How to Make the Best Homemade Caribbean Ginger Beer
When I was growing up in the Caribbean my mom used to make a drink called ginger beer. It was the best homemade Caribbean ginger beer. The good news is, you can get the recipe below.
When I was a kid, I didn’t appreciate the treasure of ginger beer. My mom made ginger beer and sorrel every Christmas and sometimes for Thanksgiving too. As you can imagine, ginger is an acquired taste especially for a child. Now that I’m an adult, I have grown to appreciate the taste and potency of ginger. Not to mention the nutritional benefits.
Now before you go on thinking that child protection services should have been called, although the name of the beverage is “ginger beer”, this drink doesn’t have any alcohol in it, so don’t let the name throw you off. Ginger beer originated in the 1700’s in England and was indeed a fermented drink. Some people still ferment it and others don’t.
Health Benefits of Ginger
Whether or not you like ginger you’ll find these health benefits of ginger extremely helpful.
Ginger is one of the most healthful ingredients that you can use in your kitchen. It is a potent anti-inflammatory ingredient and a great anti-emetic. That makes ginger great at treating ailments like osteoarthritis, nausea, and even Alzheimer’s disease. Ginger may also also help to reduce cholesterol, prevent cancer, and may help decrease muscle pain.
The bottom line, it’s beneficial to increase the amount of ginger that you consume.
Some people also spike ginger beer…but I’ll leave that up to you.
Every Carnival, food sale and definitely around the holidays in the Caribbean, i’s hard to escape the pungent smell of ginger beer.
As an adult, I now realize the nutritional powerhouse that ginger and hence ginger beer is. Minus the sugar, you can’t beat the anti-inflammatory benefits of ginger beer. Well of course, turmeric’s anti-inflammatory effects is nothing to sneeze at either, but we can talk about that another day.
So when my mom visited recently, I asked her to whip up a batch. We booth worked in the kitchen. She took the lead, and I took crazy notes the first time, because of course she had nothing written down!
This is one of the reasons that I wrote my own e-cookbook. It’s an easy way to share my healthy easy recipes for years to come. As a matter of fact, if you’d like your own copy of my free e-cookbook, you can get it here.
Tools Needed
Ingredients in Caribbean Ginger Beer (Get the printable recipe for Caribbean Ginger recipe below)
- ginger- scrubbed well
- sugar – Also tastes great with honey. Swap cup for cup. You can also try an unrefined sugar like turbinado or demerara
- cinnamon stick
- lime – You need limes not lemons. Limes are more tart and contain less sugar, naturally. Don’t freak out if you don’t have them on hand though. You can use lemon in a “squeeze”.
- water
- cloves
- vanilla extract
How to Make Caribbean Ginger Beer
- Soak ginger root in enough water to cover.
- Remove outer skin.
- Cut into pieces.
- Blend together with some water.
- Boil a bit more water and pour over grated ginger.
- Add cinnamon stick and cloves.
Read below for the recipe for Caribbean Ginger Beer. Served chilled and have a good ole’ time.
Ginger is one of the most powerful anti-inflammatory agents that you can have in your health and wellness arsenal.
Oh, and I highly recommend these bamboo straws if you want to get fancy.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- Lime is recommended for use in this recipe. If you don’t have a lime, you can use a lemon instead.
- Two hands of ginger is what you’ll need to make this ginger beer. That measures out to 215 grams or about 2 cups of ginger (minced).
- Caribbean ginger beer tastes better the more it sits in the fridge. Expect it to get better and better. If you can, allow the ginger beer to steep for at least 24 hours in the fridge, before enjoying.
- For best flavor, cover the ginger beer with a plate, while it steeps.
How to Use Leftover Ginger Peel
Use you blend the ginger and strain it, there will be leftover ginger scraps. Do not, I repeat, do not throw those away.
Here are some ideas to use up leftover ginger peel.
Compost them: Great for plants
Add to soups, curries and stews: There is so much potency in ginger peel. Add leftover ginger peel to broths, curries and soups.
