Water Kefir, Kombucha & JUN Root Beer Recipes
Quick Summary
Want to make old-fashioned root beer using real herbs, roots, and fermentation? We’re talking the OG, honest-to-goodness, gut-healthy root beers… not the run-of-the-mill, force-carbonated sugar bombs that line grocery store shelves.
This guide shows you how to create naturally flavored root beer using Water Kefir, Kombucha, or JUN Tea. Unlike modern commercial root beers that rely on artificial flavorings, these recipes use traditional ingredients such as sarsaparilla, wintergreen, vanilla, and optional sassafras to create a rich, nostalgic flavor profile.
Inside you’ll learn:
- The history of traditional root beer
- The truth about sassafras and safrole
- How to flavor Water Kefir, Kombucha, or JUN as root beer
- How to make root beer powder
- How to make root beer syrup
- Optional herbs and spices for custom recipes
- Tips for achieving classic soda-shop flavor naturally
What Makes Root Beer Taste Like Root Beer?
Most people assume root beer is a single flavor.
In reality, traditional root beer was a family of herbal beverages made from roots, bark, leaves, and spices. Recipes varied by region, season, and household.
While commercial root beer eventually standardized the flavor – and removed any and all health benefits associated with real root beer – traditional recipes often featured combinations of:
- Sassafras root
- Sarsaparilla root
- Wintergreen leaf
- Vanilla bean
- Licorice root
- Sweet birch bark
- Ginger root
- Black cherry bark
The familiar creamy, minty, spicy flavor comes from the interaction of these ingredients rather than any one component alone. You can buy many of these ingredients at your local apothecary or you can start with Kombucha Kamp’s signature base blend which comes as a kit containing all four of the main ingredients used in nearly every traditional root beer recipe along with instructions for how to create the best tasting root beer possible.
Why Use Fermentation?
Traditional root beer was often lightly fermented.
Today, Water Kefir, Kombucha, and JUN provide a simple way to recreate that naturally bubbly experience while adding complexity and depth that commercial sodas simply can’t match.
Each produces a delicious root beer with its own unique character.
Water Kefir Root Beer
Produces the closest experience to classic soda.
- Sweeter profile
- Soft acidity
- Creamy finish
- Strong carbonation
Kombucha Root Beer
Offers a more complex flavor.
- Tangier profile
- Richer fermentation notes
- Excellent balance between sweet and sour
JUN Root Beer
Creates an elegant version.
- Lighter body
- Delicate honey notes
- Crisp finish
Root Beer History: From Indigenous Herbal Tonic To American Icon
Despite its whimsical place in American culture, traditional root beer was an ancient remedy for Native Americans going back many hundreds of years to pre-colonial days. They used the beverage to treat a variety of ailments, including colds, coughs, and ringworm, to strengthen the blood, and also as an aphrodisiac!
Europeans transported the plants (and knowledge) back home from North America as early as the 1600’s. By the mid 1800’s, here in the United States, root beer appeared in several recipe books and became a popular choice in soda shops.
However, it reached worldwide acclaim when pharmacist Charles Hires debuted his Root Beer Syrup at the Pennsylvania Centennial Exhibition in 1876, launching an overnight commercial success. Hires Root Beer is available to this day.
Unfortunately, most modern versions replaced traditional botanicals with artificial flavorings, leaving many people unaware of what authentic root beer actually tastes like.
The Sassafras Debate
No discussion of root beer would be complete without talking about sassafras.
Traditionally, sassafras root bark was one of the defining flavors of root beer.
In the 1960s, concerns arose regarding safrole, a naturally occurring compound found in sassafras.
Animal studies involving extremely large doses of isolated safrole prompted regulatory restrictions on its use in commercial foods and beverages.
Today:
- Most commercial root beers use artificial flavoring.
- Safrole-free sassafras products are available.
- Many herbal suppliers continue to offer sassafras for tea and traditional use.
The research remains focused primarily on highly concentrated doses rather than occasional consumption within traditional preparations.
As always, moderation and informed decision-making are key.
For those who prefer not to use sassafras, simply increase the amount of sarsaparilla and wintergreen in the recipe. Our Root Beer Flavoring 4 Pack contains enough of all flavorings to allow for this.
Root Beer Flavor Profile
While historical recipes can contain dozens of ingredients, we find that four carefully chosen botanicals create a fantastic homemade root beer:
Sassafras
Provides classic root beer character.
Sarsaparilla
Adds earthy depth and complexity.
Wintergreen
Creates cooling minty notes.
Vanilla Bean
Adds creaminess and rounds out sharp edges.
Together they produce a balanced flavor that works beautifully with Water Kefir, Kombucha, and JUN.
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Rita Handrich
May 28, 2022 at 3:32 pmLate to this party but I have root beer CONCENTRATE, not extract. I’m wondering how much you would add to a 16 ounce bottle of Kombucha at the beginning of the secondary ferment? (It is much stronger than extract so I’m guessing even the amount of extract you would use would be helpful.)
Hannah Crum
June 16, 2022 at 7:41 amStart small and then add more as you go. Maybe a 1/4 tsp per bottle…let us know what your perfect amount ends up being!
Alanna
February 8, 2022 at 10:14 am2 questions–I see some recipes add molasses and sugar instead of brown sugar–have you tried this?
Why do you use POWDERED sassafras root, and sarsaparilla PIECES? Many recipes I see seem to have equal parts sassafras and sarsaparilla, but the powder would cause more sassafras than the sarsaparilla
Hannah Crum
February 26, 2022 at 6:37 pmLet us know how the molasses & sugar turns out! Molasses has a deeper flavor and we prefer the more subtle flavor of the brown sugar – everyone has their preference! We source wildcrafted sassafras powder which is quite potent – you will find the exact measurements per bottle listed on the label.
romina
April 3, 2021 at 12:21 pmwhat about malt? could i use it to make a beer Kombucha?
Hannah Crum
May 16, 2021 at 2:49 pmMalt is a fermentable sugar – give it a try and let us know how it turns out!
Sandra Dunn
March 22, 2019 at 11:46 amI was just thinking about this yesterday. I have root beer extract, would that work? I suppose sugar would have to be added as well?
Hannah Crum
March 29, 2019 at 9:00 amGive it a try – let us know how it turns out!