BHA & BHT Free Cherry Vanilla Kombucha
Tart cherries, floral honey, and warm vanilla come together in a naturally fizzy brew that tastes like something you'd pay way too much for at a specialty café. The process is surprisingly hands-on in the best way — you're cooking down real fruit, straining it into a silky syrup, and letting fermentation do the rest of the heavy lifting. Every single ingredient here is clean and recognizable, which matters a lot when you're avoiding synthetic preservatives like BHA and BHT that sneak into so many flavored drinks and store-bought kombuchas. Vanilla powder instead of extract keeps things pure and free from additives that can hide in alcohol-based flavorings. The second ferment in sealed bottles builds that satisfying natural carbonation over 24 to 48 hours, so you get genuine effervescence without any artificial carbonation or stabilizers. Chilled and poured over ice, it's bright, slightly tangy, and just sweet enough — a homemade drink you'll want to keep on rotation all summer long.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
- 32 oz plain unflavored kombucha (store-bought or homemade first-ferment)
- 1 cup fresh or frozen pitted tart cherries
- 1 tbsp raw honey
- ½ tsp vanilla powder
Instructions
- 1
Combine the tart cherries and honey in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the cherries soften and release their juice and the honey is fully dissolved, about 5–7 minutes. Remove from heat and let the mixture cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.
- 2
Press the cooled cherry mixture through a fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl or measuring cup, pressing the solids firmly with the back of a spoon to extract as much juice as possible. Discard the solids. Stir the vanilla powder into the strained cherry juice until fully dissolved.
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