5 of the Best Fruit Flavored Kombucha Recipes + How to Get That Fizz!
My favorite fruit flavored kombucha recipes using fresh fruit, frozen fruit or dried fruit – plus tips for how to get fizzy kombucha!
That first taste was so strange. Mildly vinegary, slightly fruity and refreshingly fizzy.
We were grabbing a meal at an outdoor cafe and my sister ordered kombucha and invited me to try a sip. At first, I didn’t think I liked it, but after a few sips it started growing on me.
Little did I know, I would grow so enamored with kombucha that I would start to brew it at home on a regular basis!
Years later, we have quite the system down for brewing and bottling kombucha in our kitchen!
I’m the one who brews the tea, adds the sugar and gets everything set up for the initial fermentation with the scoby in a 2 gallon glass jar. (You’ll find my tried and true kombucha brewing process in this post – plus some rookie brewing mistakes you don’t want to make.)
When it’s time to bottle, I usually recruit my husband to help. We get out our reusable bottles and caps, a funnel and whatever fruit and sweeteners we happen to be using to flavor our kombucha.
We make a bit of a mess because we always spill a little, but it’s worth it in the end!
Read on to get recipes for all our favorite fruit flavored kombucha recipes!
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Kombucha Recipes – How To Make Fizzy Kombucha with Secondary Fermentation
First things first – the question everyone always asks – “How do you make fizzy kombucha instead of flat?”
The initial fermentation of your kombucha may create a bit of carbonation on its own. That’s because the scoby makes an airtight seal in the brewing vessel, allowing CO2 to build up underneath.
The best way to get fizz in your kombucha is through secondary fermentation. Secondary fermentation occurs when you bottle your kombucha.
Here are some tips for increasing carbonation in the bottle to get fizzy kombucha:
- Add sugar – Yeast gobbles up sugar and the result is bubbles! Sugar can be added in the form of fruit (fresh, pureed or dried) or with a squirt of honey. (See flavoring recipes below.)
- Fill bottles completely – Less oxygen means more room for carbon dioxide to build up.
- Cap tightly – Don’t let those bubbles escape. If you are reusing bottles, make sure the lids are tight. Flip-top bottles are a great choice because they seal completely.
- Leave out on counter – Warm air leads to more fizz. (Note: Exploding kombucha bottles are rare but you should check bottles after 2 to 3 days at room temperature and consider moving to the refrigerator if the carbonation level is high. This is especially true in summertime temps!)
That said, once you start brewing kombucha, you’ll find that the amount of carbonation can be hit or miss. Some bottles bring on a huge amount of fizz (best to open bottles over the sink, just in case!) and some just fizzle out.
When you do get a flat bottle of kombucha, just mix it with a little carbonated water to get your desired fizz!
RELATED: Kombucha vs. Kefir – Learn about the similarities and differences of these two fermented drinks.
5 Fruit Flavored Kombucha Recipes
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Over many years of brewing kombucha, we’ve tried many different recipes and flavor combinations. Home brewed kombucha is tasty on its own – but we tend to prefer it after a secondary fermentation with fruit.
Secondary fermentation can be done with fresh fruit, frozen fruit, dried fruit or fruit juice – there are so many options!
One thing I’ve realized is that flavored kombucha is not an exact science. The ingredient amounts I suggest here are just that – suggestions! Feel free to customize these recipes as you see fit and don’t worry too much about precise measurements.
There is no set rule for how long to let your kombucha sit in secondary fermentation. Typically I start tasting it after a couple days but it can last for about a month. In warm weather, I often move the bottles into the refrigerator after 2 or 3 days to make sure they don’t build up so much carbonation that they explode.
Also, most of these flavors involve leaving fruit in the bottle during secondary fermentation. You will need to use a small mesh strainer to strain out the fruit before serving.
Here are our top 5 fruit-based kombucha recipes:
1. Blueberry Gingerale
1. Blueberry GingeraleThis recipe involves a tiny bit of cooking – but it’s worth it! We use frozen blueberries and fresh ginger to make a blueberry ginger syrup to add to bottles during secondary fermentation.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup frozen organic blueberries
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated or finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 1 cup water
Method: Place all ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and cook until blueberries are soft and mushy and a light syrup is created. Let cool completely before using. Strain out the pulp so you have the liquid only. Makes 1/2 cup of syrup which is perfect for a 1 liter bottle of kombucha.
2. Strawberry Lemonade
2. Strawberry LemonadeI’m amazed at how the delicate flavor of strawberries comes through the acidic kombucha – but it does! Lemonade is a perfect complement to the strawberries to make a nice light flavor for summer!
Ingredients:
- Fresh organic strawberries
- Lemonade (I like Simply Lemonade)
Method: Cut up 2 to 3 strawberries into chunks. Add strawberries and 1/2 cup lemonade to a 16 oz bottle.
3. Cherry Candied Ginger
3. Cherry Candied GingerCherry is another classic kombucha flavor and it’s especially great combined with spicy candied ginger.
Ingredients:
- Dried cherries (sweetened or unsweetened)
- Crystalized candied ginger
Method: Add a layer of cherries to bottle (1/2 to 1 inch), plus a few chunks of candied ginger.
