What you need
This guide follows the standard Java and Bedrock recipes. You need:
- a brewing stand, made with a blaze rod and three blocks of cobblestone, among other recipes;
- blaze powder, which acts as fuel;
- bottles filled with water;
- Nether wart.
The base: the awkward potion
- Place up to three water bottles in the bottom slots.
- Add blaze powder to the fuel slot.
- Put a Nether wart in the top slot.
- Wait for it to finish: you get awkward potions, the base for most potions.
A few first recipes
Then add an ingredient to the top slot, over awkward potions (Brewing, Minecraft Wiki):
- sugar: potion of Swiftness;
- glistering melon slice: potion of Healing;
- magma cream: potion of Fire Resistance;
- golden carrot: potion of Night Vision.
Upgrading a potion
- Redstone dust extends the duration.
- Glowstone dust increases the strength, but shortens the duration.
- A fermented spider eye changes the effect, often into its opposite or a negative one.
Test one change at a time and read the name of the result after each step. Not every potion accepts every upgrade.
Good habits
Don't mix up the blaze powder used as fuel with the ingredients that go on top. Store finished potions separately so you don't restart a wrong batch. In short, one recipe after another.
Nether wart and blaze rods come from the Nether: the guide to building a Nether portal will help you get there. Some servers and data packs change recipes; their documentation takes priority.
Sources and versions
Minecraft: the brewing stand, Java 26.3: custom brewing recipes, Brewing, Minecraft Wiki. Sources checked in October 2026. Custom recipes and menus may differ.