Ginger Kombucha

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Made with fresh ginger, this Ginger Kombucha is sweet, tart, and spicy. It's the perfect healthy drink to quench your thirst.

Ginger Kombucha with fresh ginger in foreground.

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Ginger and kombucha are a match made in heaven. Ginger is a great flavor for kombucha, and both ginger and kombucha have numerous health benefits.

Ginger Kombucha is a healthy beverage you can feel good about drinking. If you like ginger beer, this is the kombucha for you.

Use this kombucha recipe in a Ginger Coconut Cooler.

Some other kombucha flavors you might like are Spiced Kombucha and Chai Kombucha.

Kombucha Scoby Strawberry Fruit Roll-Ups, Ginger Kombucha Scoby Candy, and Kombucha Scoby Ceviche are all great ways to use up those scobys. Another great way to use the scoby is cut up a quarter of it and throw it in a smoothie.

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❤️ Why You'll Love It
Two Types of Fermentation
What Makes Kombucha Fizzy?
🧾 Ingredients
📖 Additions
🥣 Supplies
🔪 Instructions
How Long Does It Take To Get Fizzy Kombucha?
💭 Tips
👩🏻‍🍳 Recipe FAQs
🥃 Other Kombucha Recipes
📋 Recipe
💬 Comments

❤️ Why You'll Love It

This refreshing kombucha has a sweet, spicy, tart flavor.
Making your own homemade kombucha is cheaper than store-bought kombucha from the grocery store, especially if you drink it on a daily basis like I do.
It's a great alternative to ginger ale.
Ginger and kombucha are a match made in heaven.

Two Types of Fermentation

The first fermentation of kombucha is when you combine sweet 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 secondary 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

Kombucha: You'll need freshly made homemade kombucha for this second fermentation recipe. I used homemade kombucha with black tea. You could also use green tea kombucha for a milder flavor.
Fresh ginger root: Freshly grated ginger adds a warm spicy ginger flavor. You could also use fresh organic ginger juice.
Maple syrup: Adds a sweet maple flavor. Balances out the sourness of the kombucha and the spicy ginger.

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

📖 Additions

Add blueberries for a Blueberry Ginger Kombucha, which tastes like GT's Gingerberry Kombucha.
Peaches
Pineapple
Spices: allspice, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg
Strawberries or other berries
Lemon juice for a Lemon Ginger Kombucha recipe
Fresh fruit juice

🥣 Supplies

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

🔪 Instructions

Minced ginger pieces being poured into a funnel over a bottle.

Step 1: Pour 2 tablespoons minced ginger and ¼ cup maple syrup into each bottle.

Maple syrup being poured into a funnel over a bottle.

Step 2: Pour 2 tablespoons minced ginger and ¼ cup maple syrup into each bottle.

Kombucha tea being poured into a funnel over a 25 oz bottle.

Step 3: Pour your freshly fermented kombucha into the bottles, leaving 1-2 inches of headspace. Let sit 3-5 days.

Flip-top bottled kombucha being popped open.

Step 4: Place bottles of kombucha in a cool dark place out of direct sunlight. Pop open the lids at least once a day.

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 your climate. 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

You can substitute the maple syrup with agave syrup, brown sugar, white sugar, or another sweetener.
Strain out ginger if desired, after fermenting.
Place in the refrigerator after the kombucha is done fermenting.

👩🏻‍🍳 Recipe FAQs

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.

5 Secrets To Making Kombucha