How To Make Milk Kefir | Easy Kefir Recipe

Milk kefir is something I simply would not be without. It is one of the few things I consume daily almost without fail. It is just so amazing and an absolute must in our family’s diet! Today we are discussing the benefits of kefir, and I will also include my simple recipe for how to make milk kefir.

I had heard of kefir for years, but I didn’t know much about it. I had watched a few videos about kefir and became convinced that I should add it to my diet. But I didn’t really know how to practically incorporate it into my life. I didn’t really have an interest to buy kefir from the store as it was nothing compared to home-fermented kefir. I also saw kefir grains available for purchase on Amazon, but I didn’t know if I could trust those.

Introduction to Kefir

It wasn’t too long after we started learning about kefir that we visited friends of ours. It was then that I noticed some jars on my friend’s kitchen counter, and she shared with me that it was kefir.

I got super excited! I had been wanting to make kefir and just didn’t know how to start or where to buy the grains to make kefir. Now I had no more excuses. “Can you please teach me how to make it?” I asked her.

She was happy to show me how she makes her kefir, and she was glad to share some of her grains with me. I was absolutely delighted and left their house carrying my jar of kefir grains and a big smile! I was so excited to begin my kefir journey. It continues to amaze me time after time how a friend’s kindness can impart not only knowledge but also courage. I was no longer intimated to make kefir.

The very next day after allowing my kefir grains to ferment on the counter for 24 hours, I made my first successful batch of milk kefir. I was overjoyed! I texted my friend with a few additional questions over the next several days and made sure to thank her repeatedly for sharing with me.

What I didn’t realize when I started making kefir was how incredibly amazing dairy kefir truly is. I kept making and consuming it every single day, but it wasn’t until many months later that I began to discover the tremendous benefits of kefir.

Getting My Family On Board!

I shared a podcast with my husband and older kids and sent them emails with pretty pictures that listed all the amazing things kefir can do. I tried to really get them excited too! The benefits of kefir amazed my family! They started consuming it daily. I love it when my family joins in the excitement of being healthy without me having to do too much prodding. 🙂

What Are Kefir Grains?

Kefir grains are not actually grains. So in case you have an allergy or intolerance to grains, rest assured that kefir is not really a grain. That’s just what the amazing little white, cauliflower-looking, powerhouse clusters are called.

Kefir grains transform milk (after sitting on the counter at room temperature for 24 hours) into something spectacular. Imagine this: A drink that is anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic, anti-fungal, and antitumoral all in one. It helps stabilize blood sugar and control insulin. If you’re able to get your hands on some robust kefir grains, they may contain more than 30 strains of beneficial probiotics that increase the health of your gut.

Benefits of Milk Kefir

Dairy kefir not only helps control blood sugar, it also helps regulate and lower blood pressure. Kefir has been shown to have cardiovascular as well as respiratory health benefits. It is helpful to those who struggle with allergies, and it even has a calming effect on the body. Kefir contains a host of vitamins and minerals, including vitamins A, D, K, and an array of B vitamins, magnesium, calcium, and phosphorus. If that wasn’t enough, kefir also contains amino acids, including tryptophan. I know I may seem like a nerd, but I get pretty excited about amino acids! Personally I make sure I get plenty of protein and amino acids in my diet every single day.

Milk Kefir for Gut Health

Gut health these days is all the rage and rightly so. Our gut has been called our second brain. I can tell you firsthand how true that is from an experience we had with one of our children. I was given antibiotics while I was in labor with him (that I never should have been given), and he was also prescribed a couple rounds of antibiotics during the first two months of life (that he never should have been given). Live and learn!

Those antibiotics destroyed his fragile little gut for many years! I can attest to how much his sensitive gut affected his behavior. I tried to talk to doctors about my theories but was only met with scoffs at such a notion back then. How times have changed. Now almost everyone agrees that the gut affects the brain!

We tried various brands of probiotics but none of them ever made a helpful difference. Probiotics in a capsule can’t even come close to mimicking what God has so graciously given us in food he created. That same child who struggled with severe gut issues years ago is not just better, but he is thriving! He consumes raw milk and kefir daily and has a happy, healthy gut! What a testament to whole foods that God provides!

Though I do believe some supplements are wonderful and even needful, I am thankful that we get many of our daily vitamins, minerals, enzymes, probiotics, and amino acids from kefir! Our whole family consumes kefir 6-7 days each week.

How To Enjoy Milk Kefir

Every single morning my 5-year old makes three bowls of kefir. One for himself and two for his sisters just above him. He pours the kefir in the bowls and mixes in 1/2 cup blueberries into each helping. Voila. Almost an instant breakfast. Talk about healthy and satisfying! My husband and other children make kefir smoothies each morning for breakfast. They are super fast and easy to make. Just a cup of kefir, 1/2 cup of frozen blueberries or strawberries, and sometimes 1/2 of a frozen banana. I like to eat kefir for lunch or as an afternoon snack, mixing seeds or nuts into my kefir for added nutrition.

