All the flavors of spiced chai tea, packed into a bottle of fizzy fermented kombucha!

Kombucha in a mason jar with chai spices

We love chai around here. And we also love kombucha. But sadly, the two don’t play well together.

Despite chai being a type of tea that you might drink, it does not work well for brewing the first fermentation of kombucha. The oils and antimicrobial properties found in the flavorings could put your whole kombucha operation (namely the SCOBY) at risk.

However, you can use chai spices to flavor the second fermentation, which is what we’ll be doing here! We’re taking all the classic flavors used to create Indian chai, and throwing them into our second fermentation. Let’s brew!

Bottles of chai kombucha on a white background

There are two main fermentation phases when making homemade kombucha:

  1. First Fermentation: This is when you transform sweet tea into tart and delicious kombucha (see our guide to homemade kombucha here).
  2. Second Fermentation: This is when you carbonate the kombucha by adding flavors and sugars and bottling it.

In order to make this Chai Spiced Kombucha, you will need to have completed the first fermentation and have some kombucha thatโ€™s ready to be carbonated!

Bottles of chai kombucha on a white background

Ingredients for Chai Spiced Kombucha

  • Kombucha: You have brewed your kombucha in the first fermentation and are ready to flavor it (first fermentation instructions here).
  • Dry Spices: We’ll use the spices that most define your favorite cup of chai tea – cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, and allspice.
  • Flavor Enhancers: Round out the flavors with fresh ginger (which also help improve fizziness) and vanilla extract.
  • Sugar: A spoonful of brown sugar will help carbonate the kombucha. While you shouldn’t use sugar-alternatives here, you can substitute honey, maple syrup, or white sugar if desired.
Pouring kombucha into a mason jar

How to make chai kombucha

As far as homemade kombucha flavors go, this one is pretty easy! You’ll just bottle everything together and let it ferment until fizzy.

  1. Bottle: Evenly distribute all spices, ginger, vanilla, and sugar into fermentation bottles. Pour in kombucha, leaving 1 to 2 inches free at the top
  2. Ferment: For 3 to 10 days, until it reaches the carbonation level you like.
  3. Enjoy: Chill in the fridge before serving, straining out the spices right before serving.
Kombucha in a mason jar

Chai Spice Kombucha

4.41 from 25 votes
Prep: 3 days
Total: 3 days
Servings: 8 cups
All the flavors of spiced chai tea, packed into a bottle of fizzy fermented kombucha!

Ingredients 

  • ยฝ gallon kombucha from a first fermentation, this is not store bought kombucha, 1.9 L
  • 4 whole cloves
  • 2 cardamom pods
  • 2 allspice berries
  • 1 medium cinnamon stick
  • 2 Tbsp brown sugar
  • 1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger
  • ยผ tsp vanilla extract
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Instructions 

  • Bottle: Evenly divide spices into your bottles (if needed, break or crush the spices into roughly equally sized pieces to divide into your bottles – I use 2 quart-sized bottles and simply broke the cinnamon stick in half). Add sugar, ginger, and vanilla. Pour in kombucha, leaving 1 to 2 inches free at the top
  • Ferment: For 3 to 10 days, until it reaches the carbonation level you like.
  • Enjoy: Chill in the fridge, straining out the spices right before serving.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup (depends on fermentation length) | Calories: 56kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 1g | Sodium: 13mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 6g

Nutrition information calculated by Sarah Bond, degreed nutritionist.

did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what youโ€™ve made!

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4.41 from 25 votes (25 ratings without comment)

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6 Comments

  1. Samantha says:

    Would ground allspice be an alternative to use for this recipe? If you’ve tried it, how much is a good amount?

    1. Sarah says:

      You could use ground! I’d use 1/4 to 1/2 tsp.

  2. Sarah says:

    I have a jar of ground chai spice mix, can I just use that instead of the individual whole spices?

    1. Sarah says:

      Yep, that should work! ๐Ÿ˜€

  3. Ellen says:

    Do you use black or green cardamom pods for this? Thanks!

    1. Sarah says:

      I used green!