Kvass substitutes
Kvass substitutes — 6 options, ranked, with the exact amount
Use Kefir or buttermilk with sparkling water
Same amount as the kvass
2 parts kefir to 1 part sparkling water. Plus salt
First work out which kvass. For cold soups such as okroshka, use kefir or buttermilk cut with sparkling water, two parts dairy to one part water plus a good pinch of salt, in place of the kvass one for one. For souring borscht, beet kvass is what the recipe means, and sauerkraut brine or unsweetened beet juice with lemon does the same job. For drinking, nothing on a shelf tastes right, so ferment your own from toasted rye bread over two days.
- Verdict —
- Tweak it
- What changes —
- different taste, similar texture
- Best for —
- okroshka
Updated 26 Jul 2026 · no sponsored swaps
Every option, one card
Ranked| # | Substitute | Instead of kvass | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kefir or buttermilk with sparkling waterokroshka | Same amount2 parts kefir to 1 part sparkling water. Plus saltTweak it | Tweak it |
| 2 | Sauerkraut brine or unsweetened beet juice with lemonborscht | ¼ cup per litre of soup, in place of beet kvassTweak it | Tweak it |
| 3 | Non-alcoholic malt drink plus lemon juicedrinking cold | Same amount1 cup malt drink plus 1 tbsp lemon juiceWorks | Works |
| 4 | Homemade bread kvassdrinking | Same amountWorks | Works |
| 5 | Flat dark rye or wheat beer cut with waterbraises and meat dishes | Same amount3 parts beer to 1 part water. Plus a pinch of sugarTweak it | Tweak it |
| 6 | Rye toast infusion with lemon and molasses, no fermentsame-day cooking | Same amountTweak it | Tweak it |
Kefir or buttermilk with sparkling water
different taste, similar texture
For okroshka this is not really a compromise: half of Russia makes the soup with kefir rather than kvass. The soup comes out creamier, whiter and milder, with the fermented sourness intact but none of the malty bread depth. Salt it properly or it tastes like a milkshake.
- Best for
- okroshka, cold summer soups, chlodnik, drinking cold
The best swap for any cold soup. The sparkling water thins the kefir to kvass consistency and adds a little of the prickle kvass has. Add it cold and never boil it.
Sauerkraut brine or unsweetened beet juice with lemon
different taste, similar texture
This is the swap for beet kvass, the salty sour souring liquid used in borscht rather than the bread drink. Sauerkraut brine is cabbagey and sharp where beet kvass is earthy and sweeter, but the souring job is identical and it is already fermented. Beet juice plus a tablespoon of lemon juice per quarter cup gets the colour and earthiness instead.
- Best for
- borscht, beet soups, sour cabbage dishes, braises
Both are salty as well as sour, so taste the soup before adding salt. Add near the end of cooking; long boiling drives off the bright sourness you are adding it for.
Non-alcoholic malt drink plus lemon juice
similar taste and texture
Malta and similar dark malt beverages have almost exactly kvass's toasted grain sweetness, and the lemon juice supplies the sourness they lack. The result is closer than any other bought drink, though sweeter and without the yeasty fizz of a fresh ferment.
- Best for
- drinking cold, cold soups, braising liquid for meat, rye bread doughs
Closest shop-bought answer if a Caribbean, Latin American or Eastern European aisle is available. Taste as you add lemon: brands range from mildly sweet to almost syrupy.
Homemade bread kvass
similar taste and texture
Toast 200g of dark rye bread until the edges are properly brown, pour over 1.5 litres of boiling water, let it cool to lukewarm, stir in 3 tablespoons of sugar and a quarter teaspoon of instant yeast, cover loosely and leave at room temperature for one to two days. Strain and chill. This is actual kvass and nothing else tastes like it.
- Best for
- drinking, okroshka and botvinya, borscht, any recipe where the kvass flavour is the point
The only route to the real flavour. Toast the bread hard, since the colour and the malty aroma come from that browning rather than from the bread itself. Sweeten to taste after straining.
