Milk kefir is one of the easiest ways to get probiotics into your diet. Find out how to make milk kefir – you’ll love adding this one to your kitchen!
When I first became a full time homemaker two years ago, I had big plans. I had my first baby pretty much simultaneously, so all those goals and plans have taken me a lot longer to accomplish than I initially thought! I’m perfectly okay with it, and have learned to enjoy the process and let myself be new at something.
How to make milk kefir – and why!
Milk kefir and sauerkraut were two of the skills I wanted to learn right away. At first, both honestly felt so hard. I think it was because it was both new and I wasn’t used to learning new things and delaying that gratification. Our culture is definitely one of instant gratification, and I’m a product of the culture just as much as the next girl!
However, I knew I needed to learn to make this one because it is one of the easiest ways to get probiotics into your diet. You can make a variety of smoothies with it and have them for breakfast or snacks.
First things first
You will first want to get some milk kefir grains. I’m not actually sure why they call them grains, because they have nothing to do with grains. I found mine here on Etsy. Follow the instructions that come with the grains to get started. You’ll also need some wide mouth glass jars (I usually use a half gallon) and plastic lids. For the actual process, you’ll want a strainer, a glass bowl, a wooden spoon, and a funnel!
Once your kefir grains are up and running, you’ll want to maintain them. At first, I thought I had to do this rigidly every single day (totally not true). The kefir grains will ferment the milk – quickly when sitting on your counter, and slowly when stored in the fridge.
Here is a picture of fermented milk (milk kefir) before straining! I place the strainer on top of a glass bowl, pour the milk kefir and kefir grains into it, then use the wooden spoon to strain it off.
Beautiful kefir grains
Here’s a photo of the kefir grains once strained! Aren’t they kind of pretty? The next step is to place these kefir grains into a clean jar, fill the jar with milk, place a plastic lid on top, and then let it ferment again. Most people let it ferment on their counter for 12-24 hours. If you aren’t consuming that much milk kefir, you can either use a smaller jar so you have less, or you can place the kefir grains and fresh milk in your fridge for a few days. Pull it back out 12-24 hours before you need more milk kefir. Just don’t forget about it in your fridge for too long.
You can’t mess up milk kefir!
You really can’t mess this one up. Milk kefir really doesn’t mold (though I did leave mine in the fridge too long once and it did – but I’m talking months). I’ve left it on my counter fermenting for longer than 24 hours as well and all that happened was I ended up with thicker milk kefir!
My favorite way to consume this fermented deliciousness is in smoothies. Our go to is 1-2 cups of kefir (depending on how many are going to be drinking the smoothie), a handful of strawberries, and 1-2 scoops of collagen. You could also add honey if you like it a little sweeter. So tasty!
I do hope you consider giving milk kefir a try! It’s so delicious and so easy – the perfect new skill to get you on your way and feeling successful pretty quickly. Thanks for stopping by and be sure to check out my YouTube channel here!
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