Making Milk Kefir: HELP Explained
A great way to improve your gut microbiome!
Consuming store bought probiotic foods such as yogurt, sauerkraut (or other fermented veggies), kombucha, and milk kefir is a great way to increase good bacteria into your diet. However, making homemade versions can often be cheaper and pack more of a punch, including more strains of probiotics.
My Dad has a great yogurt recipe that he's been making for several years. Check out this post to read about his experience making homemade yogurt, and how he has incorporated it into his diet. If you are interested in making yogurt, that post would be a great place to start!
Why Milk Kefir?
About a year ago, I started making milk kefir. As I was reading and learning more about gut health, I discovered that where yogurt is a great choice, kefir is an excellent choice - often containing many more strains of probiotics than yogurt.
According to an article on Healthline, "Kefir contains three times more probiotics than yogurt. It has around 12 live and active cultures and 15 to 20 billion colony-forming units (CFUs). Yogurt has one to five active cultures and six billion CFUs."
Milk kefir is incredibly easy to make! If you can strain and pour, you can make kefir.
Where to Start
First you will need to get some kefir "grains." These aren't really grains, but rather rubbery, cauliflower looking structures that contain all the bacteria and yeasts you need to ferment milk into kefir.
If you have a friend who has kefir grains you can secure some that way (if you are in NE Kansas I have plenty to share!) Otherwise, there are many different places that you can order online. I got my initial grains from this seller on Etsy and I've had great success with them. Many places that sell kefir grains also provide instructions for how to make kefir and troubleshoot any issues you may have.
Once you have your grains, they will multiply as time goes on as you continue to make kefir. A good rule of thumb is to use a tablespoon of grains to ferment a quart of milk. When I find myself with extra grains (the milk will start to ferment very quickly when using too many grains) I place a tablespoon of them in a freezer bag with a little bit of milk. I stick this bag in the freezer to save for back up grains. Another idea is to give grains to a friend and get them started making this probiotic rich drink!
I've used skim, whole and raw milk all with success. Your kefir will be thicker with full fat milk.
The Process
- Place your kefir grains in a quart sized mason jar. I find it helpful to use a funnel like this one.
- Pour milk into the jar over the grains leaving a couple of inches of space at the top.
- Cover with a coffee filter and ring lid, or other breathable lid and place in the cupboard to ferment.
- After about 24 hours, or when you see small pockets of whey in the jar and that the milk has thickened. It is ready to strain. It should also have a pleasant, yeasty smell.
- Using a fine mesh strainer, a spatula, a funnel and clean jar, strain your kefir mixture. You can gently push the mixture through the strainer with the spatula, forcing the kefir into the clean jar until you have only your grains remaining in strainer.
- At this point, cover the freshly strained kefir with an air tight lid and store in the refrigerator. It is ready to enjoy! The kefir may separate when stored in the fridge. If this happens, gently shake the jar to mix it back up before you drink it. It can keep in the refrigerator for at least 3 weeks.
- Take your kefir grains and place them back in the old jar (you can use multiple times before washing it), cover with milk and start your next batch!
Some members of my family love drinking the kefir plain, others enjoy it in smoothies. This is my favorite smoothie recipe, the kefir makes it nice and tangy.
Carbs and Kefir
I've read mixed information about the carb content of homemade milk kefir. Some say that a cup has around 10 grams of carbs or less, although other sources will say that the fermentation process gets rid of almost all carbs.
My personal experience is that I don't feel like my blood sugar spikes after drinking my kefir smoothie and it hasn't caused weight gain for me. I feel great when I'm consuming it daily. I have friends who just drink a "shot" or two a day which would seem "safe" for a LCHF diet.
Want to Take a Break?
If at any point you want to take a break from making kefir, just put your grains in a small container with about 1/2 cup of milk and cover with an air tight lid. The grains can stay dormant like this for at least a month. When you are ready to make kefir again, just strain and restart the process.
Additional Help
Below I've included some photos which may be helpful. Feel free to reach out in the comments with any questions you have about making kefir. I'd be happy to help in any way I can!
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