Ginger Kombucha is the #1 best selling Kombucha flavor worldwide. And it’s no wonder, as they pair perfectly. The warm, spicy taste lends Ginger Kombucha a tangy bite, like “ginger ale” with a kick.
Done right, the best Ginger Kombucha recipes beat any store bought sugary soda, which is why nearly every brand on the shelf sells their own version of Ginger Kombucha.
Ginger Kombucha Benefits
There’s a reason humans have been growing and consuming Ginger for over 5000 years! Ginger has been shown to improve digestion (great for an upset stomach), reduce inflammation and contains antioxidants; all that good stuff also stimulates the yeast in Kombucha and bumps up the bubbles.
Ginger has also demonstrated anti-cancer properties and may help with cardiovascular health, so it’s a powerhouse!
FUN FACT: The most popular beverage in the US before Prohibition was Ginger Beer.
What Type of Ginger To Use for Kombucha Flavoring
Ginger comes in so many different formats: fresh, dried, candied, syrup, and powder to name a few. So which will be the best for flavoring Kombucha? Cut and dried is our favorite type of Ginger as it’s the most versatile and storage friendly, but you might choose another depending on what you have handy or how much “fire” you want in your flavor.
The smaller the pieces, the faster and more deeply the flavor will infuse, which is why ginger juice (THRIVE, AMZ)is the most potent. While sometimes strong ginger flavor is a good thing, it can overwhelm other components and become bitter or harsh on the throat. Start with a small amount and scale up.
Candied ginger (THRIVE, AMZ)and ginger syrup will add more sugar to the final product. That can be good as it will create more carbonation, due to the sugar reactivating the yeast, but too much could lead to bottle bombs. Start with only a little candied ginger or syrup. If you are concerned about too much carbonation, open bottles in the sink with a ziplock bag over the top to prevent Jackson Pollack-ing your ceiling with ginger pieces!
Powdered ginger ends up clumping in the liquid and has to be remixed into the beverage, and it leaves quite a bit of sediment that may need to be strained out, making for a goopy mess. For this reason, we generally avoid powder.
Dried Ginger for the Win!
As stated above, our favorite is dried ginger because it’s always ready to use and provides the most consistent flavor of any option. It’s also the easiest to measure and handle, making less mess, and will store for literally years if cared for, whereas fresh ginger gets tough and old quickly. Plus the dehydrated pieces soak up Kombucha which infuses the flavor more quickly than fresh pieces.
The Best Ginger Kombucha Recipes
The basic Ginger Kombucha recipe below can be blended with any other flavors that inspire you. We’ve provided our 5 favorite variations.
For these recipes we have provided both 16oz bottle (½ liter) and 1 Gallon (4 liter) measurements for each flavoring agent. The amounts of each flavor do not scale exactly as you will not need 8x as much flavor to create the same taste in a gallon of Kombucha.
Keep in mind that these are jumping off points. Increase or decrease the amounts to reach your preferred flavor.
Leave a comment with your #faveflav combination below!
General Flavoring Instructions For Each Recipe:
- Add flavor(s) to the bottle.
- Top with Kombucha.
- Seal with tight fitting cap.
- Store at room temperature (68-76F) for 2-3 days.
- Enjoy!
CLICK HERE to learn How To Flavor Kombucha
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Ginger Kombucha Recipe
Organic Ginger Pieces Available in Single Flavoring OR Bulk Sizes to Save $$!!
16oz bottle
- ½ tsp fresh or dried ginger, grated or chopped
1 Gallon
- 1 Tbsp fresh or dried ginger, grated or chopped
Now that we have our basic ginger recipe down, let’s play with adding some different elements.
Need Organic Ginger for Flavoring? CLICK HERE
Ginger Turmeric Kombucha
Ginger and turmeric are both rhizomes. We like using powdered turmeric as it provides more of a citrus note. Fresh turmeric has more of an earthy flavor. Either will work.
BONUS OPTION: Lemon adds a deeper citrus note that pushes the Turmeric towards an orange flavor.
