First of all, this ginger beer doesn’t have beer in it. My homemade ginger juice and soda version is non-alcoholic… unless you add liquor, of course.
Second, have I mentioned lately how much I appreciate you all? Thank you for visiting. Thank you for investing your time and energy (and money) into making my recipes. Your comments and emails brighten my days and make this crazy food blogging thing worthwhile. I’m not sure when this dark cloud over my head will clear, but I know that I have to make the most of this one wild and precious life. I’m working on it.
Let’s lighten the mood with ginger. I’ve been totally obsessed with ginger lately. On its own, ginger is fiercely spicy and fragrant. Used in Chinese and Ayurvedic medicine since forever, it’s a powerful anti-inflammatory that boosts circulation and cleanses the body. It can calm nausea and soothe upset stomachs (source: The New Whole Foods Encyclopedia). There’s really not much it can’t do.
Just a hint of fresh ginger lends peppery spice and complexity to savory dishes, and powdered or fresh ginger brightens up baked goods. Ginger has been a predominant flavor in my recipes lately, making its way into ice cream, banana bread, two soups, granola, couscous and pancakes. Ginger beer features the flavor most prominently, which I love. One sip warms me up from the inside.
Ginger beer has traditionally been brewed with a live culture, which creates carbonation as it ferments. These days, most ginger beers available in stores are non-alcoholic. Ginger beer is like ginger ale, but with a lot more kick. It tends to be more cloudy and less sweet than ginger ale, and the ginger flavor is unapologetically in your face. Most recipes for ginger beer and ginger ale have you cook the ginger in sugar water to mellow the flavor, but this recipe uses raw, pungent ginger. Beware: my ginger beer concentrate is for serious ginger lovers only.
To make this ginger beer, you’ll just need a blender or food processor and a good fine mesh strainer. My rusted hand-me-down strainer let too much ginger pulp through, so an upgrade is in order. You’ll also need a big spoon, lots of raw ginger, lime and club soda (because you won’t want to drink the undiluted concentrate).
Ginger beer is delicious on its own, but it also happens to make the best cocktails EVER. Mix ginger beer with a healthy splash of any basic liquor, squeeze in some lime, and you have your self a simple and refreshing highball. You could just buy ginger beer at the store, but most (like Reed’s) are too sweet for my taste.
Here’s a basic list of ginger beer cocktails (let me know if you have any to add):
- Dark ‘n Stormy: ginger beer + Gosling’s spiced rum + lime
- Moscow Mule: ginger beer + vodka + lime
- Gin-Gin Mule: ginger beer + gin + lime
- Pimm’s Cup: ginger beer + Pimm’s No. 1 (add gin for more kick) + lime
- Horsefeather: ginger beer + whiskey/bourbon
Ginger Beer Concentrate
- Author:
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 36 oz 1x
- Category: Beverages
- Method: Food processor
- Cuisine: American
Mix this fiery ginger beer concentrate with club soda to make homemade ginger beer. Adjust the amounts of sweetener, club soda and lime to suit your tastes. Preserve leftover concentrate by freezing it in ice cube trays.
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ pounds fresh ginger, roughly peeled and chopped into 1-inch chunks
- 2 cups filtered water, divided
- 1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (from 4 to 5 limes), plus more as garnish
- 1 ¼ to 1 ½ cups of agave nectar, honey or pure cane sugar (to taste, see note)
- club soda
Instructions
- In a blender or food processor, liquefy the ginger and 1 cup of water for 3 minutes. Strain the juice into a large bowl or pitcher. Transfer the ginger pulp back to to the blender or food processor, add another ½ cup of water, and liquefy again. Strain again, adding the liquid to the first batch. Again transfer the pulp along with another ½ cup water, liquefy again, and add to the liquid. Press on the solids with the back of a big spoon to squeeze out as much of the juice as you can.
