Gingerbread Kombucha

This Gingerbread Kombucha has all the flavors you'd expect in gingerbread. It's perfect for the holidays!

Instead of spiced apple cider for the holidays, how about some spiced Gingerbread Kombucha?

It's got the flavors you would expect in gingerbread but in a fizzy kombucha drink.

You could use this kombucha as a base for a cocktail or keep it as is for the non-drinkers.

Other gingerbread recipes to try are my Gingerbread Hummus recipe, Gingerbread Peanut Butter recipe, Gingerbread Hot Chocolate recipe, and Gingerbread Chia Seed Pudding.

Other kombucha flavors for the holidays to try are my Spiced Kombucha recipe and my Cranberry Kombucha recipe.

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❤️ Why You'll Love It
Two Main 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
👩🏻‍🍳 Recipe FAQs
🥃 Other Kombucha Recipes
📋 Recipe
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💬 Comments

❤️ Why You'll Love It

It has all the flavors of gingerbread in a healthy package.
It is perfect for the holidays.
You won't find it in a store that I know of! Plus, it's cheaper than store-bought.

Two Main Types of Fermentation

There are two main types of fermentation.

The first fermentation is when the kombucha scoby sits in tea with sugar for 7-21 days. The result is unflavored non carbonated kombucha.

The second fermentation is when you take that fermented kombucha and flavor it by adding fruit, juice, and / or sweetener and let it sit 3-5 days. You can even let it sit for up to 14 days.

The result is carbonated kombucha.

For this Gingerbread Kombucha you will be making a second 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 kombucha: You'll need freshly made kombucha that has not been refrigerated yet.
Blackstrap molasses: Adds a gingerbread flavor.
Maple syrup: Adds sweetness. You could also use agave syrup or simple syrup.
Cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg: Add the warming spices gingerbread is known for.

This is an overview of the ingredients. 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

Step 1: Pour 1 ½ teaspoons blackstrap molasses, 1 ½ teaspoons maple syrup, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ⅛ teaspoon allspice, ⅛ teaspoon nutmeg into each bottle.

Step 2: Pour your homemade 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. This recipe is a little more fizzy than some of the other kombucha recipes I've made, so I popped the lids a few times each day.

Taste each day to test its flavor and fizziness. For this recipe I let mine ferment for 5 days.

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

You can substitute the maple syrup with agave syrup, brown sugar, white sugar, or another sweetener.
Blackstrap molasses is a major part of what gives gingerbread its distinct flavor. You could technically leave it out and add more of the maple syrup, but it isn't going to taste like gingerbread then.
Refrigerate after the kombucha is done fermenting.