lacto ferment apple cider for the first time, you will need some whey. As mentioned before, this whey can come from yogurt or kefir either homemade or store bought. If you don’t have liquid whey, I’ve heard of folks people the juice from fermented pickles to get started.
Make sure any glassware or tools you use are super clean.
For best fermentation results, your home should be between 60°F/16°C to 85°F/29°C. This will result in optimal flavor.
Anything hotter than that and fermentation will occur much more quickly. The flavor of the final product will also be stronger.
When it comes to making fermented foods and beverages at home, you have to use all your senses. Sight, touch, sound, smell and taste will help you determine when the ferment is ready to move to the next step. This is an important aspect as every home is different. How fast my sparkling fermented apple cider ferments in my home will be different than yours.
Look for the presence of foam, bubbles and a pleasant fruity smell to indicate that your apple cider is ready to move from the mason jar to a swing bottle and then on to the fridge for chilling.
While you don’t have to, I have found through trial and error that when you’re first starting out, adding a little fresh grated ginger to the whey/juice mixture can help the fermenting along. This is especially true when starting out with pasteurized apple juice.
After each successful fermentation, save a 1/2 cup from the previous bottle to start a new batch (inside of consuming the whole thing). This will be your lacto ferment starter and will help subsequent fermentations to move more quickly and get more flavorful with each batch.
Ingredients Needed
- natural apple juice or apple cider– (unpasteurized preferred, but can use pasteurized apple juice, read my tips above)
- liquid whey -Use whey leftover from kefir or cheese making. You can also get whey from straining full fat store bought yogurt. Strain overnight. Other options are using a bit of leftover kombucha. Basically, you just need a little starter liquid to get the ferment going.
Directions (Full Detailed Recipe in the Recipe Card Below)
Step1: Put some liquid whey in a clean large mason jar.
Step 2: Add natural apple cider or apple juice.
Step 3: Stir and cover with a piece cheesecloth anchored with a rubber band.
Step 4: Let sit at room temperature for 12-72 hours. Depending on the temperature of your home or if you’ve feremented before, you may need more or less time. The actual amount of time will also vary depending on if you’re using pasteurized or unpasteurized apple juice. (Don’t worry. This is normal.)
Step 5: Once the ferment starts to get foamy, use a silicone strainer to transfer the mixture to a swing top glass bottle. These are bottles used specifically for fermenting beverages like kefir, sparkling beverages and kombucha at home. At this point you can do a second fermentation, by letting the bottle sit out for another day at room temperature in the swing bottle for more carbonation. You can skip this step if you’re happy with the amount of bubbles you have.
Step 6: Store in refrigerator for at least 6 hours (overnight preferred), before enjoying.
How to Minimize The Production of Alcohol During Cider Fermentation
Natural fermentation always produces some alcohol in the form of ethanol. For example, you don’t have to do anything other than out a ripe banana on the countertop for ethanol to start to form. Just let it sit on the countertop and alcohol will be produced. It’s not much though. You can expect 0.2%-0.4%. Natural fermentation occurs in other foods such as fruit juice and certain breads.
The amount of alcohol that could be present in fermented sparking cider (not hard cider), can range from 0.5% to 2%. It really will vary depending on the specific ferment.
If you want to keep the trace alcohol levels as low as possible, here are some tips:
- Store Under Refrigeration: This slows down the rate of fermentation
- Skip the Second Fermentation: If you’re overly concerned about alcohol content, skip the second fermentation and move on to the next step. Move the fermented apple cider straight to the fridge.
Other Holiday Functional Drinks
Fermented Sparkling Apple Cider
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 cups apple juice fresh pressed or unpasteurized preferred
- 1 cup filtered water
- 1/2 cup liquid whey or 1/3 cup lacto ferment soda from previous batch
Instructions
- Put whey in a clean large mason jar.
- Add apple juice and water.4 cups apple juice, 1 cup filtered water
- Stir and cover with a piece of cheesecloth anchored with a rubber band.
- Let sit at room temperature for 12-72 hours. The actual amount of time will vary depending on if you're using pasteurized or unpasteurized apple juice, the temperature of your home and the presence of beneficial microbes in the air (Don't worry. This is normal.)
- Once the ferment starts to get foamy, stir and then use a silicone strainer to transfer the mixture to a swing top glass bottle. These are bottles used specifically for fermenting beverages like kefir, sparkling beverages and kombucha at home. At this point you can do a second fermentation, by letting the bottle sit out for another day at room temperature in the swing bottle for more carbonation. You can skip this step if you're happy with the amount of bubbles you have.
- Store in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours (overnight preferred), before enjoying.
- I like serving this over a little ice.
