MSG Free Plain Kombucha
Brewing your own kombucha at home is one of the most satisfying fermentation projects you can take on, and this plain version is the perfect foundation. Store-bought kombucha can be a minefield of added flavors, natural extracts, and mystery ingredients — making it genuinely tricky to find a clean, straightforward option. This recipe keeps things beautifully simple: filtered water, black tea, sugar, a SCOBY, and a splash of starter liquid are all you need to get a batch going. The fermentation process itself is what transforms that sweet tea into something tangy, lightly fizzy, and deeply refreshing — no additives, no shortcuts, no guesswork about what's actually in your glass. Patience is the main skill required here; you let the culture do its work over 7 to 14 days, tasting as you go until the tartness hits exactly where you want it. Once you have a finished batch and a healthy SCOBY to save, you're set up for an endless cycle of homemade kombucha on your own terms.
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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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