- Discard the mashed solids and rinse out your blender/food processor. Pour the liquid into the blender/food processor. Pour in the lime juice and 1 ¼ cups sweetener. Blend for 30 seconds. To taste for sweetness, pour about 2 ounces ginger concentrate into a glass along with about 8 ounces of club soda. If it’s not sweet enough, blend in more sweetener until it reaches your preferred sweetness.
- Refrigerate up to 3 weeks. Shake before serving. Add a squeeze of fresh lime to your ginger beer before serving. Fresh mint and/or candied ginger make nice garnishes as well.
Notes
- Adapted from Lottie and Doof, originally from Jam It, Pickle It, Cure It by Karen Solomon.
- Yields about 36 ounces ginger beer concentrate. If you are using 2 ounces ginger beer concentrate per ginger beer, that means you can make 18 ginger beers. Feel free to double the recipe if you’re throwing a party.
- I’ve tried this recipe with agave nectar and honey. I prefer the neutral taste of agave nectar. Pure cane sugar is traditionally used in Jamaican ginger beer recipes and may produce the best flavor of all.
- If you want a ginger ale syrup recipe, check out Joy the Baker’s recipe.
- If you’re not sure what to do with all that ginger beer concentrate, freeze it in ice cube trays! The cubes will last for several months in the freezer (store them in an airtight freezer bag). See photo below.
▸ Nutrition Information
P.s. If you’re looking for a simple savory dish to put together this week, I highly recommend this Greek quinoa with avocado, arugula and cherry tomatoes. Find my version of BHG’s recipe at the Delish Dish blog.
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
Judy van Lingen
Hi to all! I cannot believe that I have not yet rated this Ginger Beer recipe the 5 stars that it so greatly deserves. I have been making this for 6 months now? In between batches, I have tried other recipes but for both ease and great taste, this one wins for me. I have made this with both limes & lemons, & personally, I prefer lemons but that is just personal preference. I have also made this with table turbinado sugar, stevia, & coconut sugar (don’t ever do that!). Turbinado makes a fine ginger beer whether using lemons or limes. Thanks Cookie & Kate!
Kate
Thank you so much for reviewing, Judy! I’m so glad this has been such a winner for you.
Alison Walls
Hi Judy!I’m just wondering why you don’t recommend trying coconut sugar for this – did it taste bad? I was hoping to use a big bag that I bought on a whim…
Thanks!
Judy
Hi Allison!
I like coconut sugar, but I didn’t care for the taste of it in this particular recipe. To me, it seemed to clash with the ginger. It may be just me, so if you want to try it, I would make the recipe leaving the sugar out. Pour a couple of 1 to 4 oz ratio test glasses & add some coconut sugar to one & regular sugar to the other. Then use the sugar you like best. I still make this recipe, I made a batch today as a matter of fact. I use a sugar substitute exclusively now & it still tastes great. Thanks for your question, Allison, I hope this helps.
Josh
Thanks for the recipe! will be making this today. Just to clarify, you actually use 1 1/4 lbs of ginger? That is sooo much.
Kate
Yes! It’s a concentrate, so it requires lots of ginger.
Fin
Fantastic! Thank you so much for this recipe!!
I am just off to get the ginger and it’s being constructed this very day.
We buy a brand in UK called Belvoir Ginger Cordial. It is absolutely superb and not too expensive, however; there is nothing better than home made.
I’ve tinkered with some liqueur recipes in the past which require capsicum tincture – Could I obtain that anywhere in UK? Sadly not.
My game plan then is to incorporate a couple of bad boy hot capsicums into your delicious recipe and see what happens.
I’ll post the results – if my face is still intact.
Stewart
I made this recipe and it needs a lot more sweetener to come close to anything similar to what I’ve bought from a store. Plan to use at least 2 cups of sugar. The other issue I found is a significant amount of pulp particles remained in the strained liquid. Plan to leave your blender pitcher in the fridge for a while for the solids to settle at the top and bottom so you can remove them.
