How to Make Your Own Kombucha

Over the years, we bought a lot of kombucha, and I was thrilled when my husband gave me a kombucha-making kit for Christmas one year. I had never thought about making my own, and I had no idea what went into it. As I started to set up my kombucha, I was worried that I was going to do something wrong and it wouldn’t work.

Making kombucha is easier than I thought! Here is how I make mine, and some tips.

Start by purchasing a starter SCOBY. This is the bacteria you need to create the kombucha. I have actually never seen this in stores, and both starters we bought were purchased on Amazon.

I recently bought this Fermentaholics Organic Kombucha SCOBY, which comes with 12 oz of starter tea.

I was worried about how it would do in shipment, but it made through shipping fine, with no leaks.

SUPPLIES NEEDED

~ SCOBY
~ Black or green tea
~ Cane sugar
~ Gallon jar
~ Bottles for bottling

FIRST BATCH

Your first batch will be small – and the result is a more unflavored, largely un-carbonated kombucha. Simply boil two cups water and prepare your tea. I recommend starting with a black tea, something organic or natural. Add in 3/4 cup cane sugar, and allow to cool.

We use a gallon glass jar with a cloth on top. Be sure to tightly secure the cheesecloth so that bugs (like fruit flies) do not get in.

After allowing the mix to cool, I added in dechlorinated water (which you let sit), to fill the jar, and then added in the SCOBY and starter tea.

Here you can see the SCOBY floating on top. (A SCOBY can float or sink – it is not any indication of how healthy it is). Young SCOBYs are small in size, but mine have always grown quickly.

You will want to check your kombucha (taste) from about 7-21 days, until the desired taste. The idea temperature for a SCOBY and kombucha is supposed to be 68-78 or so degrees F, so I have worried about it fermenting properly. However, even with our house temp averaging 65-66 during the day, and 50’s at night, I have not had issues.

Once the kombucha has reached the desired taste, you can bottle some of it. (see below)

SECOND BATCH

For your second batch, you take your SCOBY and 1-2 cups of the mix, and prepare new tea.

Bottle the extra kombucha, leaving enough room in the jar for expansion (and keep in mind that bottles can explode).

You can see how fizzy our kombucha is!

Once your kombucha starts to become more active, the SCOBY will grow. I find that the kombucha process speeds up. This is my former SCOBY that grew quite large! We would joke about how it looked like a brain in a jar. (I eventually had to toss it because a fruit fly got in it, so I didn’t know if it was completely compromised).

This is just a basic outline of how you can brew your own kombucha. If you want to make your own, I recommend doing some research as far as what you want to use to brew it in, how you want to bottle it, how to make different flavors, and so on.

What do you think?

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23 Comments
  • Lynn
    April 30, 2020

    It seems intimidating! Thanks for breaking it down step by step!

  • Vanessa
    April 30, 2020

    I’ve been thinking about buying kombucha, I’ve heard about all the great benefits so thanks for this ! I will be making it myself this week .

  • yana
    April 30, 2020

    I love kombucha! This is so great and we’re very excited to try to make it!

  • Jazmin
    April 30, 2020

    Oh my God, I was literally thinking about doing this recently! You read my mind lol! Can’t wait to try!

  • Milaya
    April 30, 2020

    I’ve never tried to make my own before this looks good!

  • Cyndi Buchanan
    April 30, 2020

    I love kombucha. I haven’t been brave enough to try to make my own yet.

  • Monica
    April 30, 2020

    I love Kombucha and would really like to make my own. My friend makes hers and it always looks so good!

  • Jasmine Hewitt
    April 30, 2020

    I havent thought to try to make kombucha yet but you have me interested

  • Roshini
    May 1, 2020

    Wow I didn’t know we can make it home. Great post . Thanks for sharing

  • Tara Pittman
    December 3, 2021

    Making your own kombucha seems interesting. I would be afraid that I would mess up the process.

  • Monica Simpson
    December 3, 2021

    I love Kombucha and all its benefits. I haven’t tried making it myself but you do make it seem easier than I thought.

  • Amber Myers
    December 3, 2021

    I did not like the kombucha I tried from the store, but maybe I’d like homemade kombucha. I will give it a try!

  • Kathy
    December 3, 2021

    I have never had kombucha before. Looks really interesting though. I may need to make some and try it out.

  • Richelle Milar
    December 3, 2021

    Wow! This looks absolutely delicious! I’ve never tried this before. Thanks for sharing the steps how to do it!

  • Lavanda Michelle
    February 26, 2022

    This is such a cool ad fun gift. Thanks for breaking down the steps.

  • Rhian Westbury
    February 26, 2022

    I don’t think I’ve ever trued kombucha, but we have spoken about trying it before. I’d have never thought that you could make your own x

  • Heather
    February 26, 2022

    I haven’t found a brand of kombucha that I love, so I’m thinking about making my own. Thanks for the tips!

  • Risa Lopez
    February 26, 2022

    I have never tried this but it looks good. Thank you for the tips and the guide on how to do it.

  • Yeah Lifestyle
    February 26, 2022

    I never thought that Kombucha is something I could make at home as always bought it included in supplements/vitamins etc. I will give your recipe a go as its easy to follow

  • Christine H
    February 27, 2022

    I agree this is not something I would have thought about making at home. But your tips are very helpful and it looks like It isn’t too much of a project.

  • Mosaic Tiles
    February 27, 2022

    That is so so cool! We love kombucha and drink it daily in summer. I am ordering a scoby tonight, thanks a lot.

  • Jasmine Martin
    February 28, 2022

    I have never had kombucha, but I would love to try it. I may have to try this out for myself.

  • Catherine
    March 7, 2022

    I didn’t even know you could make your own. My daughter has started drinking kombucha for her gut health so this is such a timely post!