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Lemon Ginger Kombucha (Home Brewed)

4.69 from 48 votes
Recipe Print
By: 67 Comments

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This Lemon Ginger Kombucha recipe is a classic citrusy flavor, perfect for your homemade kombucha!

Lemon ginger kombucha in a mason jar on a white background

There’s a magical tonic the tulip-man blends up anytime one of us so much as sneezes. It involves blending lemon and ginger and good quality honey, which he then uses as a syrup for adding instant healthy flavor to water.

So naturally I had to make a kombucha version of it. Because lemon + ginger + kombucha are a match made in heaven. The result is a slightly tart, slightly sweet, seriously refreshing kombucha! Let’s brew.

(Pro tip: use this Lemon Kombucha to make a Kombucha Radler beer cocktail!)

Lemon ginger kombucha in a mason jar on a white background

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 flavor and sugars and bottling it (this is what we’re doing today with this Lemon Ginger Kombucha!)

In order to make this citrusy kombucha, you will need to have finished the first fermentation already and have some kombucha that’s ready to be carbonated! This video shows you how to get to that point.

Ingredients for Lemon Ginger Kombucha

  • Kombucha: You’ve brewed your kombucha in the first fermentation with the help of your SCOBY and it’s the perfect balance of sweet and tart (step-by-step first fermentation instructions here).
  • Lemon: Fresh lemon juice is packed with flavor and antioxidants, and gives this kombucha a delightfully tart taste.
  • Ginger: We’ll chop it finely (or grate it) to infuse the kombucha with ginger flavor.
  • Honey: A dash of honey will provide the sugars needed to carbonate the kombucha. For a vegan option, substitute the honey for white sugar.

For a fun twist, you can also try adding pepper to your kombucha (like the tulip-man did with this Ginger Pepper Kombucha).

Ingredients to make lemon ginger kombucha on a white counter

How to Make Lemon Ginger Kombucha

Making your own Lemon Ginger Kombucha is super easy. The process goes something like this:

  1. Prep: Juice the lemons and finely chop or grate the ginger.
  2. Bottle: Add kombucha, lemon juice, ginger, and honey to fermentation bottles.
  3. Ferment: For 3 to 10 days, until it reaches the carbonation level you like.
  4. Enjoy: Chill in the fridge before serving.
Lemon ginger kombucha in a mason jar on a white background
Lemon ginger kombucha in bottles on a white background

Lemon Ginger Kombucha (Home Brewed)

4.69 from 48 votes
Prep: 3 days
Total: 3 days
Author: Sarah Bond
Calories: 50kcal
Servings: 8 cups
This Lemon Ginger Kombucha recipe is a classic citrusy flavor, perfect for your homemade kombucha!

Ingredients

  • ½ gallon kombucha from a first fermentation this is not store bought kombucha, 1.9 L
  • 2 lemons ¼ cup lemon juice
  • 1 thumb fresh ginger 1 Tbsp chopped or grated
  • 2 tsp honey sub white sugar for vegan option

Instructions 

  • Prep: Juice the lemons (you need ¼ cup of juice). Finely chop or grate the ginger (you need 1 Tbsp).
  • Bottle: Transfer kombucha into fermentation bottles*, leaving about 2 inches empty at the top. Equally distribute lemon juice, ginger, and honey into bottles. Seal tightly.
  • Ferment: Place in a dark, room temperature area for 3 to 10 days, until it reaches the carbonation level you like. This process will go faster in warmer climates, and slower in cooler climates.
  • Enjoy: Chill in the fridge before serving. Can be stored in the fridge, tightly sealed, for several weeks.

Tips & Tricks

*If this is your first time brewing, it may be helpful to use a plastic water bottle as a gauge. Fill a disposable plastic bottle with kombucha (leaving 2 inches empty at the top). When this bottle becomes rock hard, you’ll know the glass bottle are also ready. This will help you gauge how quickly kombucha brews in your climate and will prevent bottle explosions.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1cup (differs by fermentation length) Calories: 50kcal (3%) Carbohydrates: 12g (4%) Sodium: 10mg Sugar: 12g (13%)
Did You Make This?

Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!

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More Kombucha Flavors To Try

Here are a few more of our favorite kombucha flavors (or check out our all-time favorite flavors here)

Blueberry Kombucha

Cooked blueberries bring deeply sweet and fruity flavor.

Zingy Raspberry Kombucha

A copycat inspired by the zingy Trilogy kombucha! (Recipe on our sister site, BrewBuch.com).

