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We’ve been brewing kombucha on our kitchen counter for years, long before it was available in grocery stores. It turns out you can do more with kombucha than just drink it… you can turn it into a favorite kids’ snack that they won’t even know is good for them!
This SCOBY fruit leather recipe doesn’t require any special equipment and gets all of its yummy flavor from fresh fruit.
SCOBY Fruit Leather Made From Kombucha
If you’ve brewed kombucha you know that with each new batch the brewing culture, called a SCOBY (which stands for Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria and Yeast), creates a “baby” or daughter culture that can be used to brew its own batch.
While this is an awesome way to continue the procreation of the kombucha species, these baby SCOBYs can add up and a new kombucha brewer may wonder what to do with them all!
When I first started getting into making kombucha, I tried to pass on these baby SCOBYs to friends and family so they could brew their own kombucha as well. Truth be told, I only had a few friends who were interested in trying it, so I eventually ended up composting most of my SCOBYs because I didn’t have another use for them.
Fast forward a few years and I met Hannah and Alex (who my kids call “The Kombuchas”) at a health conference. They own Kombucha Kamp and are the authors of the fantastic book The Big Book of Kombucha, which is a gorgeous and informative encyclopedia of everything about this delicious fermented drink.
Hannah and Alex gave me a sample of a delicious treat that they make: fruit leather with leftover SCOBYs! I thought it was a brilliant way to use excess SCOBYs and get the benefits of the enzymes and probiotic cultures it contains.
SCOBY Fruit Leather Recipe
This recipe is similar to my original fruit leather recipe, but has the added benefits of the kombucha cultures. It is so simple to make and my kids love these as snacks or an after dinner treat.
You can easily make this in a dehydrator or oven and it is the perfect way to use up extra kombucha SCOBYs. If you brew kombucha, give these a try!
If you’ve never made kombucha… what are you waiting for? Use this simple tutorial to get started (or this one for a continuous brew) and save your extra baby cultures for this recipe.
SCOBY Fruit Leather Recipe
Servings
Ingredients
Instructions
- Combine the fruit and sugar in a medium saucepan.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the fruit and sugar are thoroughly broken down and combined, about 10 minutes.
- Add the fruit mixture and SCOBY puree to a blender, along with the spices if using, and pulse until the mixture has the texture of applesauce and all the ingredients are combined.
- Spread the mixture onto wax paper, parchment paper, or silicone dehydrator sheets in a layer about ¼ inch thick.
- Dehydrate for 12 to 36 hours. If you’re using a dehydrator, use the lowest setting (95–110°F or 35– 43°C). If you’re dehydrating in an oven, set it to its lowest temperature and prop the door open.
- Once the mixture is dried and no longer sticky, gently remove from the wax paper. If the leather is difficult to remove from the wax paper, stick it in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes; then peel off.
- Cut the leather into strips. These can be rolled up or cut into bite-size pieces. Store in an airtight container at room temperature; they will keep indefinitely but might dry out over time.
Nutrition
Notes
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Do you brew kombucha? Will you start?
Recipe excerpted from The Big Book of Kombucha © Hannah Crum © Alex LaGory. Photographs by © Matt Armendariz. Used with permission of Storey Publishing.
Adding the hot fruit and sugar to the blender with the Scoby would definitely harm the Scoby/probiotics. I will be definitely trying this recipe soon, but I would suggest adding a note to let the fruit/sugar mixture cool before adding it to the blender with the Scoby. Otherwise it wouldn’t matter how long you dehydrated it because the good stuff would already be dead.
I couldn’t get it to come off the wax paper. That was a lot of investment for such a disappointment.
I appreciate the recipe but I would recommend taking wax paper off the list for what to spread the purée on. Two attempts and I had to throw one whole tray away and could only salvage about half of another since the wax melted and I couldn’t peel the paper off. I’m going to try parchment next time.
Can you use frozen fruit?
I don’t see why not. Since you’re cooking it anyway the texture isn’t an issue. It should work fine.
I’m in my third batch using your recipe. I’ve made pineapple, pear w/ vanilla, and blueberry/strawberry. It tastes so good and even my husband likes the fruit leather. Thanks for the inspiration-
I am excited to try this Scoby fruit leather. I am hoping my frozen raspberries and blackberries will work. I will let you know. I also heard you can cut the scoby into threads and use as noodles in soup.
Best,
Heide
Does the heat kill the SCOBY bacteria? BTW…. We feed excess to the chickens and they LOVE it!
Curious, could I also add a powdered vitamin c to this recipe?
I have tons of scobys to use and want to try this recipe! One question though…is there something else I can use besides sugar, or does it have to be sugar?
Shouldn’t the fruit mixture be cooked before putting in the blender with the scoby?
I just made this and it was completely stuck to the parchment paper, even after the freezer. Any tips why this didnt work? I used a dehydrator.
Hi, great post. Do you recommend a particular dehydrator?
We say “of” bacteria and yeast
We don’t say “ove” bacterial and yeast
SCOBY is pronounced “scubby”
Pls help us all gain credibility
Who cares, but I’ll still call mine a SCOBY not a scubby
I had the same problem as Dusty! Leather was glued to the waxed paper! Ran it under water to remove the paper! Delicious treat! Great idea! Thanks!
If your fruit is glued like mine to the wax paper and the freezer doesn’t work I ran the wax paper under warm water, let it set paper side up for a little bit, and then peeled the paper off. I then tossed the leather back in the oven for a little while to dry all the way out. A bit of work-not bad-but a whole lot better than tossing it in the bin! I’ve read parchment paper is better for this than wax paper.
Thanks for helping me use up my scobys!
Try silicone baking sheets…it peels rightoffonceyou get the edges up.
Just made my first batch! SO tasty. I used papaya and dried apricots (re-hydrated) and a pinch of salt. Doesn’t need the sugar at all.
Would like to know about the sugar as well.
After a week of brewing… How take the tea?? Can I add up honey to it?? It tastes acidic and bitter… Can it cause complication with Hyper Tension medicine like Norvasc?
Kombucha helps get rid of candida, as do all flora filled substances, such as real fermented sauerkraut, pickles, etc. do. I would not add sugar or heat this recipe though, or it can be harmful to candida sufferers. Good idea though.
Still intimidated about making Kombucha. Anyone know of a really good “Kombucha for Dummies” recipe or video? Where is best place to get 1st SCOBY and other supplies? Anyone in Land O’Lakes/Tampa area with any SCOBY’s they want to give away???
This Facebook group is full of shares for all kinds of grains. They have people all over the world in the group and people offer local pick up or mail to you (and you pay the postage). All, you have to do is request to join, takes a day or so and they’ll add you. Then look at the pinned post for information on finding/requesting items your looking for (Kombucha, water kefir grains, milk kefi grains, Jun, etc) https://www.facebook.com/groups/181445115312844/
I just bought a bottle of GT’s Kombucha at a Whole Foods and put the whole thing in a mason jar covered with a piece of cheese cloth and a rubber band around it. And that’s it. No extra sugar, nor extra tea.
I left it in a cupboard for about 2 weeks (should’ve have warned my husband ahead of time!) and got the most beautiful and healthy Scoby. If you don’t want to wait that long, Wellness Mama posts links to stores she trusts.
By the way, I’m on the other side of the state. If you ever make it to Miami Beach I’ll be glad to share a Scoby with you.