Strawberry Kombucha

This bubbly Strawberry Kombucha is sweet and tart. Made with fresh or frozen strawberries, have it anytime!

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If you love kombucha as much as I do, but don't like to pay a few dollars a bottle for it, you're going to love making your own! It costs a lot less than store-bought, and it really is easy to make.

This Strawberry Kombucha recipe calls for black tea in the first fermentation, but you could use hibiscus tea instead to make a Strawberry Hibiscus Kombucha. Both are sweet and tart.

Did you know that you can eat the scoby? After you make a few batches of kombucha, you're going to have multiple scobys. What better way to use them than in food!

Ginger Kombucha Scoby Candy, Kombucha Scoby Strawberry Fruit Roll-Ups, and Kombucha Scoby Ceviche are a few ways you can use those extra scobys. I also like to chop the scoby up and put it in my morning smoothie.

Jump to:

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

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 kombucha: You'll need freshly made kombucha that has not been refrigerated yet.
Strawberries: You can use fresh or frozen strawberries. Blueberries also taste great in kombucha in my Blueberry Kombucha recipe.

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

📖 Additions

Mint
Basil
Lemongrass
Lavender
Other berries
Hibiscus tea in the 1st fermentation
Ginger
Banana
Pineapple
Mango
Maple syrup or agave syrup for extra sweetness
Cacao powder (or cocoa powder)
Vanilla extract
Lime juice or lemon juice

🥣 Supplies

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

🔪 Instructions

Chopped strawberries being poured into a funnel over a bottle.

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

Kombucha being poured into a funnel over a bottle.

Step 2: Pour your freshly fermented 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.

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

Refrigerate after the kombucha is done fermenting.
If you don't want chunks of strawberries, you'll need to strain after the kombucha is done fermenting or when pouring yourself a glass.

👩🏻‍🍳 Recipe FAQs

Can you make kombucha with frozen berries?

Yes, you can use fresh or frozen berries to make kombucha. Thaw them first you can smush them easily into bottles and so they aren't too cold for the kombucha.

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