Ginger Pepper Kombucha

Zingy ginger and spicy pepper transform kombucha into a grown up ginger ale.

Strawberry Kombucha

A ruby red classic that's as easy as blending and fermenting.

Peach Pie Kombucha

Sweet like pie with hints of maple and vanilla.

Chia Seed Kombucha

My favorite addition to kombucha...chia seeds! (Recipe on our sister site, BrewBuch.com).

Reader Interactions

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  1. Petra says

    Would this work if I did 1/4 cup orange juice and no honey? I am assuming the sugars from the orange would be enough?

    Reply

  2. shannon o'mara says

    Is is absolutely necessary to do a second ferment? I just tasted my first batch on day 7 and it already has a great flavour and slight carbonation. Thanks in advance, love your page it’s so handy!!5 stars

    Reply

    • Sarah says

      Technically yes, but it will be very sour. You’re better off using it as a strong starter for your next batch, or use it as you would vinegar!

  5. Judy Keating says

    I just started the second fermentation on a gallon of kombucha in 4 quart size ball jars. I used your lemon / ginger recipe.. I am very excited! I have a second gallon in process and close to ready for second ferment and flavors. How would I prepare fresh blackberry’s for flavoring? How many? And, what would you suggest to flavor along with the blackberry’s?

    Reply

    • Sarah says

      The full cup is necessary for the kombucha to feed on. The longer you let your first fermentation run, the less sugar will be in the finished kombucha (in other words, you won’t be consuming all that sugar!)

  7. Fábio says

    Hi Sarah. I’m from Brazil e a Kombucha lover. I’ve just enjoyed your recipe a lot. It’s fresh and delicious. I’ll taste it next time at home, when I’ll prepar my next liters of kombucha. Thanks and congrats for helping us. Bye!5 stars

    Reply

  8. Amy says

    Thanks – we’ve been making kombucha weekly with your instructions for months now!

    We’ve tried a couple other flavours but lemon ginger is definitely our favourite so we just stick with that now. We’ve played with the ratios and have settled on 3.5L kombucha from the first fermentation with 1.5 Tbsp honey, 1/4 cup lemon juice, and 100g frozen ginger grated on a microplane (we like it very gingery!)

    This also gives great carbonation; we use a mix of old GT kombucha bottles (the lids are holding up surprisingly well after months of use) and mason jars with canning lids & rings.

    Thank you!5 stars

    Reply

    • Sarah says

      Thanks for letting us know what’s working for you! Also so great that those old bottles are working, nice was to recycle them!

  9. Kerry says

    Hi thanks for the recipes! Can I use finished wine bottles for the second fermentation – it seems a shame not to?

    Thanks

    Reply

  10. Tony Griffiths says

    Hi Sarah
    Just made ginger lemon recipe, put to second firment
    Just wondered what’s best when filter?
    Do I mix all second firment ingredients together including yeast
    Settlement or strain off slowly leaving yeast at bottom of bottles?
    Thanks for recipes & guidance be lost without them
    Many thanks
    Tony

    Reply

  11. Monique Minnie says

    Thanks for the recipes Sarah, you are the best! 🙂 I am going to do my 2nd ferm today of my first attempt at home made kombucha. I think I will put an orange slice in one bottle and ginger and lemon in another. I was wondering, do I need to leave the SCOBY covered in kombucha (left over from first ferm) so it doesn’t die? Just wondering how to care for it in between and how long you can keep it when not making kombucha? How long does a SCOBY last, and will it go off sitting in liquid or should it be refrigerated? Sorry for all the questions 🙂5 stars

    Reply

  12. Monique Minnie says

    Hey Sarah, for the orange kombucha- is there a recipe somewhere? What else would you add besides the slice of orange per cup? Should I add honey too? 🙂 Thanks and hope you are keeping well!
    Ps- is there a way to set up getting an email notification once you have replied?

    Thanks!

    Reply

  13. leni says

    I’m wondering why even after 4/5 days mine is not carbonated. I added all the above ingredients to my 1st fermentation that was ready for its 2nd fermentation.

    Our apartment is about 21-23 degrees celcius inside. Do i perhaps need to add some more sugar do you think?

    I did spill a little on my hand during bottling and the lemon taste was delicious, so I have high hopes. I just really want it to be carbonated.

    Thanks 😀

    Reply

  14. Kyra says

    can you open and close the glass bottles to check the carbonation levels? Or will that make it loose carbonation?

    Reply

    • Sarah says

      It will temporarily remove some carbonation, but should be carbonated back up in a few hours! I actually recommend this. It’s called “burping” and helps to gauge carbonation while preventing explosions.

