Do you brew kombucha?
Do you have homemade Kombucha SCOBY cultures coming out of your ears? Ever wonder what else you might do with these beautiful, powerful things? Me too!
(If you have no idea what I'm talking about, learn how to make kombucha here. Otherwise, read on…)
One day my friend Hannah (founder of Kombucha Kamp) and I were talking about all the great ways we use our SCOBYs, and thought what fun it would be to make SCOBY jerky! A fun treat for omnivores and vegans alike, without all the sugar of fruit leathers.
Kombucha SCOBY Jerky is probiotically rich, nutrient dense and a beautiful practice in sustainability ta’ boot. BUT, could these crazy alien life forms also be tasty? The answer, I am very proud to report, turned out to be a resounding YES!
Homemade kombucha SCOBY jerky ingredients
- 4-6 kombucha SCOBYs* – find Kombucha starter cultures here
- 1 T ginger, shredded
- 1 T garlic, shredded
- ½ cup kombucha – – find Kombucha starter cultures her
- ½ cup organic unpasteurized soy sauce – I like this one
- 7 T raw honey – find amazing raw honey here
- 1 pinch chili flakes (or more if you like spicy)
Homemade kombucha SCOBY jerky method
- Choose thin SCOBYs for this project or take your thick SCOBYs and separate the thin layers from the thick zygomatic mat.
- Use a sharp pair of scissors to cut the SCOBY into strips no more than 1 ½ inch wide. Length is up to you and the available space in your dehydrator.
- Add the kombucha and soy sauce to a bowl.
- Add the honey one tablespoon at a time. Dissolve it in the liquid using a whisk.
- Add ginger, garlic and chili flakes and mix.
- Dip your SCOBY strips in the marinade and lay out on dehydrator trays.
- Dehydrate until much of the moisture is gone from the SCOBY strips. (Approximately 4 hours at 105°F.)**
- Remove SCOBYs from dehydrator and place in a container of marinade in the fridge for 24 hours or until you are ready to dehydrate again. The SCOBYs will now rehydrate and infuse with your marinade.
- Dehydrate for 8 hours at 105°F.
- Remove your homemade Kombucha SCOBY Jerky and store in airtight jars.
Chef's Notes:
*SCOBYs come in all different sizes. Choose to use as many as will be submerged in your marinade.
**If you do not have a dehydrator, try this on the lowest setting in your oven. I have not tried this but, I suspect it would work with a watchful eye.
Check out the video of Hannah and I being ridiculously excited about homemade Kombucha SCOBY Jerky below:
“Homemade Kombucha SCOBY Jerky” was generously contributed by Monica Ford of Real Food Devotee. Monica's delicious recipes will make your mouth water and your tummy purr. If you’re lucky enough to live in Los Angeles, Real Food Devotee can make your life easier by delivering nutrient dense goodies directly to your door.
bottom right photo credit: Real Food Devotee
You should have heard my voice when I saw the title of this post. “WHAAAAT!?” So trying this.
Yaaaaaay! Please let me know how you like it! Xo
Whoa–what an interesting idea! I’m on GAPS—any chance you know what’s actually in a SCOBY? I assume it’s fine, though…
scoby stands for symbiotic combination of bacteria and yeast = scoby its a type of culture for fermenting tea into a healthy product that has many health benefits drop by and check out my site
Hi there @Meghan I think it will depend on which phase of GAPS your in. Kombucha is not allowed in the beginning phases of GAPS and when it is, it can be introduced in the same way as each newly introduced food; a little at a time and continued if there is no reaction. Though I have not seen any literature on Kombucha SCOBY Jerky, if it were me, I would treat it in the same way. Enjoy!
Are you talking about the actual scoby or the drink? Obviously the drink would be limited because of the sugar in it. However, the scoby does not have sugar. Just rinse it off if you’re worried about that. I would think scoby jerky would be fine and very good for you, without the added sugar.
I can not wait to try this!!! I have a jar of scobys in my fridge. Thanks for posting!!
@Tamara
Yaaaaay! Please let me know how it turns out. Yum! xo
just found your blog and i love it!! we are very similar 🙂 an i had NO idea you could eat the SCOBY! mine are massive and i have sooo many that i don’t know what to do with them and feel awful throwing them out!
I’m making this right now, and I’m so excited to see how it turns out! It’s in the dehydrator and it smells AMAZING! I can’t wait to see what hubby’s reaction is…
Hey @Felicia
I’m so happy you’ll be making use of those lovely SCOBYs to you good health!
@Angie
I KNOW!!! It smells so delicious, doesn’t it! Surprise your hubby and let us know what he thinks it is! Can’t wait to hear his reaction! xo
It’s now on the second drying cycle (after rehydrating with the marinade) and it has been dehydrating at 105 for 10 hours and the pieces are still soft. Kind of like the texture of fruit leather rather than jerky. Is the jerky supposed to be stiff/rigid? Should I wait a little longer, or remove it now?
