Short answer
Puree or finely chop about 1/4 cup of fresh or thawed frozen strawberries per 500 ml bottle, add them to the bottle and top up with plain kombucha. Seal it and leave it at room temperature for two to five days. Burp it daily, because strawberries add a lot of sugar and the fizz can build quickly.
What you need (per 500 ml bottle)
- About 1/4 cup of strawberries, pureed or finely chopped (fresh or thawed frozen)
- Optional: 1 teaspoon of sugar, for extra fizz. Strawberries have natural sugar, so use it sparingly.
- Plain first-ferment kombucha, about 500 ml
- A pressure-rated swing-top bottle and a funnel
How to make strawberry kombucha
- Hull the strawberries and puree them, or chop them finely. A puree gives an even colour and flavour. Chopped fruit gives a chunkier drink.
- Put the strawberries and the optional sugar into a clean bottle.
- Pour in the kombucha through a funnel, leaving about 2.5 cm (1 inch) of headspace.
- Seal the bottle and leave it at room temperature, out of direct sun, for two to five days.
- Burp the bottle once a day over a sink. Open it slowly, and hold a towel over the lid if you can.
- Chill the bottle once it is as fizzy and sweet as you like.
Fresh or frozen strawberries?
Both work well. Frozen strawberries, thawed first, release their flavour quickly and give a rich colour. Fresh strawberries are brighter. If you use frozen fruit, let it thaw completely before pureeing, so you get an even puree.
Strawberry lemonade kombucha
For a lemonade-style batch, add about 2 to 3 tablespoons of strawberry juice and 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice to each 500 ml bottle before topping up with kombucha. The lemon adds sharpness, and the juice adds fizz. Taste after two days. Keep the bottle out of direct sun.
Why strawberry bottles get very fizzy
Strawberries are a sugary fruit, so the yeast has plenty to eat, and the gas builds quickly. This is why burping is important. Keep the bottles away from warm spots, and check them each day. A very hard bottle should be opened slowly over a sink.
Strain or leave the fruit in?
Strain before serving if you want a clear drink or do not want seeds in your glass. Leaving the fruit in gives a stronger flavour, but it also makes the drink more pulpy, and the flavour fades over time.
Troubleshooting
- Too fizzy: chill the bottle sooner, burp more often and use less sugar next time.
- Not fizzy: check the seal and the temperature. See why your kombucha is not fizzy.
- Pale colour: use more puree, or a few frozen berries, in the next batch.
- Too sweet: leave out the sugar, or add a splash of plain kombucha.
Other berry batches
For a similar drink with a different berry, see the raspberry kombucha recipe and the blueberry kombucha recipe. For the full method, see how to flavour kombucha.