If you're looking for a healthy alternative to soda or alcohol that still brings the fizz and flavour, then homemade Kombucha is your perfect solution.
In particular, learning how to make fizzy champagne-style Kombucha at home is not only fun but also a fantastic way to support your gut health, reduce sugar intake, and impress your friends with a sparkling beverage that feels like a treat without the guilt.
This guide will walk you through the process from start to finish. If you're a beginner to Kombucha fermentation, our Kombucha Starter Kits are famous for their fun style instructions, lifetime brewing support and delicious Kombucha right from the start.
If you've never tried a homemade Kombucha, order one of our FREE samples here.
What is Kombucha?
Kombucha is a naturally fermented health tonic made by combining sweetened tea with a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast, commonly known as a SCOBY (see SCOBY gallery here).
During fermentation, the SCOBY consumes the sugar in the tea and transforms it into a probiotic-rich, slightly tart, and lightly carbonated beverage.
It’s been consumed for centuries for its potential health benefits, including improved digestion, boosted immunity, and detoxification support.
Why Champagne-Style Kombucha?
Homemade Kombucha is always a little bubbly, due to the live bacteria producing carbon dioxide within the liquid. The gas gets trapped in the Kombucha by the SCOBY once it has formed a complete layer over the top of the liquid. This is one of the massive benefits of a continuous brew system, which is what we always teach.
The natural carbonation produced during the first fermentation is enough fizz for some people, but for those who like a little more, a well executed second fermentation can turn it into a delicious drink that’s crisp, dry, and sparkling.
Unlike store-bought Kombucha, which may go flat quickly or be overly sweet, homemade Kombucha is naturally carbonated and can be tailored to your personal taste.
We have some tips and tricks to share to make sure you get a good fizz in your Kombucha safely, which we will cover step-by-step below.
We also have a range of brewing accessories here, which may help with the bottling process, in particular our Flavouring Your Homemade Kombucha Bundle.
Health Benefits of Homemade Kombucha
Before we get fizzing, here are a few health benefits of making your own Kombucha at home:
- Low in sugar compared to soda and juices
- Rich in probiotics that support gut health
- Contains antioxidants and polyphenols from tea
- Natural detoxifying properties from organic acids
- May improve digestion and reduce bloating
- Customizable to suit your flavour and dietary needs
By making Kombucha at home, you control what goes into it - no preservatives, artificial sweeteners, or added colours.
What You’ll Need to Make Kombucha at Home
To get started with homemade fizzy Kombucha, you’ll first need to master what's called the first fermentation, where sweet tea is transformed into Kombucha.
Our Kombucha Starter Kits are perfect for perfecting this stage, they contain everything you need to get started, and they come with a lifetime of brewing support.
We also have a free beginners guide to getting started with making Kombucha at home here.
Recipe for Fizzy Champagne-Style Kombucha
Once you have mastered your first fermentation, and have made a batch of delicious Kombucha, we can explore the fizzy possibilities of the second fermentation.
Important note: To create the fizz, we need to feed the live bacteria in the Kombucha, and keep them active (so at room temperature) to allow them to create more carbon dioxide, but this time we will do this in sealed glass bottles. This will force the gas to stay inside the liquid, and get nice and fizzy. However, if we allow too much gas to be created, and build too much pressure, there is a risk of the glass bottle exploding, so we have some important safety tips to share.
Our Safety Tips
- Always use glass bottles that are fermentation safe (these tend to have slightly thicker glass walls and have a rounded shape rather than square, like these)
- The first couple of times you do the secondary fermentation, check your bottles for bubbles and burp (open the lid to release some of the gas build up) them daily to get an idea for how quickly the pressure builds
- Place your secondary fermentation bottles in a reusable shopping bag / plastic box with some kind of lid just in case of an explosion. This will catch the glass and the liquid to minimise mess and clean up time, a cool box or Lidl reusable shopping bag works great here
- Use glass bottles with reusable plastic corks (we have the perfect mini series here) in the top as if the pressure gets too high, the cork will pop out itself (you will probably lose most of the fizz if this happens)
- Use a plastic bottle or bottle with a cork with some of your Kombucha mix in as a gauge of the pressure build up. You can feel the pressure increase inside a plastic bottle, and the bottle with the cork will pop its cork out, and that would probably be a good time to refrigerate your swing top bottles with the same mixture in
- Do not forget about your bottles! Leave a reminder on your phone or on a note on the fridge to check the bottles daily
If you follow these simple tips, the second fermentation can be super fun, and rewarding.
