Some experts say that our entire health system relies on gut health. You gut is vital for everything from the immune and endocrine systems to to mental wellbeing. Luckily, supporting your gut health is pretty simple. From gut-friendly foods and drinks to prebiotic and probiotic supplements, there are plenty of options to suit your lifestyle, diet and schedule.
But good gut health isn’t just about your digestion; it’s an essential set of processes and states that support overall wellbeing. Studies have shown that a gut filled with a large number and variety of so-called “friendly bacteria” supports physical and mental health, as well as making your stomach feel more comfortable. Having a healthy and well-balanced microbiome will help to stave off digestion issues, but it will also boost your mood and help with sleep quality and energy levels.
Tim Spector, professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London and author of The Diet Myth: The Real Science Behind What We Eat (£8.99, Amazon.co.uk), explains that one of the best ways to support your gut is to “avoid processed and sugary foods and eat a diverse, whole-food diet, rich in plant foods, to feed those microbes.”
Other helpful tactics include taking prebiotic and probiotic supplements and drinking fermented drinks that deliver friendly live bacteria to the gut. Thankfully, there are plenty of drinks like this to choose from - and they’re tastier than they sound.
From kefir to kombucha and other bacterial brews, you’re bound to find something that will get your taste buds tingling with our line-up of the best on the market.
How we tested
We’ve reviewed more than a dozen drinks for gut health, assessing each for flavour, natural ingredients and price. We also looked into whether certain options were suitable for vegans or certified organic. We also investigated prices and options to subscribe and save on repeat deliveries – good gut health is for life, after all.
Why you can trust IndyBest reviews
Each product was tested by gut health expert and co-author of bestselling gut-health book The G Plan Diet (£12.99, Amazon.co.uk), Hannah Ebelthite, and by our own Fitness and wellbeing editor and self-confessed gut health nerd, Emilie Lavinia. Between them, they’ve selected the best the market has to offer, from independent and global brands.
The best gut-health drinks for 2025 are:
- Best overall – Equinox elderflower and raspberry kombucha: £2.20, Waitrose.com
- Best budget buy – One Living raspberry kombucha with pomegranate, four pack: £5.25, Sainsburys.co.uk
- Best kefir drink – Biotiful kefir drink: £2.60, Sainsburys.co.uk
- Best small batch kombucha – LA Brewery ginger and lemon kombucha, 12 pack: £39, Amazon.co.uk
- Best for vegans – Belly Dance kefir soda, 12 pack: £32, Drinkbellydance.com
Equinox raspberry and elderflower kombucha
Launched in 2012, Yorkshire-based brand Equinox is one of the largest kombucha brewers in the UK and the winner of two Great Taste awards. It’s also the winner in our guide. The individual bottles were also the most competitively priced on test, and we loved the tasty flavours and organic vegan-friendly ingredients.
The brand’s organic kombuchas are available in five flavours but our favourite is the raspberry and elderflower. You can also choose from pink grapefruit and guava, Sicilian lemon, ginger and orange and yuzu.
Despite a fairly strong taste with a distinct hint of vinegar, this was a surprising favourite with our child testers, who loved this kombucha over all the other drinks we tested.
The glass bottles are easy to recycle , too - just be sure to give the bottle a gentle shake before enjoying, as the natural sediment from the Scoby (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) sinks to the bottom of the bottle.
Buy now £2.20, Waitrose.com
One Living raspberry kombucha with pomegranate, pack of four
If you’re trying fermented drinks for the first time, you can’t go wrong with One Living. The brand’s cans of sparkling kombucha are affordable and taste great.
The raspberry kombucha with pomegranate was our favourite but the brand offers a range of flavours from passionfruit to ginger.
Created by Jonny Wilkinson, the gut-friendly brand claims to add B vitamins to its unpasteurised sparkling drinks, which help to combat tiredness.
These drinks have no added sugar either, so they’re only 5 calories. Easy to drink on the go, these cans are a good alternative to fizzy sugary drinks that can throw off your microbiome.
Buy now £5.25, Sainsburys.co.uk
Biotiful kefir drink
Biotiful Dairy is the UK’s biggest kefir brand and the company says that each bottle of the contains more than 40 strains of bacteria.
There are no added sugars and, as with all kefirs, most of the lactose in these drinks is consumed during the fermentation process, so those who are looking to swerve lactose will still benefit from a gut-healthy hit. However, they are dairy-based drinks and therefore not suitable for vegans.
Drink the plain kefir on its own (the flavour is mild and tangy), add to smoothies or use it anywhere in place of yoghurt or cream – it’s especially good in salad dressings.
If the tangy flavour of plain kefir isn’t to your liking, there are a ton of flavours to choose from, including strawberry, peach, vanilla chai and our fitness and wellbeing editor’s personal favourite: blossom honey.
