Versatile and full of rich probiotics, dairy kefir is simple to make and fun to drink!
The word kefir (pronounced kəˈfir/ kə-FEER), comes from the Turkish word “Keif” which means “good feeling”. With more than a dozen strains of bacteria and yeast, dairy kefir offers a diverse blend of probiotics. (See the study Microbiological Study of Lactic Acid Bacteria in Kefir Grains by Culture-Dependent and Culture-Independent Methods.)
Kefir grains (described in this earlier post) may be obtained through friends or fellow co-op members, or through the Internet. Here are several options:
Kefir Lady
Yemoos Nourishing Cultures
Cultures For Health (these are dehydrated—a little tricky, but a viable option)
How to Make Dairy Kefir
1. Place 1-2 tablespoons of kefir grains in clean glass jar. I use a 1/2-gallon mason jar.
2. Add 2 cups fresh milk. Any type of milk will work, including cow, goat, and coconut. Raw milk is ideal, particularly goat milk. Pasteurized milk will work. Try to avoid ultra-pasteurized, as the UHT (ultra-high temperature) is so high that the grains may not thrive. For sources of raw milk, click here.
The milk may be room-temperature or chilled. I always allow an extra hour for fermentation if I use cold milk.
(Kefir is generally safe for those who are lactose-intolerant, because the yeasts and bacteria eat up most if not all of the lactose in the milk. My daughter can’t tolerate store-bought yogurt due to the shortened fermenting time, but does great with homemade kefir.)
3. Gently stir contents and move the jar (covered with a cloth or a lid which is left ajar) to a location away from direct sunlight. This might be a cupboard, pantry, or darker side of the kitchen.
4. Allow the mixture to ferment for a minimum of 24 hours. It is not advisable to go beyond 48 hours.
5. Pour contents of the jar into a strainer. Some websites suggest avoiding metal strainers and utensils. Others say it doesn’t matter. I use wooden utensils and a plastic strainer.
6. Take the strained grains, place them in a clean glass jar, and begin the process again. (You can “rest” the grains in the refrigerator covered in milk or yogurt, which must be changed every 7 days.)
7. You can take your liquid kefir and refrigerate it for a day or more to “ripen” it and increase the nutritional value. You can also leave it at room temperature for 24 hours to ripen the kefir. Either way, the kefir is fine to drink after 24 hours.
In the picture above I am fermenting raw goat milk, pasteurized whipping cream, and also “ripening” freshly-made coconut kefir.
Drinking plain kefir is often an acquired taste. I have grown to love the flavor of plain goat kefir. I love the texture of the cream kefir and flavor it with a little bit of vanilla.
My kids enjoy making strawberry smoothies with the cream kefir. We even made “cookie dough” ice cream last week with cream kefir, cacao nibs, and cookie dough made of coconut flour, cacao nibs, stevia, and eggs.
Kefir is a probiotic food and therefore has strong healing properties which can cause severe die-off reactions. It’s best to start small (a teaspoon) and build from there.
Kefir can also be used topically for rashes and for general skin care. Mix cream kefir with essential oil and use it as a moisturizer. (I can’t believe the difference in my skin!) Run a cupful of kefir through your dishwasher cycle as an antimicrobial.
I love making kefir. Perhaps it’s that I can watch the good guys overtake the bad guys and know that this is what happens when I drink it. Or perhaps it’s the resilience of the grains themselves. I have seen sluggish grains come back to life when I thought they were doomed.
Have you tried kefir? What flavor combinations do you enjoy?
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This nourishing probiotic drink makes a wonderful alternative to conventional soda and juice. It's also cheap! Once you obtain the grains, your cost is simply the sugar. Water kefir requires three essential ingredients: starter, sugar and water. Don't worry if sugar is not part of your daily diet. The sugar…
What timing Andrea!!! On the persistent encouragement of my sister, I recently tried store bought Kefir again. I had tried vanilla and did not like it. My sister suggested a fruit flavored one. I tried the blueberry- it was delicious! I have problems with lactose but as you said, thanks to the cultures, I had no problem with the Kefir. I will definitely have to try making it myself sometime. Thanks for the great “how to.”
Also, give Kristen a big hug for me!
Blessings,
Joycelyn
I could never thank you enough Andrea for introducing me to Kefir. What gems those little grains are! It has made such a difference in our health. So far I have tried making smoothies, salad dressing and pancakes using the kefir. I’ve even shared some of my grains with 2 other ladies and got them started on the road to a new health discovery. Thank you for all your hard work on this blog too. Your insights, articles, personal experiences and encouragement is such a blessing to so many people. I just love checking into your blog every couple of days in anticipation of learning something new and thought provoking on my own road to renewed health. Thanks for letting me walk this journey with you! You are an awesome blessing to my heart! Hugs to you from, Kathy
Thanks so much for posting this – I’m going to try it. Just
Have a question after step 5 – is it ready to use? And on step 6 are you reusing the grains for another batch? Thanks again, Vicky
Vicki,
Assuming that you have fermented the milk for a full 24 hours, it is ready to consume.