★★★
Kate
Thanks for sharing your experience, Stewart.
Sandra R Bryant
Made this 3 or 4 times, it is the best. I use 1 ice cube to a glass of hot water, then add a small cut of lime and drink. It always makes my throat and tummy feel better. Also good to just drink.
★★★★★
Kate
Nice!
Russell Bell
My boys are crazy about ginger beer and have tried all the non-alcoholic specialty brands. I tried a couple of yeast-based recipes at home that ended up going down the drain. Then this! Your recipe is fantastic. The flavor, the burn, the after-taste–all as good or better than the store-bought. I made it with regular white cane sugar and a bit of brown sugar as well as Italian volcanic lemon juice. My next batch will be with agave or honey to compare. My boys say this is a winner!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you loved it, Russel! Thanks for your review.
Erin
This turned out delicious! It was pretty quick easy to do and it’s so flavorful. I used pure maple syrup for the sweetener. It’s great just on it’s own with sparking water and I’ll definitely enjoy trying it out in different cocktails.
★★★★★
Jeff Phillips
I just made this and it is fantastic. I have been buying syrup for like $16 a bottle and I finally decided to give it a try. Sure enough it wasn’t that hard and it tastes way spicier.
★★★★★
Kate
Great!
Cici
This looks delicious and I can’t wait to try it. What is the purpose of multiple strainings? Is there a reason why you couldn’t add all the water at once & purée it a bit longer & then strain it through a nut milk bag?
Kate
Hi Cici, good question. You’re really just trying to extract as much of the ginger flavor as possible, which worked better for me with multiple strainings. Granted, I was using a hand-me-down food processor back then, so if you have a really great blender, you might be successful with your idea. Please let me know if you try!
Martin
Kidding you were not when you said this is for serious ginger lovers only. Its fantastic!
I originally tried to strain with a french press coffee maker, but that didn’t work too well – can’t get enough push to extract the liquid – and now my french press will probably taste like ginger for evermore. Oh well. I ended up using a colander, then a stainless steel pour-over coffee filter, which worked fine. The ginger pulp ended up in the compost bin, but it seemed like there should be something else that could be done with it – it’s still chock full of gingery goodness.
I don’t like things too sweet, so I started with a cup of agave nectar. In the end, the right amount seemed to be 1-1/4 cups. I have a DIY sodastream setup with a CO2 tank to make the final carbonated product.
This ginger beer, with lime and Belvedere vodka, is heaven-on-earth. This will be my go-to summer cocktail. Thanks for a great recipe!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you are one of them, Martin! You’re welcome. Sounds like a refreshing drink.
Arta
I make this recipe all the time it is so good, and easy to make. This time ,I used demerara sugar gave it a nice color and taste.
Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Arta!
Tyra Neal
Excited to try this! If I want to use sugar do I need to make a syrup, …or just stir in 1 1/4 c of sugar?
Kate
Hi Tyra! Just add the sugar in place of the agave nectar and that should work well.
Felipe
I’ve bought all ginger beer brands, I drink it every night but recently I decided to do homemade and see if I could save some $, as there are only 2 brands that are stronger which are Belvoir and Fever Tree, but they re also the priciest.
I have tried fermenting with yeast and also only the syrup mixed with carbonated water, but in all recipes I did like you mentioned about ‘most recipies’ – cooking the ginger in water with sugar. I use a lot of ginger but for some reason I feel when I mix the water, it feels too watery.. so then I do 1/3 syrup and 2/3 water but then it’s not as carbonated and tastes more like a cold ginger tea.. Have you tried both ways (cold and cooked)? I always thought cooked would make it stronger (I’m obsessed with ginger).. but now I’m wondering if your recipe would actually be stronger than cooked?
I’ll be giving a try on yours for my next batch!
Thanks!
Kate
Thank you for sharing! That’s a lot of ginger beer, Felipe. Let me know what you think when you try it!
