Once you learn how to make rejuvelac for vegan cheesemaking, you won't go back to the prepackaged cheese! Rejuvelac is the magic ingredient that makes cashew cheese taste like cheese. But it's not magic—it's fermentation!
🍶 What is it?
Rejuvelac is a fermented liquid made from sprouted grains. It can be made with many types of grains, but quinoa sprouts the easiest and fastest.
The main reason for making rejuvelac is making vegan cheese! It's the ingredient that cultures the cheese and gives it the sharp taste that takes it from blended cashews and flavorings to cultured cheese. A good starter recipe is my Cultured Cashew & Sunflower Seed Cheese.
If you're interested in vegan cheesemaking, I'd recommend picking up a copy of Artisan Vegan Cheese by Miyoko Schinner. You can read my review of that cookbook and the cheeses I made for my vegan cheese board.
Besides making cheese and other cultured foods, you can drink rejuvelac. It's not my cup of tea, but people drink it because it contains probiotics.
🧾 Ingredients
- Raw quinoa
- Water
- Cheesecloth
- A clean glass jar
- Time
🔪 Instructions
Rejuvelac is made by sprouting grains or seeds, then fermenting the sprouts over the course of 1-2 days. Different grains yield different results and flavors, but quinoa is the most common kind.
Please note that your rejuvelac may reach each stage faster or slower than mine.
Day 1
The first step is soaking the dry quinoa in water for 5-10 hours. I usually start this process right before bed so it can soak overnight.
Pour some water over the quinoa, then place a piece of cheesecloth on top and secure it with the metal part of the lid or a rubber band. You don't have to use filtered water, but you may want to use it if your tap water is heavily treated.
Place the jar in a dark, room temperature location. It's okay if it's a little cold, but not if it's too hot. I usually put it in a kitchen cabinet away from the stove.
Day 2
The next morning (or later in the day if you started the soak in the morning), you'll want to drain the water and rinse the quinoa. Then return it to its dark, cool spot.
Make sure the water is drained completely so that the quinoa seeds are moistened. If there is too much water, the quinoa may start to rot instead of sprout.
Rinse and drain the quinoa every 3-8 hours until ½ inch sprouts emerge. This usually takes 24-36 hours.
Small sprouts emerging 8-10 hours after starting the sprouting process
Day 3
When the sprouts are about ½ an inch long, it's time to add water and start the fermentation process. Not every seed has to have a ½ inch sprout, but as long as most do, it's ready to go.
Add about 2 cups of water to the jar. Don't fill it up completely because the water level will rise as the rejuvelac ferments.
Place a piece of cheesecloth on top (maybe a new piece if the old one is getting messy), secure it, and return it to its spot.
Day 4
About 24 hours later, you'll see some changes. The water will be fizzy, there will be a layer of bubbles on top, and the liquid will start to change color and develop a lemony smell.
What we're looking for is a sharp, lemony, fermented smell and taste. If it still smells like dry quinoa and slightly lemony (as mine did at this stage) it needs more time. Give it a stir 1-2 time a day and leave it alone for a little while longer.
24 hours of fermentation
Day 5
By this day, the rejuvelac should be extra fizzy, have a thick layer of bubbles on the surface, and be yellow in color. The "dry quinoa" smell and taste should be gone, replaced by a strong fermented, lemony taste. If you've reached this stage, your rejuvelac is ready.
You'll want to strain out the quinoa sprouts, pour the liquid into a clean, airtight jar and store it in the fridge. At this point, it's ready to use in a recipe.
🥫 Storage
The rejuvelac will keep in the fridge for about 2 weeks. Around the 2 week mark, do the sniff test before using. If something smells "off", it probably is.
💭 Tips
Store in a dark place at room temperature
Heat is the number one enemy of rejuvelac. Too much heat and humidity in that jar of sprouts will make it grow some nasties. A good place to store it is a kitchen cabinet away from the oven and refrigerator.
Make sure your quinoa isn't precooked or toasted
Precooked quinoa will never sprout. Make sure you have plain, raw quinoa. Unfortunately, some brands may not mention this on the package. I've had good luck with the Goya and Aldi brand quinoas.
Wait until the tails are ½ inch long
If the quinoa isn't fully sprouted, the rejuvelac won't have enough "juice" to start fermenting properly.
