Abstract: The aim of this study was to explore potential probiotic resources in traditional cereal-fermented beverages in Xinjiang. To this end, strains of lactic acid bacteria were isolated from traditional cereal-fermented beverages and their probiotic properties were characterized. Repetitive polymerase chain reaction profiles and 16S rRNA gene sequencing identified 21 isolates of lactic acid bacteria in seven species from 12 traditional cereal-fermented beverages. Limosilactobacillus fermentum was the dominant species, followed by Lacticaseibacillus paracasei. All 21 strains of lactic acid bacteria had antioxidant activity, with particularly strong scavenging of superoxide anion radicals. In terms of antibacterial ability, all strains, except Companilactobacillus paralimentarius HLB2-4, effectively inhibited the development of at least six pathogenic bacteria, demonstrating broad-spectrum antibacterial activity. After continuous treatment with simulated gastric fluid for 3 h and simulated intestinal fluid for 8 h, seven strains had strong tolerance, with Lactiplantibacillus plantarum THB1-1 having the highest survival rate (38.15%). The hydrophobicity of the 21 strains ranged from 7.36% to 76.46%, and their auto-aggregation rates after 4 h ranged from 4.62% to 67.09%. There were significant differences in hydrophobicity and auto-aggregation among the strains (P<0.05). These results were used as inputs for principal component analysis and clustering analysis, which showed that six strains, Lactobacillus paracasei YTJ1-4, TXJ2-1, Limosilactobacillus fermentum TXJ2-4, Lactobacillus acidophilus HZK2-4, Lactiplantibacillus plantarum THB1-1, and Levilactobacillus brevis MTB1-5 were the most promising probiotics. This study lays the groundwork for the development, utilisation, and industrial application of probiotics from traditional cereal-fermented beverages in Xinjiang.