Felipe
Omg your recipe is so much stronger! I just made it today and to my surprise, doing your way makes it much stronger than the way I would always do (cooking and simmering for a few hours), not only it tastes much fresher, it’s also much easier than the cooking way! I’m glad I found your recipe, thanks!
★★★★★
Linda
WOW! This make a GREAT ginger beer. My daughter gave me her soda stream so I googled ginger beer recipes and I am so glad I found yours. It’s so easy to make and tastes so fresh. I sent my husband out for some vodka to make Moscow mules tonight. This will be my go to recipe. Five stars for you. Thank you.
★★★★★
Kate
I’m glad you loved it! Thanks for the review, Linda!
Mel
Great recipe I’m tired of spending a fortune on dark and stormies. Couple of notes there’s a reason why you say to add club Soda before testing for sweetness…my mouth and throat are still tingling and I just dipped my finger in. Next time I will only add 3/4 cup of lime juice, it’s refreshing but bit to limey for my D&S. this will be great in tea in the winter as well. I am going to try fiddling with some stevia brown mixed in to lighten it. GREAT RECIPE I’ve toyed with fermentation a couple of times but this is way easier and tastier. PS my hands smell fantastic after making this.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Mel!
Jav Censored
That’s so cool! I don’t suppose I’ve read anything such as this before. So pleasant to obtain somebody with some primary thoughts on this matter. Really thank you for beginning this up.
Leigh
Made this recipe as described and it is amazing. Both my husband and I love having a ginger and soda when we get home. So delicious and not too much work. Think I will end up making this again and again. Thanks for the recipe!
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome! I’m happy it was a hit.
Chris in Cleveland
Since I’m doing keto, what sugar substitute are you finding success with? Thanks!
Kate
Hi Chris, sorry to disappoint but I don’t have recommendations outside of this recipe for sweetener. This is what I find works best.
Sue
Absolutely delicious! I strained the final liquid through a nut milk bag and it made cleanup very easy.
Kate
Thanks for sharing, Sue!
Tanya Dixon
this is how I make my ginger beer, but instead of blending the ginger, I actually juice the ginger and I use the raw cane sugar. I drink it hot or cold.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Tanya!
TARA
If you juice the ginger instead of doing your blending method, do I still have to add water?
I’m assuming water is used to help extract as much ginger as possible during the blending process. Or is it also used to dilute the ginger?
shelaughs
I was googling for the best ginger beer syrup to purchase…
Then I ran across your recipe!! I can’t express enough how excited I am!!
I’ve finally bought myself a countertop soda water maker because I’ve been buying (GAH!) plastic liters of the stuff for decades to make our own healthier sodas.
I recycle the plastic so I’m not dumping plastic into our landfill but the expense, dear God, all that money…
I’ll be back to rave about my home made ginger beer experience as soon as my soda contraption arrives next week.
★★
shelaughs
Can I edit this, somehow? I didn’t mean to add 2 stars!!
Kate
That’s ok! You can go ahead and add a new review, if you like!
Kate
What did you think?
Mary Ryan
Hi Kate, wondering if you mixed the soda water in the mix and let it sit, or should wait till day of party. I am making a large 3 gallon size. If I put in before the day of party will it go flat?
Please advise.
Thank you.
Glorimar
i have the same question
Cimarron
THANK YOU for posting a Recipe for Ginger Beer! I’ve been searching online for D&G Genuine Ginger Beer (2L) everywhere to no avail. NOW I CAN MAKE MY OWN! I’ve only JUST discovered your Recipe, and cannot wait to purchase fresh ginger asap. Big Event coming, I wanted a ‘golden’ Punch. Thinking of combining your Recipe with WhiteCran-Peach Juice…I’ll be experimenting and let you know. Thank you again! Cimarron
★★★★★
Kate
You’re welcome, Cimarron!