And yes, the grains are ready for another batch. Just add more milk.
The grains will start to multiply after several batches so you will want to pass them along to someone else or make even more batches. You can also freeze them.
Hope it goes well, Vicki!
Tornado victims also had fungal disease…
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43358247/ns/health-infectious_diseases
Harry T
Worcester,MA
Another question for you, Andrea. How long will a finished batch of kefir keep in the fridge? Just wondering if I should downsize the recipe, since our family is quite a bit smaller than yours :-)… but if it keeps fairly well, that shouldn’t be a problem.
Thanks for the great info, as always–can’t wait to try this!!!
Sherry,
As I understand it, kefir is a fermented product so it will keep for months in the refrigerator…in fact it continues to “ripen” with time.
If you start using it for body lotion/moisturizer you will find yourself going through quite a bit!
Hope that helps,
Andrea
P.S. Nice job editing this post 🙂
Yes, I love making kefir! Makes me feel like I have a living vitamin factory right in my house! 😉
Thanks for introducing us to it!
Beth in PA
I just started doing this a week or so ago and am really excited about it.
I’ve been using the “Cultures for Health” product that you mention. I found it in a health food store and an surprised at how quickly it started up.
I’m wondering about your enthusiasm for raw milk. I’ve had it only a couple of times and really enjoyed it, but (especially for people who have immune systems that are compromised from CFS/mold exposure, could that be risky?
Thanks for your great column and thoughts.
Lisa,
I have not had any trouble with raw goat milk and raw cream. I have not used raw cow’s milk yet.
Because I ferment the milk I don’t worry about it since the fermentation process eats any bad bacteria anyway. However, I would not hesitate to drink raw milk after studying both sides of the issue. Here is a link to an interesting rebuttal to the FDA from the Weston Price Foundation on the issue of raw milk:
http://westonaprice.org/press2/1390-press-release-2003apr11
See what you think and I hope your kefir turns out great!
Andrea
Loved seeing your article on Kefir! Due to allergies and hives, I’ve embarked on a similar path as yours to improve my health which began in 2005. My health and digestion has improved considerably since using Kefir! I’ve lost weight, my sugar cravings are gone,I started using milk Kefir cosmetically and love it! I am now making Water Kefir and the family is drinking it instead of soda! I am making gallons at a time and sharing the grains with friends. I also add the milk Kefir to my home baked goods to help make the grains easier to digest. I’ve learned a lot on my own out of trial and error and am sharing it in workshops around the area to raise awareness. So glad to glean from your experiences as well. Thanks for the comfort that you have been comforted with!
Do you have recommendations on making kefir grains grow faster or some web sites with good suggestions? Blessings, Debbie
From Dom’s website:
“a peak biomass of kefir grains is gained when making kefir with approximately 1:30 (grains to milk) at 68 degrees -77 degrees. Use organic raw whole milk. Strain off 2/3 of the kefir before adding in more fresh milk. Frequently agitate the kefir during fermentation.”
This helped me increase the volume…hopefully it will help you.
How about the coconut kefir? Do you start with coconut water and add the grains to that? jN
You would use water kefir grains for coconut water. I have also used packaged powdered kefir for coconut water. That’s super easy.
I live in Arizona (Scottsdale-Phoenix Area) and I am so happy to see you live in AZ too! Where do you get your raw milk? Thank you!
There is an organic buying club in Casa Grande that would know what’s available in your area. I think this is it.
http://grandeorganicsbc.info/main/
I buy from a farmer here in Tucson.
I started making kefir a couple weeks ago. I loved the store bought but decided to make it, 1 being less expensive, 2 no additives and 3 I love culturing foods! 🙂 What do you use the whipping cream one for?
You can make frosting using whipped dairy kefir or just enjoy a thick snack with various flavorings. It’s also nice on the skin.
Andrea,
Great post! As many readers have already mentioned, I can’t thank you enought for introducing my husband and I to kefir. We have enjoyed it immensely: especially on smoothies and parfaits!
I had a question about whipped cream: do you ferment your whipped cream using the kefir grains? If so, that is brilliant! I hadn’t thought of it!
I find that it’s too thick, Julia. I take dairy kefir and stir it into the cream to ferment it. It’s simple as long as you have some homemade kefir on hand. (Which it sounds like you do!)
Hi Andrea,
How do you make the whipping cream with the kefir grains? Do I use heavy cream or whipping cream and just add the kefir grains?
Thanks,
Dawna
I don’t use kefir grains for cream kefir. I use dairy kefir that is already fermented as a starter. The cream is too thick to strain the grains from my experience, Dawna.
Hello Andrea,
I live in Tucson and am wondering if you know of a source here for getting milk kefir grains?
Thank you!
Wendy
I don’t, Wendy! Azure Standard delivers to Tucson and they offer this kefir starter:
https://www.azurestandard.com/shop/product/food/dairy/starters-cheese-yogurt-kefir//kefir-culture-starter-30-grams/8724