10 Best Fermentation Kits for Home (Mason Jar, Crock & Kombucha) 2026
Ten ferment kits for sauerkraut, pickles, kimchi and hot sauce, with no burping and no mould. Compared by what’s in the box, whether jars are included, and which airlock you’ll actually keep using.
Choosing between all the fermentation kits for home use comes down to one question: do you already own wide-mouth mason jars?
- Yes: get a lid-and-weight kit like Masontops or the Easy Fermenter.
- No: get a complete jar kit like JILLMO or IceFun.
- Big batches: skip jars and get a crock.
We compared kits on what’s in the box, airlock type, weights and price. None of them need a starter culture. Vegetables ferment on their own with salt.
Quick Picks: Best Fermentation Kit for Most People
Best overallMasontops Complete Mason Jar Fermentation Kit
Best valueNourished Essentials Easy Fermenter Kit
Best kit with jarsJILLMO 2L Wide Mouth Fermentation Jar Kit (2 Pack)
Fermentation Kit Comparison Chart
Look at two columns first: jars included and airlock. Waterless silicone valves need nothing. Water airlocks need a top-up every week or two.
| Kit | Type | Jars included? | Weights | Airlock | Rating | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masontops Complete Mason Jar Fermentation Kit | Lids + weights (no jars) | No, fits your wide-mouth jars | 4 glass Pickle Pebbles | Silicone, waterless | 4.8 ★ (4,824) | $$$ |
| Nourished Essentials Easy Fermenter Kit | Lids + weights (no jars) | No | 3 glass weights | Waterless valve + pump | 4.6 ★ (3,031) | $ |
| JILLMO 2L Wide Mouth Fermentation Jar Kit (2 Pack) | Complete kit with jars | Yes, 2 × 64 oz glass | 2 glass weights | 3-piece water airlock | 4.5 ★ (1,831) | $$ |
| IceFun 4-Pack Mason Jar Fermentation Kit with 32 oz Jars | Complete kit with jars | Yes, 4 × 32 oz mason | 4 glass weights | Dual-channel water airlock | 4.6 ★ (173) | $$ |
| Kenley 1 Gallon Fermentation Crock with Weights & Pounder | Ceramic water-seal crock | The crock is the vessel (1 gal) | 2 ceramic stones | Water-channel lid | 4.5 ★ (967) | $$$ |
| Hersolm 4-Pack Fermentation Kit for Wide Mouth Mason Jars | Lids + weights (no jars) | No (a jar bundle is offered) | 4 glass weights with handles | Water airlock | 4.5 ★ (118) | $ |
| BALCI Complete Mason Jar Fermentation Kit (9 Piece) | Lids + weights (no jars) | No | 4 glass weights | Silicone, waterless | 4.7 ★ (58) | $$ |
| Le Parfait Stainless Steel Fermenting Kit with 1 L Glass Jar | Complete kit with jar | Yes, 1 × 1 L Le Parfait | Included | Stainless airlock lid | 4.3 ★ (44) | $$ |
| Trellis + Co. Stainless Steel Fermenting Kit with Pickle Helix | Lids + helix weights (no jars) | No, fits 8–64 oz wide-mouth | Stainless Pickle Helix coils | Waterless silicone valve | 4.5 ★ (2) | $ |
| The Kombucha Shop Organic Kombucha Starter Kit (1 Gallon) | Tea fermentation kit | Yes, 1 gal glass brew jar | n/a | Cloth cover | 4.7 ★ (4,078) | $$$ |
Ratings and review counts are as listed on Amazon at time of writing and change over time. Price tiers: $ under $35 · $$ $35–50 · $$$ over $50.
The 10 Best Fermentation Kits, Reviewed
Ranked from the safest all-round pick to the specialist kits.
Masontops Complete Mason Jar Fermentation Kit
If you already own wide-mouth mason jars, buy this one. The silicone Pickle Pipe lids vent gas on their own, so there’s no water to top up and no burping.
- Food & Wine’s pick for best starter kit
- Heavy glass weights keep veg under the brine
- The wooden tamper is great for packing kraut
- Jars not included (a with-jar version is on the same listing)
- Priciest of the lid kits
Nourished Essentials Easy Fermenter Kit
Three lids, three weights and a little pump for under $30. The date dial on each lid answers the question everyone asks a week in: when did I start this?
- Best price per jar on the list
- Waterless valve, nothing to refill
- Over 3,000 ratings
- Only three lids
- The pump is nice but optional
JILLMO 2L Wide Mouth Fermentation Jar Kit (2 Pack)
No jars at home? Start here. Two thick 64 oz jars with clamp lids, airlocks and glass weights, so everything arrives in one box.
- Nothing else to buy
- Half a gallon fits a whole head of cabbage
- Clamp lids seal tight
- Water airlocks need a quick check every week or two
- Tall jars take up fridge space
IceFun 4-Pack Mason Jar Fermentation Kit with 32 oz Jars
Four quart jars, four weights, four lids, four airlocks and a stack of date tags for about $44. The lids are food-safe plastic, which won’t rust the way metal lids can in salty brine.