Amber
This is AMAZING! We went to Martinique last winter and drank the local ginger beer daily. Everything stateside is lackluster in comparison. I am not a brewer so this recipe really appealed to me. I used a sieve but got impatient and ended up using cheesecloth instead. My hands and face are burning from touching and being sprayed by ginger, but not like capsaicin…it actually feels therapeutic. Use protective gloves if you have sensitive skin though. The end result is really delicious…takes me back to Martinique.
★★★★★
Kate
Thanks for the tip, Amber!
Bailey Cross
Hi! I’m planning on making sevel large batches to use to make moscow mules at our wedding in a few weeks, and I’m wondering how long it will stay good in the fridge? I’m hoping to make it a week before, but I don’t want it to go bad!
Kate
Hey Bailey, that’s awesome! I’d make it within 3 days for maximum freshness. I know you’ll have a million things to do around that time already (just got married myself), so I hate to suggest it but I think you’ll be happier with the flavor. Please do give it a test run beforehand if you haven’t yet, to make sure it’s exactly what you want!
penny
I haven’t made your full recipe yet, but did do the first part – peeling and chopping a large quantity of fresh ginger, blending well with water in a Blendtec blender (I just did the one blend cycle), and then strained the result through cloth bag – it was easy to squeeze out almost dry, so no need to re-blend). Just wanted to say that the result was a clear ginger juice that packs quite a punch and freezes well – I have several 1/2 pint jars in the freezer. I mention this for anyone wanting to make it ahead – you could at least do the hard part (getting the ginger juice) well ahead and freeze it, then make the rest of the recipe later.
Mary Pleuss
I’m in Germany and fell in love with ginger beer so I am thrilled to find your recipe and suggestions for when I get home. Thanks for notes on sweeteners and how to adjust as I like things tart. Can lemon be used in place of lime or is it a very different flavor?
★★★★★
Kate
Hi Mary! The lemon would provide a different flavor, but let me know what you think if you try it.
Suzanne
I just made your ginger beer concentrate – it’s very good! I only put in 3/4 c of honey and it is perfect!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for your comment, Suzanne! I’m happy to hear it was perfect or you.
Ben
My partner & I made this for her dad’s birthday & love love loved it! It’s quickly become a staple in our lives. Thanks for sharing!
★★★★★
eileen gillen
I love this recipe. I’ve been making it for a while and use lemons or limes depending on what I have. plus I don’t bother to peel the ginger much and feel it turns out the same. Thanks for the recipe. If you go to PF Chang’s they sell a non alcoholic ginger beer and I swear it’s this!!
★★★★★
Thokozile
Which flavor can I add in ginger gemmer but in powder form
Don Xiong
Just tried this recipe and love it. Only thing I added was seeds of 3 Thai Chilis for some kick. But it turned out great!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you for sharing, Don!
Cassie Nelson
Do you have a smaller recipe? I want to try this but don’t want to make a whole bunch the first time.
Kate
Sorry, I don’t! This does freeze well. You could possibly try to cut the recipe in half?
Glorimar
i want to make a Moscow Mule with this recipe, I was wondering if i need to use the 8oz soda for the entire recipe or if I can do it when im preparing the drink. Thanks .
★★★★
Kate
Hi there, good idea! This recipe yields a concentrate that you can then mix with club soda when you’re making your drink.
Rachel G
I read all of the comments before making this and wanted to add my thoughts to help others, too. I did use Splenda and it works just fine. Just add as much or as little, to taste. My concentrate also turned pink, as someone else had noted. I have a Vitamix and I think because it blends so fast, it actually cooks the ginger a bit…I had steam coming out of mine. It tastes fine, but if you have a powerful blender, this might happen. Next time, I might try putting everything into blender at one time and see how that works out.
