Rich, chocolatey, and indulgent, this chocolate kombucha will satisfy your cravings for all things chocolate. Use this second fermentation recipe with your homemade kombucha for a truly unique creation.
Chocolate kombucha only requires three ingredients—cacao powder, maple syrup, and homemade kombucha. Dress it up with added cinnamon, vanilla, or fresh fruit. If you’re feeling adventurous, you could also add a shot of rum or whiskey upon serving.
Table of Contents
Chocolate Kombucha
Total Time: 4 days
Yield: 16 Servings 1x
Description
This sweet kombucha rendition perfectly balances bitter and sweet flavors. Because the cacao powder is high in caffeine, I don’t recommend enjoying this beverage at night.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 gallon of homemade kombucha, after the first fermentation
- 1 cup raw cacao powder, divided
- 1 cup maple syrup (or your favorite sweetener), divided
Instructions
- Pour 2 tbsp of raw cacao powder and 2 tbsp of maple syrup into each glass flip-top bottle using a funnel (assuming you are using 16oz bottles).
- Pour your homemade kombucha into each bottle, leaving 1-inch headspace at the top.
- Let your bottles ferment at room temperature for 3-7 days.
- Burp the bottles at least once per day—open the flip-top and let the air escape. Then re-seal the bottle. Note: cacao powder and sugar make kombucha carbonate faster than usual. Burp the bottles so none explode.
- After 3 days, taste test one bottle. If you like the flavor, refrigerate all the bottles to stop fermentation. If you’d like a more robust flavor, let them ferment for another few days, making sure to continue burping the bottles.
- Strain before serving, if desired.
- Garnish with optional lemon wheels, shaved chocolate or coconut, or a peppermint stick.
Notes
Make sure to use glass flip-top bottles with a good seal. Mason jars won’t hold in the carbonation, and your chocolate kombucha won’t fizz.
In place of maple syrup, use white, cane, or brown sugar, or agave or stevia. Adding sugar ensures your chocolate kombucha will get fizzy!
Black tea kombucha works best in this recipe, but you can also use green or white tea.
Use cocoa powder instead of raw cacao—ensure it contains no extra ingredients.
For an even richer chocolate kombucha, use special dark chocolate powder. Find this at your local grocery store or on Amazon.
Change up the flavors in each bottle by adding one of the following: 2 fresh peppermint leaves, 1/4 tsp of cinnamon, a few fresh raspberries or strawberries, a pinch of cloves, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, or 1/4 cup of coconut milk.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Fermenting Time: 96 hours
What Does Chocolate Kombucha Taste Like?
Chocolate kombucha tastes rich and chocolatey. It’s sweet and just slightly tangy. Black tea kombucha compliments the bold chocolate flavor. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this drink is the fizziness—which isn’t typically associated with chocolate.
Add more depth of flavor with one of the additions above.
What Are the Health Benefits of Chocolate Kombucha?
Kombucha contains probiotics that help maintain a healthy gut. The kombucha SCOBY provides beneficial bacteria and yeast to the brewed sweet tea to start fermentation. These microorganisms help support your immune system, overall body wellness, and healthy digestion.
Raw cacao powder comes from the cacao tree, native to the Amazon Basin. The tree grows pods containing cacao seeds, which are cold-pressed to produce raw cacao powder. Cacao powder is considered a superfood because it contains high amounts of minerals, antioxidants, and vitamins.
Cacao powder:
- Can help lower stress. However, this is likely related to its pleasant taste rather than specific nutrients.
- Helps lower blood pressure. Flavonoids in cacao powder help improve blood flow and prevent clotting.
- Helps reduce the risk of heart disease. Cacao powder is high in potassium, which helps support heart health.
How Much Caffeine Is In Chocolate Kombucha?
Each 8 oz serving of chocolate kombucha has about 65 mg of caffeine. Raw, unflavored kombucha contains about 15 mg of caffeine if made with black tea. Raw cacao powder adds about 50 mg of caffeine to each serving.
Green or white tea kombucha has closer to 5mg of caffeine per serving. If you make your chocolate kombucha with either of these teas, your 8 oz serving will have about 55 mg of caffeine per serving.
How Many Calories Are In Chocolate Kombucha?
Chocolate kombucha has about 144 kcal per 8 oz serving. If made with maple syrup as directed above, your chocolate kombucha will have about 25 grams of sugar and 24 grams of carbohydrates. Enjoy chocolate kombucha in moderation as part of a healthy eating plan.
Should You Make This Recipe with Young, Sweet Kombucha or Older, Sour Kombucha?
Make this recipe with young, sweet kombucha. When you begin this recipe, you’ll want your first-ferment kombucha to still have a nice balance of tang and sweetness. This natural sweetness in your kombucha will blend well with the maple syrup and chocolate, creating a rich final product.
Use older, sour kombucha as a starter culture for your next batch of kombucha.