Milk kefir is, to put it lightly, an acquired taste. Sour and pungent, milk kefir is a cultured dairy food originally from the Caucuses – the region where Europe meets Asia. There it has been traditionally heralded as an elixer of long life and health. It seems that there’s wisdom in this tradition: milk kefir is rich in beneficial bacteria, phosphorus, vitamin K, biotin and folic acid – nutrients that are essential to health and well-being. A single component of milk kefir – kefiran – may prove particularly beneficial as it successfully protects beneficial bacteria from damage in the hostile environment of the digestive tract1.
Milk kefir is strongly anti-inflammatory2 and may prove helpful in combating gastro-intestinal distress caused by infections from bacillus cereus3, salmonella, e coli and helictobacter pylori4. Milk kefir is also particularly important in recovering from clostridium difficile infection and associated gastrointestinal discomfort and diarrhea which often accompanies use of antibiotics5. Despite the fact that milk kefir is, itself, a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeasts (or SCOBY), milk kefir also acts as a powerful antimicrobial food – helping to limit the growth of pathogens while encouraging the proliferation of beneficial bacteria in the intestinal tract.
Milk kefir, like other cultured dairy foods, may also play a role in the prevention of cancer as it exhibits antitumoural effects6. Cultured dairy foods, including milk kefir, have been found to play a role in the prevention and treatment of bladder cancer7, breast cancer8 and colon cancer9. Indeed, some researchers have concluded that milk kefir may be one of the most promising foods when it comes to cancer prevention10.
Milk kefir is cultured from a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeasts (SCOBY) that is coloquially referred to as kefir grains. The appearance of these small colonies of bacteria and yeast vaguely resembles that of cottage cheese or even cauliflower. Milk kefir grains are white, lumpy and gelatinous and are comprised primarily of lactic acid producing bacteria including lactobacillus brevis, streptococcus thermophillus, lactobacillus casei, lactobacillus helveticus, lactobacillus delbrueckii as well as yeasts that include candida maris, candida inconspicua and saccharomyces cerevisiae11. Though, of course, strains of bacteria present may differ from one culture of grains to another.
Obscure and exotic as it may seem, milk kefir is neither difficult to acquire nor difficult to prepare. As with many traditional foods, its beauty lies in its simplicity. It’s easy to begin preparing kefir and incorporating it into your family’s dietary rotation. Once you’ve acquired a kefir grains, simply mix them in with milk – preferably raw – and allow it to culture at room temperature for 24 – 48 hours. As it cultures at room temperature, the beneficial strains of bacteria and benign natural yeasts will proliferate, metabolize the milk’s lactose and create a sour, thick beverage replete with vitamins, probiotics, kefiran and other nourishing components. The longer milk kefir cultures the more sour and folate-rich it becomes, but take care not to culture it too long lest it become unpalatable.
Prepare Milk Kefir at Home
Preparing milk kefir at home is remarkably easy and quite affordable. It takes considerably less effort than homemade yogurt and homemade yogurt requires very little effort, indeed.
Milk Kefir: Ingredients
Milk Kefir: Equipment Needed
- 2 1-quart Sized Mason Jars with lid and band
- Small, nonmetal sieve or tea strainer
- Wooden Chop Stick or Small Wooden Whisk
Milk Kefir: Instructions
- Place milk kefir grains in the bottom of a clean mason jar. Cover with 1 quart fresh milk.
- Very loosely, place the lid and band on the mason jar. You do not want to tighten it because, as with all fermentation, carbon dioxide is created and needs to escape. Culture for 24 – 48 hours at room temperature. For a for a thin, mild kefir you can culture for 12 hours.
- Once culturing is complete, strain milk kefir into a new mason jar, cap and refrigerate. Begin reculturing a new batch of kefir, if desired or allow your kefir grains to rest in water in the refrigerator for a few days until you’re ready to make kefir again.
Sources
1. Zhou et al. Assessment of the sequential simulated gastrointestinal tolerance of lactic acid bacteria from kefir grains by response methodology. Journal of Food Science. 2009. August.
2. Rodrigues et al. Anti-inflammatory properties of kefir and its polysaccharide extract. Inflammopharmacology. 2005.
3. Medrano et al. Kefiran protects Caco-2 cells from cytopathic effects induced by Bacillus cereus infection. Antonie von Leeuwenhoek. 2009.
4. Thirabunyanon et al. Probiotic potential of lactic acid bacteria isolated from fermented dairy milks on antiproliferation of colon cancer cells. Biotechnology Letters. 2009. April.
5. Bakken. Resolution of recurrent Clostridium difficile-associated diarrhea using staggered antibiotic-withdrawal and kefir. Minnesota Medicine. 2009. July.