16oz bottle
- ½ tsp fresh or dried ginger, grated or chopped
- ¼ tsp turmeric powder or ½ tsp fresh turmeric root
- Optional: ½ tsp lemon juice (THRIVE , AMZ)
1 Gallon
- 1 Tbsp fresh or dried ginger, grated or chopped
- ½ Tbsp turmeric powder or 1 Tbsp fresh turmeric root
- Optional: 1 Tbsp lemon juice
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Apple Ginger Kombucha
Apples are delicious in Kombucha as they enhance the naturally apple-y taste of a black tea Kombucha. Using apple pieces produces a subtle flavor, so go for the juice if you really want to taste it. When paired with ginger, it’s like enjoying a healthy apple ginger pie in a glass!
BONUS OPTION: Cinnamon is a natural fit with apple and lends trademark warmth to this flavor.
16oz bottle
- ½ tsp fresh or dried ginger, chopped
- ¼ cup diced fresh apple or 2 Tbsp apple juice (THRIVE , AMZ)
- Optional: ½ tsp cinnamon chips or ¼ tsp cinnamon powder (THRIVE , AMZ)
1 Gallon
- 1 Tbsp fresh or dried ginger, chopped
- 1½ cups diced fresh apple or ¾ cup apple juice
- Optional: 1 Tbsp cinnamon chips or ½ Tbsp cinnamon powder
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Carrot Ginger Kombucha Recipe
Carrots come in a variety of colors, flavors and are packed with beta carotene (get it, carrot-een!) With carrot, the juice is the best way to infuse the flavor, but chopped pieces will also work if no juice is available. Just be patient as it may take some extra time to infuse fully.
Some carrots are sweeter than others, we like a combination of yellow and orange for the best flavor, though purple carrots give the brew a pretty hue.
BONUS OPTION: Tart lime juice gives the sweetness of the carrot a little grounding.
16oz bottle
- ½ tsp fresh or dried ginger, chopped
- 1 Tbsp carrot juice or ¼ cup diced fresh carrot (AMZ)
- Optional: 1 tsp lime juice
1 Gallon
- 1 Tbsp fresh or dried ginger, chopped
- ½ cup carrot juice (AMZ) or 2 cups diced fresh carrot
- Optional: 2 Tbsp lime juice (AMZ)
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Lemon Ginger Kombucha
At first thought, adding sour lemon juice to already sour-ish Kombucha would just make it a sour train wreck. Oddly the opposite is true! Lemon juice enhances the tasty tang of the booch and adds a sparkly crispness to ginger Kombucha. We love Meyer lemons, which are a cross between a lemon and an orange, for the best sweet & juicy flavor.
BONUS OPTION: A touch of zest captures more lemon and floral notes.
16oz bottle
- ½ tsp fresh or dried ginger, chopped
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- Optional: ¼ tsp lemon zest
1 Gallon
- 1 Tbsp fresh or dried ginger, chopped
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- Optional: 1 tsp lemon zest
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Blueberry Ginger Kombucha
Blueberries are one of the only blue foods found in nature. The dark color indicates that it is rich in anthocyanins, a vital polyphenol that can help reduce inflammation. Blueberries make up the base flavor of GingerBerry by GT’s Kombucha; make a copycat version of GT’s at home with this recipe. Smash or slice the blueberries to release the flavor or create a puree for a taste blast!
16oz bottle
- ½ tsp fresh or dried ginger, chopped
- 2 Tbsp sliced or mashed blueberries (AMZ)or 1 Tbsp blueberry puree
- Optional: ½ tsp hibiscus
1 Gallon
- 1 Tbsp fresh or dried ginger, chopped
- ¾ cup sliced or mashed blueberries or ½ cup blueberry puree
- Optional: 1 Tbsp hibiscus
Video: Flavoring Kombucha In The Bottle
In this video, I demonstrate and explain:
- how to flavor your Kombucha
- ideas to spark your flavor imagination
- a secret for increased carbonation
- safety tips to prevent bottle explosions
- blending other beverages with your Continuous Brewed Kombucha
- mixing kombucha into drinks for hangover prevention
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Deb
December 12, 2023 at 7:30 pmIs your kombucha clear?? I thought it would be tea colored.
