Grow your own kombucha SCOBY from store-bought kombucha
4
Units:
Prep: 5 min
Ingredients
- 16 fl oz raw unflavored kombucha (e.g., GT's Original)
Skip sourcing a SCOBY entirely by growing one from a bottle of raw, unflavored store-bought kombucha. Given time, warmth, and airflow, the live cultures in the bottle organize themselves into a new SCOBY pellicle on the liquid's surface — free and foolproof.
Instructions
- Pour: Open the bottle of raw kombucha and pour it all into a clean, wide-mouth glass jar.
- Cover: Secure a breathable cloth over the mouth with a rubber band. No airtight lid.
- Place: Leave at room temperature (68-78°F), out of direct sunlight. A kitchen corner works perfectly.
- Wait 1-3 weeks: A thin, pale film will appear on the surface and gradually thicken into a SCOBY. Do not disturb the jar during this time.
- Check thickness: Once the SCOBY is about 1/4 inch thick (2-3 weeks), it is ready to use.
- Transfer: Use the new SCOBY and the liquid as your starter for a full kombucha batch.
Tips
- Use raw, unflavored kombucha only. Pasteurized and flavored versions lack the live cultures needed.
- GT's Original is the most widely available raw brand and works reliably.
- Wide-mouth jars grow SCOBYs faster than narrow-mouth — more surface area.
- Stringy, uneven, or pale appearance is normal. Fuzzy, dry, colored mold spots on the surface are not — discard and start fresh.
Created: 3/23/2026, 2:41:41 AM diyfree
Wide-mouth glass jar (1 qt), breathable cloth, rubber band