6. Urbanska et al. Estimation of the potential antitumor activity of microencapsulated Lactobacillus acidophilus yogurt formulation in the attenuation of tumorigenesis in Apc(Min/+) mice. 2009. February.
7. Larsson et al. Cultured milk, yogurt and dairy intake in relation to bladder cancer risk in a prospective study of Swedish men and women. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2008. October.
8. Chen et al. Kefir extracts suppress in vitro proliferation of estrogen-dependent human breast cancer cells but not normal mammary epithelial cells. Journal of Medicinal Food. 2007. September.
9. Saikali et al. Fermented milks, probiotic cultures, and colon cancer. Nutrition and Cancer. 2004.
10. Liu et al. Antitumour activity of milk kefir and soy kefir in tumour-bearing mice. Nutrition and Cancer. 2002.
11. Simova et al. Lactic acid bacteria and yeasts in kefir grains and kefir made from them. Jounral of Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology. 2002. January.
Lovage Soup for Spring
Moroccan Preserved Lemons
campfire roast chicken with flowering onion and dill
Our Daily Bread: No-knead Sourdough
A Story of Recovery (and a Recipe for Grain-free Carrot Cupcakes with Honey Cream Cheese Frosting)
A Recipe for Beet Kvass: A Deeply Cleansing Tonic
I’ve been making kefir from a combination of coconut milk and cashew or almond milk (homemade), and you are right that it is an acquired taste! I usually hide it in salad dressings or smoothies. I feel amazing when I have it, so I’m trying to stick with it.
During the summer we had kefir smoothies almost daily. With winter here we make less smoothies and more kefir cheese. Will you share a frozen yogurt recipe using kefir?
This is next on my list. I need to get some grains. I wish I could convert WKG to DKG as you can the other way round, as I have so many WKG.
Is your ranch dressing posted or will you be posting it soon? I’d love to try it!
Michaela -
Would you be willing to share some WKG for DKG? I’d love to swap with you! At any rate, I use this dressing: http://nourishedkitchen.com/fil-mjolk-ranch-dressing/. My recipe originally called for fil jmjolk which is quite nice, but I’ve used kefir with no problem at all.
Let me know if it works for you!
- Jenny
I love kefir and often am promoting it to my friends. A couple of questions I get are “does freezing kill the good cultures like it does in yogurt?” and what are the benefits of home cultured kefir vs. store bought?”
I would LOVE to, as long as you don’t mind tan crystals. I use demerara in my WK so the crystals have taken on that colour. They are reproducing like mad though (well, when they’re not in cold storage, as they are right now, LOL). Ironically, I was just viewing the swap board you have. I’ll have to add some offers, as I have several scoby’s & after I measure my grains, I’ll see what I have left.
My email should be accessible through my comment, if not, LMK & I will contact you! Thank you for your kind offer, as well as the link!
Milk Kefir does not have to be sour. The first time I had DKG I acquired about a cup and a half. I added them to a 1.5 liter of milk and boy was extremely awful tasting and very sour.
I let them die not knowing why I had such a horrible tasting kefir.
The second time I acquired DKG I only got *8* small grains. The instructions said to put them in a cup of water and let them sit for 24hrs. I did that and the kefir was so tasty! Almost like store bought. I love my kefir
When I let the milk ferment to long it does acquire that sour taste.
My only problem now is that my grains are not growing. It seems that in the warmer weather they grow but in the cooler weather they disappear. Crazy. So I have had to keep my furnace up as I have many ferments on the go. But these bugs are worth it.
If any ferments are having problems including yogurt, krauts, kvass or kefir – check to make sure they are at their optimal temperature.
I LOVE my kefir! I’ve been making it for several months now. Just recently I’ve found a way to make my own fruit yogurt from it. So delicious! My last batch was blueberry and even better than the peach.
http://tntkell.typepad.com/keepitreal/2009/09/kefir-peach-yogurt.html
I’d love to try some water kefir grains if anyone wants to trade for raw milk grains.
We love kefir. My kids beg for it every morning…which gives me pleasure. Although I am buying it in a carton from the store…which is pricey. Making it is on my to-do list.
I like to put plain kefir over chicken and bake. http://www.mydailydiner.com/2009/07/buttermilk-kefir-chicken.html
We drink kefir almost every day, and I just recently started making my own, but I use a culture instead of the grains. Is there a difference?
I have made a whole bunch of yummy things with kefir ..check them out under http://joyfulhomemaker.blogspot.com/search/label/Fermenting
Hi, I tried to visit your blog, but there were no posts. Is it private? Thanks!
Jenn, the powdered culture only contains a few select strains of bacteria and yeasts, and is not sustainable; you have to keep buying it.
