Kombucha Muffins From Jerrelle Guy Recipe on Food52 (2024)

bmac January 28, 2024

I added cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, 2 T poppy seeds, 2 T sesame seeds, and half a cup of toasted walnuts to up the nutritional value, used avocado oil, and opted for maple syrup for sweetening. I used three teaspoons of baking soda because I added weight (nuts and seeds) to the batter. I also used ginger kombucha because that is what I had. They came out perfectly, with a nice, high cap, great texture, and fluffiness. Not sweet at all, but I ate one with grass fed butter and honey while it was warm. I had batter left over after filling a 12-muffin tin to the brim. We made pancakes with the leftover batter, which were pretty yummy. I would make these again and think you could achieve the lift using a good cider vinegar, shrub, or beer. I also think adding the spices and nuts made these more interesting and flavorful than the original recipe. These could easily be made into a savory muffin to eat with soup.

I've made these twice now, the first time I believe I stuck close to the recipe as written using my homemade kombucha. The result was good, but quite plain, and I didn't really enjoy eating them. The second time, I made a few changes. I had some very overfermented homemade kombucha to use up (practically kombucha vinegar). Because I was worried about how sour it was, how plain the muffins were last time, and the fact that I didn't want to use all my honey on these, I used 1/2 c honey and 1/2 c sugar. I also added some cardamom and salted roasted pistachios chopped finely. I used whole wheat flour instead of spelt (which is what I used initially). I think the result was so much better this time. They actually have a flavor - sweet but tangy, hint of spice and a nice nuttiness. Another thing I will say about this recipe is I think I have standard size muffin tins, but I always end up with extra batter! I had to pour the remainder in a loaf tin to make a very thin little cake. If I didn't make my own kombucha, I would probably never make this recipe because as other commenters said, it's a waste to buy a bottle of kombucha and use it for this purpose. I see it as a way to creatively use excess kombucha a homebrewer has, or kombucha vinegar.

These muffins are exceptional. I made them this morning exactly as written, with a rose infused kombucha. They’re exceptionally fluffy, sweet but not overly so. This is my first foray into using spelt, and certainly the first time using kombucha other than just guzzling the bottle. The recipe would lend itself well to variations, in flour used, kombucha flavors, sweeteners, etc. One of the best things I’ve made in awhile and a lovely way to start the day, thank you.

Why would you literally waste a bottle of rather expensive kombucha since the heat of the oven kills any health benefits of the kombucha? Since it calls for an unflavored kombucha, just use a pale ale. If you want to add a little flavor, I bet a Summer Shandy or Blue Moon would be delicious.

Horrible recipe! Way too much baking soda! All muffins went straight to trash.

These were Ok. I used Trilogy Kombucha and honey. I weighed the baking soda and it was less than described in recipe. I halved the recipe because I want sure if we'd like these. It still made a dozen muffins!
The flavor was OK. Very plain. Much better with berries or jam. My husband and son were not huge fans. I still have five more so I think I'm going to freeze them because they won't be eaten fast enough. I think with berries it would be better. And maybe using half honey, half maple syrup and adding cinnamon for more flavor.

Also wanted to say that I used 2 t of baking soda and they came out just fine: texture was fluffy, and they did not taste of baking soda.

These were soft and fluffy, though quite plain in flavor (I used a flavored kombucha and honey, but didn't add other flavorings). Texture was so soft that it was difficult to spread anything on them, even toasted. Overall, I found them ok—certainly a delicate crumb and an interesting use for kombucha—but not memorable.

Hi, I made this with three different flour, AP, almond flour&coconut flour as Kristen suggested, and Mochiko. It was very interesting. AP was perfect, off course. Mine looks more mountain shape. Mochiko was super soft Mochi, also yum. But unfortunately, almond mixture was crumbly. It Still tastes yum. Thank you for the recipe! It was good experiment. So many ways to try!

Will this work with almond flour or coconut flour or a combination. Interested to make this as I have never baked with kombucha

I have not made this, but it is on my radar. Please tell me if you normally go by cups & tsps, or by grams (the rest of the world). Also, please tell me how to add 4-6 overripe brown speckled bananas and some nuts to this recipe for my banana nut loving hubby.

I'm gonna make these, but, my family isn't big on plain. They like flavors. So, whaddya think of using flavored kombucha or maybe adding fruit, nuts, chips, streusel topping, etc? And what about pancakes and waffles?