Water kefir
Milk kefir
Kombucha
Ginger beer
Kefir duo
Kefir and kombucha
Starter kit
RennetWater kefir is a great base for ice lollies. It is less sweet than squash, it has a fresh tang, and it takes on the flavour of fruit easily. With a bit of fruit purée you get lollies that taste of real fruit and properly cool you down on a hot afternoon, all three of them in a good British summer. It is also the ideal fate for that bottle of water kefir that has been sitting in the fridge for a few days.
Ingredients
- 400 ml water kefir, plain or flavoured
- 250 g ripe fruit, such as strawberries, raspberries or mango
- 2 tablespoons honey or fruit cordial
- juice of half a lemon
Method
- Pour the water kefir into a jug and stir it a few times so most of the fizz escapes. Leave it for 10 minutes.
- Blend the fruit with the honey and lemon juice until smooth.
- Stir the water kefir into the fruit purée and taste. The mix should be slightly sweeter than you would want to drink it.
- Divide the mix between 8 lolly moulds, leaving half a centimetre of space at the top.
- Put the moulds in the freezer. After about an hour, when the mix is half frozen, push in the sticks, or use moulds with a lid.
- Freeze for at least 6 hours.
- Hold a mould under the warm tap for a few seconds to release the lolly.
Why take the fizz out first?
Bubbles and the freezer do not get on. Fizzy kefir expands as it freezes, and the gas forms air pockets and holes in the lolly. Sometimes it even pushes the stick back out. A stir and ten minutes on the worktop is enough. The tang stays; only the fizz goes, and you would not taste it in a lolly anyway.
Soft or rock hard?
Cold dulls sweetness. A mix that tastes just right in the jug is much less sweet once frozen, and harder too. So always taste before you pour and make it a touch sweeter than you think. Sugar, honey and cordial also keep the lolly softer: with too little you get a block of ice you can barely bite.
Fruit purée helps as well. The more fruit, the creamier the lolly. Mango and banana give the softest texture, raspberries and strawberries the freshest flavour. If you want pieces of fruit inside, add them only once the mix has started to set, or they will all sink to the tip.
Flavour ideas
- Orange and mango: mango with the juice of an orange and a tablespoon of honey. Bright orange, no colouring needed.
- Strawberry and mint: 250 g strawberries and a few chopped mint leaves. Use strawberry water kefir as the base for a double dose.
- Rhubarb: 4 tablespoons of syrup and 150 g of compote from the rhubarb water kefir.
- Lemon and ginger, for grown-ups: lemon and ginger water kefir with 3 tablespoons of honey and the zest of a lemon, no fruit.
- Raspberry and elderflower: raspberries with a tablespoon of elderflower cordial instead of honey.
Which water kefir to use
Any water kefir works: freshly strained after the first fermentation, or after a second fermentation with fruit. Plain kefir lets the fruit shine most. A kefir that has been standing a while and has turned dry and sharp just needs an extra spoon of honey. To make the base, use 30 g grains, 4 tablespoons sugar (about 60 g), 1 litre water, 1 dried fig and 1 slice of lemon, 24 hours at 20 to 25°C, as explained in How to make water kefir.
Frequently asked questions
How long do the lollies keep?
Can children eat these lollies?
My lollies are stuck in the mould. What do I do?
Prefer something creamy? Try the kefir ice cream made with milk kefir. Or for a long cold drink, pour the elderflower water kefir over ice in June. More ideas are on the water kefir page, and with our water kefir grains you have a fresh litre every day.