Kefir grains have something on the order of 50 different strains of bacteria and yeasts, and continually reproduce so once you get some you never have to purchase more.
I have been trying unsuccessfully to make kefir in my kitchen for a few months. I’m wondering if my amount of milk was too small…1 cup. I didn’t want to waste my precious raw milk.
I’m trying this recipe today and culturing for at least 24+ hours. Maybe my time was too short 12-18 hours. Hoping for success now.
We’ve tried the kefir that you find in the grocery store. My kids (and my husband and I) all LOVE it! But, I suspect the storebought kind is not as healthy, hopefully homemade is just as tasty.
Try, try again! My grains look healthy and are multiplying. At least I know they’re still alive. Thanks for your encouraging post.
Oh! What is the wooden chop stick or small wooden whisk for? Are you supposed to stir them during the process?
You might want to gently agitate the jar during the fermentation process. This brings fresh milk up to the grains for the creatures to eat. I try to do this a few times during my 36-48 fermenation time. Also make sure your jar provides a good amount of surface area, the culture needs ample air. Also, temp is very important. Optimal ferment temp is a steady 68-70 degrees. Temp fluctations are not opitmal and If the temp goes much lower it slow the creatures ability to do consume the lactose. The best tasting kefir will be produced at the optimal temp range. I suggest you read over Dom’s Kefir site for more exhaustive instructions: http://users.sa.chariot.net.au/~dna/kefirpage.html
If you have never had homemade kefir before, it is MUCH different from store bought. As Jen said, an aquired taste for most people. Good luck!
I’m not currently making kefir (hope to get back to it soon). When I have, I’ve usually added some cream. SUPER yummy! I noticed that the store bought kefir at the natural food stores here are LOW FAT.
Teresa -
It’s interesting, but I can’t find a storebought kefir that is full-fat either. I wonder if Lifeway makes one? At any rate, home-brewed is supposed to be richer in nutrients and beneficial bacteria.
- Jenny
The only one I’ve found is Redwood Hill Farm goat milk kefir – the only ingredient other than the cultures is whole goat’s milk! (But I agree – make your own! : )
Lifeway DOES make a full fat version but it is very hard to find. I found it at a health food store near my work but all other stores in my area only carry the fat free version.
Hi, I’m hoping you can help me with my kefir. I recently rehydrated some DKG I got from Cultures for Health. Now I’m trying to make kefir with it. What exactly is it supposed to look/smell like when it is ready? Mine seems to go from really milky (maybe a little coagulation) to thick, almost solid (like really thick yogurt). Also, my grains don’t seem to be growing. Any thoughts as to why?
I buy bottled kefir from the Amish co-op I belong to. We have deliveries every two weeks so I buy enough to last me until the next delivery.
Will the cultures stay active this long?
Has anyone tried to make kefir using store bought kefir? I can get high quality whole goat milk kefir in stores and want to try to culture some raw goat milk with it.
Gina -
Kefir will not culture properly using a store-bought kefir as starter; however, you can culture it to some degree with powdered kefir starter culture though kefir grains are, by far, the optimal method.
- Jenny
Jenny, I make kefir from fresh goats milk using plain cow’s milk kefir from the grocery or starter from my last batch. I’ve been heating the goat’s milk to180 degrees, cooling to lukewarm, adding starter and culturing for 24 hours or less. It’s wonderful – BUT now I’m wondering if I’m actually getting the best array of micro-organisms. I’m a blood type 0, intolerant to pasturized cow’s milk and still must limit my kefir intake or have congestion. So I’m ready to try the unheated milk with kefir grains. Two questions: Might my process be part of the lingering congestion problem? And, how fresh should the goats milk be, is milk a day or two old okay if refrigerated? Thanks so much for your work.
I couldn’t say whether the cow milk kefir is contributing to your congestion, but it’s certainly a possibility. I would definitely encourage you to go for kefir grains and raw goats milk – and it should work fine even if the milk has been refrigerated just as long as it hasn’t “turned.”
I bought the powder from the health food store – but I’m reading here they won’t keep growing? I should get good grains from someone then, right? Does it not have the same ‘goodness’ as regular kefir? I’m making my first batch out of raw milk, it has a nice sour-creamy scent right now (just started it this morning). I hope it tastes good, I’ve had kefir before and kinda like the sourness.
Does any one have a good how to video for making raw milk kefir?
This is a quick video on making raw milk kefir. It is really easy. Just strain the grains. You can actually do it just through your fingers if you don’t want to use a strainer. We usually have it with a touch of salt and cumin in the morning. I love the sour fizzy flavor!
http://www.helladelicious.com/shows/2010/03/hd-203-maple-rose-kefir/
Thanks for this post, really well researched. We are on the GAPS diet and raw milk kefir has really helped to speed the healing process in our digestive tracts. Couldn’t have done it without kefir!