Make Tea: Drop some ginger peel into some hot water with lemon juice (with or without a tea bag), for an invigorating tea.
Q&A About Making Caribbean Ginger Beer (Plus Tips)
Q: Isn’t Caribbean ginger beer supposed to use rice?
A: I grew up with my mom making ginger using a bit of rice. That helped to ferment the beverage. That was more or less the traditional way of making ginger beer. Most Caribbean ginger beer recipes don’t contain rice these days.
I’m thinking of creating a fermented ginger beer recipe in the future, similar to fermented apple cider, for the incredible health benefits. If I do, I’ll post it here.
How far ahead can I make the ginger beer?
Make your ginger beer up to two days in advance.
Do I have to refrigerate the ginger beer?
The ginger beer can stay in a cool spot in one your kitchen counter for no more than 24 hours. After that, please refrigerate it or else it will begin to ferment. By the way, fermented ginger beer is fine, you just have to play by a different set of rules to ferment beverages safely and effectively.
How long can the ginger beer stay in the fridge?
No joke, well made ginger beer can keep fresh in the fridge for a while. Just give it a quick whiff and shake well before serving.
Can I use honey instead of sugar in the recipe?
Absolutely! In fact I highly recommend it. Traditionally, this recipe is made using sugar, but you can swap the sugar for honey, cup by cup. And it tastes great!
What is the best way to drink ginger beer?
You can drink it straight over ice or mix it into non alcoholic and alcoholic beverages.
What snack pairs well with this ginger beer recipe?
If you’re entertaining, try pairing the ginger beer with these honey spiced nuts. They are absolutely delicious. Give it a try and see what you think.
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Other Nutritious Caribbean Drink Recipes:
Caribbean Ginger Beer
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups ginger root (2 hands or 4 medium pieces ginger)
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 lime (or juice 1/2 lemon)
- 5-6 cups water
- 4 cloves
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
Instructions
- Soak ginger root in enough water to cover for about 30 minutes to loosen dirt and debris.2 cups ginger root
- Lightly scrape ginger with knife to remove most of outer skin.
- Cut each piece of ginger into 2 pieces.
- Add ginger to 2 cups of water and blend until you get a pulp (about a few seconds).
- Boil approximately 3-4 cups of water and pour over grated ginger. The amount of water you add will depend on how strong you want the ginger beer to be.
- Add cinnamon stick, and cloves. Let the ginger beer sit on counter for at least 2-4 hours. I recommend, tasting it every hour or two. The longer it sits, the stronger the ginger beer will be as the flavor is extracted.1 cinnamon stick, 4 cloves
- Strain the ginger beer after 2-4 hours.
- Add 2- 4 cups more water (depending on your desired taste) sugar, vanilla, and lime. Use the sugar listed above as a guide on how much to add depending on your taste.1 cup sugar, 1 lime , 1/2 tsp vanilla, 5-6 cups water
Notes
Nutrition
If you liked this recipe, you’re going to love my FREE cookbook. That’s right the e-cookbook is free. No strings. You can download your copy here. I also have a new book that has lots of information on how to use foods (like ginger) and lifestyle as medicine. You can buy that book here.
Original: May 30, 2018 Updated 7/30/2021, 10/7/22
Updated: 4/22/2025
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Can we use Stevia in lieu of sugar
I don’t see why not. The best recommendation is to try it in small amounts first and see if you like the taste. Alternatively, you can let the ginger beer cool first without the sugar and add the sweetener in after according to your taste.
Saved it a while back. Trying it right now 🙂
So happy to hear. Enjoy!
You had 1/2 tsp of Vanilla and 1 lime of 1/2 Lemon in the ingredients, but it was not mentioned under the instructions. How/When do I add those ingredients?
Very true Kim. Good catch. Add the vanilla and lime after straining the ginger out. The correction is reflected in the recipe.
Hi what if you use honey instead of sugar
I would recommend organic agave instead if you can get your hands on it. The honey would change the flavor. But you can definitely try it and see if you like it.