❌ Troubleshooting
It may take a few tries to get the hang of making rejuvelac, and recognizing the steps. Here are some common issues to avoid.
The grains won't sprout
Make sure the quinoa you're using wasn't precooked or pretreated in some way. Only raw quinoa will sprout.
Also make sure it's not an old container of quinoa. The quinoa may also just be a dud (or the company precooked it in some way and didn't label it). Try a different brand.
Are you rinsing your quinoa enough? The seeds may dry out quicker if you're in a dry environment and/or not rinsing them enough.
The sprouts smell gross
The sprouts should not have a strong smell. They should smell vegetal, not funky.
Bad smells can happen if there's too much water in the jar. The sprouts will get waterlogged and rot.
The other explanation is the room temperature. If it's too hot and humid, the sprouts will start to go bad. In the summer, I like to put the jar in a closet, away from sunlight and the ambient heat in the kitchen.
The rejuvelac smells gross
This likely has more to do with the sprouts than the rejuvelac itself. Either your sprouts started to rot (see the tips above to prevent this), or they weren't fully sprouted.
If they weren't fully sprouted, they either needed more time, or there was something wrong with the quinoa that prevented it from sprouting. If this is the case, the quinoa seeds may start to turn brown or black after a couple of days sitting in water.
The rejuvelac isn't fizzy/fermenting
If your sprouts were fully developed and didn't have a weird smell, it may just need more time. Stir it 1-2 times a day to encourage fermentation.
Otherwise, the problem may have been the sprouts. If they took more than 1-2 days to sprout, it's possible they started sprouting AND rotting.
📖 Recipe
Rejuvelac with Quinoa
Rejuvelac is a fermented liquid made from sprouted grains that can be used to make cultured vegan cheese. It can be made with many types of grains, but quinoa sprouts the easiest and fastest. Rejuvelac contains probiotics and has a lemony flavor, so some people like to drink it.
Ingredients
- ½ cup quinoa, see note
- 2-3 cups water
Instructions
Soaking and starting to sprout (day 1-2):
- Pour the quinoa in a 4 quart glass jar and add water to cover.
- Cover with cheesecloth or thin fabric and secure with a rubber band or metal part of lid (do not cover with lid), and place the jar in a cool dark place, such as a kitchen cabinet.
- Let soak 5-10 hours, then drain the water.
- Rinse the quinoa and drain the water completely, then return to the cool dark place.
- Repeat the rinsing and draining step every 3-8 hours.
Sprouting (day 2-3):
- Continue rinsing and draining the quinoa every 3-8 hours as the quinoa sprouts.
Fermenting (day 3-5):
- When the sprouts reach are about ½ inch long, add 2 cups of water to the jar, and return to its spot.
- Check on the rejuvelac daily, giving the mixture a stir to encourage fermentation.
- When the rejuvelac has a lemony, fermented smell, strain out the sprouts and transfer the liquid to a clean jar.
- Store the jar of rejuvelac in the fridge for up to 2 weeks, and use as directed in recipes like cultured vegan cheese.
Notes
- Make sure you use raw quinoa (not toasted or precooked) because only raw quinoa will sprout.
- The time it takes for your quinoa to sprout and for the rejuvelac to ferment will depend on a variety of factors like room temperature, water temperature, and the quinoa you're using. The warmer it is, the faster the process will be.
- Rinse your quinoa more often if it's warm in your house, such as in the summer. The sprouts will go "bad" faster.
- The sprouts shouldn't have a strong smell. If they smell rotten, they are no good.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: ½ cupAmount Per Serving: Calories: 10Unsaturated Fat: 0g
Greg
Dumb question.... When you say "drain" at the beginning are tipping the jar and pouring through the cheesecloth? Or removing the cheesecloth and draining the grains in a seive?
I only see a seive pictured during the final drain-and-store step.
Thanks!
Kelly Peloza
Hi Greg! Yes, you can just tip the jar and pour the water out to drain the water to rinse the quinoa. You can replace the cheesecloth if it gets too wet or gross after a couple of days. I only use a sieve for the final step when the rejuvelac is ready.
Lori
Can the sprouted quinoa be used in a recipe after removing the liquid Rejuvelac from the jar. I just hate to waste any of the ingredients.
