DIY: Make Your Own Kefir

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It is so easy to make your own kefir. It is a fermented beverage made from milk. Kefir is similar to yogurt, though is more liquid and better suited for drinking. It doesn’t require cooking or any fancy equipment. I usually use it to make smoothies, but you can also use it to replace buttermilk in baking and add it to meat marinades.

I’ve always struggled getting enough calcium since I was lactose intolerant for many years and didn’t love milk. However, I find the kefir easy to drink. Maybe because it’s easy to make into a fun smoothie. Or because it is a great afternoon snack. I pack it in a small bottle with my lunch box and drink it when I get peckish at work.

I use skim milk for my kefir because that’s the kind we have at home. However, you can use 1%, 2%, or 3.5% as well. Make it easy on yourself and use your favourite kind.

Kefir “grains” make kefir when added to milk. They look like little pieces of squishy cauliflower. The grains convert the milk into kefir at room temperature, which means that they work at different rates in different seasons. In the Canadian winter, it takes approximately 48 hours on your kitchen counter top, whereas in our hot summers, 24 hours is sufficient.

Where can you get kefir grains? The best answer is from someone you know! The grains grow over time and eventually split into smaller pieces. When there are more pieces, the fermentation process works much faster. Therefore home cooks will try to give the extra grains to friends. This is how I acquired my own grains. A friend originally gave me two grains, and we named them Kiefer and Donald. I’ve also passed extras on to other friends and family as they grow. When there’s no one to pass them onto, I compost my spare grains.

If do not know anyone who has grains, you can purchase them online here.

Care for your grains

Caring for the grains is simple. They like the warmth and are very hardy. When you want to make kefir, keep them in a jar at room temperature. When you want to slow down production, you can place the jar in the fridge. They will be fine for at least two weeks refrigerated when you go on vacation. I’ve had mine for about 10 months and haven’t managed to kill them, despite some very lazy and neglecting care.

How do I know it’s ready?

The kefir can sit on your counter fermenting for a couple of days. A few times I’ve forgotten about mine and the kefir curds and whey became separated. This is fine. When you blend it, they will come together again. However, I don’t recommend leaving the kefir fermenting on your counter for more than three days because it may starve and damage the kefir grains. If you don’t have time to drink it during the day, put the jar in the refrigerator to slow the fermentation process.

The kefir is ready when the milk becomes thick and sour, like yogurt. Sometimes the kefir develops a effervescent quality (a bit fizzy), but I find that this only happens after I make a smoothie and keep it in the fridge for a few days.

Tips and tricks

I’ve developed some easy tricks to make the process quicker and most importantly, minimize the dishes. Firstly, large wide mouth mason jars are the best container to use. They are easy to clean and have enough extra space to accommodate your smoothie ingredients.

Secondly, I use an immersion blender to make the smoothie in the same wide mouth mason jar. When the kefir is ready, I scoop out the grains with a wooden spoon and transfer them to another clean mason jar. Then I add my smoothie ingredients (more posts to follow with my favourite recipes) and blend everything in the same jar. The smoothie is ready to eat or store in the refrigerator in the mason jar.