Raspberry Lemonade Kombucha Recipe

Freshly squeezed lemon and pureed raspberry give this kombucha a crisp, fruity flavor with a beautiful pink color

A Beginner's Guide on How to Make Raspberry Lemonade Kombucha

Have you ever stopped and wondered what actually makes pink lemonade pink? The pink likely came from a red fruit. Today, we’ll be using raspberries but feel free to change it up with your favorite. Strawberries or cherries are great substitutes. In this recipe, the kombucha’s tartness mixed with the citrus lemony flavors balances the raspberries’ sweetness perfectly.

Primary vs Secondary Fermentation

It’s important to note that making homemade kombucha is almost always a two-step fermentation process. Brewing kombucha is only a one-step process for those who prefer an unflavored flat kombucha. Otherwise, the steps consist of a primary fermentation and secondary fermentation.

Primary Fermentation: Primary fermentation is the first step of the kombucha brewing process. This is where your SCOBY transforms regular sweet tea into the tart and slightly sweet kombucha we love. At the end of this stage, you will have finished kombucha, but it will be flat and unflavored. Have you skipped this step? Then check out our guide on how to make kombucha at home, and for jun kombucha, see our post on how to make jun kombucha tea at home. Traditional kombucha is going to yield a bolder brew, while jun kombucha is milder and can be a bit tarter.
Secondary Fermentation: Secondary fermentation is the step where you bottle, carbonate, and flavor your kombucha with the addition of sugar and flavors. In this step, the finished kombucha from the primary is mixed with sugar, fruits, or other flavors before bottling it with specialized lids that can hold pressure, like flip-top bottles. The bottled kombucha is then left at room temperature for natural fermentation, where yeast carbonates the kombucha within the sealed bottle. The ideal temperature range for this process is between 75-85°F. The amount of time needed to carbonate within the bottle is highly tied to temperature, which can take anywhere from 2-10 days.

Since this recipe is for the secondary fermentation, to make this recipe, you’ll need to have kombucha that has finished the primary fermentation and is ready to bottle.

Ingredients

Kombucha – You need kombucha that has completed primary fermentation and is ready to bottle and flavor.
Fresh or Frozen Raspberries – Ever wonder what makes pink lemonade pink? It’s often raspberries or strawberries. Sometimes food dye. We’re using raspberries for this recipe, but feel free to use strawberries for a delicious alternative. You’ll want about 1/4 cup of berries per 16 fl oz bottle of kombucha.
Fresh Lemons- You’ll want about 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice per 16 fl oz bottle of kombucha, which is about 1/2 a lemon.
Honey – This is optional but really brings it to the next level. The honey helps add flavor but also helps build up carbonation for extra bubbly booch. Most of the sugar will get consumed by the yeast during the secondary fermentation.

Secondary Fermentation Preparation

This recipe makes one 16-fluid-ounce bottle. A 1-gallon batch of kombucha will make seven 16-ounce bottles, so for one gallon, you will need to multiply the ingredients by 7. Before beginning this recipe, you will need to:

Reserve 12 – 16 fluid ounces of kombucha and a pellicle from a batch of kombucha that has finished primary fermentation. It’s best to pour from the top of the brew jar as the bottom will have a much higher yeast concentration. Use this as the starter for your next gallon batch of kombucha. If you need to make kombucha to get caught up to this step, you will need to see our post on how to make kombucha.
With your kombucha starter tea and SCOBY placed aside, enough kombucha will be left over in the jar to make seven 16 oz bottles when pulled from a gallon batch. Flip-top or swing bottles are the gold standard and are considered the best bottles for kombucha secondary fermentation. However, any bottle with a lid designed to hold pressure will work. It’s important to note the difference between airtight and pressure-rated lids. Airtight lids alone are not good enough for secondary fermentation; in addition to being airtight, the lids must also be capable of holding pressure. Airtight lids are designed to keep ambient air from entering and exiting; however, they are not designed to hold pressure. Inadequate lids will allow carbonation to leak during secondary fermentation, thus preventing your kombucha from ever carbonating.