I've always wondered how to make ginger beer, and I can tell you that it is truly the easiest thing to do! Perfect for summer, this yeast free ginger beer is a fun and non-alcoholic drink that has a kick of spice and is so refreshing. A vegan, gluten-free and low histamine drink to enjoy.
Non-alcoholic drinks can be flavourful and fun, and if you prefer to stick to mocktails then you may like to see my peach honey mocktail and blackberry honey mocktail. Both perfect for a treat on a summer's evening!
This recipe is inspired by the Jamie Oliver ginger beer, but made without citrus and with some other swaps and substitutions.
Jump to:
⭐ Why you'll love this recipe
Non-alcoholic ginger beer. Love the zingy taste of ginger? Making your own ginger beer is so simple, full of flavour and alcohol free.
Yeast free recipe. For those who aren't able to tolerate yeast, this is such a delicious drink without it!
Quick and easy. Just a few steps, and minimal ingredients for your tasty drink!
🍹 Ingredients
A very simple 'few ingredients' recipe, that is yeast free and citrus free. You will need:
- Ginger: you definitely need to use fresh ginger for this recipe, as it will provide all that ginger flavour! I love that it is such an inexpensive ingredient and one with a lot of health benefits too.
- Cane sugar: to combine with the ginger to give sweetness and draw out the 'juice' of the ginger.
- Sparkling water: I suggest using a plain sparkling water rather than a mineral water so the ginger taste shines through.
📖 Variations to the recipe
If citrus works for you, then you can add in some fresh lemon juice.
It may also be nice to add the mint into the mix, rather than just as a garnish if you fancy a slightly minty taste too!
🔪 Step by step instructions
I always thought that making your own ginger beer would be very complicated. A bit like how traditional jam is a little bit of a hassle, with sterilising jars and thermometers etc.
It turns out that making yeast-free ginger beer is the easiest thing. Perhaps it isn't strictly 'beer' if it doesn't have yeast, but I think it tastes just the same and who doesn't like a recipe with as few ingredients as possible!
- Mix your freshly grated ginger with the sugar, and give it a very good stir. In fact, press it, bash it a bit, make sure it is as combined as possible so the ginger releases its juice.
- Pour on the sparkling water and then set aside for 10 minutes or so.
- Pass the liquid through a fine sieve. It's best to do so into a jug, as that will make it easier to pour into your glasses.
- Garnish with some mint sprigs and enjoy!
💭 Recipe tips and notes
- Use fresh ginger, as older ginger can be a little dried out and won't give you as much juice to make your ginger beer.
- Spend a little time muddling the mixture, as this will bring out the flavour.
- Personally I wouldn't use a mineral water that has a strong 'mineral' taste if you see what I mean, as it will change the flavour a great deal.
📋 Frequently asked questions
If your ginger is older it will be more dried out and have less juice. Fresh ginger root is always best to use.
Yes, this is what brings out the juice from the ginger and gives you all that delicious flavour. It takes just a few minutes though!
It's alcohol free, so if you don't mind them having some sugar, then this is a kid-friendly drink!
🍸 More fun summer drinks
Enjoy fun mocktails for summer or special occasions, including my popular blueberry mocktail and festive pomegranate ginger mocktail. Some recent recipes to share with friends and family:
I’m always in the kitchen, so come join me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest to be the first to hear of new recipes. And please do leave a star rating if you tried the recipe!
📖 Recipe
Ginger Beer (Yeast Free)
Ingredients
- ½ cup fresh ginger peeled and grated
- 3 tablespoon cane sugar
- 4 cups sparkling water
- mint to garnish
Instructions
- Peel the ginger, and then grate with the coarse side of the grater. Add to a bowl along with the sugar. Muddle the mixture (stir, combine and press with the back of a spoon). Pour on the sparkling water.
- Leave the ginger mixture to combine for 10-15 minutes.
- Pass the liquid through a sieve into a jug. Discard the ginger.
- Pour the ginger beer into your glasses, add ice and garnish with fresh mint.
Notes
- Spend time muddling the mixture, pressing and even bashing(!) the ginger together with the sugar to release the juices. This will bring out the flavour.
- I suggest using a plain sparkling water rather than mineral water, as the latter would change the taste a great deal.
- Please note that nutritional information is offered as a courtesy. It is auto-generated and should be understood to be an estimate.
- ginger, which scores 1. There is a note stating 'Small amounts are well tolerated'.
- sparkling water is rated on the SIGHI list.
Alison Hayes says
This looks delicious! I love how you focus on finding the 'easy' button while making an amazing-sounding mocktail!
Adding in mint sounds especially tasty, as I am a huge fan of mint.
throughthefibrofog says
So glad you like the sound of it Alison!