Feijoa Fizz - Naturally Fizzy Feijoa Skin Drink

Don't throw away those feijoa skins! This feijoa fizz is one of the EASIEST and most satisfying ways to use up what most people scrape straight into the bin. A little sugar, some water, a few days of patience, and you've got yourself a beautiful, naturally fizzy drink that tastes like summer in a glass. ZERO waste, MAXIMUM flavour, and honestly,  once you've made it, you'll never look at a feijoa skin the same way again!

Recipe Details:

• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Fermentation Time: 5 days (3 days + 2 days)
• Total Time: 5 days hands-off
• Makes: Approximately 750ml
• Difficulty: Easy
• Special Equipment: Large jar or jug, fine mesh strainer or muslin cloth, 1 litre plastic bottle (pressure-safe)

This is wild fermentation at its simplest. The natural yeasts living on those feijoa skins get to work on the sugar, creating CO2 as they ferment, and that CO2 is what gives you those gorgeous natural bubbles. It's the same principle behind a ginger bug or a sourdough starter, but with almost zero effort. The two-stage process, first fermenting in an open vessel, then bottling with extra sugar for a second ferment, is what builds up that satisfying fizz. 

Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Zero waste magic: Those feijoa skins you were about to throw away are the star of the show
• Naturally fizzy: Real fermentation bubbles, no soda water required
• Ridiculously easy: 5 minutes of actual work, nature does the rest
• Cheap as chips: Uses scraps + pantry staples
• Uniquely New Zealand: A drink as seasonal and special as feijoas themselves

Ingredients

For the First Ferment:

• Skins of 6–8 feijoas (roughly 750ml water's worth)
• 750ml water (filtered or left to sit for 30 mins if chlorinated)
• 2 tablespoons sugar

For the Second Ferment (Bottling):

• 2 tablespoons sugar

Instructions

1. Save your skins: Every time you scoop out feijoas, keep the skins in a container in the fridge until you've got enough, skins from about 6–8 feijoas is plenty. Give them a rough rinse but don't scrub them; those natural yeasts on the skin are exactly what you want!

2. Combine in a jar: Add the feijoa skins to a large clean jar or jug. Pour over 750ml of water and stir in 2 tablespoons of sugar until dissolved.

3. First ferment: Cover the jar loosely with a cloth or piece of paper towel secured with a rubber band, you want airflow, not a sealed lid. Leave it at room temperature (ideally around 20–22°C) for 3 days. Give it a gentle stir once a day. After a day or two you should start to see small bubbles forming, that means it's working!

4. Strain: After 3 days, strain the liquid through a sieve into a clean jug. Discard the skins. You should have a pale, golden, lightly fragrant liquid.

5. Bottle with sugar: Pour the strained liquid into a pressure-safe plastic bottle (about 1 litre capacity). Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar and give it a gentle shake to dissolve. Seal the bottle tightly.

6. Second ferment: Leave the sealed bottle at room temperature for 2 more days. Once or twice a day, give the bottle a gentle squeeze, when it feels rock hard and doesn't give at all, it's fully carbonated and ready to chill. If it still has some give, leave it a little longer.

7. Chill and serve: Once fully pressurised, move to the fridge to stop the fermentation and chill the drink. Open carefully over a sink,  it WILL be fizzy! Pour over ice and enjoy.

Chef's Tips

Use plastic, not glass: Seriously, use a plastic bottle for the second ferment. You can feel the pressure building by squeezing it. Glass bottles can shatter under pressure, not worth the risk!

Chlorinated tap water: If your tap water is chlorinated (most NZ town water is), either use a filter or just leave it in an open jug for 30 minutes before using. Chlorine can inhibit fermentation.

Temperature matters: Warmer kitchens = faster fermentation. In winter or if your kitchen is cool, it may take an extra day. In a warm summer kitchen it can go faster,  keep an eye on it.

Don't seal the first ferment: The jar needs to breathe during the first 3 days. A sealed jar with active fermentation can build pressure and pop the lid!

Taste as you go: Once bottled, you can open and taste it from day 2 onwards. If it's fizzy enough for you, into the fridge it goes!

More or fewer skins: Got more skins? Scale up! The ratio is roughly 6–8 skins per 750ml water. You can easily double the batch.

Substitutions & Variations

Add ginger: Drop in a couple of thin slices of fresh ginger before the first ferment for a spicy kick.

Add lemon: A strip of lemon peel or a squeeze of lemon juice adds a lovely brightness.

Add mint: A sprig of fresh mint in the first ferment gives a really refreshing flavour.

Sweeter fizz: Use 3 tablespoons of sugar at the bottling stage instead of 2 for a slightly sweeter drink. Just know the yeast will eat some of it!

Less sweet: Drop to 1.5 tablespoons at bottling for a drier result.

Use the flesh too: Have leftover feijoa flesh? Check out my feijoa recipes below!

Storage

Fridge: Once fully carbonated and chilled, the feijoa fizz will keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. The fermentation slows right down in the cold but doesn't stop completely, so it will slowly become drier and slightly more alcoholic over time. Drink within the first week for best flavour.

Room temperature: Do NOT leave a sealed, carbonated bottle at room temperature for extended periods, the pressure will keep building and it could burst.

Leftovers: If you don't finish the bottle, keep it sealed in the fridge and it'll stay fizzy for several days.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is feijoa fizz alcoholic? A: It contains a very small amount of alcohol from fermentation, similar to kombucha, generally less than 0.5%. It's considered non-alcoholic, but if you're avoiding alcohol entirely, keep that in mind.

Q: What if I don't see any bubbles after day 2? A: Give it a stir and leave it another day. Fermentation can be slower in cooler temperatures or if your water was chlorinated. If by day 4 there's still nothing happening, the yeasts may not have been active enough, start a fresh batch.

Q: Can I use the whole feijoa, not just the skins? A: Yes! But the whole point of this recipe is using the scraps, so skins only is the move. Save the flesh for eating or another recipe.

Q: My fizz smells a bit funky, is it okay? A: It should smell pleasantly fruity and faintly yeasty. A slight vinegary tang is fine. If it smells genuinely rotten, putrid, or has visible mould (not just cloudiness), discard it and start fresh.

Q: Can I make a bigger batch? A: Absolutely! Scale everything up proportionally. Just make sure your bottling vessel is pressure-safe and has enough headspace.

Q: What does feijoa fizz taste like? A: Think lightly fizzy, gently sweet, with that distinctive floral feijoa flavour. It's like a sophisticated, homemade version of a sparkling fruit drink,  totally unique and absolutely delicious!

You Might Also Like

2 Easy Savoury Feijoa Recipes - Salsa & Smashed Cucumber Salad - More brilliant ways to make the most of feijoa season!

How to Make a Ginger Bug - Natural Fermentation Starter - Once you're hooked on natural fizzy drinks, this is your next step.

Lemon Verbena Soda with Ginger Bug - Another gorgeous naturally fizzy homemade drink!

Enjoy!

Del x

This feijoa fizz is the ULTIMATE zero-waste drink, feijoa skins, sugar, water, and five days is all you need to make a naturally fizzy, beautifully fragrant drink that tastes as good as it feels to make. Don't bin those skins, fizz them!