Podcast Episode 164: How To Make Your Kefir Creamy Again

There are many ways to make kefir with many different types of milk, and believe me, I've tried them all. Mostly to try to help you. I have some of my favorites, but I will explain which ones you can use and let you know my favorites. There is a lot to understand about milk and the many ways you can consume it and use it to make kefir. Things like, "What do pasteurization and homogenization do to milk? Why don't you recommend organic milk to make kefir? Can I culture cream and make kefir butter and sour cream? What about non-dairy milk to make kefir? Does raw milk make good kefir?" I go into great detail here but stay with me, you'll learn so much.
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❤Donna❤

[@wildabezet860]

Thanks for the information, Donna. I got my first kefir grains from you and have been making kefir for 2 1/2years, now. I love it and have a fruit smoothie almost every morning. My husband loves it too. A lot of times, instead of a heavy supper, we just eat a little banana and fruit in kefir. I have never thrown any away or thought it had gone bad. Last October when my dad was dying, I went to help with his care and was away for over a month. I expected my kefir to be dead but , but once I got home and tried making it again, it revived. It’s really forgiving and such a miracle food. I like to try new things, but the one thing I cannot give up is my kefir. PS, we have been healthy and covid free. We don’t even get sick. (We are in our 70’s.)

[@CulturedFoodLife]

LOVE all of this! The foods really are quite resilient and your grains were probably fairly strong from you making kefir so regularly. They never cease to amaze me. glad your experience was so great!

[@moomin8251]

Bit late with the comment but I had 2 litres of kefir that's sooo over fermented I didn't know what to do with it, that's why I watched the video. I blended it and it ended up thick and smooth, and I had more than I started with so I put it in a glass and mixed some instant fake coffee (chicory and barley) and some coconut sugar. It tastes great! Like a kind of sharp, iced caramel coffee. This is definitely one way I'll be drinking Kefir from now on.

[@7283utub]

I never freak out because Donna is so positive, calm, and experienced! Thank you, I love how personal you are in your teaching and sharing approach. The best!

[@CulturedFoodLife]

thank you very much Heide, I'm here to encourage you to keep going!

[@tracyroake2815]

Donna I love your videos and I've been following you for five years now. I've had the same culture and experienced failures and pluses. I like to leave mine until it separates. Then I take a turkey baster and draw the way off of the bottom into a separate container. So I strain the Kurds and get a very thick kefir. That's the way I like it. I don't really drink it I eat it with a spoon! Thank you so much. Yum yum!

[@wayneyork6282]

Thanks, your video's got me started and I do feel healthier drinking a little kefir in the morning :)

[@momoflogan]

I have been experimenting with dips. The other day I decided to make your one dip with garlic and went a few steps more by adding tomatoes, green peppers, and jalapeños. Oh my garsh it is SO good and adds a great kick to it!

[@CulturedFoodLife]

Sounds extra delicious Tina! I love playing with recipes and hardly ever stick to the original haha

[@time2wkup355]

Do you make videos with you in it anymore? I love watching the video too! 🙂

[@crrrjones]

I use 2% low-fat A2 organic milk. It is always over fermented in less than 24 hours but tastes great in my smoothies. It multiplies like crazy but we (including my dogs) eat it. It never gets creamy but liquidy with separation. Thank you for the explanations and good tips always!

[@CulturedFoodLife]

If its separating and going fast you just need to adjust your ratios. You can either remove some kefir grains or add more milk. You'll need to continue to adjust the amount of kefir grains as they continue to grow.

[@yvonnieholness9895]

Another soul set free , hallelujah!!!!🙏

[@erikadorogi1820]

I a few days ago I received my grains and made my first batch. ( receive them in mail and it looks like they did not survive the summer heat) I used 3.25% milk and kept it on the counter in a 25.5 C- 26.5 C. After nearly 30 hours my milk is not even sour. :(. But I'm not giving up hope so I'm still acting like it is normal. I just finished my third batch and my milk it's more like sour milk then Kefir. It is watery ! But I noticed that my grains are growing /multiplying. Is this normal? Is there a chance that I will be able to have CREAMY and tasty Kefir?