We have never managed to explode a bottle (a google search would lead you to believe it happens all the time, but this is not actually the case), and the natural fizz you get from an authentic fermentation isn't aggressive like a force carbonated drink, which I find makes me bloated and uncomfortable.
This stage also allows you to infuse any flavours you fancy (check out our Kombucha Recipe Club for more inspiration), giving your Kombucha the personal touch, with beautiful colour, and a crisp, bubbly champagne feel.
Fizzy Kombucha Step-By-Step Recipe
This recipe is for 1 litre bottle of Kombucha, you can scale it up or down, or tweak it to be more of the flavours you like.
1. Brew a batch of Kombucha as normal (we always recommend our Complete Kombucha Starter Kit and using the continuous brewing method).
If you don't plan to add sugar to your second ferment, consider bottling your Kombucha 1-2 days earlier than normal, so it is a touch sweeter to help give your champagne Kombucha some extra fizz.
If you haven't yet mastered the first fermentation of Kombucha, check out our FREE guide to getting started here.
2. Pour your Kombucha into your clean glass swing bottles, leaving about an inch of headspace at the top.
3. Add your flavouring. For a dry, champagne-style flavour, try:
- 1 tablespoon white grape juice or 5 large white grapes crushed or diced per bottle
- A few slices of green apple or pear
- A few elderflowers (to keep it a clear colour) or dried hibiscus (for a rose champagne colour) for a floral profile
- Optional for a sweeter rose champagne 2-3 crushed raspberries
4. Seal the bottles and store them at room temperature for 3 to 5 days (see safety tips above for our recommendations on where to store them). Check daily to monitor carbonation. If the weather is warm, fermentation will happen faster.
5. Once you can see bubbles forming in your Kombucha, move the bottles to the fridge to slow fermentation and preserve the fizz. Chill for at least 12 hours before opening.
6. Open carefully and with control. If using swing top bottles, turn the top over slowly, so that you can swing it back over if you need to stop the liquid spilling out. Open bottles over the sink, or outside, it might pop just like champagne!
Strain lumps (these work perfectly) if you added fruits and herbs, and serve in a flute glass for the full effect.
Tips for the Best Fizzy Kombucha
- Always use clean equipment when dealing with live Kombucha
- Leave around an inch of room in the top of the bottle to allow pressure to build
- Read through our safety tips above, and practice all of them for the first few brews until you build some confidence in your recipes, remember that each Kombucha brew is slightly different. Some may come out super fizzy, and others less so, it's all part of the fun
- For maximum fizz, add a teaspoon of sugar per litre alongside your other flavours, but make sure to keep a close eye on these bottles
- Always burp your bottles daily during second fermentation if you are experimenting with new recipes to avoid explosions
- Green tea Kombucha tends to be lighter and more floral and is great for a champagne-style brew, whilst a mix of green tea and black tea works great for a rose style fizz or ginger flavours (use a fruity Kombucha Brew Bag for some extra flavour notes)
- Use glass bottles designed for fermentation (we have a range here). Recycled soda bottles may not handle the pressure
Flavour Variations for Sparkling Kombucha
One of our favourite things about brewing Kombucha is getting creative with the flavours. Check out our Kombucha Recipe Club to see what our brewing community have recommended.
Here are a few ideas that work well for fizzy, champagne-style results:
- Elderflower and pear
- Ginger and lemon
- Hibiscus and rose
- Apple and cinnamon
- Mango and lime
- Pomegranate and mint
You can also experiment with herbal infusions like lavender, chamomile, or jasmine for a unique, delicate aroma.
Is It Alcoholic?
Kombucha does naturally contain trace amounts of alcohol due to the fermentation process. However, typical homemade Kombucha contains less than 0.5% alcohol by volume, which is legally non-alcoholic in most regions.
That said, second fermentation can slightly increase alcohol content, especially if extra sugars are added ( or juice is added. If you're avoiding alcohol entirely, limit second fermentation time and use less sugar in flavourings.
Storing Your Homemade Kombucha
Once your fizzy Kombucha is ready, it can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a month. The flavour will continue to develop, and carbonation levels will stay high if the bottle is sealed properly. Label your bottles with the date and flavour to keep track.
Learning how to make fizzy champagne-style Kombucha at home is one of the most exciting fermenting skills and I guarantee it will impress all your friends and family.
It’s not only a healthier drink alternative, but also a sustainable and budget-friendly option compared to constantly buying bottled Kombucha. With a little practice, you’ll be crafting delicious, effervescent brews tailored exactly to your taste.
Whether you're cutting back on alcohol, looking to improve your gut health, or just want a fun new hobby, homemade Kombucha checks all the boxes. So grab your starter kit, chose your bottles, and let the fermentation magic begin.
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