Anthea Tayag
December 14, 2023 at 8:55 amThe SCOBY absorbs the tannins in the tea, eventually turning the liquid clear.
María Gabriela Jiménez soto
December 4, 2023 at 9:56 amYo la hago con piña y canela te verde y jingibre
Hannah Crum
December 7, 2023 at 1:01 pmq sabrosa!
Sue
October 28, 2022 at 4:59 pmMy favorite is to put 1/2 cup mango juice (Naked brand or Bolthouse) in quart jars and fill up with Kombucha that has brewed a week. (Sometimes add ginger. I’m trying crystallized ginger this week!) Then put them in a zippered bag in the warmest area of house to brew a second week. I have had bottles blow up; generally the bottom that breaks on a quart jar. When the week was finished and I opened the bag, I could see the SCOBY all formed around the other bottles! So glad it was all contained in the bag! Thank you for all your tips and help!
Anthea Tayag
October 31, 2022 at 9:08 amWe are happy to hear that you are enjoying the process. In terms of the bottles exploding, we suggest following our Bottling Tips to avoid blow-outs. https://www.kombuchakamp.com/bottling-kombucha-tea-jun-water-kefir-and-milk-kefir-without-explosions-geysers-or-blowouts
Debbie
July 18, 2020 at 7:35 amBen making Blueberry Ginger for about two years… BUT – then I found APPLE CINNAMON GINGER!!! ❤❤❤❤❤ Haands down my ALL TIME FAVFLAV
Beth
June 27, 2020 at 1:26 pmI brew Jun and love to add ginger, turmeric and a little fresh ground pepper to my 2nd ferment. Adds a nice little kick and I always read where adding pepper to turmeric is how to get the most health benefits. Some bottles I add ginger and cardamom. I’m trying adding ginger to the tea while brewing this time for the first time. Thanks for all of the great advice (and original JUN SCOBY several years ago!)
Rebecca
December 18, 2019 at 2:04 pmThe kombucha in the video is such a light color! What type and how much of tea do you use to make it that light?
Hannah Crum
December 7, 2023 at 2:06 pmWe make all of our Kombucha with Organic Hannah’s Special Tea Blend
Gloria
September 21, 2019 at 11:36 amhow do you do the continuous brewing?
Hannah Crum
October 1, 2019 at 4:25 pmHi Gloria, Check out this page all about the Continuous Brew Process: https://www.kombuchakamp.com/kombucha-continuous-brew-vs-batch-brew-explained
Barbara Tiner
August 27, 2019 at 9:53 amThank you for this video. I agree that flavoring kombucha is great fun. I made Peach Ginger for my daughter’s wedding and people drank it straight or as a cocktail with vodka. It was delicious.
Lexie
October 5, 2019 at 6:56 amThat sounds lovely! How much peach for the booch? What were your ratios or recipes?
Flo Fahrenheit
August 24, 2019 at 8:12 amI like my kombucha spicy, so I add lots more ginger than most recipes. Chop fresh ginger, including the skin, in the food processor. Then in the blender put 1/4 cup apple juice and 1 TBS chopped ginger per 16 oz bottle and run on high for several seconds to infuse the juice with the ginger flavor. (Blend several portions at one time). Divide the ginger-apple juice equally into 16 oz bottles. Then to each bottle add 3-4 raisins cut in half, or dried figs cut into small pieces. Fill bottles with Kombucha. NOTE: 1 cup of apple juice needs about 2 oz of ginger (I use a food scale). This is enough for 4 – 16oz. bottles. If you have an Osterizer brand blender, you can screw a mason jar onto the blade rather than use the glass container that comes with the blender. This is a great way to make salad dressing, too…then you don’t have to wash the blender.
Amy
October 5, 2019 at 3:57 pmGreat ideas! Thanks!!!