I cannot tell you how excited and giddy I get over kefir. It just thrills my heart that we get to eat something so amazing and so full of goodness every single day! Just ask my family. They will tell you how excited I get!

My 5-Year Old Makes Kefir

One of the best parts about kefir is just how easy it is to make it! I like simple. I like to do things in the kitchen that don’t take lots of time and effort. We have a lot going on, and I like to do things that I simply don’t have to put a lot of thought into when I’m in the kitchen. Kefir wins the prize for being hands-down the easiest thing I make!

In fact, it’s so easy that most days our three youngest kiddos make it instead of me. They ask to make kefir themselves, and I gladly let them help.

How to Make Milk Kefir

I finally made a video about how to make milk kefir because I find myself explaining it to others so often. So in case this sounds at all complicated, please check out my video, and you will see just how easy it really is.

All you need to start is about 1 Tablespoon of robust kefir grains and a glass of milk. Find a friend willing to share some with you or purchase some from Cultured Food Life. Once you have your own grains, you will never have to buy any ever again if you keep them going. More on that soon. You will also need some milk (not ultra pasteurized), a couple mason jars, a mesh strainer, and a spoon.

When you are given or acquire your kefir grains, they should be covered with milk. When I brought mine home for the first time from my friend’s house, the grains were in a quart sized mason jar covered by milk and loosely topped with a mason jar lid. I left the jar with the grains and milk on my countertop to ferment at room temperature for 24 hours.

Straining Your Milk Kefir

After your grains have fermented for 24 hours it is time to strain them. Place a small mesh strainer over a clean mason jar, and slowly pour the contents from your jar with the grains/milk into the strainer. The liquid substance (now kefir) will pour through the strainer while the kefir grains will stay behind.

You will place that liquid kefir into the refrigerator to consume. That is your liquid gold probiotic drink! Put the kefir grains that stayed behind in your strainer into another mason jar, cover the grains with milk (no measurements required), loosely cover with a mason jar lid, and set on your counter to ferment for another 24 hours.

That’s it! That’s how easy it is to make kefir! It really takes less than 5 minutes, and my 5-year old can do it! Simply keep that same process going every day, and you will always have fresh home fermented milk kefir. I won’t go into details here, but home fermented kefir is WAY superior to store bought kefir. Don’t take my word for it. Look into it, and do your research!

Does Milk Kefir Go Bad?

You can consume the kefir you put in your refrigerator for many days to come. None of ours has ever had time to go bad, but there are quite a few of us consuming it every day. One of our younger sons has even taken it upon himself to make kefir for our dogs each day. We want our animals to be healthy too, you know!

As you make kefir each day, you will probably be amazed just like I am at how quickly kefir grains grow! Kefir grains are living, quite active, and grow day by day. Talk about something being fruitful and multiplying! You will see this phenomenon happen right before your eyes should you start making home fermented milk kefir. You will be looking for people to share your grains with, trust me! I share mine as often as possible. I also tend to have many jars of fermenting kefir on the counter at once. Some days I only have 3 jars going; other days there are as many as 8 fermenting at once. But, one jar is all you need.

What Kind of Milk is Best?

And I must mention that you can use the cheapest pasteurized milk you can find. This absolutely blew me away! We have family milk cows, and therefore we consume raw milk. I love raw milk. But, get this! You don’t need raw milk to have superior kefir. Kefir grains transform even the cheapest pasteurized milk into something incredible.

The only kind of milk you want to avoid is ultra pasteurized milk. Unfortunately, organic milk is usually ultra pasteurized. Isn’t that interesting? It just goes to show how damaging the pasteurization process can be to something God made pretty perfect to start with.

Kefir Transformation Stories

I can’t wrap this up without sharing at least a couple stories with you about how we have seen kefir benefit our family. One of our children has struggled with a mild form or asthma for many years. We’ve never had to do anything to address the issue. This child simply has to be aware not to overexert herself while running or working out. Otherwise her lungs will give out before her body. But after consuming kefir for a relatively short amount of time she began to notice that she is able to workout harder now. Her body was tired in her workouts before her lungs gave out. She attributed this amazing change to kefir, as that was the only change she had made. We had heard that kefir can really help those who struggle with asthma. It proved to be true in our family.

I have learned through the years that most people struggle with having a functional, healthy gut when it comes to digestive issues. I have told our children that I think it’s best if they have normal bowel movements 2-3 times per day. That’s what we aim for, and that’s a sign of good health. One of our children had to take extra magnesium in order to achieve going to the bathroom just once a day. But, after adding daily kefir into the diet, this child was able to go to the bathroom twice a day and cut back on magnesium intake.

Go Make Some Kefir!

Kefir truly is a powerhouse of nutrition! I cannot rave about it enough. If you’ve never made it before, I encourage you to give a go! It’s so simple and quick to make. If you buy store bought kefir, I really encourage you to make it yourself instead. Home fermented kefir far exceeds what you can ever buy. Watch your health transform as the days roll on just from this simple addition to your daily routine.

I also can highly recommend the Culture Food Life website as a tremendous resource. Read her articles, and glean from all her many years of wisdom and experience.

Here’s to good gut health!

Allyson