I know this is an old topic, but does the mason jar need to be sterilized? I am absolutely petrified of botulism …
I know your post is a bit old, but I am also very afraid of making a mistake with this fermentation stuff and becoming deathly ill. I have never gotten sick yet tho and have make milk kefir, water kefir, kombucha in mason jars. The jars weren’t ‘sterile’ per se, just clean. In fact, I just strain out the milk kefir grains and put them back in the same jar, refill it with more milk and carry on. The water kefir and kombucha batches were continuous brew.
Hey my name is Lesly i´m studying to became a journalist in Sweden and woundering if i can use the picture of the Kefir in a magazine? The magazine will only be published at our university in Stockholm.
Kind regards Lesly
I have a question for seasoned kefir makers. I have been making kefir with grains from cultures for health for the past two months (about once a week.) I ferment the milk for about 36 hours each time. My problem is that the grains don’t seem to be multiplying. They stay the exact same. Any tips for me? Thanks!
I tried to see the exchange page but it gives me a 404 error message
We like to pour it over any kind of fruit or sip it out of a mug. I like to eat a handful of pecans with it. I think it helps me sleep better at night.
I have a question. I would like to start making our morning smoothies with milk kiefer. I would like to make a quantity of smoothies to freeze ahead of time to make it easier on our health care aid who makes breakfast for mom. My question is does freezing inhibit the benifits of the cultures in the milk kiefer? Or should the smoothies be made fresh daily? Thanks for your blog, I have learned so much!
I love Kiefer! I am new into this world of probiotics and have lots of questions. We drink Lifeway, usually a flavored kind. My son (4) and myself have about 8oz a day. Is there an ideal amount to drink? This post says it’d made from yeast, I have issues with yeast & sugar, and wonder if keifer contributes? Also, are the benifits deminished because I’m drinking the fruit kind that’s low fat? Is the full fat version better b/c the bacteria have more to “eat” and therefore are healthier?
Perhaps homemade should be on my list this year! I must say that I do feel better when I have it and I consider it part of our winter wellness routine!
I just got some kefir grains from a friend. My first batch did not turn out good. In 24 hours It totally separated from the whey and I had this huge ball on the top of the whey. Any ideas what I have done wrong? I used organic raw milk. This milk is the fattest I have ever had, it is almost like light cream. This is the season in New Zealand when the grass is very rich and growing like crazy. Can that be a problem?
I think it may be because of keeping the kefir culturing for too long, especially if you leave it in a warm room. It happens to me sometimes: the kefir separates into clear whey on the bottom and a ball of white milk solids on the top. I just take out the grains, then mix the kefir with a wooden spon before drinking it. It is still ok and healthy to drink, and tastes the same.
Question: I brewed my first batch of kefir about a week ago, using organic raw milk and kefir starter from my local healthfood store – the culture is made by “Body Ecology” and seems to work differently than any instructions I’ve found online (including this one): the culture comes as a powder and does not need to be strained. The comapany says that the next batch can be made from a few tablespoons of the first.
My first batch turned out great, but before I brew another, do you why there is such a discrepancy in the culture/brewing?
our first attempt at keifer didn’t turn out thick, but as thin as the (raw) milk we started with, only sour. The instructions I used said to heat milk to 86 degrees, add culture, stir, then let sit at room temp. I guess my question is…………..WHAT is room temp? We keep our house pretty cool in the winter, around 65, so I wrapped it in a towel once warmed, and put it down in an empty stock pot to keep it warm for the 24 hours and it actually fell to 70 degrees . I’m wondering if it got too cool and this is why it didn’t ‘turn out’?
It sounds like you’re using a prepackaged starter rather than true kefir grains which likely accounts for the difference in consistency / quality. Room temperature, as far as fermentation is concerned, is about 68 to 80 degrees F.
I love my kefir, I have some every morning – some morning its more tart than other mornings, but it did take some getting used to. I knew it was a good way to get the desired beneficial bacteria, but had no idea it was loaded with goodness. Thanks for the great information.
How long will raw milk kefir last. I have still drunk it when it has been a couple of months old but now I have some that is more like 3-4 months old. I have used some of the whey off the top a few times but just keep forgeting about my kefir. Also, will my kefir grains that I have kept in water still be good? They have sat for at least a few months unused before.
I use sheeps milk and buffalo milk, when I can get it, and the kefir seems to love it and grows really well duing those ferments. I left it in the UHT when I went away for 2 weeks and it is not looking well at the moment but I hope it will recover with a bit of care.
What I would like to ask is has anybody used kefir for ice cream, and is it successful,and also is it still as healthy in a frozen state? If anybody has a good recipe you could share I would be grateful.