Hydrogels are crosslinked structures composed of polymers in a 3D network. Hydrogels based on polysaccharides have a wide range applications due to their high swelling capacity and water uptake. Bacterial nanocellulose membranes (BNC) when cultured in static conditions are characterized by two distinct porous layers. For tissue engineering purposes, pore size, porosity and pore distribution are crucial parameters to enable cell migration, proliferation and fate. Here we used BNC membranes synthesized by G. hansenii ATCC 23769 to form novel hydrogels. BNC membranes were dissolved in NaOH/urea solution at low temperature and the resulting nanofibers were submitted to two hydrogel reconstruction techniques: a chemical method that uses epichlorohydrin as a cross-linker and a physical method via cooling/ heating cycles. The newly formed hydrogels present a homogenous porous distribution with larger pores and higher water uptake when compared to untreated membranes.