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Pockets of whey might appear – don’t worry, this is normal and they will mix in during straining. Soya milk makes excellent, thick kefir, and the grains usually grow in this medium. Canned coconut cream is a better choice than coconut milk and creates a thick, tangy, almost yogurt-like consistency. Choose an organic brand as these have no additives. Refrigerate or drink the kefir milk and add fresh milk to the grains. Add the kefir grains to a glass container and pour the milk in with them.
Use a plastic spatula or a stainless steel spoon to work the kefir grains in the strainer. Once all the liquid is strained through, put it back in the glass jar and add more milk for your next batch. Depending on your definition of milk kefir, you can! Milk kefir grains are a very specific culture with a very specific combination of microorganisms.
Finding your Kefir grains
Kefir grains are living organisms, and will gradually grow . When they’ve doubled in size, which might take two or three weeks with daily making, take out half of them and give them to a friend, or freeze them. If you don’t remove the excess you will notice the flavour of the kefir changing. Plastic lids are “self-burping”, which if you are away from home for over 8 hours, I would recommend using. The downside is the plastic lids do not let the pressure build quite enough in my opinion so kefir is not quite as bubbly.
It’s harder to tell with skimmed milk which gives a much softer set. Poke with a spoon if you aren’t sure if it’s thickened, and smell it – if it smells slightly yogurty or mildly cheesy, it’s done. With a plastic lid, it stays on fine, it self burps, but it’s less bubbly. If you have Kahm yeast, make sure to rinse your kefir grains in pure clean water before storing in a clean jar with no soap residue.
HOW TO MAKE KEFIR FROM STORE-BOUGHT KEFIR
Bottled water tends to lack nutrients that feed the kefir grains. Here locally in the Northwest, our regular tap water works well and keeps the kefir grains happy. We want to share our love of kefir with the world, and we know you will too!
Learn our tips for fermenting in your kitchen and try our delicious serving suggestions. Kefir is acidic and will react negatively with metal. Make sure you use a plastic or nylon mesh strainer. If your kefir gets moldy, it'll look like bread mold and will be blue or reddish in color. Keep the grains though and rinse them before starting a new batch.
How do I know if my kefir grains have gone bad?
Find a friend who needs kefir grains and give ’em away! I’ve heard of dehydrating or freezing them for future use, but I just can’t fathom why I would want to hoard kefir grains like that. If you are immunocompromised, have had recent gastric surgery, or have an underlying serious health condition please do check with your GP first before consuming.
People with a dairy intolerance are often able to consume kefir as post-fermentation it has lower levels of lactose. IBS/IBD sufferers should try a couple of milliliters at first; it often helps with these conditions, but in some people may have the opposite effect. Trace amounts of alcohol could be present if a strong kefir is made. To make a mild tasting kefir, use 5-10g grains per litre of milk. Anything above this will give a stronger tasting kefir that will ferment more rapidly.
Multiplying the Grains
Pour fresh (preferably whole!) milk over your kefir grains in a clean quart jar. I suggest you not fill your jar all the way to the tippy top. The only equipment you really need to make your own kefir is a clean jar and lid.
If the milk hasn't turned into kefir after 12 hours, keep checking on it every 2 hours or so for up to 24 hours. You can use plastic storage lids like I did, or you can use regular jar lids. Some suggest that you use a good-sized ball of grains, while others insist that only a tiny amount of grains is needed to culture a quart jar. The recipe is simple and the other good thing is that it is inexpensive.
Our trained team of editors and researchers validate articles for accuracy and comprehensiveness. Use glass, plastic, and wood materials when possible. You can also order them online if you don’t know anyone willing to gift you some. They can be expensive to buy, but consider how much you’ll be saving in the long run. Did you know that scientists are now discovering that our mental health is related to our gut health? It is also crucial to use the kefir you buy from the store as soon as possible to increase your chances of success.
While the grains are recovering, the first batch or two of kefir that they make can taste a little bit off. That’s why it’s a good idea to make a cycle or two of kefir that you discard before using them to make the kefir you’ll be using. Whether or not you choose to do that, though, is really up to you. Lactic acid is used to make kefir, and the drinks contain significantly more alcohol than other fermented drinks.
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