  15. Pam says

    For the recipe, is it 2 tsp of honey, etc. per bottle? Or do you the divide the two teaspoons among all the bottles for the second fermentation?

    Reply

  16. Denise says

    Hi! I am in the middle of my first fermentation for my first kombucha batch ever. Question: could I use the store-bought kombucha bottles for my second fermentation? I washed them carefully and saved them because they seemed the perfect size and the screw tops seal very well.

    Reply

    • Sarah says

      Yep those will work! 😀 They won’t hold in as much carbonation as the flip top bottles, but they do a pretty good job.

  17. Ceejay says

    Thank you for so generously sharing your recipes with us. Easy to make and the results are delicious. My favorite so far is the ginger pepper, and I’ve tried most. One question, how do you prepare the fresh ginger? I’ve tried grating, but the microplane is too fine and a regular grater is too coarse, both seem to just mash the ginger–maybe my equipment is not sharp enough. Lately, I just cut coins and pound them–and the blender does nothing but create a stringy mess.

    Reply

  18. Merijam says

    Hello! I’ve been curious what to do with the bottled kombucha once the second fermentation is over? How long can it stay in the fridge before it goes bad?5 stars

    Reply

  20. Sheri Correa says

    Hey Sarah, thank you so much for your detailed instructions. I have a question about carbonation. At first Pi was getting none, so I waited 3 days before I burped them. Then the weather warmed up and they exploded all over the ceiling and me after 3 day. The next batch I burped the very next day and again was bathed in pieces of fruit. Should I put them in the fridge now ( it’s been 2 days for 2cd fermentation but is very carbonated already) . Thanks Sarah

    Reply

    • Sarah says

      Hi Sheri! Yep, putting them in the fridge will help to get that carbonation out of the air in the bottle and into the liquid which should make them less explosive.

  21. Jane cleaver says

    Amazing recipe! This was my first ever attempt at kombucha and after carefully raising a bunch of Scobys I made this and it’s the bomb! Even my mother in law liked it after swearing she would never try, thank you so much xx5 stars

    Reply

  22. Sherry says

    Is it OK to let your lemon and ginger kombucha age in a half gallon jar instead of in individual bottles?

    Reply

  23. nadine says

    Hi Sarah, just about to start my first ever batch of Kombucha. I have opted for continuous brewing kit and have ordered 6 glass bottles. Once I have done the 2nd fermentation do they all have to be kept in the fridge? Only ask as I have such a small fridge and I wondered if they can be just put in the fridge as and when I’m going to drink them? If I burped them regularly would they be ok to leave out for a couple of weeks? I’m sure I’d drink a batch in a couple of weeks. Thanks!5 stars

    Reply

    • Sarah says

      If you left them out for a few weeks the fermentation would continue, which would make the kombucha sour over time. I’d highly recommend keeping them in the fridge (so many in your case, brew smaller batches to fit them all in the fridge) 😀

    • Sarah says

      You can use honey in the second fermentation, once the kombucha bacteria colony is strong enough to fight any potential bad guys 😀

  26. Jackie Relaford says

    i would like to use ginger and lemon juices, what would the ratio be and how much for a 24 ounce bottle. if I use honey how much would I add to a 24 ounce bottle

    Reply

  27. Nina says

    This was my first attempt at Kombucha, and it tastes AMAZING! The lemon flavor adds lovely tartness, and the ginger lends zing and a mule kick! Very refreshing!5 stars

    Reply

  28. Abby says

    Hi ,
    I will attempt to make my own kombucha.
    I live in Florida , so after I put my own sweetener and keep it in a dark place . You mentioned 3 to 10 days, I would like to avoid an explosion. should I check in 5 days?

    Reply

  30. Joe Mroz says

    I never tried a ‘second fermentation’ before and wondered how to make flavours. Thanks! ps for vegan version substitute sugar for honey or replace honey with sugar5 stars

    Reply

  31. Samuel Staples says

    First time making at home Kombucha, for second fermentation, how full should the bottles be? I stopped just before the neck on swing top brewer’s bottles. Can I fill them up the neck, or will this cause more of a chance for explosion?
    Thank you.

    Reply

  32. DEB says

    What is the difference between this and the ginger beer we used to make as kids? Apart from a few tea bags.

    Reply

    • Sarah Bond says

      There are a few different fermentations it could have been! “Gingerbug” is common, and is usually just ginger. Kombucha is fermented using tea!