Eastern European · Breakfast · Snack
Homemade Kefir
Кефир
Tangy, lightly fizzy fermented milk made at home with kefir grains and low-fat milk. Enjoy it plain and chilled, or blend it with fresh strawberries for a creamy, gut-friendly drink.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 1,440 min
- Total
- 1,450 min
- Serves
- 4
Calories come from: Carbs 47% · Fat 21% · Protein 32%
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Ingredients
For 4 servings- 4 cups976 gLow-fat (1%) milk
- 2 tbsp30 gMilk kefir grains
- 1 cup150 gFresh strawberries, hulled (optional)
- 1 tsp7 gHoney (optional)
Steps
- 1
Wash a 1.5-litre glass jar, a non-metal sieve and a spoon in hot soapy water and rinse well.
- 2
Put the kefir grains in the jar.
- 3
Pour in the milk, leaving some space at the top.
- 4
Cover the jar with a clean cloth or a loosely fitted lid.
- 5
Leave at room temperature (20-25 °C / 68-77 °F), away from direct sunlight, for about 24 hours, until the milk has thickened and smells pleasantly sour.
- 6
Check the kefir: if you see pink or fuzzy mould or it smells rotten, discard it and start again with fresh grains.
- 7
Strain the kefir through the sieve into a clean jug, gently stirring to help it pass through.
- 8
Return the grains to the clean jar with fresh milk to start the next batch, or store them covered in a little milk in the fridge.
- 9
For fruit kefir, blend the strained kefir with the strawberries and honey until smooth.
- 10
Chill the kefir in the fridge and drink within 3-4 days.
Swaps, storage and make-ahead
Swaps
- Use whole milk instead of low-fat milk for a thicker, creamier kefir.
- Swap the honey for maple syrup, or leave it out and let the strawberries sweeten the drink.
- Use frozen strawberries instead of fresh for a colder, thicker blended drink that is easier to shop for year-round.
- For a dairy-free version, ferment unsweetened coconut milk with water kefir grains or a dairy-free kefir starter, and choose one labelled dairy-free.
Storage
Keep strained kefir covered in the fridge and drink it within 3 to 4 days; it will keep getting tangier as it sits. The strawberry version is best drunk fresh and should not be frozen, as freezing ruins the texture.
Make ahead
Ferment and strain a batch of plain kefir a day or two ahead and keep it chilled, then blend it with the strawberries and honey just before serving.
Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.
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Allergens and nutrition
Contains: Milk
Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.
Full nutrition
| Per serving (252 g) | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 102 kcal | 40 kcal |
| Protein | 8.2 g | 3.3 g |
| Carbohydrates | 12.2 g | 4.8 g |
| of which sugars | 12.7 g | 5 g |
| Fiber | 0 g | 0 g |
| Fat | 2.4 g | 1 g |
| of which saturated | 1.5 g | 0.6 g |
| Sodium | 107 mg | 42 mg |
Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.
