19 Best Kombucha Flavors

Looking for some fizzy new flavor ideas for your homemade kombucha? Here are 19 of our best kombucha flavors, from refreshing ginger to cozy pumpkin spice. There’s a recipe for everyone, every kombucha maker level, and every occasion.

While kombucha can be a labor of love, sometimes taking weeks between starting to make a SCOBY and taking your first sip, this step makes it all worthwhile: the flavoring! Read on to learn the secrets to flavoring your kickass kombucha!

What is the second fermentation?

Flavoring kombucha takes place in what we call the second fermentation. While the first fermentation transforms tea into kombucha, the second fermentation carbonates that kombucha! To carbonate the kombucha, we do two things:

1. Seal it: Bottling the kombucha in an airtight fermentation-grade bottle will trap the carbonation, making it fizzy.
2. Add sugar: Adding sugar (like fruit, honey, or table sugar) gives the yeasts and bacteria in kombucha something to “eat,” and they make carbonation as a result!

Having trouble with flat kombucha? Check out our troubleshooting guide to fizzy kombucha here!

How to flavor kombucha

So you’ve got kombucha from the first fermentation, and now it’s ready for the second fermentation. Let’s add your flavors! Here’s a quick guide on how to flavor kombucha:

1. Pour kombucha into fermentation bottles, leaving a little space at the top to add your flavors and to allow breathing space.
2. Add flavors like fruit, sugar, honey, or table sugar.
3. Seal tightly. An airtight seal is essential for creating carbonated and fizzy kombucha.
4. Ferment for 3 to 10 days, somewhere dark and room temperature, until it reaches the carbonation level of your liking.
5. Strain (optional) to remove debris before serving.

Kombucha FAQ’s

Here are the most common questions I receive about flavoring kombucha.

How can you flavor kombucha with frozen fruit? Frozen fruit can be used to make kombucha; just be sure to thaw it before adding it.

Can you eat the fruit from kombucha? Yes! The acidity of the kombucha preserves the fruit, meaning it is just as edible as the kombucha is drinkable!

Can you add herbs to kombucha? Herbs add a fun new dimension to homemade kombucha! For hardy herbs (like rosemary or thyme), add the whole sprig. Tender herbs (like mint or basil) can be added to the stem, roughly chopped, or blended.

Best kombucha flavors

After brewing homemade kombucha for years (and helping hundreds of people brew their own, too), I’ve settled on a few favorites. Here are my top 19 best kombucha flavors you can make at home!