Emulsifier Free Plain Kombucha
Brewing your own kombucha at home is one of those deeply satisfying kitchen projects that rewards patience with something genuinely delicious — tangy, lightly fizzy, and alive in the best possible way. Store-bought versions often contain added emulsifiers, stabilizers, or "natural flavors" that can make label-reading a frustrating chore, but this recipe keeps things beautifully stripped back: just tea, sugar, water, a SCOBY, and starter liquid. The fermentation process itself does all the heavy lifting, transforming a simple sweet tea into a complex, probiotic-rich drink with no additives required. Cooling the tea to the right temperature before introducing the SCOBY is the key step that protects the culture and sets the whole batch up for success. Tasting daily from day seven lets you dial in exactly how tart you like it, so every batch can be tuned to your preference. Once you have a finished batch, you also have everything you need to keep the cycle going indefinitely, making this one of the most self-sustaining recipes you can add to your routine.
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Learn more →Ingredients
8 servings
- 3.5 quarts filtered water, divided
- 4 bags plain black tea (or 1 tbsp loose-leaf black tea)
- 1 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 scoby (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast)
- ½ cup starter liquid (unflavored, unpasteurized kombucha from a previous batch or store-bought raw kombucha)
Instructions
- 1
Bring 1 quart of the filtered water to a boil in a large pot. Remove from heat, add the tea bags (or loose-leaf tea in a strainer), and steep for 5–7 minutes, until the tea is deep amber and strongly brewed. Remove and discard the tea bags or strainer.
- 2
Add the sugar to the hot tea and stir with a long-handled spoon until fully dissolved, about 1 minute.
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