The whey from your labneh is alive with beneficial bacteria and wild yeasts - everything you need for naturally sparkling, probiotic sodas. This is zero-waste fermentation at its finest.
You'll need:
- 100 - 500ml milk kefir whey (see Labneh Recipe)
- 500ml filtered or boiled and cooled water
- 3-4 tablespoons sugar or honey
- Flavourings (see suggestions below)
- 1 litre flip-top bottle or similar
Method:
- Combine whey and water in your bottle. Add sugar or honey and shake well to dissolve completely.
- Add your chosen flavouring (see below). Fill the bottle to the shoulder - you need headspace for carbonation.
- Cap tightly and leave at room temperature (18-24°C is ideal) for 2-5 days. Burp daily by briefly opening the lid to release pressure.
- Taste after 48 hours. When it's pleasantly fizzy with balanced sweetness, transfer to the refrigerator. The cold arrests fermentation and holds the carbonation.
- Serve chilled within 2 weeks for peak fizz and flavour.
Note - the more whey in the soda - the quicker it will ferment - and also the flavour will be slightly 'creamier', the mouthfeel richer. It's difficult to get 500mls of whey if you're only doing small amounts. Whey in a jar or bottle will keep in the fridge for many weeks while you collect more or if you aren't ready to make soda straight away. You can also freeze whey to add to smoothies and soups etc. Don't throw it a-whey!
Flavour combinations:
Ginger & lime - 2cm fresh ginger (sliced), zest and juice of 1 lime
Berry bliss - ½ cup mashed strawberries or raspberries, 1 tablespoon honey
Elderflower - 3 tablespoons elderflower cordial (reduce sugar to 2 tablespoons)
Apple & cinnamon - ½ cup apple juice, 1 cinnamon stick
Lemon & thyme - Juice of 1 lemon, 3 sprigs fresh thyme
Fermentation notes:
- Warmer weather speeds fermentation - check daily
- More sugar = more fizz (but also sweeter)
- Fruit pieces add wild yeasts for extra fermentation power
- Strain through a fine sieve before serving if you've used fresh ingredients
- Always use bottles designed for pressure (flip-tops, beer bottles)
Why this works: The lactobacilli in whey create lactic acid, while wild yeasts consume the sugar and produce CO2. The result is a complex, tangy-sweet soda with genuine probiotic benefits - not the sugar bomb of commercial soft drinks.
Why kefir whey makes extraordinary soda
Not all whey is created equal. The whey from your milk kefir labneh is fundamentally different from the whey produced when making conventional cheese. Commercial cheese-making involves heating milk to high temperatures, which kills the beneficial bacteria and yeasts. Your kefir whey, by contrast, is the liquid essence of wild fermentation - completely raw, never heated, and absolutely teeming with billions of CFUs (colony-forming units) of diverse probiotic bacteria and yeasts.
This living whey is what makes wild sodas actually work. Those microorganisms are still active and hungry. When you add sugar and flavourings, they spring into action, consuming the sugars and producing natural carbonation along with beneficial organic acids, B vitamins, and bioavailable minerals. The result is a genuinely probiotic beverage with digestive benefits - quite different from kombucha (which uses a SCOBY) or water kefir (which uses different bacterial strains).
The nutritional edge: Whey wild sodas deliver probiotics in a light, refreshing form that's low in sugar (the fermentation consumes most of it) and rich in electrolytes, particularly potassium and magnesium. The lactic acid bacteria support gut health and digestion, while the enzymatic activity makes nutrients more bioavailable. You're essentially drinking a functional beverage that supports your microbiome rather than compromising it with refined sugars and artificial carbonation.
