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Making Milk Kefir Step by Step
Congratulations on making Kefir a part of your diet. A one time purchase for a lifetime of powerful probiotic drinks.
MAKING KEFIR is easier than getting your morning tea or coffee, and takes less than 5 minutes!
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briefly, put the grains in cold fresh milk, cover, and leave on the counter for 5-24 hours (duration varying with summer to winter temperatures). In the hot Pakistani summer, you may have to refrigerate them to slow down the process. From 20' -30'C is best.
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Strain with a plastic strainer, drink the thickened fizzy Kefir and put the grains in fresh milk. Repeat, daily. Your grains will grow and multiply InshaALLAH.
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Need ideas on using your kefir? Here are over 80 milk kefir recipes ; more here.
DRINKING
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Start gradually, with half a cup. Increase to taste. Drink lots of water to help detoxification (learn about Herxheimer reactions). Divide the dose over the day, morning noon and night. Take lots of PREBIOTICS. fresh fruit and vegetables, which will nourish your microflora.
STORAGE
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To take a short break from kefir, put the grains in approx. 4 cups of milk in an air tight container. Put this in the fridge for max 3 weeks. (May take a few milk changes to revive grains when you restart daily kefir.)
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To take a longer break, air dry at room temperature 2-5 days. (Cover with cloth to protect from insects. May smell unpleasant).
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Store in airtight container ( can add some powdered milk) for 6 months. (Not all grains make it).
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More info at Cultures For Health.
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You can also give grains to interested friends and family to use, and who can give you grains when you want them.
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Some clients have dropped of their grains with me to care for (KefirSitting at your service!)
GROWTH
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Kefir grains can grow as much as 15% per batch in optimum conditions, and may double by the third week. Generally watch for significant growth by the end of the second month, when it may accelerate in growth.
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Note: Grains will not grow well in adverse conditions; irregular milk changes, poor quality milk, extreme temperatures, etc.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
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Look at: the FAQ, Cultures for Health, Yemoos, HomeMadeMommy.
Below you will find a slideshow of pictures, tips, downloadable guide, videos and links to help you in learning the kefir habit.
Best viewed full screen. Click on images to view instructions. Use arrows (< >) to navigate
 Learn to make milk kefir like a pro! It's super easy! Just click through the steps that follow. |  Equipment and Ingredients for Milk Kefir: *Glass Jar OR *Glass Jug OR *Plastic Jug (glass is preferable to plastic) *Strainers (plastic or stainless steel) *Milk (cold, raw, organic, whole and full fat) *Kefir milk grains :-) |  Full fat, whole, raw, organic milk gives you the healthiest drink, though any milk is improved with kefir. We use fresh raw organic cow milk sealed in glass bottles, eliminating toxins from plastic packaging. I chose this milk because they guarantee organic products. They grow their own feed for the cows, and have their own pure water source. Cow, goat, buffalo all work well. |
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 To seperate the kefir grains from the kefir, pour them through a strainer into a waiting container. Use plastic or stainless steel strainers. I use a basket sieve or a fine mesh strainer. |  Choose a strainer that fits well over your vessels. Fine mesh strainers take a longer time to filter out the grains (may pick grains out with your fingers). Resulting kefir will be smoother. Larger holes separate the grains faster; smaller grains may pass through. |  Put your grains in a clean culturing vessel |
 I use organic raw cow's milk. Add around one cup of milk for a teaspoon of grains. You can experiment with amount of milk to produce kefir that has the thickness / taste you like |  Grains float to the top. Place a clean cloth or paper towel over the mouth of the fermenting vessel and secure with a rubber band or tie tightly with thread. Allowing oxygen to enter will limit the anaerobic processes |  Put your kefir vessel in an undisturbed place. Some suggest a dark space to prevent deterioration of light sensitive nutrients. 1. You'll see small marks forming around the grains 2. More begin to appear 3. Grains crowding at the surface producing kefir. It's a good idea to stir / shake the vessel so that all the milk is processed 4. When the kefir is ready, large pockets of fluid (whey) appear. The longer you leave the kefir, the more sour it will be. |
