The homemade kombucha brewers are going to love this one! This Blueberry Kombucha recipe is delightfully fruity and easy to brew!

I took an unexpected trip back to America a few weeks ago. The first week was spent in the critical cardiac unit of a hospital, the second was spent with tears of joy, and the third involved gallons and gallons of kombucha. And now that our family is back on their feet, letting out a huge sigh of relief, let’s talk about kombucha.

My mom’s kombucha, to be exact. Living in balmy Alabama, her kombucha SCOBY has quickly grown into a massive beast, churning out fresh batches every week. Needless to say, my slow churning cold weather Dutch kombucha is jealous.

So I took advantage of her quick brewing ‘bucha and tested out a bunch of flavors while I was there, to include peach, ginger, apple, and honey! Recipes all coming soon, but today we’re going with a simple fruity basic…Blueberry Kombucha!

There are two main fermentation phases when making homemade kombucha:

1. First Fermentation: This is when you transform sweet tea into tart and delicious kombucha (see our comprehensive guide to homemade kombucha here)
2. Second Fermentation: This is when you carbonate the kombucha by adding sugars (like blueberry!) and bottling it.

In order to make this Blueberry Kombucha, you will need to have completed the first fermentation already and have some kombucha that’s ready to be carbonated! The video below shows you how to get to this point.

Ingredients to make Blueberry Kombucha

• Kombucha from a first fermentation: You’ve brewed your kombucha with the help of your SCOBY and it’s the perfect balance of sweet and tart (step-by-step first fermentation instructions here).
• Blueberries: You can use fresh or frozen blueberries to make kombucha!
• Optional additions: Ginger and/or lemon zest work well with blueberries in this kombucha.

How to make Blueberry Kombucha

Making your own flavored kombucha with blueberries is super easy. The process goes something like this:

1. Cook the blueberries: Heat blueberries, water, and sugar in a saucepan until the blueberries burst and begin to breakdown. This not only creates a deeper flavor, but makes it easier for the kombucha to “eat” up the blueberry sugars.
2. Mix: Stir together kombucha and blueberry mixture to combine them well.
3. Bottle: Transfer everything to fermentation bottles (I like to use quart-sized bottles).
4. Ferment: For 3 to 10 days, until it reaches the carbonation level you like.
5. Enjoy: Strain out blueberry pulp (optional), then chill in the fridge before serving.

Can you use frozen berries in kombucha?

You can use frozen berries to make this flavored kombucha! I love using frozen fruit to make kombucha because it is usually more affordable, doesn’t depend on seasonality, and is already prepped for you.

No need to defrost the berries for this recipe. Simply throw them into the saucepan and cook until they breakdown into a thick liquid.