How to Make Kombucha at Home: Safe 1-Gallon Recipe, Fizz Tips, Troubleshooting

If you love a light, fizzy drink without mystery ingredients, kombucha might be your new favorite. It is sweet tea transformed by a living culture into a tangy, bubbly sip. When you learn how to make kombucha, you can get great flavor, simple ingredients, and big savings.

Click here to skip to the recipe and brewing guide

This beginner method is gentle and safe. It uses common kitchen gear and takes about 7 to 10 days for the first ferment, then 2 to 7 days to build fizz in bottles. Expect a crisp, slightly sweet taste and a light sparkle. Just keep your tools clean and follow the steps. You’ll be brewing in no time.

Kombucha 101: What It Is, How It Works, and Why Brew It at Home

Kombucha is sweet tea that’s been fermented. Yeast in the culture eats the sugar, then creates bubbles and a touch of alcohol, and helpful acids form as it ferments. Good bacteria build the drink’s tanginess and help guard the tea while it transforms. Use plain black or green tea for the first fermentation; save herbal and flavored teas for bottle flavoring.

The SCOBY is the living culture that powers the brew. Starter tea makes the tea acidic from the start, which helps keep the batch safe. The flavor sits somewhere between crisp apple cider and sweet tea, depending on how long you ferment. Caffeine comes from the tea you choose. Kombucha also has trace alcohol that can rise during the second fermentation.

Why make it at home:

• Save money: A gallon at home costs a fraction of store-bought bottles.
• Control ingredients: Choose your tea, your sugar level, and your flavors.
• Family project: Kids love watching the SCOBY grow and the fizz build.
• Low waste: Reuse bottles and skip the constant packaging.

If you enjoy natural living and simple kitchen projects, you might also appreciate this guide on broader wellness habits: Natural Wellness Guide Essentials.

Key Takeaway: Kombucha is fermented tea. With a SCOBY and starter tea, you can safely brew a tasty, tangy drink at home while saving money and reducing waste.

Meet the SCOBY and Starter Tea

A SCOBY looks like a smooth, rubbery pancake. Sometimes it’s a pale color, and sometimes tan. It can float, sink, or tilt. All normal. It might have bumps or stringy bits. Also normal.

Starter tea is finished kombucha from a previous batch. It should be unflavored and acidic. That acidity protects your fresh tea in the first days, before the new layer grows. Do not replace starter tea with vinegar.

Quick tips:

• Handle with clean hands.
• Never wash the SCOBY with soap.
• Store extras in a “SCOBY hotel,” which is a jar filled with kombucha covering the SCOBYs.

Is Homemade Kombucha Safe?

Yes, when you keep it clean and follow basic rules.

• Use glass for brewing.
• Clean your tools well.
• Always cool the sweet tea to room temperature before adding the SCOBY.
• Cover the jar with a breathable cloth and a rubber band.
• A room temperature of about 68 to 78°F works well.
• A healthy brew smells like tart tea or apples.
• A starting pH below about 4.5 is typical, and it drops as it ferments.
• Use starter tea for 10 to 20 percent of the total volume so the starting pH is 4.5 or lower.
• By day 7 to 10, the pH typically lands between 2.8 and 3.6.
• If you ever see fuzzy, dry patches in white, green, or black, discard the batch and start fresh.
• Kombucha has trace amounts of alcohol, usually less than 1%. Levels can rise during the second fermentation.

How Long Does Kombucha Take to Ferment?

Here is a simple timeline for a 1-gallon batch in a warm room.

Taste the tea on day 7 with a clean spoon. If it is still very sweet, let it go another day. If it is too tart, shorten the time next batch. For fizz, sealed bottles at room temperature will carbonate in a few days. Chill when it is right for you.

Key Takeaway: Expect about 7 to 10 days for F1, and another 2 to 7 days for fizz in bottles. Warmer rooms speed things up, cooler rooms slow them down.

How to Make Kombucha: Ingredients and Gear You Need for a 1-Gallon Batch

Simple ingredients and clean tools keep this easy and safe. I prefer plain white sugar because it ferments predictably and cleanly. Glass is safer than metal or plastic for brewing. If the budget is tight, reuse clean glass jars and save swing-top bottles from past purchases if they are rated for carbonation.

