Ginger and kombucha, when these two come together, you get a tart slightly sweet fizzy kombucha with a spicy kick of ginger. You’d be hard-pressed to find a better combination than this. In this recipe, we will use candy ginger as opposed to fresh ginger. This serves as a dual purpose to both flavor and adds sugar in one calculated move. For those of you who may not be huge fans of ginger because of its spicy bite? You need to try using candy ginger instead of fresh. The candying process mellows out the spicy punch of raw, fresh ginger and gives you deliciously earthy yet fresh kombucha with a mellow ginger flavor. For those of you who want more spice, simply add more candied ginger!
It’s important to note that making homemade kombucha is almost always a two-step fermentation process. Brewing kombucha is only a one-step process for those who prefer an unflavored flat kombucha. Otherwise, the steps consist of a primary fermentation and a secondary fermentation.
Primary fermentation is the first step of the kombucha brewing process. This is where your SCOBY transforms regular sweet tea into the tart and slightly sweet kombucha we love. At the end of this stage, you will have finished kombucha, but it will be flat and unflavored. Have you skipped this step? Then check out our guide on how to make kombucha at home, and for jun kombucha, see our post on how to make jun kombucha tea at home. Traditional kombucha is going to yield a bolder brew, while jun kombucha is milder and can be a bit tarter.
Secondary fermentation is the step where you bottle, carbonate, and flavor your kombucha with the addition of sugar and flavors. In this step, the finished kombucha from the primary is mixed with sugar, fruits, or other flavors before bottling it with specialized lids that can hold pressure, like flip-top bottles. The bottled kombucha is then left at room temperature for natural fermentation, where yeast carbonates the kombucha within the sealed bottle. The ideal temperature range for this process is between 75-85°F. The amount of time needed to carbonate within the bottle is highly tied to temperature, which can take anywhere from 2-10 days.
💡Since this recipe is for the secondary fermentation, to make this recipe, you’ll need to have kombucha that has finished the primary fermentation and is ready to bottle.
This recipe makes one 16-fluid-ounce bottle. A 1-gallon batch of kombucha will make seven 16-ounce bottles, so for one gallon, you will need to multiply the ingredients by 7. Before beginning this recipe, you will need to:
16 Oz Bottle(s)
20
Minutes2-10
DaysThis candied ginger kombucha recipe is for one 16 ounce bottle. For a gallon batch, make seven bottles. To scale this recipe to a gallon batch, multiply the ingredients by seven or toggle the serving size up to seven above. Before bottling your kombucha, remove the SCOBY pellicle along with 12-16 ounces of kombucha starter tea from your brew, and reserve for your next batch.
16 Oz Kombucha from a completed primary fermentation.
1-2Â TBSPÂ Candied ginger, diced (1-2 TBSP Per 16 Oz Bottle)
16 Oz Swing Top Bottles
Strainer Strainer – Optional
Using a funnel, add the diced candied ginger evenly to each bottle.
Fill each bottle with kombucha, leaving about 1 to 2 inches of head-space. Tightly place the caps on each bottle.
Keep bottles at room temperature for 2-10 days; it will carbonate faster at higher temperatures and slower when cold.
Once per day, you’ll want to burp the bottles. This is done by removing the cap to allow built-up pressure to escape then placing the cap back on. As soon as you put the lid back on, the carbonation will begin to build back up, so no worries about it getting flat. Try not to skip this, or you may get kombucha all over your face when you do go to open it or, worse yet, a bottle bomb.
Chill in the refrigerator once you’re happy with the carbonation levels. Based on preference, you can serve as is or strain before drinking.
