Brewing Basics: Making Awkward Potions in Minecraft

If you're looking to get serious about Minecraft potions, the Awkward Potion is where you begin. It doesn't do anything on its own, but it's the base for most useful potions in the game. Once you know how to make one, you can brew a wide range of helpful effects. The process is the same in both Minecraft Java and Bedrock editions.

What Is an Awkward Potion Used For?

Think of the Awkward Potion as a blank canvas for brewing. It doesn't give you any special abilities or heal you on its own. Its only purpose is as a base ingredient for crafting other, more powerful potions. When you add secondary ingredients to it, you unlock some of the most useful effects in the game — we'll cover those below.

What You Need to Make an Awkward Potion

Before you start brewing, gather these ingredients:

• Nether Wart: A special plant that only grows in the Nether.
• Water Bottles: Three is the ideal amount — it fills all brewing slots at once.
• Blaze Powder: Fuel for your Brewing Stand.
• Brewing Stand: Craftable with cobblestone and a Blaze Rod.

How to Get Nether Wart

You'll need to build a Nether Portal and head into the Nether to find Nether Wart. It grows on Soul Sand, typically found near the staircases inside Nether Fortresses, and occasionally in Bastion Remnants. You can also find it in chests inside Nether Fortresses.

When harvesting, only break it when fully grown — it's ready when it looks like a red mushroom. Harvesting early gives you fewer drops.

How to Get Blaze Powder

Blaze Powder fuels the Brewing Stand, so collect as much as you can while you're in the Nether. Defeat Blazes inside Nether Fortresses to collect Blaze Rods, then place a Blaze Rod in any crafting slot to convert it into Blaze Powder. Getting Blaze Rods can be dangerous, so go prepared.

How to Get Water Bottles

This is the easiest ingredient to obtain. Smelt Sand blocks in a Furnace to get Glass, then arrange three Glass blocks in a V-shape on the Crafting Table to make three Glass Bottles. Fill them by using the empty bottles on any water source block.

How to Brew an Awkward Potion: Step-by-Step

1. Open your Brewing Stand and place Blaze Powder in the fuel slot on the left to power it. One load of Blaze Powder fuels enough brews to last a while before needing a refill.
2. Place your Water Bottles in the three bottom slots. You can use one, two, or three at a time — filling all three is the most efficient use of your ingredients.
3. Place Nether Wart in the top ingredient slot. The brewing process will start automatically, and in a few seconds you'll have your Awkward Potions.

What Can You Make with an Awkward Potion?

Here are the most popular potions you can brew using an Awkward Potion as a base:

Recipe	Resulting Potion	Effect
Awkward Potion + Golden Carrot	Potion of Night Vision	Lets you see in the dark
Awkward Potion + Spider Eye	Potion of Poison	Damages you over time
Awkward Potion + Ghast Tear	Potion of Regeneration	Heals you slowly over time
Awkward Potion + Blaze Powder	Potion of Strength	Increases your attack damage
Awkward Potion + Magma Cream	Potion of Fire Resistance	Makes you resistant to fire and lava
Awkward Potion + Sugar	Potion of Swiftness	Makes you run faster
Awkward Potion + Glistering Melon Slice	Potion of Healing	Heals you instantly
Awkward Potion + Pufferfish	Potion of Water Breathing	Lets you breathe underwater
Awkward Potion + Rabbit's Foot	Potion of Leaping	Makes you jump higher
Awkward Potion + Turtle Shell	Potion of the Turtle Master	Grants resistance and slowness
Awkward Potion + Phantom Membrane	Potion of Slow Falling	Makes you fall slower
Weakness Potion + Gunpowder	Splash Potion	Turns the potion into a throwable version

Get Brewing!

Now that you know how to craft an Awkward Potion, it's time to start experimenting. Brewing three at a time saves resources and effort, so always fill all three bottle slots. Some players use mods to streamline potion-making, but it's easy to do in a regular survival world once you have the hang of it. Keep this guide handy as you work your way through the full range of Minecraft potions!