How to Make Fermented Milk Kefir at Home (Two Ways)

Making Milk Kefir Two Ways

Making milk kefir can be approached in two distinct ways. The traditional method involves using milk kefir grains, a symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast (SCOBY). These grains are added to fresh milk, where they ferment over 24-48 hours, transforming the milk into kefir. This process produces a probiotic-rich drink with a tangy flavor and creamy texture. After fermentation, the grains are removed and can be reused to culture subsequent batches of kefir, making the process sustainable and ongoing.

Alternatively, you can make milk kefir using store-bought kefir that contains live, active cultures. Begin by purchasing high-quality, plain kefir from the store. Use this kefir as a starter to culture your first batch of homemade kefir by adding a small amount (about two tablespoons) to fresh milk. Allow this mixture to ferment at room temperature until it thickens and develops a tangy taste, typically within 12-24 hours. Once ready, this homemade kefir can then be used as the starter culture for future batches, ensuring a continuous supply of homemade kefir with minimal effort and consistent results.

The History of Milk Kefir

This week, I undertook a deep dive into the internet to learn about the history of milk and why humans began consuming milk from animals in the first place. I certainly learned a lot.

To summarize, someone used animal milk for nutrition, and probably survival, for the first time around 10,000- 7,500 years ago… Someone most likely observed the similarities between breastfeeding human babies and baby cattle, then decided that keeping the animal to consume its milk was a more reliable nutrition source than killing the animal and eating the meat. The milk was almost always naturally fermented into what we know as buttermilk, kefir, yogurt, and cheeses.

Since there were no refrigerators, milk was stored at ambient temperature in ceramic jars or canteens made from sheep’s stomachs. These vessels (and the utters of animals) harbored microbes that always led to some kind of natural fermentation, most similar to raw milk kefir.

Milk Kefir Health Benefits

There are many benefits of milk kefir. Milk kefir is the most nutritious, easily digestible dairy product.

The primary nutrients of kefir are similar to those of the milk from which it is produced. Thus, it is high in protein, healthy fats, and calcium. The kefir fermentation process improves the nutritional value of milk by increasing the quantity, bioavailability, digestibility, and assimilability of vitamins and nutrients.

The word Kefir, derived from the Turkish word “keyif,” means “good feeling,” and I think that perfectly describes milk kefir! Kefir is known by various names in other countries including képhir, kiaphur, kefyr, knapon, kepi, and kippi.

Whole Milk Kefir

After five years of not eating or drinking dairy, I’ve been trying milk kefir and eating hard-fermented cheeses (2021)! I’m very excited. I also now want a dairy cow… and Angora goats.

I gave up dairy five years ago when I was healing my eczema and, thus, my gut. So, I am ready to reintroduce high-quality home-fermented dairy into my diet.

I am making milk kefir at home using organic, non-homogenized cream top milk from Kalona Supernatural. It still includes the cream from grass-grazed cows on small Amish and Mennonite family farms in the Midwest. Until I get land and animals, this milk is a great option.

Ingredients and equipment you need for this recipe

You only need two ingredients to make milk kefir- grains and milk! You can use any animal milk you want. Goat milk kefir is quite delicious, but I usually use cow milk.

• High-quality milk, you can use cow, goat, or sheep milk
• milk kefir grains, click here for some great milk kefir grains (alternatively, you can use store-bought milk kefir with live active cultures)
• 16-ounce mason jar, thoroughly cleaned
• A cloth covering and a rubber band
• mesh strainer

Milk Kefir Grains

So, what kind of microbes ferment milk into kefir? Many different types of yeasts and bacteria make up the microbial communities called kefir grains, and the specific species vary depending on where they are from and the milk used to feed them.

Kefir grains consist of a species-rich and robust microbial community. Look at this chart from a published paper on Milk kefir: composition, microbial cultures, biological activities, and related products. It shows how diverse and species-rich the microbial communities in the grains can be and how microbial composition varies by region:

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How to Easily Make Milk Kefir at Home

Are you looking for an easy fermented drink to make at home? Then milk kefir is for you! You just need milk kefir cultures and organic whole milk to start. Homemade milk kefir is an affordable source of probiotics, vitamins, and nutrients, and you can culture it two ways: with milk kefir grains or with store-bought milk kefir!

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• Prep: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 24 hours 10 minutes

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Ingredients

• 16 Ounces fresh whole milk (about 500 mL)
• (Culture option 1) 20 grams of hydrated and active milk kefir grains
• (Culture option 2) 2 tablespoons store-bought milk kefir with live active cultures

Instructions

1. See notes below on raw milk and heating milk. 
2. Add the milk to a glass jar.
3. Add in the cultures and stir the milk gently.
4. Place a tight-weave breathable cloth lid on the jar and secure it with a rubber band.
5. Allow the milk to ferment for 24-48  hours. (Aim for less time (24 hours) if it is warm in your house)
6. When the kefir is finished, you may need to stir it. It should be thick, pleasantly tart, and you should see “rivers” on the sides of the jar after pouring.
7. After fermentation, if using kefir grains, strain off the kefir grains and add them to a fresh batch of milk. Store the finished kefir in the fridge in a sealed bottle for up to a month. If you used store-bought kefir to culture, culture your next batch with a tablespoon of the finished milk kefir.

Notes

• You can use store-bought milk kefir instead of grains to culture your first batch of milk kefir. Ensure it’s plain and has live active cultures. You can then use your milk kefir to culture the next batch. 
• You can make kefir with fresh raw milk or pasteurized milk. I highly recommend heating your milk first either way. Heated then cooled milk will give more consistent flavor, while fully raw milk gives variation across batches and changes in your grains over time, possible off flavors. 
• To heat your milk: Place a thermometer in the jar of milk. Place the jar of milk in a pot of water and allow it to get to room temperature. Slowly, on low heat, bring the pot of water to a light simmer.  Bring the temperature of the milk up to 181° F (83° C). Once it reaches this temperature, remove the jar of milk from the hot water bath. Leave the thermometer in the jar, and cover with a clean towel. Allow the milk to cool down to about 110° F (43° C). Cooling can take an hour. Once cooled, remove the thermometer and proceed to step three.
• Keep the ratio of grains to milk about the same for consecutive batches (10 grams of active grains per cup). When the grains multiply, you can remove some of them, dehydrate them at a low temp in a dehydrator, and store them in a mason jar at room temp.

Kaitlynn Fenley Author, Educator, Food Microbiologist

Kaitlynn is a food microbiologist and fermentation expert teaching people how to ferment foods and drinks at home.

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