4. Mango Puree
4. Mango PureeIf you are a mango fan, you will love this simple mango kombucha made with pureed mango.
Ingredients:
- Frozen organic mangos
- Honey (optional)
Method: Defrost mangos and puree in a blender until smooth. Add 1/4 cup mango puree to a 16 oz bottle. Add a squirt of honey if desired.
5. Cranberry Fizz
5. Cranberry FizzLast but not least, this is our favorite kombucha flavor, hand’s down! And it’s the easiest one of all! We tend to use sweetened cranberries because the sugar helps to make the kombucha fizzier. You can add honey if you want but it’s not necessary. We just love the mellow but rich flavor that comes from the craisins!
Ingredients:
- Dried cranberries (craisins), sweetened and preferably organic
- Honey (optional)
Method: Use enough dried cranberries to cover the bottom of the bottle – 1/2 inch to 1 inch. Add a squirt of honey directly to the bottle.
If you’ve made it this far, I’m guessing you’ve gotten beyond that initial – What is this strange drink? phase of kombucha. If you are ready to try brewing your own homemade kombucha, I hope you’ll try one of these recipes!
What are your favorite homemade kombucha recipes?
Thank you so much for sharing! I’ve been looking for more kombucha flavors. These seem so great! Which one is your favorite aside from the cranberry?
I would say mango is my second favorite flavor!
These all look so yummy. I have made kombucha for years and have recently been diagnosed with a caffeine allergy. Is there anyway that you know of to make kombucha with decaffeinated tea? I miss my kombucha.
I’ve heard that you need to use caffinated tea but I’m not 100% sure. I’ve never tried decaf tea in kombucha myself.
It is not the caffeine that kombucha needs (despite what many say), it is the tannic acid that is necessary…so you can use red tea, which is caffeine free . I’ve made kombucha many times with red tea, sometime called roboois, or red bush. Give it a try and see how you like the flavor.
I haven’t tried it with roboois tea but it sounds good!
Howdy; I’ve been making my own kombucha for the past 3 months. Right now, my 5th batch is cooling down, waiting for the SCOBY. So far, I’ve made a better batch each time.
I like your recipes for fruit flavorings. Today, I’m going to use the syrup from maraschino cherries. I’ve been using Pomegranate juice. It produces really fine carbonation. One flavor I want to try is vanilla. I’m thinking of a Cream Soda kind of drink. I’m reluctant want to use vanilla extract, as I think the alcohol might damage the yeast during the second fermentation. Can you suggest any way to do that?
Thank you so much for your time.
I’m afraid I haven’t tried using vanilla extract so I don’t know if if would have an effect on the secondary fermentation. It wouldn’t hurt to try though!!
I’ll try it with one bottle. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
What about using vanilla bean directly in your kombucha as you would fruit?
I’ve never tried that but I think it could work well!
Use organic vanilla bean. Slice the bean open before adding it to your 2F. Enjoy!
Great idea!
Since vanilla beans are super expensive, id blend an empty bean and add it to sugar. And then add that vanilla sugar to the kombucha
Sounds like a great substitution!
you can buy vanilla powder which does not have alcohol in it.
I’m very interested in trying strawberry lemonade. I’ve tried blueberry before and it was amazing. Thanks for sharing these different flavors. I would love to try them all.
I love my Kombucha so much. I mix it with hibiscus or tamarind and just add a bit of honey or sugar syrup.
That sounds like a delicious combination!
I have made Guayava, Pineapple, Papaya, Mango, and I also add ginger, lime, or lemon.
Those all sound delicious!
I’ve never tried it, but I hope it helps with gut health and it seems like a delicious healthy alternative to bottled water.
Super exited to try all this! Im trying to make my own scoby at the moment.
Been making my own ginger beer for a while now so this seems like a great next step. Thank you!
Best of luck with it!
Thank you for sharing your success flavors!
I have been brewing Kampuchea for more than a year now and my favorite flavor profile is Raspberry Rose, sometimes with ginger. It flavor is soft and the color is lovely.
I use organic, dried rose buds…
Cheers,
Nansea
sounds delicious!
Hello, Micaela. These are great suggestions for 2nd fermentation. How do you know if the 2nd fermentation is ready? I used flip top bottles and I’m a kombucha newbie. I had 1 bottle of strawberry lime that i 2nd fermented for 3 days. Being aware of the possibility of a liquid explosion, I wanted to test if it was ready so I tried to push the top while pulling up on the metal closure just to check on the carbonation but I ended up having a disaster. I should have put a towel on top of the bottle instead I heard a really loud pop and my kombucha exploded like a geyser splattering about 1/3 of the contents all over my kitchen. Even my ceiling was not spared. I read later that I should have refrigerated the kombucha for 4 hours before attempting on opening the bottle.
I’ve got 1 gallon of 1st ferment right now and excited to prepare my bottles for 2nd fermentation. Can you please give me some suggestions so that this doesn’t happen again ?
Sorry that happened to you. Kombucha can be a bit fickle for sure! Since there is so much variation in the heat level in a home and also the carbonation level in a bottle, there is no one answer. However, refrigerating the bottles before opening will probably lower the risk. Plus, I think they taste better cold!
Is sugar necessary or can I use monk fruit? If I’m adding fruit doesn’t that count as sugar?
I’ve never tried using monk fruit so I don’t know!