Mine is this way too. I let have set it to go longer, at about 10hrs so far.
Hi @Angie
The jerky should be stiff like beef jerky. Our jerky/SCOBY strips might have been of a little different thickness. Let them go a bit longer. I bet they taste just as good as fruit leather consistency though:)
I am so excited to check this out.
I have a KaJillion scobys and needed something to do with them besides composting!
Thank you…. 🙂
Awesome, @Robbie
Enjoy!
Thank you for this recipe!! We made these last week (in the oven) and LOVE them! I personally like them a bit thicker and on the chewy side. So easy and tasty, can’t eat just one!
Hi @Victoria B
I’m so glad you tried and like the recipe and results. I think the best thing about creating our own food in the kitch is that we can make it perfectly to our own tastes. Thank you for sharing!
I watched this awesome video you have here and heard you speak to the nutrient content of the scoby. Where did you learn that info?
Thanks in advance,
Sara
Just started my first dehydration on my first ever batch of scoby jerky! I had 7 that were just taking up space! Thank you for your post! Finally something to do with my scobys other than compost! =D
Is there another way in drying the mothers if i don’t have access to a dehydrator? Fingers crossed for the giveaway!! Namaste-
Thanks for your question @Sara
If you do not have a dehydrator, try using your oven on the lowest setting and checking in from time to time to make sure they are not burning:)
If you live in a VERY sunny place, you can use one of these doohickies to let the sun in and keep the bugs out. I’ve dehydrated some delicious almonds this way in the past! xo
http://tinyurl.com/mnqtmmk
many thanks~! I’m looking forward to making these ~
Love the comments.
How do you get the smell out your dehydrator after?
Hi @Brooke
I just warm soapy water to wash. Then dry and sometimes I’ll wipe out afterwards with vinegar. xo-Monica
I just finished cutting up some SCOBYs and started dehydrating them. Can’t wait to try them in the next few days!
Wow, what a great idea! I just don’t know whether my chickens will let me use extra scobies for myself, though. They are used to eating my extras.
I love this recipe! Holistic Squid, do you have a variation of this recipe for fruit flavoring? Any of your readers? Many thanks! Xoxo
Hi @Sarah P
I’m so glad you like the recipe! I love it too!
You can do a fruit juice marinade. Best to choose a strong tasting fruit juice i.e. pomegranate with some acid i.e. lemon juice and follow the recipe above with that substitution!
xo
Hi there! These look great. I am currently doing ketosis for health reasons and I am wondering if these would bring me out of it – I can’t seem to find any nutrient testing information as to what their macro nutrients are? I know they are bacteria and yeast but am wondering what macro nutrients make up yeasts and bacteria.
Would love any info you might have. 🙂
Have a great day and thanks for the recipe !!!
This is my question, too. Hope somebody knows the answer. I like to know the macronutrient profile of my foods.
L.
Hi! Thanks for the review. We’re looking for a dehydrator for our family. As far as I understand you are using an Excalibur. What do you think about the safety of the plastic parts? Do you recommend going plastic or completely stainless steel?
Hi Diana – Though stainless steel would be the ideal option, I’m not as concerned due to the low heat at which they are used.
Oh my… I just started making kombucha a few weeks ago, and I’m already noticing how quickly it produces new scobies. I’m intrigued to find out that they are in fact both edible and nutritious, but, I have to say, the idea of scoby jerky is a little weird.
I’ll probably try it once I get used to the idea, but I suspect I’ll have a hard time selling my husband on it…
Finally decided to try dehydrating my extra scobies. I do a continuous brew and every once in awhile I pull off a few layers, when it gets too thick (or too tangy). I didn’t actually flavor it at all and it tastes like an apple cider fruit leather, but really thin and crispy. I might have left it (at 110, I think) for too long (left it over night). Still good. I think I will try your recipe with some of my hotel scobies.
Hi there,
I tried your recipe for the scoby jerky. The Marinade is amazing. However, I cannot get the scoby to be crispy. It is still very chewy after being in the hydrator for 24 hours at 105 degrees. WHat am I doing wrong?
Thank you for your time.
Ashley
I saw this recipes, I tried it and they taste so great! Mine turned out like fruit leather, but no complaints at all! I did not put the red pepper flakes in. It took about20 hours to dehydrate. My husband hates the smell, but I am very happy and Excited to find a use for my Scobys.
Thank you very much this for this recipe!
I recently boiled cinnamon bark in a little filtered water, let it cool, then poured that mixture plus some apple flavored KT over scoby cut into bite sized pieces. I sprinkled the top lightly with organic stevia and let it marinade on the counter for a few days, then dehydrated. Nice gummy when you’re craving something a little sweet and savory.
