How to Make Milk Kefir

If this is your first time making Kefir and you think it’s really complicated, don’t sweat it! As you’ll find out it’s easier than it looks.

What you’ll need:

• 1-2 tbsp natural Kefir grains
• 1 quart whole cow or goats milk (preferably raw milk or pasteurized whole milk)
• 1 liter jar
• lid for jar or clean cloth
• plastic strainer
• plastic spoon
• cup

Steps:

1. Place natural kefir grains in a jar.
   Notice how i mention “natural” so check my post on kefir grains and kefir starters to find out why this is important.
2. Add the fresh milk.
   There is no need to boil or do anything with the milk. And although any type of milk will do, we’ve found it best to use raw un-pasteurized milk. Other suitable milks are pasteurized whole milk and non-fat milk. You can also use milk from a wide range of animals, like cows, goats, sheep, even camel and buffalo milks.
3. Cover the jar.
   You can use the lid of the jar or a clean cloth. Doesn’t really matter. As long as you don’t cover it air-tight. Leave some space or some breathing room. The living orgranisms in kefir need oxygen to do its magic.
4. Place jar in a room temperature of 18oC – 25oC (65oF – 77oF) and away from direct sunlight.
   Since scientific researches have found atleast 30 different bacteria and 25 different yeast in kefir cultures, this is found to be the best temperature range for kefir fermentation.
5. Leave for 1-3 days.
   Depending on your preferences you could have a mild tasting milk kefir after 12 hours, a tart flavor after 24 hours and a milk kefir with a zesty taste to it after 48 hours.
6. Separate the kefir from the kefir grains.
   Using a plastic strainer, pour out the mixture onto the cup. The remaining solids caught by the strainer can and should be used for your next batch of kefir making.
7. Drink your kefir / milk kefir
   The liquid you strained onto the cup is now your Kefir. You can drink this right away, refrigerate it for later or use it for some other kefir recipes. You can subscribe to our email list to get your free and EXCLUSIVE kefir recipes. It’s on the right side of the page. Just put your name and email. You’ll get your special kefir recipes every month.

**You might have noticed I placed a plastic spoon in the beginning. If you can’t help yourself and you just want to stir the kefir mixture during fermentation, you can. But don’t do it too often so you don’t disturb those nice little bacteria from doing their magic.

**What to do with the left over kefir grains? Place it in a jar with some milk and refrigerate or repeat the kefir recipe process for another batch.

**Lastly, as you might have noticed you didn’t lose much kefir grains during the process. In fact you might have actually gained more! This is what’s amazing with kefir. You only need one batch of kefir grains… for LIFE.

- If you are looking to learn more about kefir (basically everything you need to know) from the beginner’s stage to the advanced stage, we couldn’t recommend anything better than the kefir video course and kefir grains combo.

Sponsors That Keep Kefir Grains Source Going: