Watch Fruit Transform into Alcohol (How to Ferment Fruit)

This simple yet interesting question: how to ferment fruit. It is the question that leads most of us to winemaking, beer making, cider, and homemade soda!

Once you start fermenting, you’ll be hooked.

As a fermenting enthusiast, fruit is an interesting one to come by because there are SO many ways you can approach it: wild yeast starters, fruit soda, fruit wine, etc.

What are you looking to gain from this? Are you looking to just ferment fruit for fun to see fermentation in action? Or are you interested in making a fruit wine?

The answers to these questions will guide which approach you want to take when you learn how to ferment fruit.

Here you will learn the 3 best ways to ferment fruit at home, and how to turn them into fruit soda, if you choose!

This post is all about how to ferment fruit.

First, How Does Fruit Ferment

The most basic explanation is the sugars in fruit, when they interact with yeast, undergo fermentation to create carbon dioxide and alcohol.

The yeast can come from the skins of the fruit, for example, apples have yeast on their skins.

When you place slices apples in water you can get fermentation. The sugars in the fruit interact with the yeast on the skins and boom: fermented fruit.

(That is how you ferment fruit without yeast.)

However, some fruits do not have naturally occurring yeasts. Thus, we can use a yeast starter or add in our own commercial yeasts!

Naturally fermented fruits contain probiotics and various other microorganisms that are said to be great for our gut health. But, try it out for yourself, see if you like it!

How to Ferment Fruit: The 3 Best Ways

Here I will show you the process in how to ferment fruit! You can use any kind of fruit that you choose. Preferably, you want a fruit that is super high in sugar. Specifically, a ripe fruit.

Now, to be clear, in each method described below you can ferment for longer to create an alcoholic drink. Or, you can ferment for less amount of time for a nonalcoholic drink.

Though, it will most likely contain trace amounts of alcohol due to the natural of fermentation.

For this example, I will be using pineapples I found at the local fruit stand.

To ferment fruit, there are 3 ways to approach it.

Use a fruit with skins that possibly have naturally occurring yeast.
Use virtually any fruit, and ferment using a yeast starter.
Use any fruit and ferment using commercial cider or wine yeast.

These options go in order of more primitive brewing to commercial. Number 3 will give you results no matter what. If there is sugar in your fruit and you add commercial yeast, you will see fermentation.

Alternatively, Number 1 might not ferment if the yeast population on the skins isn’t large enough. Some fruit that ferments almost always: apples, ginger, and turmeric. (The latter two are roots, but they ferment GREAT!)

Below I will lay out exactly how to ferment each method. Let’s do it!

#1: Use a fruit with skins that possibly have naturally occurring yeast.

This option is your experimental option. You can experiment with different fruits and see which ones have more naturally occurring yeasts. Then, you will be able to ferment the fruit you know has yeast!

(Pineapples probably have naturally occurring yeast on their skins, but I did not ferment their skins for the sake of example for #2 and #3!)

The general way to approach this is very similar to how to make a yeast starter. It is a little different since fruit already has sugar so we won’t need to add too much, if at all.

The most in depth explanation on a yeast starter with ginger is my guide here.

What you need to ferment fruit naturally:

A mason jar for fermenting
Organic cane sugar
You can use cheesecloth to cover the lid, or gently place the jar’s lid on top.
Your choice of ripe fruit. You want to fill the jar with fruit.
Good water source. Do not use tap water: it most likely contains chlorine. Use water from a filtration system or gallon jugs from the grocery store.
Sanitizer, or hot hot soapy water.

How to ferment fruit:

1. Clean your fermentation vessel either with sanitizer or hot hot soapy water to ensure no growth of unwanted bacteria!

2. Gather all ingredients.

3. Cut up your fruit and fill your jar all the way and use the end of a spoon, or presser, to press down on the fruit to extract as much juice as possible.

4. Fill the rest with water leaving about 2 inches of head space.

This can be optional. Add 1 tablespoon of organic cane sugar. If your fruit is naturally sugary, then this might not be necessary. If your fruit is not fermenting in 2-3 days, then add sugar.

5. Close the lid gently or wrap cheesecloth on your jar.

6. For the next 3 days, add in a few pieces of ripe fruit each day until you notice active fermentation.

7. After the first 24 hours, check on your ferment. It may take 2-3 days to begin bubbling and be a vigorous ferment. When it is ready, or seems ready, TASTE IT! If you like it move onto the next step.

8. After your ferment is where you want it. You can now start the process to enjoy your ferment as a beverage.

9. Remove the fruit either by a strainer or cheesecloth. Place your ferment into a jar with a lid, or bottle it, and put into the fridge. Make sure to burp it if you do not drink within 2 days!

#2: Use virtually any fruit and ferment using a yeast starter.

This method is number two for a reason! It allows you to connect with natural fermentation, as mentioned above, but with a greater chance of fermentation success.

You may also use the #1 method, then use that as a yeast starter to inoculate the fruit here in method #2.

What you need to ferment fruit using a yeast starter:

A viable, active yeast starter. Check out my guide here on how to make your own yeast starter, easily.
A mason jar for fermenting
You can use cheesecloth to cover the lid, or gently place the jar’s lid on top.
Your choice of ripe fruit. You want to fill 1/4 of the jar with fruit.
Good water source. Do not use tap water: it most likely contains chlorine. Use water from a filtration system or gallon jugs from the grocery store.
Sanitizer, or hot hot soapy water.

How to ferment fruit using a yeast starter:

1. Clean your fermentation vessel. Either by hot hot soapy water or with sanitizer. This step is important because when dealing with fermentation, anything can grow! You want to minimize growth to just your yeast population.

2. Gather the remaining ingredients.

3. Chop up your fruit into small pieces. Gently fill the inside of the fermentation vessel.

If you are using the quart sized jar mentioned above, you will use 1/4 cup of yeast starter. If using a different sized fermentation vessel, do math accordingly!

4. Measure out your yeast starter and add to your vessel.

5. Fill the remaining space up with purified water.

6. Optional: Add 3 tablespoons of organic cane sugar to jump start the process. This might not be necessary if your fruit is nice and sugary!

7. Set aside for 24 hours, and check back.

The following steps are the same as the end of method #1.

8. After 24 hours, check on your ferment. It may take 2-3 days to begin bubbling and be a vigorous ferment. When it is ready, or seems ready, TASTE IT! If you like it move onto the next step.

9. After your ferment is where you want it. You can now start the process to enjoy your ferment as a beverage.

10. Remove the fruit either by a strainer or cheesecloth. Place your ferment into a jar with a lid, or bottle it, and put into the fridge. Make sure to burp it if you do not drink within 2 days!

#3: Use any fruit and ferment using commercial cider or wine yeast.

The last and final method on how to ferment fruit. This method is the road to a homemade fermented fruit soda, if you want, or you can enjoy the fermented drink without the bubbles!

What you need to ferment fruit using commercial yeast:

A mason jar for fermenting
Commercial wine yeast
Scale to measure out the yeast.
Organic cane sugar , if your fruit is not sweet enough it might need some help!
You can use cheesecloth to cover the lid, or gently place the jar’s lid on top.
Your choice of ripe fruit. You want to fill 1/4 – 1/2 of the jar with fruit.
Good water source. Do not use tap water: it most likely contains chlorine. Use water from a filtration system or gallon jugs from the grocery store.
Sanitizer, or hot hot soapy wate

How to ferment fruit with commercial yeast:

1. 1. Clean your fermentation vessel. Either by hot hot soapy water or with sanitizer. This step is important because when dealing with fermentation, anything can grow! You want to minimize growth to just your yeast population.

2. Gather the remaining ingredients.

3. Chop up your fruit into small pieces. Gently place them inside the fermentation vessel. You want to fill it full of fruit.

4. Fill the remaining space up with water.

5. Add your yeast. The packets mentioned above are for 5 gallons, so if you are fermenting 1 gallon you will use 2.3 grams of yeast and for one quart you will use 0.6 grams.

6. Allow to ferment! The commercial yeast is very active so you will start to see fermentation very early on. You can ferment for 24 hours, once you see bubbling, or up to 3 days.

Taste it as time progresses, when you like the way it tastes you are done!! You can move onto bottling, or simply strain out the fruit and sip.