I saw a few videos on YouTube for Tepache – a sparkling low alcohol pineapple drink, so decided to make some Homebrew Tepache. Here is what it is and how to make a batch yourself.
Updated October 2026: added a full recipe, fermenting times and troubleshooting.
Quick answer: homebrew tepache is made by fermenting pineapple rind and core with sugar and water for roughly two to four days at room temperature, until it is lightly fizzy and tangy. Then you strain it and keep it in the fridge.
Tepache is a traditional Mexican fermented drink made from pineapple – specifically from the skin and core of the fruit, which are typically discarded rather than consumed. It’s one of those brilliant zero-waste fermentation projects where something delicious is created from what would otherwise be thrown away. Tepache has been made in Mexico for centuries, originally by indigenous peoples, and the basic recipe is wonderfully simple: pineapple skin and core, water, sugar (traditionally piloncillo, an unrefined cane sugar), and warming spices.
Homebrew Tepache Recipe
This is a standard tepache recipe, with quantities taken from The Happy Foodie’s pineapple and cinnamon tepache. It makes about 1.25 litres.
Ingredients
- 1 ripe pineapple
- 100 g piloncillo (panela), or dark brown sugar
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 cloves
- 1.2 litres of water
Equipment
- A large jar (at least 1.5 litres)
- A large bottle (at least 1.5 litres)
- A pan for dissolving the sugar
Method
- Heat the water with the sugar until it dissolves, then leave it to cool until lukewarm.
- Cut the leaves and base off the pineapple and peel it, keeping the rind in long strips. Remove the core. Keep the fruit itself for eating.
- Pack the core and rind strips into the jar so they stay under the liquid.
- Add the cinnamon stick and cloves, then pour in the sugar water so everything is covered. Seal the jar.
- Leave it somewhere warm, around 22°C, for two to six days. Check once a day for signs of fizzing, and open the jar carefully because it can be vigorous.
- Once it is fermenting, taste it daily. It usually takes three to four days in total, longer in a room colder than 18°C.
- Strain it into a bottle, leaving a couple of centimetres of headspace, and refrigerate.
How Long Does Tepache Take to Ferment?
Most recipes land on two to four days at room temperature, depending on how warm your kitchen is. Start tasting around day two: it should be pleasantly tangy with a little fizz. Leave it too long and it turns sharply sour and vinegary, so strain it as soon as it tastes right. Cooler kitchens need more time.
Storage and Safety
- Keep strained tepache in the fridge. The Happy Foodie recipe suggests it keeps for about a week.
- Pressure builds up in a sealed bottle. Open it now and then over a sink to release it, and never leave a sealed bottle fermenting at room temperature without checking it.
- If you want extra fizz from a second fermentation, use bottles made for fermentation and check them often, because bottles can burst.
- Keep the rind submerged, which helps prevent mold. If you see fuzzy mold on the surface, throw the batch away.
Common Questions
Is tepache alcoholic?
It is a lightly alcoholic ferment, which is why it is often described as low alcohol. The amount depends on how long you ferment it and how much sugar you start with.
Do I have to use piloncillo?
No. Piloncillo (also sold as panela) is the traditional unrefined cane sugar and gives a caramel note, but dark brown sugar works as a substitute.
Can I use the pineapple flesh?
Traditionally the rind and core are used, so the flesh is free to eat or use elsewhere.