Is Kombucha Vegan? Everything You Need to Know
Is kombucha vegan? The fizzy, fermented tea praised for its probiotic benefits is usually vegan, but some brands sneak animal-derived ingredients in. Find out how to ensure your next purchase is kind to animals and your gut health.
What Is Drinking Kombucha Good For?
Kombucha is good for animals because all the main ingredients are vegan. It also contains probiotics, beneficial bacteria that support gut health by promoting a balanced microbiome. A balanced microbiome can improve digestion, reduce bloating, and strengthen the immune system.
What Is Kombucha Made Of?
Traditional kombucha is brewed using four main vegan ingredients.
- Tea
- Sugar (to feed the fermentation process)
- Water
- SCOBY (Symbiotic Culture of Bacteria and Yeast)
To make the drink fizzy—and not just an iced tea—a chemical process called fermentation needs to occur. The containers of tea, SCOBY, sugar, and water are sealed for weeks, and during this time, the SCOBY consumes the sugar. As the sugar is consumed, the bottle fills with CO2 and slowly creates the fizzy, acidic flavor that kombucha is known for.
Is There a Downside to Kombucha?
While it’s usually vegan, a downside of kombucha is that some brands use honey instead of sugar for fermentation.
Bees produce honey and build comb from beeswax to nourish themselves and support their hive. Honey is an essential food source for bees during the winter, and the honeycomb holds the bee’s eggs, stores pollen, and is the building block of a bee’s hive.
Stealing their hard work is speciesist—their honey belongs to them! The psychological stress inflicted on bees by the honey industry is a significant contributor to colony collapse disorder, which has caused a sharp decline in bee populations in recent decades. The best way to help bees is to keep their hard work off your plate.
How to Tell if Kombucha Is Vegan
To ensure your kombucha is vegan, buy from brands that are transparent about their ingredients. Some vegan brands include:
GT’s Living Foods Synergy
Health-Ade
Brew Dr.
Better Booch
Humm
Being Kind to Animals Is a Cup of Tea
Whether it’s fizzy, iced, hot, green, or black, make sure your next cup of tea is honey-free.
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