10 Fermented Foods You Can Easily Make at Home

Nikole Stewart |

Sep 10, 2024

Fermented Foods, Unsplash — Credit: Unsplash

Fermented foods are undeniably good for us. In fact, fermentation is essentially one of the oldest forms of food preservation. Fortunately for us, it’s trending again.

Eating fermented foods helps you maintain your gut flora¹ — the 400 bacterial species that hang out in your intestines. Consuming probiotics, which you get from fermented foods, helps you to maintain the balance of these organisms. As a result, a healthy gut promotes a variety of health benefits from a healthier digestive tract to a healthy immune system.²

But you don’t have to invest in gallons of expensive kombucha at the food co-op; there are plenty of fermented foods that you can make at home. Here are 10 easy foods to try fermenting on your own.

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1. Sauerkraut

Cabbage, salt, and caraway seeds; sauerkraut is one of the easiest fermented foods to make. Basically, you pack all the ingredients into a clean jar and ferment for 3 to 10 days. Since it’s a fermented food, it will keep for several months. Check out this basic sauerkraut recipe to get started.

2. Pickled Vegetables

A lot of pickling recipes call for vinegar and sugar as the preserving agent, but in traditional lacto-fermentation, you depend on the beneficial bacteria on the surface of vegetables, such as Lactobacillus³, to do the fermenting for you. This means you can lacto-ferment pretty much any vegetable, from carrots to watermelon radishes. Of course, you can also stick with the classic cucumber pickle.

3. Kimchi

Kimchi is the traditional Korean sauerkraut made through the process of lacto-fermentation. Depending on how many chiles you use, you can make your kimchi extra spicy. Here are some recipe ideas to help you pair your homemade kimchi and create delicious, satisfying meals.

4. Yogurt

Yes, you can make your own yogurt, and no, you do not necessarily need a yogurt machine to do it. You start with a few tablespoons of premade yogurt, add in some milk (even soy works), and wait for the fermentation to do the rest.

5. Kombucha

While your friends might be a little afraid of the gelatinous kombucha mother hanging out in your kitchen, you’ll end up with freshly made kombucha that costs you a fraction of what you pay in the store. And you can play around with the flavor by using different teas and fruits. Here are some tips on making sure your kombucha is authentic. Also, try this 4-ingredient kombucha recipe and see how easy it is to whip up at home.

6. Cheese

One of the most common and beloved fermented foods is cheese; many people forget that you can make your favorite cheese right at home. The easiest varieties to try for yourself include mozzarella, queso fresco, and ricotta cheese. Simply use vinegar or acid to speed up the fermentation process of milk, which creates fresh, homemade cheese.

7. Fermented Juice

Round up some apples, beets, or kale (depending on your flavor preference), and make a batch of fermented juice. The result is a gut-friendly, slightly tangy version of your favorite fruit juices. You’ll set the water and fruit mixture aside for about a week and wind up with a new beverage of choice.

8. Fermented Ketchup

You may never have put those two words together before, but once you start making your own fermented ketchup you may never go back to the regular stuff. Fermentation brings out natural ketchup flavors because it starts with a rich base of tomato paste. Less sugar and more natural, this will be a big hit for all eaters in your household.

9. Sourdough Bread

There’s something magical about having your own sourdough starter and pulling fresh bread out of the oven. Sourdough has taken social media by storm for its gut-health benefits, so you’ll see it at every bakery, farmer’s market, and grocery store. Making it yourself shouldn’t be scary and you don’t need wild yeast to get started — just a bit of flour and water from your kitchen.

10. Drinking Vinegar

Drinking vinegars can be consumed on their own or used as mixers, and with a base of fermented fruit the flavor options are endless depending on what’s in season. Known for its healing properties, this mocktail has actually been used for hundreds of years. Save some extra cash by trying a homemade drinking vinegar recipe next time.