- Most complete set for the money
- Swap the airlock for a stopper and it goes straight in the fridge
- Four jars, four recipes at once
- Plastic lids look less fancy
- A quart is small for a whole cabbage
Kenley 1 Gallon Fermentation Crock with Weights & Pounder
The old-school way. This stoneware crock holds 5 to 6 lb of cabbage, and the water-seal rim lets gas out while keeping air away. It’s the closest thing on Amazon to a Japanese fermenting kit or a German kraut pot.
- Big batches in one go
- No burping, ever
- Looks lovely on the counter
- You can’t see inside, so taste at day 7
- Heavy and takes up space
Hersolm 4-Pack Fermentation Kit for Wide Mouth Mason Jars
Amazon’s Choice for fermenting lids and weights, and the cheapest way to set up four jars. Each glass weight has a little knob so you can lift it out without fishing around in brine.
- Four jars’ worth for around $31
- Grip handles on the weights
- Date marker on every lid
- Water airlocks need topping up
- Fewer reviews than the big names
BALCI Complete Mason Jar Fermentation Kit (9 Piece)
Basically the Masontops setup for less money, in a box that looks good enough to give. Four waterless lids, four glass weights, a tamper and a printed recipe book.
- A lovely fermentation kit for beginners as a gift
- No burping needed
- Real printed guide, not a QR code
- Newer, so fewer reviews
- Jars not included
Le Parfait Stainless Steel Fermenting Kit with 1 L Glass Jar
For people who’d rather have one nice jar on the counter than a row of mason jars. A litre is just right for pickles or a pepper mash.
- Plastic-free lid
- Fits other Le Parfait sizes if you expand
- Looks great
- Only one jar
- Too small for a kraut batch
Trellis + Co. Stainless Steel Fermenting Kit with Pickle Helix
The plastic-free pick. Stainless lids plus the Pickle Helix, a spring coil that holds veg down without pushing brine over the rim.
- Nothing to break or stain
- Fits jars from 8 oz to 64 oz
- Helix adjusts to how full the jar is
- This exact listing is new, with only two reviews
- Jars sold separately
The Kombucha Shop Organic Kombucha Starter Kit (1 Gallon)
Different ferment, different gear. This is the kombucha fermentation kit most people start with: a gallon jar, a live culture, organic tea and sugar, pH strips and a thermometer.
- The clearest instructions in the category
- Everything included, even the tea
- If your first batch doesn’t ferment, they send a new culture
- Only for kombucha, not vegetables
- Each batch takes 1–2 weeks
Which Type of Fermentation Kit Do You Need?
A home fermentation kit is really three things: a jar, a weight and an airlock lid. Every home fermenting kit on Amazon packages those in one of four ways.
Masontops, Easy Fermenter, Hersolm, BALCI, Trellis. A mason jar ferment kit is the cheapest, most flexible way in. It turns jars you already own into fermenters and work as a kraut kit, a pickle fermentation kit or a hot-sauce kit.
JILLMO (2 × 64 oz), IceFun (4 × 32 oz), Le Parfait (1 L). If you need fermenting jars too, start with these. Go 64 oz for a whole cabbage, 32 oz for trying lots of small batches.
Kenley 1 gallon. The traditional European and Japanese method, with a water-seal lid and heavy stones. Best for big batches you’ll eat all winter.
The Kombucha Shop. Sweet tea plus a live culture, with its own gear. Don’t use a vegetable kit for kombucha, or the other way round.
Baking sourdough instead?
Humble House Sauerkrock Open Crock (½ Gallon)
Not a sealed fermenter. An open handmade crock like this is the classic home for a sourdough starter: wide enough to stir and feed, heavy enough not to tip, and the lid keeps dust out.
More options in our best sourdough starter kits.
Check Sauerkrock Price on Amazon →How to Use a Fermentation Kit at Home
Same five steps for every vegetable kit above, jar or crock.
- Weigh and salt. For kraut and kimchi, use about 2% salt by weight and massage until juicy. For pickles and peppers, make a 3–5% brine (30–50 g salt per litre).
- Pack it tight. Press the veg down with the tamper or your fist. Leave 1–2 inches of headspace.
- Weigh it down. Glass weight, helix or crock stones on top. Anything above the brine can grow mould.
- Lid and airlock. Waterless valves need nothing. Water airlocks get filled halfway. Crocks get water in the rim.
- Wait, taste, chill. Kraut and kimchi: 1–3 weeks. Pickles: 5–10 days. Pepper mash: 2–4 weeks. When you like the taste, swap to a storage lid and refrigerate.
There’s no pepper fermenting kit on Amazon that beats a plain jar kit. Use a 32 oz jar (IceFun) or the 1 L Le Parfait, keep the peppers under a glass weight, and give it 2–4 weeks before blending. Wear gloves for hot chiles.
Want hot sauce this week, not next month?
