This sweet-tart Cherry Hibiscus Kombucha is a refreshing treat any time of the year! Made with fresh or frozen cherries.

Cherry Hibiscus Kombucha in a mason jar with hibiscus flowers.

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Making your own kombucha is rewarding and fun. There are so many flavor combinations to try and it saves you a lot of money if you drink it daily.

Here I combined sweet-tart cherries and sweet-tart homemade hibiscus kombucha. Hibiscus tastes a lot like cranberry juice if you've never had it before.

Some other hibiscus kombucha recipes I've made are Raspberry Hibiscus Kombucha and Blueberry Hibiscus Kombucha.

If you love hibiscus try my Agua de Jamaica (Hibiscus Tea) recipe or my Hibiscus Lemonade Chia Fresca. Both are great for summer.

Other cherry recipes to try are my Cherry Shrub Syrup and my Cherry Banana Fruit Leather recipe.

Jump to:

❤️ Why You'll Love It
Two Types of Fermentation
What Makes Kombucha Fizzy?
🧾 Ingredients
🥣 Supplies
🔪 Instructions
Should I Burp My Second Ferment Kombucha?
How Long Does It Take To Get Fizzy Kombucha?
💭 Tips
🥃 Kombucha Recipes
📋 Recipe
💬 Comments

❤️ Why You'll Love It

It is sweet and tart.
It's made with fresh or frozen cherries, so you can have it year-round.
It's cheaper than store-bought kombucha.

Two Types of Fermentation

The first fermentation of kombucha is when you combine sweetened tea, a kombucha scoby, and some starter tea. You let it ferment for 7-21 days and the result is uncarbonated unflavored kombucha.

For the second fermentation, you remove the scoby and take that kombucha you made in the first fermentation, and add flavor. You let it ferment for another 3-5 days in sealed bottles. The result is a fizzy-flavored drink.

You can ferment the flavored kombucha up to 14 days. It all depends on the amount of sugar content in the flavor you're adding, and the temperature of the room.

Warmer temperatures will cause faster fermentation, and higher sugar content will also speed up fermentation.

What Makes Kombucha Fizzy?

The second fermentation is when kombucha gets fizzy. By putting it into a sealed container at room temperature and adding a sugar source (fruit and/or sweetener), carbon dioxide builds.

🧾 Ingredients

Homemade hibiscus kombucha: You'll need freshly made hibiscus kombucha that has not been refrigerated yet. You might also like my Cherry Kombucha recipe, which is made with kombucha made with black tea.
Cherries: I used frozen cherries because that is what I always have on hand. You can use frozen or fresh cherries.

To see the full list of ingredients with measurements and instructions, see the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

🥣 Supplies

Funnel
4 (25 ounce)bottles with flip-top lids
Measuring cup

🔪 Instructions

Cherries being poured into a funnel into a bottle.

Step 1: Smush ½ cup of fresh or frozen cherries into each bottle.

Hibiscus kombucha being poured into a funnel into a bottle.

Step 2: Pour your freshly fermented hibiscus kombucha into the bottles, leaving 1-2" head space. Let sit 3-5 days.

Step 3: Pop open the lids at least once a day. Pressure builds, and this allows it to escape.

The video below is for homemade kombucha with black tea, but the process is the same:

Should I Burp My Second Ferment Kombucha?

Yes! If you don't you could have a mess. By adding sugar to the homemade kombucha and fermenting it a second time in bottles with swing-top lids, you're creating an environment for carbonation. If you don't allow it to escape, you'll have kombucha all over your kitchen.

How Long Does It Take To Get Fizzy Kombucha?

It can take anywhere from 1-14 days. It depends on a few things.

It depends on how much sugar you have in the kombucha. (Sugar in the form of fruit and/or sweetener.) The more sugar, the faster you'll get carbonation.
It also depends on the weather. Warmer temperature = faster carbonation. I've had bubbly kombucha after a day in summer months and bubbly kombucha after a week in colder months.

💭 Tips

Strain the cherries out after fermenting, if desired.
You can add maple syrup, agave syrup, brown sugar, white sugar, or another sweetener.
Refrigerate after the kombucha is done fermenting.