MSG Free Cherry Vanilla Kombucha
Tart cherries, floral vanilla, and the natural fizz of a second ferment come together in a brew that tastes like something you'd pay way too much for at a specialty café. Every ingredient here is straightforward and clean — plain kombucha, raw honey, real cherries, and vanilla powder — so there's no guesswork about hidden additives or flavor enhancers sneaking into your glass. Store-bought flavored kombuchas can be a minefield of mystery "natural flavors," but making your own syrup from scratch puts you completely in control. The process is surprisingly simple: cook down the cherries with honey, strain out the solids, stir in the vanilla, and let the bottles do their thing at room temperature for a day or two. That second fermentation builds a satisfying, lively carbonation that makes this feel genuinely special. Chilling the finished bottles slows things down and locks in the flavor, so you end up with a crisp, ruby-hued drink that's bright, a little tangy, and just sweet enough to feel like a treat.
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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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