Ingredients for a 1-Gallon Brew

• 14 cups of water (3.3 liters)
• 1 cup white sugar (about 200 grams)
• 8 tea bags, black or green (12–16 grams of tea total)
• 2 cups unflavored starter tea (475–500 milliliters)
• 1 healthy SCOBY

Strong, plain tea gives the best result. Save herbal teas for flavoring in the bottle. If your tap water tastes strong or is heavily chlorinated, use filtered or dechlorinated water. If your city uses chloramine instead of chlorine, use filtered water since chloramine does not off-gas.

Simple Equipment Checklist

• 1-gallon glass jar
• A cloth or coffee filter and a rubber band
• Wooden or plastic spoon
• Medium pot
• Fine mesh strainer if needed
• Optional: thermometer strip for the jar
• For F2: swing-top glass bottles rated for carbonation and a small funnel

Ferment in glass. Stainless steel is fine for boiling, but do not ferment in metal. Avoid scratched plastic since scratches trap residue and make cleaning harder.

Where to Get a Healthy SCOBY

You have three good options:

• A friend who brews and can share a SCOBY and starter tea
• A trusted online seller with good reviews
• Grow your own from raw, unflavored store-bought kombucha

Healthy SCOBY signs:

• Cream to tan color
• Smooth or bumpy texture is both fine
• No fuzzy growth anywhere

Always get 1 to 2 cups of unflavored starter tea with any SCOBY you bring home.

Key Takeaway: Keep it simple. Use basic tea and sugar, clean glass gear, and a healthy SCOBY with acidic starter tea.

Step-by-Step: How to Make Kombucha at Home (First Fermentation)

I brew on Saturdays, so I remember my rhythm. Pick a day that fits your week. The steps below are simple and predictable.

Make and Cool the Sweet Tea

1. Boil 4 cups of water.
2. Remove from heat. Add 8 tea bags.
3. Steep 10 to 20 minutes for strong tea.
4. Remove tea bags. Stir in 1 cup sugar until dissolved.
5. Add cool water to help bring the tea to room temperature. Hot tea can harm the culture.

Tip: If you are in a hurry, set the pot in a cool water bath in the sink. Stir now and then. It cools fast.

Combine Tea, Add SCOBY and Starter Tea

1. Pour the cooled sweet tea into a clean 1-gallon glass jar.
2. Add cool water until you reach about 14 cups total. Leave a few inches of space at the top.
3. Gently add the SCOBY and 2 cups of starter tea.
4. The SCOBY might float, sink, or tilt. All normal.

Cover, Ferment, and Taste for Readiness

1. Cover the jar with a cloth and secure it with a rubber band.
2. Place it in a warm, dark, still spot away from the sun. Avoid areas susceptible to vibration (avoid storing near the washing machine, for example).
3. Let it ferment for 7 to 10 days.
4. Begin tasting on day 7 using a clean spoon.
5. It is ready when it is tangy with light sweetness. A thin new SCOBY layer often forms on top.

I mark my calendar each time I taste. This helps me learn how fast my kitchen brews in different seasons.

Save Your SCOBY and Starter for Next Time

1. With clean hands, remove the SCOBY.
2. Reserve 2 cups of finished kombucha as a starter for the next batch.
3. Keep extra SCOBYs in a SCOBY hotel. Use a jar with enough kombucha to cover them.
4. Keep it loosely covered and refresh with a little sweet tea every few weeks.

Do not store SCOBYs dry or in the fridge. They do best at room temperature in kombucha.

Key Takeaway: Boil tea, add sugar, cool the tea, then add SCOBY and starter tea. Ferment until tangy, taste often, and save some for next time.

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How to Flavor, Bottle, and Carbonate for Fizz (Second Fermentation)

Flavoring and sealing the bottles traps carbon dioxide. That’s what leads to the fizz.

Fruit, juice, or honey: Add these or other sugars for the yeast to eat during this stage.

To avoid problems, use strong bottles, do not overfill, and burp daily if your kitchen is warm. When the fizz is right, chill to slow the process.

Prep Bottles and Add Flavor

• Use clean, dry swing-top bottles.
• Add 1 to 2 tablespoons of fruit puree, chopped fruit, juice, or honey per 16-ounce bottle.
• Great combos: ginger lemon, strawberry basil, blueberry mint, mango lime, apple cinnamon.
• Fill each bottle with kombucha, leaving about 1 inch of headspace.