Kelly Peloza
Hi Lori,
I've never used the sprouted quinoa after making rejuvelac, but you could certainly try. I'm not sure what it would taste like after the fermentation process.
keith davidson
most folks just feed the sprouts to the critters
Tiffany
Just offering. I decided to use the sprouts, blended with a bit of water, add shredded potato, green onion, salt, pepper, garlic, smoke paprika, some soy flour we have, an egg and make fried potato cake
christy
Just got done soaking my quinoa, mixed with a tad bit of rice (bc i ran out of quinoa).
Currently, IMO, it's not a good smell, smells like cheese.....but wondering if that is supposed to be the smell after soaking?
Kelly
Hi Christy,
What type of rice did you use? Brown rice should sprout, but white rice or other types of rice that had been precooked will not and they will go bad. Rice is more difficult to sprout than quinoa and takes longer so I wouldn’t recommend mixing them.
Della
Hi there!
Am I supposed to rinse the quinoa until the water is clear? It doesn't seem to be getting clearer after washing for minutes on end.:(
Kelly Peloza
Hi! It may not be perfectly clear so as long as you're rinsing and removing as much excess water as possible, it should be fine. But if it seems like it's not running clear because it's slimy or going "off" I would start over and rinse more often the first day or two.
Emma
I'm looking for a cheese sauce recipe that has cashews, nutritional yeast, and quinoa rejuvelac in it. Maybe this isn't the right spot to ask, but I couldn't seem to find any recipes so far.
Kelly Peloza
Hi Emma! I have a recipe for a simple cashew and sunflower cheese here: https://seitanbeatsyourmeat.com/cashew-sunflower-seed-cheese/
I also recommend the book Artisan Vegan Cheese which has tons of different cheese recipes.
Surati
Made my rejuvelac. Turned out fabulous .
Now culturing the cheese.
After culturing , is it okay ( as far as spoilage) to put fresh snipped green chives ?
And, since I've got 3 batchs going, another one using dried herb de provence. And the other batch with
sauteed finely minced shallots and fresh basil in another one ?
Kelly Peloza
Hi Surati -
I would wait to add the chives and other herbs (and any other fresh ingredients) until after the cheese is cultured and ready to be refrigerated. I wouldn't leave those ingredients out at room temperature, just the nut and seed mixture while it's culturing.
Erin
A goofy question here... I'm using a "4 quart" jar which is essentially a gallon mason jar. I see in the photos it looks like you're fermenting in 1 quart. I don't think I've screwed up the sprouting process (hahahah), but did I use the wrong sized jar, and could this affect the outcome? Thank you in advance! I'm excited to see how this turns out 🙂
Kelly Peloza
Hi Erin! As long as you use the amount of quinoa and water called for in the recipe, the size of the jar should not matter as long as the sprouts are fully submerged in the water. I just wouldn't use 1/2 cup quinoa, then fill up the entire jar with water since it would throw off the ratio.
Linda mitchell
Is it necessary to use cheesecloth on top of jar when rinsing or can I use the top of my sprouting jars… metal or plastic tops ?
Kelly Peloza
Nope, cheesecloth is not necessary. You can use the metal or plastic tops that fit your sprouting jar.
HEATHER COOK
Hi Kelly, After 2 weeks my cheese has developed a little mould on the top. Is this ok please? Thanks
Kelly Peloza
Hi Heather, it depends on the type of cheese (hard vs soft) but I would err on the side of caution and do not recommend eating it. Softer cheeses especially will only last 1-2 weeks at most.
Logan Schlick
I’ve tried making rejuvelac twice now and the first time it smelled like ham and tasted awful. Second time and now it smells like rotten eggs, though it tastes a bit better. Thing is, I’m not sure what it’s supposed to taste like so I have no idea if mine is rotten or not.
Genevieve Deschenes
Thank you so much for sharing ❤️
s james
should the rejuvalac have a film on top of the liquid when it is finished.
thanks
Fiona Bramzell
I just made a great batch of rejuvelac but I'm wondering if it's ok to store it in the fridge with a lid on the jar or is there a danger of it exploding from carbonation building up? I've had issues with other fermented liquids before and don't want to take any chances!
Kelly Peloza
Hi Fiona,
Yes, it should be stored in the fridge with a lid on. Once it's drained and refrigerated, the fermentation slows down significantly. If you're concerned, you could unscrew the lid each day to release any carbonation buildup.
Angie
Can you use the store-bought sprouted quinoa? Has anyone tried using this type of quinoa?