I successfully made a first batch (- the soy) and its awesome!
I stored the jerky in 1L Mason Jars. I have a pump-n-seal to extract all the air but haven’t used it yet. How long do you figure it will keep jarred on the shelf without hermetically sealing?
Hi @Steve Thanks for your question. So far, I’ve kept mine for up to 6 months in a plain old mason jar without issue. Let us know if you keep it any longer:) xo-Monica
I have made this recipe a few times and LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it! I was wondering what your thoughts on honey are. Honey has natural antibacterial qualities so wouldn’t this destroy the existing bacterial colonies? Maybe agave would be a better alternative?
Sara
SO excited to see this! I’ve been a chronic brewer for 20 years. Always hated throwing the old scobys away! I made a batch (let them dehydrate for about 30 hours). They’re gummy but yummy! THANK YOU! I’m curious to try a cinnamon type for dessert. I used coconut aminos instead of soy, since I can’t have that. SUPER!
I love love them. Do I need to refrigerate them? Or will they keep at room temperature? thanks for the awesome recipe ????
Hi Diane, Thanks for your question – so glad you like the recipe. You don’t need to refrigerate. Store in an airtight container and consume within 1 month. Hope that helps!
I make a lot of jerky. Finally got around to trying out the scoby jerky. Great flavor, but the chewiness is an acquired taste. Do you know of anyway to make the scoby jerky less chewy (more brittle)? For now, I’m trying prolonged drying, which currently stands at 72 hrs at 105 degrees. Any thoughts appreciated.
I second Sarah’s question. I wonder if the honey is a good idea…
I am just getting started with my dehydrator. I have made beef jerky, but I only dried it once. Can you please explain why you would dry the scoby, then re-marinate and dry again. Does it improve texture or something?
Hi Sandi, we dry the SCOBY some first so that the SCOBY will soak up more the marinade. It isn’t apt to soak up the flavor/marinade otherwise. ~ Monica
We’ve been feeding ours to our pet chickens (who LOVE them!) but we’re excited to try this! (ok so my spouse is making barf sounds in the background so not ALL of us are excited! hahaha!)
I have a huge pineapple scoby. It looks solid instead of in layers. Looks like a 3 inches thick 6 inch diameter wax. Do you think I can make jerky out of it also?
Yes. Slice it up to make thinner layers and then follow the process. ~ Monica
I’ve been wanting to do this for a while but I don’t own a dehydrator. Can I still make this without one? I’ve seen recipes where people made jerky in their oven.
You could probably do it in your oven at a really low temp. Let us know how it turns out if you give it a go.
In response to the “no dehydrator” question: I don’t have one either, so I set my oven to it’s lowest setting (170) and leave the door wide open. I put my trays on the top shelves, and I set the timer to cook for an hour, then shut oven off for 1/2 hour and repeat. Also– I use cardboard with two sheets of parchment paper as my trays so there’s plenty of circulation. Hope this is helpful to someone. 🙂
I want to make scoby jerky treats for my Chihuahua. I give her a small treat daily and would rather use scobys than commercial treats.
My question:
What do you think of dehydrating scoby some, then rehydrating scoby with bone broth to get the meaty taste? I think my dog would love it that way.
Also, I read somewhere that you must use decaf tea if you give to pets. Do you know anything about dogs dying from eating scoby made with caffeine tea?
Hi Lavonia, thanks for reaching out. I imagine that would be possible to do but would suggest you consult with a holistic vet in order to get specifics on what is safe for you specific breed of dog, along with her weight and health specifics.
Can I use the marinate again ? I made too much and stored it in the fridge.
By the way the jerky was amazing, but was a little bit too soft. Need to dehydrate it longer next time.
Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety reports that “Murugesan and others (2005) studied the proximate composition of tea fungal biomass and reported that it contains 179.38 g crude protein, 120 g crude fiber, 4.82 g phosphorus, 6.56 g calcium, and 8.92 MJ metabolizable energy per kilogram of biomass.”
Here’s a different bacteria:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spirulina_(dietary_supplement)
And a different yeast:
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/baked-products/5130/2
I’ve been looking for a way to use my extra scobies! Scoby jerky is very interesting and I’m not sure yet but definitely a good idea.
Great ideas. I love making chocolates out of my extra SCOBYS, found the SCOBY recipes here.
I made this marinating only once and using some different/additional ingredients I had on hand. I dehydrated at 105 for about 21 hours. The super thin pieces are really brittle (my son likes it this way “like a chip”) and the thicker pieces are really chewy. My whole family loves it. I’m so glad I have something to do with my SCOBYs. Thank you!