A ginger bug is a naturally fermented starter made from fresh ginger, sugar, and water. Once active and bubbly, it’s used to naturally carbonate homemade sodas, herbal tonics, and fermented drinks like ginger ale, fruit sodas, and probiotic teas. In this guide, I will share how to easily make your own ginger bug at home!
Fresh ginger root is naturally packed with diverse populations of wild yeasts and lactic acid bacteria (LAB) on its surface, so with just a little sugar and water, you can easily create your own lively ginger bug and start making delicious, healthy fizzy drinks at home!
What is a ginger bug?
A ginger bug is a natural starter culture made from fresh ginger, sugar, and water. It captures wild yeasts and good bacteria from the ginger skin, which then start feeding on the sugar you add to the mix. As they eat, they produce bubbles of carbon dioxide and healthy acids — this is what gives your ginger bug its fizz and turns it into a bubbly culture you can use to ferment drinks.
How To Make Ginger Bug
First, grab a generous piece of organic ginger. Choosing organic is important because you’ll be keeping the skin on — and that’s where all the beneficial bacteria and wild yeasts you need are found.
Grate or chop the ginger until you have about a tablespoon. A food processor or cheese grater works great for this. If you want to measure in grams, you need about 10 grams of both ginger and sweetener.
Add raw sugar (or sweetener of choice) and water. Stir to mix well, until sweetener has fully dissolved. Cover it up with a cheesecloth or other breathable cloth and a rubber band and let it sit on your counter for 24 hours.
Feed Your Ginger Bug Daily
For the next 5–7 days, feed your ginger bug with 1 tablespoon of chopped ginger and 1 tablespoon of sweetener each day. Be sure to stir it daily — oxygen is essential for healthy fermentation. Try to stir it vigorously for at least 60 seconds, and if you remember, give it a few extra stirs throughout the day to keep things active.
You may start to see activity after 2-3 days. Your ginger bug is usually ready in 5 to 7 days, depending on the temperature and how often you feed and stir it. You’ll know it’s ready when it’s bubbly, slightly fizzy when stirred, and smells tangy and pleasantly sweet. You might also see foam on top and small bubbles rising from the bottom — signs that it’s active and ready to use for fermenting drinks!
“Float Test” to See if Your Ginger Bug is Ready:
- Step 1: Stir your ginger bug well.
- Step 2: Take a clean spoon and scoop up a spoonful of the liquid (try to avoid too much ginger solid — just mostly liquid).
- Step 3: Gently pour the spoonful into a glass of room temperature water.
- Step 4: Watch closely:
- If the liquid floats to the top or bubbles rise up immediately, your ginger bug is strong and ready to ferment sodas!
- If it sinks without any fizz or bubble trails, it needs a couple more days of feeding and warming.
Bonus Tip:
Even if it doesn’t pass the float test yet, if it’s bubbling after stirring, smells pleasantly sour, and forms foam, it’s still usable — it’ll just produce a slower fermentation. The float test just confirms it’s at peak strength for quick soda-making.
Troubleshooting and Tips
Seeing White Foam On Top of Ginger Bug Liquid
White Foam = Active Fermentation
- It’s a natural byproduct of the yeast and bacteria feeding on the sugar.
- Usually shows up around Day 2 to 4, especially if the bug is warm and well-fed.
- The foam is often bubbly and light, like the head on kombucha or beer.
How to Know It’s Safe:
The foam is safe and healthy as long as:
- It’s white or off-white (not green, blue, black, pink, or fuzzy)
- It smells tangy, sweet, or yeasty — not rotten or sulfuric
- There are no fuzzy mold spots growing from it
What to Do:
- Stir it back in — this helps mix in oxygen and keeps the surface balanced.
- Continue daily feedings and keep it warm.
- You’ll likely start seeing fizz when stirring — the golden signal it’s ready to use.
What should your ginger bug smell like?
A Slightly Sour Smell = Normal Fermentation
- The natural bacteria (mainly Lactobacillus) are creating lactic acid.
- This gives the ginger bug a mildly sour, tangy, almost citrusy smell.
- It should smell like:
- Sweet ginger + sugar plus a slight tang or “fermented” sharpness.
- Some people describe it like a light vinegar scent (not strong like cleaning vinegar — just lightly sour).
When It’s Not Okay:
You only need to worry if the smell is:
- Rotten, like spoiled meat
- Sulfuric, like rotten eggs
- Sharp chemical smell, like nail polish remover
Those would indicate contamination — but that’s rare if you’re feeding and stirring regularly.
Can you make a ginger bug using honey?
Certainly! Honey provides the necessary sugar for the yeast and bacteria to ferment, creating a ginger bug. Here are a few tips if you would like to use honey instead of sugar:
✅ What Works:
- Use raw, unfiltered honey (it contains natural enzymes and wild yeasts).
- Follow the same method: fresh chopped organic ginger (with peel) + raw honey + filtered water.
- Stir and feed daily for 5–7 days, just like with sugar.
⚠️ What to Watch Out For:
- Honey is naturally antimicrobial, which means it can slow down or inhibit fermentation in the beginning.
- Your ginger bug may take longer to activate compared to using plain sugar.
- It’s more delicate, so temperature and consistency really matter — keep it warm (70–75°F) and feed it regularly.
💡 Pro Tip:
Some people start with sugar for the first 2–3 days to build strong microbial activity, then switch to honey for flavor and sweetness once the bug is active.
Use your ginger bug to make your own Homemade Ginger Ale using my easy to follow recipe!
How To Make A Ginger Bug (Using Honey or Sugar)
Equipment
- 16 oz Mason Jar
- Cheese Cloth or Clean Kitchen Cloth
- Cheese grater or food processor to chop ginger (can also chop with a knife)
- Rubber Band
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Raw Sugar or Raw Honey
- 1 tablespoon Organic Fresh Ginger unpeeled, chopped or grated
- 1 cup Non-chlorinated Water
Instructions
- Put the unpeeled chopped ginger and sweetener into a jar.
- Add the water and stir well until the sugar completely dissolves.
- Cover the jar with a cheesecloth or other breathable cloth and a rubber band and let it sit on your counter. Stir it a few times a day, if you can.
- Feed the ginger bug daily with 1 tbsp fresh chopped ginger and 1 tbsp sweetener. Give it a good stir.
- Keep feeding it and stirring it every day, and after a few days you should start to see some bubble action. Your ginger bug is ready to use when it’s been actively fermenting for 5–7 days, produces bubbles throughout the jar, forms a light foam or fizz on top, and gives off a pleasantly tangy, slightly sweet, yeasty aroma — and when stirred, it should fizz noticeably, showing it's full of active fermentation power.
Notes
How to Store a Ginger Bug:
Once your ginger bug is active and bubbly, you can store it in the refrigerator with a loose-fitting lid or cloth cover to allow it to breathe slightly.- Keep it cold to slow fermentation and reduce the need for daily feeding.
- Feed it once a week with 1 tbsp ginger and 1 tbsp sugar to keep it alive.
- Stir well after feeding and before each use.
How to Reuse a Ginger Bug:
To reuse your ginger bug for soda:- Remove it from the fridge and let it come to room temperature.
- Feed it once and wait a few hours (or overnight) until it’s bubbly again.
- Use ½ to 1 cup of the liquid from the bug to ferment your soda.
- Top it off with fresh ginger, sugar, and water to keep the bug going.
Nutrition
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