How to Make an Awkward Potion in Minecraft

Guide Java Bedrock

Quick answer: Brew an awkward potion by adding nether wart to a water bottle in a brewing stand. It has no effect on its own, but it is the base for almost every effect potion in the game.

What you need

Brewing stand + blaze powder fuel
1-3 water bottles (3 glass each, filled with water)
1 nether wart per batch

Step by step

Craft a brewing stand from 1 blaze rod and 3 cobblestone, and fuel it with blaze powder.
Craft glass bottles from 3 glass and fill them with water at any water source or cauldron.
Find nether wart: it grows in Nether fortress stairwell rooms and in bastion remnant housing units.
Place up to 3 water bottles in the bottom slots of the brewing stand.
Put 1 nether wart in the ingredient slot on top.
Wait 20 seconds. The water bottles turn into awkward potions.
Leave the awkward potions in the stand and add an effect ingredient (like a golden carrot for Night Vision or a magma cream for Fire Resistance) to brew a real potion.

Java vs Bedrock

In Java Edition the awkward potion is the only base potion that accepts an effect ingredient, so brewing nether wart first is mandatory for everything except the potion of Weakness. In Bedrock Edition, mundane and thick potions can also be imbued with effect ingredients, but the nether wart route is still the standard one. The recipe is identical in both editions.

Versions: javabedrock

Frequently asked questions

What does an awkward potion do?

Nothing by itself. Drinking it gives no effect. Its only purpose is to serve as the base for brewing effect potions like Swiftness, Strength or Night Vision.

Where do I find nether wart?

Nether wart grows in Nether fortress stairwells on soul sand and in the housing units of bastion remnants. Take the soul sand too so you can farm it back home; it grows in any dimension.

Which potion does not need an awkward potion?

The potion of Weakness is the only one: it brews by adding a fermented spider eye directly to a water bottle, with no nether wart step.