Fizzy Lemon Peach Kombucha Slushy

by Angela Gallardo in Breakfast & Brunch, Drinks & Smoothies, Fermented, Recipes

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This Fizzy Lemon Peach Kombucha Slushy recipe is a great way to turn something truly healing into what feels like a treat.

It’s super light, refreshing, and tangy.  And really perfect for summer.

I brew my own kombucha (see my how-to here) so I used my 1st ferment booch to add to the peaches and lemons.  If this sounds like a foreign language to you, I’m referring to any plain kombucha you can buy at the store.  The ingredients won’t list flavor or sugar or anything besides kombucha tea (like GT’s Original).

Any plain kombucha with bits of the mother culture (SCOBY) floating around will work for this.  If you’ve purchased it from the store — where it may have been refrigerated for quite some time — the culture may be dormant and the ferment can take a couple of extra days.  Leaving it out at a warm temp (70-80F) will reactivate it and allow it to begin to culture the lemon and peaches.

Allowing the booch to sit with the lemon and peaches for a number of days will decrease the sugar content and increase the beneficial bacteria present.

You can skip the fermentation step and blend frozen peaches and lemon with plain booch and you’ll still have an extra delicious slushy.  But I prefer to take the extra step to culture (what is known as a 2nd ferment) in order to get the nutrients of the fruit while decreasing the sugar content and increasing the beneficial bacteria.

For some, the 2nd ferment step will make the drink too tart.  And while it may seem counter-intuitive, you can choose to add a bit of honey.  This gives you access to the extra bacteria created from the second ferment while keeping it fairly palatable.  You can also ferment for a shorter period to keep more of the sweetness intact.  You can play around with it to figure out your own particular tastes and threshold for the tartness of culturing.

Hint: the more you have tart (and less sweetness), the more your body will get used to it and enjoy it!

Get a printable PDF of the recipe

Fizzy Lemon & Peach Kombucha Slushy

Yields: 2-4 servings

1 small lemon, ends trimmed

5 medium peaches

1 c. plain kombucha

honey, as desired (optional)

Directions:

Slice the lemon and peaches into ultra thin slices (I used the blade attachment on my food processor for this).  Layer the slices into a glass quart jar and press them down tight toward the bottom.  Pour the kombucha in and continue to press down to get all the air out.

Seal the jar tightly (I use these lids for a good seal) and set it in a warm place in your kitchen.  Leave it for 4-7 days to allow the kombucha to work on the sugars in the fruit.  Open the jar daily to “burp” the gasses, press the fruit down again, and avoid too much pressure build-up.

On the 4th day, taste a small piece of peach to gauge how much of the sugars have been used up.  It should taste lemony and tart but still slightly sweet.  If it tastes pretty tart, you can move to the next step.  If it still seems super sweet, leave it for another day or two.

To make the slushy, you can go about it one of two ways (I’ve tried both with success).

Option 1: Pour the fermented mix into a freezer safe container (BPA-free plastic is a good choice – glass is not a good idea) and freeze until solid.  About 2 hours before preparing the slushy, pull it out and let it thaw at room temperature.  Pour it into a blender, use a knife to break up the frozen block into chunks, and blend until thick and slushy-like.  Taste and add a touch of honey, as desired.

Option 2: Blend the lemon peach mix after it has finished fermenting.  Pour it into silicone ice cube molds (I use these) and freeze until solid.  Pull the tray out about an hour before preparing the slushy, add the softened cubes to the blender and blend until smooth (you may need a little extra kombucha for this method).  Taste and add a touch of honey, as desired.