 *Initially most people will start with one teaspoon or so of kefir grains in 1-4 cups of milk. *The grains will float to the top, and a few bumps will be visible. *You may not see marks or pockets forming, as the grains are not crowding against the glass *Be patient. Don't panic. * Keep tasting. When it thickens, becomes slightly sour and fizzy, your milk has beneficial probiotics in it. |  You may see the grains floating on the surface, forming a bumpy uneven layer. |  * Dip a porcelain /wooden/plastic/ceramic spoon into the vessel * You will see your grains covered in milk. * In winter, keep it on the counter top * In summer, in Pakistan, it may culture very fast (a few hours). To slow it down, keep it in the fridge * Avoid extreme temperatures. (hot or cold) * If the grains fall to the bottom and stop culturing, it's probably too cold. Move to warmer spot |
 This method is faster, though some small grains will pass through the holes. This is fine, as eating grains is a powerful probiotic boost! (My daughter loves them). 1.Place a basket strainer over a collecting tub 2. 3. Pour in the kefir 4. Shake the basket and leave it a while for all the kefir to pass through. Collect the grains and place them in a clean vessel for the next batch. |  Use a fine mesh strainer if you don't want any grains in your kefir. Place strainer over the jug, pour in the kefir and wait. Use a plastic or wooden spoon to stir the grains around and speed things up. This is when my daughter comes in asking for her grains :-) |  Presto! Your kefir is ready! Drink it, and eat some grains too! Grains contain kefiran, very beneficial for your gut. |
 Now you can drink kefir plain (as I do). Or you can use it as a base in smoothies and milkshakes! Yum |  Kefir is good for growing children, strengthening the digestive system, bones, teeth and skin. |  Add it to your healthy diet! |
Simply right click and chose 'Save As' to download:
Kefir Pakistan put together a handy one page "Getting Started" guide just for you! Print it out and pop it on the fridge. :-)
Quick Videos
Public videos, embedded by Kefir Pakistan, from other people, with thanks!
How To Make Kefir
Storing Kefir and other tips
[Playlist]
How To Make Kefir
How To Make Kefir
Youtube not working? Try these How To Make Kefir videos on Vimeo:
Now that was really easy, right?
"Wash jar. ~Put in grains. ~Add cold milk. ~Cover, put aside. ~Strain through plastic strainer. ~Rinse (vessel, not grains) 'n repeat."
That's the beauty of it. Simple yet powerfully healing. Some points to bear in mind:
Points to Ponder:
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Your grains may not culture as those in the picture. If you have a teaspoon of grains in a cup or two of milk, chances are, they will not crowd against the sides. They may not be very visible, and you may not see marks or pockets of fluid form. Don't panic! Your probiotic powerhouses are working hard for you just the same. After 12 hours, start tasting. You may strain them out when the taste is to your liking.
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You will continuously have to adjust duration of ferment. As the grains grow, temperatures rise, amount of milk used decreases, the time required to culture the milk will decrease. Vice versa.
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Avoid extreme temperatures: hot or very cold. So in summer, keep it in the fridge if it's too hot on the countertop. In winter, avoid the fridge.
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You don't have to wash the grains. If a grain falls on an unclean surface and you have to wash it, use cool water free of chlorine. If you have filtered water, consider boiling and cooling some water. The chlorine will evaporate. Or you could rinse it in ordinary water then just eat the grain.
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But do wash the vessel out after each batch before putting in the grains. Put in the cold milk first, if you washed with hot water, so that your grains aren't exposed to heat.
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Keep your hands clean and nails short. If you use antibacterial soap, rinse well as these chemicals can hurt your grains (after all, they contain bacteria, albeit the GOOD guys.)
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You can eat grains as well, for an extra shot of probiotics. You may want to do this more often as your grains multiply.
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Make sure to give your grains fresh milk regularly, preferable every 24 hours. Over 48 hours in the same milk and you risk starving and killing your SCOBYs.
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It's a good idea to maintain two seperate cultures in two separate vessels. This way, if you accidentally heat, chlorinate, blend or otherwise kill your grains, you have a backup. Sharing surplus grains with friends and family is also an option.
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The taste, appearance and texture of your kefir will change with the seasons, conditions, type of milk, etc. It's normal.
From Around the Web
Different Ways to Make Kefir:
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Dom's About Kefir in-site: Detailed information about these "probiotic jewels"
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Yemoos Milk Kefir Guide
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Cultures for Health Getting Started with Milk Kefir
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The Healthy Eating Site Making Kefir
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The Kitchn Kefir Making Guide
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Whole Natural Life How to Make Kefir
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Food Renegade Delicious Fruity Milk Kefir
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Seeds of Health UK Kefir How-To
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Instructables How to Make Authentic Milk Kefir