If you love kombucha, this DIY Homemade Kombucha recipe is for you! Brewing your own kombucha is pretty easy and saves you a ton of money.

Homemade Kombucha in two wine glasses on a cutting board.

💌 SAVE THIS

I'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!

I am a huge kombucha lover. I started making it many years ago but then got out of the practice.

I was using the continuous brew method, which made things really easy. Basically, you constantly have kombucha brewing, and every time you pour a glass, you add tea to the mixture.

Today I'm going to show you how to make kombucha using the batch brew method.

After you have made a few batches of kombucha, you can try adding flavors in the second fermentation. I have made many flavors, like Raspberry Kombucha, Lemon and Ginger Kombucha, and Mango Kombucha to name a few.

Jump to:

❤️ Why You'll Love It
Two Types of Fermentation
🧾 Ingredients
🥣 Supplies
🔪 Instructions
Second Fermentation
💭 Tips
🥃 Kombucha Recipes
🎥 Video
📋 Recipe
💬 Comments

❤️ Why You'll Love It

Once you get the hang of it, it's easy to make your own kombucha.
It is cheaper than store-bought kombucha.
You can use it to make a second fermentation with sweetener, fruit, and spices.

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.

That is what I am going to show you for this recipe.

The second fermentation involves taking that kombucha you made in the first fermentation and adding flavor. I have a bunch of kombucha recipes for you to try out.

🧾 Ingredients

A kombucha starter pack, which includes a kombucha scoby ( symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) in some kombucha starter liquid - or - 1-2 cups freshly made kombucha and a scoby.
Filtered water
Sugar
Black tea - I also have tutorials for Yerba Mate Kombucha (first fermentation), how to make green tea kombucha, and how to make hibiscus tea kombucha

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

🥣 Supplies

A gallon sized jar
Tea towel or coffee filter
Thick rubber band
A kitchen thermometer

🔪 Instructions

Large black tea bag in a saucepan with water.

Step 1: Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a pot. Remove from the heat.

Add black tea and/or green tea. My Green Tea Kombucha recipe is milder than kombucha with black tea.

Let it steep for 5 - 10 minutes. Remove tea bags.

Sugar being poured into a saucepan with sweetened tea.

Step 2: Add 1 cup of sugar, and stir until dissolved.

Sweetened tea in a saucepan with large spoon.

Step 3: Reheat the tea to get the sugar to dissolve faster if needed.

Sweetened tea being poured into a large mason jar with kombucha scabby.

Step 4: Add the sweet tea mixture to a gallon-sized jar, along with the kombucha scoby, and the fermented tea that it came in.

Water being poured into large mason jar.

Step 5: Pour room-temperature filtered water into the mason jar. Check to make sure the mixture is between 75°-85°.

It will most likely be on the hotter side, but it will cool down as long as the room is between 75°-85°.

Homemade Kombucha in two gallon-sized jars.

Step 6: Secure the jar with a tea towel or coffee filter and a rubber band. Place the jar in a warm location - between 75°-85°. Colder temperatures = mold, so make sure the room is between those temperatures!

Let it sit between 7- 21 days out of direct sunlight in a ventilated area. Begin tasting the kombucha on day 7. If it tastes too sweet, let it ferment longer.

I like to brew mine for 14-21 days, depending on the season.

After the kombucha is done brewing, place it in bottles in the fridge, or you can start a second fermentation with flavors.

Second Fermentation

To make this first batch of kombucha sweeter, you can add maple syrup, agave syrup, brown sugar, or your favorite sweetener.

You will need some bottles with flip top lids, and a funnel. I like 2 tablespoons of maple syrup per 25 oz. bottle of kombucha, or ½ cup per gallon.

Pour maple syrup, then the finished homemade kombucha into each bottle, leaving 1-2" head space. Let sit 3-5 days, popping the bottles each day to let out carbon dioxide. Taste each day to test its flavor and fizziness.

You can also add flavors like cherry, blueberry, ginger, and lemon. Below are some of my most popular flavored kombucha recipes.

💭 Tips

Avoid using cheesecloth to secure the lid. Small insects can get into the holes.
Only use glass containers.
The warmer the temperature, the faster the kombucha will need to brew. I brew mine 14 days in hotter months and 21 days in colder months. It'll all depend on the climate you live in.
Make sure to thoroughly clean your tools and gallon jar.
If you see any mold at all, throw out the kombucha. I have only had mold once in the many years I've been brewing. When done right, you will not have mold.
Check photos online to see if it is mold. You want to make sure before throwing out something you took the time to make. It will most likely be white, green, or black. Mine was white and fuzzy.

5 Secrets To Making Kombucha

Kombucha just got easier!

We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at any time.

🥃 Kombucha Recipes

🎥 Video

*Note: Nutrition information should be considered an estimate only. Different nutrition calculators give you different results.

Homemade Kombucha