★★★★
Cheryl
Thanks for the recipe – never thought of reblending the pulp! I usually just blend once, marinate for a bit and then squeeze out every last drop. I’m addicted to ginger beer! My fav is Grace Island but it’s the sugar I don’t want, so started making my own. Couple of things I do: 1. Use Erythritol for sweetening – it’s pricey but it’s the best sugar substitute out there IMO (tip; the granular Erythritol can be powdered in a blender/bullet for better breakdown); 2) my go to is to mix the ginger concentrate with non-alcoholic beer. I find that I use less of the concentrate then with soda water… and since I’m making a batch every few days, the longer it lasts, the better; and finally, I don’t peel the ginger, just wash it thoroughly with a scrub brush. Salute!
★★★★★
Richard
Oh wow. I tried this after choking on how much it cost to buy a craft ginger beer and absolutely love it. This tastes exactly like the craft one for a fraction of the cost and I can make it as strong as I want! Keep up the good work.
★★★★★
Rhonda
YES! THIS IS WHAT I WANTED! I love ginger and ginger beer. The spicier the better. I also wanted a recipe that I did not have to ferment (tried it o ce and I did not enjoy it) and that I did not have to cook. (Lost the flavor in the process)
I feel like this is right all the great nutrition is still present.
I saved the peel for compost in the garden. The pulp I squeezed almost dry then put into a mason jar with everclear overnight to extract the flavor for ginger vodka. Some of the pulpcan also be blended with garlic to make a ginger garlic paste, a staple in Indian cuisines!
This is perfect as I eat a lot of ginger now to boost the immune system. Thanks for this recipe.
★★★★★
Kate
Hooray! I’m delighted this one was just what you wanted, Rhonda. I love how you are composting! Thanks so much for your review.
Richard Dietzel
I make this a lot and I always wonder if there’s a use for that pulp. In soup, bread, coat chicken with flour and pulp?
★★★★★
Doris
Hi Judy what sugar substitute do you use. Need to watch the blood sugar levels of my partner so I don’t use sugar. Thanks Doris
Ophelie
Looks like a great recipe ! I’d love to try it but can’t seem to find any water labeled ”filtered” where I live. Is it possible to make it using regular tap water or store bought water bottles ? Thank you!
Kate
Hi, That will work if it’s what you have available. Let me know what you think when you try it!
Ophélie Dolbec
Thanks for the response ! I just made the recipe and I am very happy with the result ! I made half the recipe to test it out first and will definitely redo it !
★★★★★
Kate
Great to hear! Thank you for your review.
ginger addict
I rarely find a recipe online that doesn’t contain endless waffle and ‘lifestyle’ nonsense – Not this one, I have adapted it to suit our taste.
I tried a few different methods at first and found we were getting through so much of it that time needed to be shaved off the process.
I used molasses as a sweetner, Agave syrup then Zylotol across a few batches, all with success but I now have ‘my way’ and have stopped sweetening it altogether.
I use only organic Ginger that gets washed and not peeled, then chopped and stuffed into about 3/4 height of a blender, then add cold water and a couple of chopped peeled lemons, then blitzed with water.
A minute or so later, I take strain and squeeze through muslin, then return the pulp for a quick second whizz in the blender with more water with the aim of creating about a litre of finished juice.
We don’t miss the sweetening aspect at all and the old Belvoir brand we replaced is much too sweet by contrast now and theirs contains chilli not just ginger.
This is 100% ginger, water and lemon – there is a settling of white ginger at the bottom of the bottle, all quite natural.
Sometimes I use limes and also I add ascorbic acid powder (Vitamin C) to the drink when preparing.
This all takes about 5 minutes with enough for the week.
Enjoy !
★★★★★
Tasha
We discovered this recipe a week ago and we’ve already made two large batches, because it’s THAT good. I used a mesh strainer for the first batch, but I’m cheesecloth all the way if you can get your hands on it. Just makes squeezing all that lovely gingery goodness so much easier. Also, we eliminated the sugar completely and a tbsp of this stuff is perfect with ice and club soda. Thanks C+K. Your recipes have yet to disappoint us!
★★★★★
Kate
I love it, Tasha! Thank you for your review.