Spicy Watermelon Kombucha Recipe

Name: Spicy Watermelon Kombucha Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Ingredients: 16 Oz Kombucha from a completed primary fermentation.; 2 oz Watermelon Puree or Juice; 1/2 - 1 oz Fresh Lime Juice; 1/8 - 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper Powder; 16 Oz Swing Top Bottles; Funnel; Measuring Spoons; Blender

Perfect Drink For The Summertime Heat

Talk about a party! The tartness of kombucha with the watermelon and lime transform this drink into a real fiesta for your taste buds. Perfect for the summertime heat! Speaking of heat, the cayenne pepper in this drink sneaks up on you right at the end. It isn’t overpowering, it just keeps it interesting and keeps you wanting more! Of course, you can add as much or as little cayenne as you’d like. It’s important that you enjoy it, so if you don’t like heat, you can literally add none, and it would still be delicious.

PRIMARY VS SECONDARY FERMENTATION

It’s important to note that brewing 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: The 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 making kombucha at home or our guide on making jun kombucha at home. Traditional kombucha is going to yield a bolder brew, while jun kombucha is milder and a bit more tart.
Secondary Fermentation: The secondary fermentation is the step where you bottle, carbonate, and flavor your kombucha by the addition of sugar and flavors. This step is essentially adding a bit of sugar/flavor to each airtight bottle and letting it ferment a little longer, allowing the yeast to carbonate the beverage in an airtight environment naturally. How exactly does this happen? See our post on kombucha secondary fermentation here.

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 ready to bottle.

INGREDIENTS

Kombucha: You need kombucha that has completed primary fermentation and is ready to bottle and flavor. Not at this step yet? Head over here to learn how to make kombucha.
Watermelon Puree/Juice: A sweet flavor that dominates the flavor of this drink.
Ground Cayenne Pepper: The amount you use will determine how spicy your drink is.
Lime Juice: Fresh lime juice is tart and bright and is a great addition to any kombucha recipe.

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.

INGREDIENTS

Kombucha: You need kombucha that has completed primary fermentation and is ready to bottle and flavor. Not at this step yet? Head over here to learn how to make kombucha.

Watermelon Puree/Juice: A sweet flavor that dominates the flavor of this drink.

Ground Cayenne Pepper: The amount you use will determine how spicy your drink is.

Lime Juice: Fresh lime juice is tart and bright. It’s a great addition to any water kefir recipe but also plays well with other citrus fruits.

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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.

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Spicy Watermelon Kombucha Recipe

Recipe by Fermentaholics Course: Kombucha, Kombucha Recipe, Watermelon, SpicyCuisine: KombuchaDifficulty: Easy

16 FL Oz Bottles

1

Bottles

Prep time

10

minutes

Second Fermentation

2-10 Days

This spicy watermelon kombucha recipe is for one 16 fluid ounce bottle. For a gallon batch, make seven bottles. To scale this recipe to a gallon batch, multiply the ingredients by seven or toggle the serving size up to seven above. Before bottling your kombucha, remove the SCOBY pellicle along with 12-16 ounces of kombucha starter tea from your brew, and reserve for your next batch.

Ingredients

16 Oz Kombucha from a completed primary fermentation.
2 oz Watermelon Puree or Juice
1/2 – 1 oz Fresh Lime Juice
1/8 – 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper Powder
SUPPLIES
16 Oz Swing Top Bottles
Funnel
Measuring Spoons
Blender

Directions

Using a funnel, add all ingredients into a bottle. (To make the watermelon puree, simply blend fresh watermelon in a blender until smooth)
Top the bottle off with kombucha, leaving about 1 to 2 inches of head-space. Tightly place the caps on each bottle.
Keep bottles at room temperature for 2-10 days; it will carbonate faster at higher temperatures and slower when cold.
Burp the bottles as necessary to release excess pressure. This is done by removing the cap to allow built-up pressure to escape then placing the cap back on.
Chill in the refrigerator once you’re happy with the carbonation levels. Based on preference, you can serve as is or strain before drinking.

Notes

First-time brewers may find it helpful to substitute a glass bottle for a plastic bottle of equal size. Fill the plastic bottle as directed above, leaving 1-2 inches of empty headspace at the top. This plastic bottle will now be used as a pressure gauge. Once this bottle becomes rock solid, you will know the remaining are ready. This method can help prevent bottle bombs.