Flat dark rye or wheat beer cut with water
different taste, similar texture
Correct malt and yeast aroma, wrong bitterness: beer is hopped and kvass is not, so a soup made with it has a faint bitter finish kvass never has. A pinch of sugar per cup pulls it back. It is also properly alcoholic where kvass is barely so.
- Best for
- braises and meat dishes, rye breads, cold soups for adults, borscht
Choose a dark, low-hop, malty beer such as a dunkel or a mild, never an IPA. Let it go flat and stir it well. Not appropriate if you are cooking for children or anyone avoiding alcohol.
Rye toast infusion with lemon and molasses, no ferment
different taste, similar texture
Pour boiling water over hard-toasted dark rye, steep an hour, strain, then add a teaspoon of molasses and a tablespoon of lemon juice per cup. It has the colour, the malt and the acidity, and none of the yeasty fermented depth, so it reads a little flat and one-note next to real kvass.
- Best for
- same-day cooking, braising liquid, cold soups at a pinch, bread doughs
The honest least-bad option when you need kvass today. Better in a cooked dish than in a glass, where the missing ferment is obvious.
Questions
5 questionsWhat can I use instead of kvass in okroshka?
Kefir cut with sparkling water, two parts kefir to one part water, plus a good pinch of salt, used in the same quantity as the kvass. This is not a fudge: kefir okroshka is a completely standard version of the soup. It comes out paler, creamier and milder, without the malty bread note, but the cold fermented sourness that makes the dish work is fully there.
Is beet kvass the same as bread kvass?
No. Bread kvass is fermented from toasted rye bread and is dark, malty and lightly sweet, drunk cold or used in cold soups. Beet kvass is fermented from beets and salt and is deep red, earthy, salty and sour, used mainly to sharpen borscht. A recipe that pours kvass into a glass means the bread one; a borscht recipe asking for kvass almost always means the beet one.
Can I just leave the kvass out?
In borscht, no, because it is providing the sourness that stops the soup tasting like sweet beet water. Replace it with sauerkraut brine, a splash of vinegar or lemon juice at the end. In okroshka you also cannot leave it out, since it is the liquid the soup is made of, and kefir thinned with water is the direct replacement.
How long does homemade kvass take?
One to two days at room temperature after you steep the toasted rye in boiling water and add sugar and yeast. It is ready when it tastes pleasantly sour and slightly fizzy rather than sweet. Strain it, chill it, and drink it within about a week, keeping it refrigerated and the container only loosely closed.
Does kvass contain alcohol?
A small amount, typically under one percent, because the fermentation is short and yeast-led. Commercial kvass in many countries is sold as a soft drink for that reason. A homemade batch left to ferment longer will be stronger, and any beer-based substitute is far stronger again, which matters if you are serving children.
Tips for substituting kvass
6 tips- Identify which kvass the recipe wants, because the two products barely resemble each other. Bread kvass is a dark, malty, faintly sweet drink and is what a cold soup or a glass on the table means. Beet kvass is a salty, earthy, deep red souring liquid used to sharpen borscht. Substituting one for the other will not work.
- Kvass is only around half a percent to one percent alcohol, so swapping in beer is a genuine change rather than a technicality. If you are cooking for children, anyone pregnant or anyone avoiding alcohol, use the kefir, malt drink or rye infusion routes instead.
- Salt is essential in okroshka. Kvass is savoury and slightly salty, so if you swap in kefir you must season the soup properly or it tastes like a sweet dairy drink with vegetables in it. Salt, then taste, then add a little more.
- If you ferment your own, cover the jar with a cloth or a loose lid at room temperature and refrigerate once it tastes right, usually after one to two days. Do not seal it tightly in glass, because the carbon dioxide has nowhere to go.
- Beet kvass is salty as well as sour, so taste your borscht before adding salt when you have used it or a brine substitute. Under-tasting at this stage is how borscht ends up needing to be diluted.
- Fermenting and pickling recipes rely on their acid and salt levels for safety, so follow a tested recipe as written rather than adjusting the proportions to taste, and check the National Center for Home Food Preservation for current guidance before preserving anything.