Lactose Free Plain Kombucha
Brewing your own kombucha at home is one of those deeply satisfying kitchen projects that rewards patience with something genuinely delicious. The process starts with a strong, sweet black tea that slowly transforms over seven to fourteen days into a tangy, lightly fizzy drink with real depth of flavor. Because the entire recipe is built around tea, sugar, water, and a live culture, it is naturally free of any dairy — no substitutions needed, no label-reading required. The SCOBY does all the heavy lifting, consuming most of the sugar during fermentation and leaving behind that characteristic tartness that makes kombucha so refreshing and craveable. Tasting daily from day seven lets you dial in exactly how sour or mild you like it, which is something no store-bought bottle can offer. Once you have your first successful batch, the reserved SCOBY and starter liquid mean you can keep the cycle going indefinitely, making this one of the most cost-effective drinks you can produce at home. Pour it cold over ice or straight from the bottle — either way, it is bright, alive, and completely your own.
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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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