Biotiful also now offers kefir with added protein for those keen to hit their daily nutrient goals. These protein drinks contain 20g of protein per bottle, so will see you well on your way to your protein quota before or after a heavy gym sesh.
Buy now £2.60, Sainsburys.co.uk
Belly dance cherry berry water kefir, pack of 12
If you’re looking to try kefir but don’t eat dairy, look no further than water kefir. This soda is a gut-friendly kefir that’s suitable for vegans and those following a dairy-free diet.
Available in two flavours, the cherry berry took the top spot but fans of citrus might prefer the kiwi mango flavour.
Along with live cultures, the kefir grain fermentation process also provides vitamins and minerals along with antioxidants and organic acids that have gut-soothing, anti-inflammatory properties.
Unlike kombucha, this fizzy drink contains no caffeine and it’s also low in sugar, making these cans a healthy way to enjoy a can of soda and a simple way to boost gut health.
Buy now £17.00, Drinkbellydance.com
LA brewery ginger and lemon kombucha, pack of 12
This craft kombucha comes in luxurious, weighty glass bottles. One of our fitness and wellbeing editor’s go-to brands, LA brewery is a B-Corp Certified microbrewery. If you worry about shopping locally, don’t let the name fool you - it’s based in Suffolk, not Los Angeles.
The brand says the tea used to make the kombucha comes from ethical tea farms and is lovingly turned into a gut-friendly drink in the UK. Our favourite flavour is the lemon ginger, which is rich and flavourful with a hint of chili.
This kombucha, like Equinox’s, has a purer, more vinegary taste than other brands and will need a little shake to get the floating Scoby pieces moving before drinking.
The bottles are easy to recycle and come in packs of 12, so you can stock up your fridge and enjoy them daily.
Buy now £33.25, Amazon.co.uk
The Gutsy Captain ginger lemon kombucha, pack of 12
An A-list favourite, this organic Portuguese brand has supposedly found fans in Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow and Justin Bieber.
We found some of the flavours a little odd, and the plastic bottle wasn’t appealing. However, the ginger lemon variety had a refreshing zing and strong, ginger-beer like kick. “A good choice, perhaps, if you’re looking for an alcohol alternative, or the perfect drink to complement a spicy meal.” says gut-health expert Hannah Ebelthite.
At £3.19 for a 400ml bottle, it’s not the cheapest drink on this list but is a great option to have at home in your fridge in place of a family-sized bottle of fizzy pop.
The Gutsy Captain’s kombucha is also vegan-friendly, organic and doesn’t contain any preservatives.
Buy now £27.30, Hollandandbarrett.com
Lo Bros kombucha cola, pack of 12
Finally, a healthy alternative to fizzy pop. Lo Bros is an Australian brand that specialises in “living sodas”.
Our favourite of its kombucha drinks is the kombucha cola. According to Ebelthite, “It tastes like old fashioned cola-bottle sweets, without the cloying sensation and huge sugar hit you get from classic cola, or the metallic aftertaste of a diet version.”
The packaging is bright and retro and there are an enticing range of flavours. However, purists should know that this is not a true kombucha. Instead, it’s a blend of kombucha, raw apple cider vinegar and botanical spices and citrus extracts. It still packs a gut-healthy punch, but it’s technically not a kombucha.
It would look equally at home at a kids’ party or in a bar. It’s a great healthy vegan drink to enjoy on the go from a bottle or a can.
Buy now £13.10, Amazon.co.uk
Chuckling Goat live kefir
Chuckling Goat’s live kefir packs a punch. It even has clear instructions on building up your dose gradually from a tablespoon to 170ml daily.
It’s live and unpasteurised, and continues to ferment in the bottle, producing more and more cultures, so, open it with extreme care.
“Chuckling Goat came about when Welsh goat farmer Shann Nix Jones started exploring the beneficial effects of kefir when used externally on inflammatory skin conditions like acne, eczema, psoriasis and rosacea, and the internal benefits for IBS, depression and anxiety,” explains Ebelthite.
Using goat’s milk rather than cow’s is thought to be easier on digestion and the “fizzy feta” flavour might soon be the highlight of your morning. If not, though, we recommend blending it into a smoothie with some fruit.
However, this is easily the most expensive option on the list. It costs £50 for four 900ml bottles, so it’s far too expensive for many of us.
Buy now £50.00, Chucklinggoat.co.uk
Bio and Me vanilla kefir
Another quality kefir brand, Bio and Me specialises in dairy-based gut health drinks that taste great. It’s also easy to find in supermarkets.
Made with milk, it’s not suitable for vegans but for those who do consume dairy, it’s delicious alone or poured over cereal. Our favourite is the vanilla flavour, which is sweet and subtle, masking most of the tang without damaging the live cultures inside.