If pulp bothers you, strain before bottling. If you love a stronger flavor, add more fruit next time.

Seal, Ferment at Room Temp, Then Chill

• Seal bottles and leave at room temperature for 2 to 7 days.
• Warmer rooms carbonate faster.
• Burp once a day to release pressure, especially with lots of fruit.
• Once the fizz is right for you, move bottles to the fridge.
• Open when cold to reduce foam.
• If concerned about pressure from the fermentation process, use a plastic test bottle. When it feels firm, chill all bottles.

I like to test one bottle on day 2. If it hisses nicely, I chill the rest.

Family-Friendly Flavor Tips

• Gentle flavors for kids: peach, apple, blueberry, or strawberry.
• For a little spice, add a thin slice of fresh ginger or a small cinnamon stick.
• To keep sugar lower, use fresh whole fruit, not syrups.
• If pressure builds fast, shorten F2 by a day or two.
• Label bottles with flavor and date so you can repeat favorites.

Key Takeaway: Add a little fruit or honey, seal tightly, and let it fizz at room temperature. Burp daily in warm rooms. Chill to pause fermentation and enjoy steady bubbles.

Frequently Asked Questions (Troubleshooting & Safety)

Every brewer hits a snag sometimes. Most issues have simple fixes. Keep your notes, and you will learn your kitchen’s rhythm.

What’s the difference between mold and normal yeast?

This is the #1 fear for new brewers, and the difference is clear.

• Normal Signs: Brown, stringy bits; jelly-like clumps; bubbles; or a new, smooth, cream-colored SCOBY layer forming on top are all normal.
• Mold Signs: Mold is always on the surface and looks fuzzy, dry, or dusty. It will be in circular patches of white, green, blue, or black.

If you ever see mold, discard the entire batch and the SCOBY. Clean your gear thoroughly and start over with a fresh, healthy SCOBY and starter tea.

How do I fix flat, sweet, or sour kombucha?

You can fix this by adjusting your timing and ingredients.

• If it’s flat: Your second fermentation (F2) needs more “fuel” or time. Add a bit more sugar or fruit puree to your bottles, make sure they are sealed tightly, and leave them in a warmer spot for an extra day or two.
• If it’s too sweet: Your first fermentation (F1) was too short. Just let it ferment for a few more days, tasting daily until the tanginess balances out.
• If it’s too sour: Your first fermentation (F1) was too long. Shorten your F1 time on the next batch. You can save the “too sour” batch—it makes a fantastic, healthy “vinegar” for salad dressings or cleaning!

What’s the best way to store and clean everything?

SCOBY: Never use soap on a SCOBY. Store extra SCOBYs in a glass jar (a “SCOBY hotel”) at room temperature, covered in leftover starter tea.

Finished Kombucha: Always store your fizzy, bottled (F2) kombucha in the refrigerator. This chills it and, most importantly, stops the fermentation and carbonation process. Drink it within 2-4 weeks.

Gear: Clean your jars, bottles, and tools with hot water and mild dish soap. Rinse very well to ensure no soap residue is left, as it can harm your SCOBY.

Can I use brown sugar or honey in F1?

Use plain white sugar for reliable results. Try honey or other sugars only in F2 for flavor.

Which tea works best?

Plain black tea is most reliable. Green tea also works well. Avoid herbal or flavored teas in F1.

Can I pause brewing?

Store the SCOBY in a jar of finished kombucha at room temperature and feed it with a little sweet tea every few weeks.

Why is there no fizz after chilling?

The bottles likely need more time or warmth in F2. Give them another day at room temperature, then chill.

Is kombucha safe for kids?

Kombucha contains caffeine from tea and trace alcohol. Offer small, well-chilled servings and consult your pediatrician if you have concerns.

Can I brew with herbal tea in F1?

Use plain black or green tea in F1 for reliable fermentation. Again, save herbal or flavored teas for F2 flavoring.

Start Brewing

You are ready to brew. Make sweet tea, cool it, add your SCOBY and starter tea, ferment until tangy, then bottle with flavor for fizz.

Chill and enjoy together. Start with a 1-gallon batch and try one new flavor each week. Be patient, keep all your equipment clean, and have fun with the process as a family. Now that you know how to make kombucha, set up your first batch today.