Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
How to make homemade kefir the traditional way by fermenting on the counter for 24 hours with farm fresh milk.
I prefer homemade kefir to yogurt because yogurt only has 2-5 strains of beneficial bacteria None of these aggressively attack and destroy pathogens in the gut like the probiotics in kefir do.
By the way, kefir is pronounced ku-feer (not kee-fer or ke-fer).
Kefir made at home has dozens of beneficial bacterial strains as well as several beneficial yeasts. Kefir compared to yogurt is no competition. Kefir is much more beneficial for gut healing.
The one catch is that you need to learn how to make kefir yourself!
Commercial kefir brands typically have far less microbial strains and are not fermented long enough to have the same benefits.
Homemade Kefir Benefits
In a gut that is dominated by pathogens and candida overgrowth (as in someone who has taken many rounds of antibiotics and other prescription drugs over the years and/or eats primarily processed foods), yogurt tends to have only a temporary beneficial impact.
As mentioned earlier, homemade kefir has about 30 beneficial strains of bacteria and yeasts that do aggressively recolonize the gut by destroying pathogens.
As a result, kefir has the potential to permanently alter the gut environment for the better whereas yogurt does not.
The best way to make homemade kefir is to obtain live kefir grains from a friend. They grow slowly over time and extras can be given away (or even eaten as a live probiotic).
Avoid using powdered starter for kefir. It has little to no therapeutic value.
If you cannot find any live grains in your community, you can mail order them.
Other Types of Kefir Made at Home
If learning how to make other types of kefir interests you, check out this video on how to make water kefir.
This video plus recipe on how to make coconut milk kefir is helpful if you wish to make a dairy-free version of the milk-based kefir below.
Homemade Kefir Recipe
Easy recipe for homemade kefir fermented on the counter for 24 hours to maximize beneficial microbial strains for gut healing.
Ingredients
- 1 quart raw milk preferably grass-fed
- 1 wide-mouthed mason jar
- live kefir grains
Instructions
-
Pour the raw milk into a clean glass mason jar leaving about 1 inch at the top. You can use cold milk right out of the refrigerator if this is more convenient. Gently stir in live kefir grains. Roughly one-quarter cup of grains is sufficient to ferment the entire quart.
-
Screw on the lid and leave on the counter at room temperature for 24 hours. Over this time, you will see the milk slightly separate and thicken.
-
The kefir should be ready after 24 hours of fermentation time. If powder culture was used, you can use the kefir as is. If live kefir grains were used, gently strain them out to use again with the next batch of raw kefir.
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
You do not need to rinse live kefir grains before using again. Rinsing them slightly weakens them in my experience.
Homemade kefir will last many weeks in the refrigerator, but its flavor will get stronger over time.
This video was very helpful! Thanks for the info- I’m looking forward to making my own kefir!
I was wondering if you used raw milk to make the actual grains used to make the kefir and how to do that properly
Thank you so much for posting this video! I have recently started making kefir, and I am so excited about it! When you first started with probiotic foods did you see a difference in you and your family’s over all health? Now I have to look at your water kefir video! 🙂
I do that too Mary, do you know how long kefir will keep in fridge?
I have extra milk this week and figure that Kefir will keep longer than the milk
I continuously make kefir, one batch after another, as we drink it daily. I also allow a secondary fermentation by putting the strained kefir into the fridge for a couple of days. I use some and add the next strained batch to it in the fridge. It doesn’t go off but the taste matures. It seems to become creamier and develope a better flavour.
I make kefir with our FABULOUS raw milk. Then I add fruit (strawberries, blueberries, bananas, maple syrup and/or an apple slurry mix). Afterward, I place it in a pitcher in the refrigerator. If it is not all drunk that day, I save it for the following day and add more kefir. And so on. It seems to actually preserve the fruit, but is there any danger of bad bacteria growth in doing this?
Hi
I just got my first batch of kefir grains and have been following the directions to make milk kefir. I live in Tampa and use JoAsh raw milk.
Each batch I have made…about 4…..has an extremely foul “farmy” taste to it. Not very appetizing. I have had plain store bought kefir and it tastes nothing like the store bought.
The milk I purchase does not have this “farmy” taste to it and I am wondering if it is the grains or is this just how kefir is supposed to taste?
Thanks for any insights.
How do i get my kefir grains to be like a stuck together chunk? Mine multiply, but never really get bigger. Also, I always strain mine with a metal type strainer (is there any other type of strainer?) and you mention not to use metal of any kind, so am I hurting my grains and that is why they aren’t making bigger chunks?
Helen, I wouldn’t use a metal strainer. Try using a wooden spoon to gently bring them out. I do that, and they seem to ‘fuse’ together nicely. I think maybe the metal strainer might be your problem. Don’t worry if they have ‘stuff’ left around them, white gummy stuff, you’ll just be putting them back in milk, right?
Hi Sarah,
I watched your video and was very anxious to make my first batch of keffir, and did successfully. thanks to you. My grains can from a Russian lady who came into our Health food store which I was grateful.
Can I use my hands to squeeze the keffir yoghurt through a nut milk bag, as the yoghurt is thick and luscious, and taste beautifully sour.
I guess my question is, are hands o.k to use at this point to squeeze grains from yoghurt?
Thanks for your reply
Down Under
This blog writer, Sarah, doesn’t answer anybody’s questions it seems. I’ve been waiting over 6 months for an answer after buying the grains and having them sit on my counter – while I patiently awaited an answer. I’ve emailed her and asked again on her facebook page.
No luck. What a waste.