With no added sugar, each bottle contains 18 unique live culture strains. It’s also a good source of calcium and B vitamins, so makes for a excellent way to start the day.
Buy now £2.00, Sainsburys.co.uk
Fix8 strawberry basil kombucha, pack of 12
If fruity flavours are your weakness, Fix8 might be the kombucha brand for you. Available in strawberry basil, Sicilian citrus and ginger turmeric, these cans are slow brewed with added live cultures. They also contain 25 percent of your recommended daily Vitamin C, so they’re a great all rounder for all ages.
The natural flavours pair brilliantly with the strong but not unpleasant tang of fermented tea. The strawberry basil is our personal favourite but all three options are a great gut-friendly treat from this independent brand. At just under £22 for 12 cans, this is one of the more affordable options if you’re keen to try kombucha.
Buy now £21.95, Fix8.com
Momo kombucha
One of the best kombucha brands on this list is only available in multipacks or as a subscription. Momo is a small-batch brand based in London. There are four flavours, including elderflower, ginger and lemon, raspberry hibiscus and turmeric, but Momo has also collaborated to create specialist flavours such as forced rhubarb, mandarin and blood orange with organic growers and grocers, Natoora.
You can opt for six, 12 or 24 bottles or opt for a three-month subscription. It’s relatively expensive but you can save when you subscribe, which knocks 15 per cent off the price. If you want to try Momo first, opt for the pack of six in a mix of flavours so you can try them all.
Buy now £22.53, Momo-kombucha.com
Hip pop CBD kombucha
Hip Pop’s kombucha is already a crowd pleaser and one of our Wellbeing editor’s go-to brands. However, the original recipe has been levelled up with an added 15mg of CBD.
You might have tried CBD sodas from the likes of One Living and Trip before. If you haven’t, they’re well worth investigating. CBD is supposed to make you calm and relaxed. Just bear in mind that many of the claims about CBD are are unproven.
These cans also make for the perfect alcohol alternative, if you’re looking for a healthy swap that still tastes great. Available in three flavours, you can pick up six, 12 or 24 cans to set the mood.
Buy now £24.99, https://drinkhippop.com/
Gut-health drink FAQs
What is kombucha?
Kombucha is created when tea and sugar are fermented using a Scoby, a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast. The resulting drink is fizzy and very slightly alcoholic usually less than 0.5 per cent, about the same as an overripe banana. While some of the sugar remains, most is consumed by the bacteria, which can be visible in the drinks as stringy bits that are perfectly safe to consume.
Most kombucha products contain between 2g and 4g sugar per 100ml, compared with more than 10g for juice or cola. Kombucha drinks will also contain caffeine, however, so it’s worth taking a look at the label if you have caffeine sensitivities or hear issues. This drink has skyrocketed in popularity and some brands offer a healthier and more gut-friendly formula than others.
Kombucha is a safe bet for people following a plant-based diet but for anyone who might be sensitive to (or trying to avoid) alcohol or caffeine, it might be worth exploring other gut-friendly options.
What is kefir?
Kefir is usually made by adding live kefir grains to milk and allowing them to ferment. The result is a slightly effervescent, thick, tart milk drink that tastes like a stronger version of natural yoghurt – and can contain up to 10 times the number of bacterial strains.
Kefir made with milk contains dairy and is therefore not suitable for vegans or plant-based eaters, however, water kefir is suitable for non-dairy diets. Water kefir is a version of the drink made without any milk and usually comes as a sparkling soda.
If you’re looking for a gut-healthy drink that will work for you, there are a few things professor Tim Spector advises: “Look for billions rather than millions of colony-forming units (CFUs) on the label, to maximise the amount that makes it to the gut,” he suggests.
“Everyone’s microbiome is unique, like a fingerprint, so, we can’t yet promise that certain strains will boost yours. The best advice is to mix up the drinks you have, for maximum diversity. Fermented products do their work as they pass through you, so, have them little and often, rather than occasional binges.”
The verdict: Gut-health drinks
Gut health drinks are plentiful and easy to find but it really depends on what you’re looking for when it comes to finding the right one for you. For those looking for a tasty hit of live cultures without the addition of dairy, a water kefir soda such as Belly Dance’s could be right up your street. However, if you don’t mind the hint of caffeine, you’ll love Equinox’s fruity organic kombucha offerings, which took our top spot. For an affordable first try, the One Living kombucha cans are the perfect entry point. However, if you don’t find dairy scary, kefir is packed with live cultures and makes for a delicious breakfast option. We loved the plain kefir from Biotiful as a healthy all-rounder.
Want more recommendations? Check out our guide to the best probiotics