Millhouse Spice Co. Ultimate Hot Sauce Making Kit
Not a fermentation kit. This is the vinegar route: six dried chiles from jalapeño to ghost pepper, a spice blend, cider vinegar, bottles, labels and 10-minute recipes. Hot sauce tonight instead of in three weeks. It’s also the best-selling sauce gift set on Amazon.
Check Hot Sauce Kit Price on Amazon →Fermentation Kit Buying Guide
Six things to check, especially when two kits look almost identical.
32 oz, 64 oz or a crock
A quart holds about half a small cabbage. A half-gallon holds a whole one. A 1-gallon crock takes 5–6 lb. Buy for the batch you’ll actually eat.
Waterless or water?
Silicone waterless valves (Masontops, Easy Fermenter, BALCI, Trellis) are set-and-forget. Water airlocks (JILLMO, IceFun, Hersolm) work just as well but evaporate.
Glass, ceramic or helix
Glass is the standard and easy to clean. Ceramic stones suit crocks. A stainless helix never breaks.
Silicone, plastic or stainless
Silicone and food-grade plastic never rust. Stainless looks best; check it’s 304 or 316 grade so salty brine can’t pit it.
Check before you click
Most lid kits fit 86 mm wide-mouth mason jars only. Regular-mouth jars need a different kit.
Tamper, date tracker, recipe book
A tamper helps kraut release brine. A date dial saves a notebook. A printed recipe book beats a QR code when your hands are wet.
Fermentation Kit FAQs
Do I need a fermentation kit to start fermenting?▼
No, but it fixes the two ways beginners go wrong. A weight keeps veg under the brine and an airlock lets gas out without letting air in. You can improvise, but a kit is more reliable and costs under $30.
Do I need a vegetable fermentation starter?▼
No. Cabbage, cucumbers and peppers already carry the right bacteria. Salt plus time is all the natural fermentation kit you need. Starter cultures are only for kombucha, yoghurt and kefir.
What is the best fermentation kit for sauerkraut?▼
Masontops if you own jars, JILLMO 64 oz if you don’t, Kenley crock for big batches. Most sauerkraut kits need a tamper and a heavy weight; all three include them.
Which kit is best for fermenting peppers?▼
A 32 oz jar kit with glass weights (IceFun) or the 1 L Le Parfait. Pepper mash is small and slow and has to stay under the brine for weeks. Small jars make that easy.
Should I buy a kit with jars or without?▼
Without, if you already own wide-mouth mason jars. Lid kits cost less. Get a complete kit if you have no jars or want matching 64 oz ones for whole cabbages.
How long does fermentation take with a kit?▼
Kraut and kimchi 1–3 weeks, pickles 5–10 days, pepper mash 2–4 weeks, kombucha 7–14 days. Warm rooms go faster. Start tasting on day five.
Are fermentation kits reusable?▼
Yes, for years. Wash lids, weights and airlocks in hot soapy water between batches. Replace the silicone gaskets if they stop sealing.
Can I buy fermenting kits at Lowes, Walmart or Canadian Tire?▼
Sometimes, but the choice is thin. Searches for fermenting kits at Lowes or Walmart usually turn up one generic lid set near the canning supplies in late summer. Amazon stocks every kit above all year.
What is a Japanese fermenting kit?▼
Usually a pickle press or a ceramic crock. Quick Japanese pickles use a spring-loaded press; longer ferments use a crock. On Amazon, the Kenley crock is the closest match.
Is a fermentation kit good for kids or homeschool?▼
Yes. Sauerkraut in a clear jar is a two-week science project you can eat. Pick a glass-jar kit (JILLMO or IceFun) so kids can watch the bubbles.
Do fermentation kits make good gifts?▼
Very good ones. Starter kits for fermented foods are practical and a bit different. Ferment food kits like BALCI and Masontops come boxed with recipe books; the Kombucha Shop kit is the most giftable of all.
Are plastic fermentation containers OK for pickling?▼
Yes, if they’re food-grade. The Korean kimchi containers you’ll find at shops like H Mart are made for exactly this. Glass is still the default in most kits because it doesn’t stain or hold on to smells.
Are these alcohol or brewing kits?▼
No. Every kit here is a vegetable fermentation kit or a tea kit. Fermented vegetables make lactic acid, not alcohol.
What is the best fermentation kit for beginners?▼
Masontops. Of all the fermentation kits for beginners it has the fewest parts to get wrong: waterless lids, glass weights, a tamper and a picture recipe book. The Easy Fermenter is the budget version.
The Bottom Line
The best ferment kit is the one that fits your jars and your batch size.
- Best overall: Masontops Complete Kit. Waterless lids, glass weights, no fuss.
- Best value: Nourished Essentials Easy Fermenter, three lids for under $30.
- Best with jars: JILLMO 2 L for whole cabbages, or IceFun 4 × 32 oz for small batches.
- Best crock: Kenley 1 Gallon.
- Best budget lids: Hersolm 4-Pack. Best gift: BALCI.
- Best plastic-free: Trellis + Co. or Le Parfait.
- Best for kombucha: The Kombucha Shop.
Whatever you pick, the rule doesn’t change: keep it under the brine and let the airlock do the rest.
