If you haven’t already noticed, we LOVE flavoring our kombucha with strawberries during second fermentation! They ferment so well! It truly seems like you can taste the strawberry flavor even better in kombucha than if you were to eat fresh strawberries on their own! However, sometimes we crave a little extra refreshment with our sweet strawberries.
That, my friends, is where our Strawberry Basil Kombucha Recipe comes into play! Our Strawberry Basil Kombucha is delicious, nutritious, and as refreshing as it gets! The sweet strawberries are perfectly complemented by the crisp, fresh flavor of the basil leaves. This simple combo has so much flavor that it almost seems unfair for the recipe to be so easy! Its crisp and refreshing flavor make it perfect to enjoy after a workout, while lost in a good book, or just about any other time! We won’t be surprised if it becomes a quick favorite!
Strawberries & Kombucha Carbonation
Strawberries are also an excellent fruit for creating lots of fizz/carbonation. Second fermentation kombucha with strawberries almost always guarantees our bottles will fizz up like baking soda and vinegar! We often have to burp them—with extreme caution—multiple times a day during second fermentation! If you are having issues carbonating your kombucha, fresh strawberries are a great place to start troubleshooting!
3 Ingredients, 10 Minutes!
Anyways, enough about our kombucha obsession with strawberries. Time to talk about this Strawberry Basil Kombucha recipe! We often feel like less can be more when it comes to flavoring kombucha, and this recipe is no exception to that rule. It involves just 3 ingredients– bet you’ll never guess what they are! 😉 –and it only takes about 10 minutes to throw together.
Size Matters
This recipe is written out for a single 16oz bottle. If you are brewing kombucha by the gallon, you should end up with enough to make 6-7 16 oz bottles of this recipe. We generally multiply the recipe by the number of bottles we plan on using, puree all of the ingredients at once, and split the puree evenly between the bottles afterwards. Do whatever is easiest for you!
Primary Fermentation + Airtight Glass Bottles
FYI, this is a second fermentation kombucha recipe. That means you need to have kombucha that has already completed the initial fermentation process on hand. Both are truly very simple—waiting for your primary fermentation kombucha to work its own magic is the toughest part! If you don’t know where to begin with brewing kombucha, no worries! We offer a Kombucha Starter Kit with everything you need to brew your first batch! It also comes with very straightforward instructions.
This recipe also requires airtight glass bottles. These are a staple for kombucha home brewers. I recommend getting 16 oz swing-top bottles; our recipes are written for them, they are a convenient size for drinking directly from the bottle, and they work well with kombucha overall! Ideally, you should have a funnel as well. If you do not have a funnel, you can slice the strawberries and basil into small pieces and place them in the bottles. However, removing the pieces from your bottles after drinking can be a hassle, and I find that the flavor is deeper with pureed ingredients.
If you are ready to roll, let’s get to it! Time to make some Strawberry Basil Kombucha!
Strawberry Basil Kombucha
Our Strawberry Basil Kombucha is delicious, nutritious, and as refreshing as it gets! The sweet strawberries are perfectly complemented by the crisp, fresh flavor of the basil leaves. To sweeten the pot, this recipe only takes about 10 minutes! Despite its simplicity, this Strawberry Basil Kombucha recipe delivers on flavor and is sure to become a quick favorite.
Ingredients
- 12 oz Plain Kombucha Kombucha must have completed primary fermentation
- 3-4 Large Strawberries
- 3 Basil Leaves, Large & Fresh
Instructions
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Wash strawberries and cut off the stems/leaves
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Wash Basil Leaves
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Add strawberries & basil to blender or food processor*, puree until smooth
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Place funnel inside of an empty 16 oz flip-top bottle. Pour puree into the bottle
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Use kombucha to rinse remaining puree out of your blender or food processor (you can even run it for a few seconds with about a quarter cup of kombucha in the blender). Pour the kombucha/puree combination into the same flip-top bottle afterwards
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Add kombucha to fill the bottle, leaving approx. 1 inch of headspace at the top of the bottle
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Seal the kombucha bottle and allow it to sit at room temperature in a dark area for 1-5 days**, "burping" the bottle or releasing built up carbonation each day. Taste daily when burping.
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Refrigerate and enjoy once flavor meets your preferences! Garnish with an extra basil leaf if desired!
Recipe Notes
*I use a single-serve Ninja blender cup. I also multiply the recipe and blend ingredients for all bottles we are filling at once.
**With the ingredients pureed, this tends to ferment faster. It is usually perfect for my taste after 2-3 days.
As mentioned, be sure to “burp” the bottles each day! I usually have little carbonation in the first 24 hours, and tons of carbonation after that–don’t be fooled if you don’t have much pressure to release after the first day! Open cautiously! If the kombucha is trying to force its way out every time you burp the bottle, try burping it several times a day. Carbonation tends to build up quickly with the strawberries, so you could end up with an explosion if you do not stay on top of it. I recommend either holding a towel over the top while you open it or opening it very slowly, being prepared to drink any that forces its way out.
If you would prefer, you can of course filter out the pureed fruit from this recipe. Having said that, we enjoy having the fruit in our finished kombucha, and it is absolutely fine to eat it! The only difference is a little added nutrition and the texture of the drink.
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That’s it for this recipe! We hope you enjoy it. If you love our recipes but aren’t a fan of hunting down ingredients, be sure to check out our Second Fermentation Subscription! Enjoy! Let us know how you like our Strawberry Basil Kombucha recipe in the comments below!