[@mariep4018]

When I use heavy cream or whipping cream with my kefir grains it comes super thick creamy and delicious. It’s almost like a whipped cream. Eat it with a spoon! ❤❤❤

[@kmal16]

Same here, a friend recommended that recipe and I put 10-30% whipping cream and the rest with whole milk, and I add maple syrup and cinnamon to each cup. My friends think it's like drinking the most delicious ice cream on steroids with a hint of butter.

[@michelleespino9814]

In summer months or in winter months also if you live in Florida 😎 ☀️

[@johnmead6484]

Hi, John here from Australia. I love your show. How do I know if my grains are dead. My kefir is very thin, ist winter here atm and my house gets cold when I'm not home and over night when I sleep. Can you help.

[@realestatemaffit4321]

What is your preferred milk to use with live grains? I am a newbie.

[@darlarousch6339]

Can you use the curds to make cheese? Or would it be too sour?

[@adhikariindia]

Should i add inlulin powder prebiotic to the milk while making kefir??

[@grumpy3517]

what is larchpowder?? You mentioned it twice, but I probably don't understand it properly so that it makes sense to me.

[@Nicholas.Tsagkos]

Yes, fermenting in the fridge does make kefir creamy, i believe that's why industries are doing it, fermentation in low temperatures.

[@jamesbell491]

Thanks for the great information. I'm new to making kefir and trying to learn all about it. How much kefir should I drink each day? Seventy three year old male. Can a person drink too much?

[@CulturedFoodLife]

Hi James It's best to start slowly as you can go through a detox. This is not a bad thing, but could be intense depending on what you have to heal from. Here is what I do now: www.culturedfoodlife.com/how-many-cultured-foods-do-i-eat-in-a-day/

[@faridaujjainwala9549]

I put 1 tbsp kefir grains in 2.5 cup of milk, my kefir was very thin in 24 hours. Did I need to ferment it more? I don’t know what I am doing wrong 😢. It was slightly sour

[@jbwjr54]

I am having a light brown yellowish, clear liquid forming on the top of my keifer after fermenting overnight. This just started in the last couple of days. I don’t know what to make of this because this is the first I have seen of this in the last couple years since owning these grains. Are they by chance going bad?

[@CulturedFoodLife]

Hi Sounds like something is off balance. I'm guessing it also has a yeasty flavor and smell? Send us an email at [e-mail] we can help you. Also check out this page: www.culturedfoodlife.com/milk-kefir-faqs/

[@wendymarinelli6603]

My grains are not growing fast. It’s summer and it’s been three weeks since I activated dehydrated grains

[@Kensingtonhawk]

Have you tried raw buffalo milk to make kefir. I get both cow and buffalo organic milk straight from their teat here in Nepal. Ive beeb making mine with cow milks and in 19 days my grains increased from 1tbs to 6.5 tbs. Wanna try the buffalo soon and see if theres any difference.

[@momoflogan]

Wow!! I have been trying to find somewhere near me that I can obtain raw milk from and no luck yet.

[@CulturedFoodLife]

Hi Angel, I dont' have access to buffalo milk so I haven't tried it before. But I bet it would still work fine as they do good in goats milk also. But it may stay thinner than cows milk. You're grains are doing great to grow that fast!

[@pamelasmith4143]

Donna Schwenk which collagen powder do you use?

[@CulturedFoodLife]

I mix it up. I stick with a grassfed organic collagen powder. I mostly use primal kitchen : www.culturedfoodlife.com/are-you-getting-enough-of-this-powerful-protein/

[@alert1006]

Donna, I hope you can help. I put my kefir grains in a different milk brand I had used. It's ultra pasteurized organic whole milk, but the grains disappeared!! What went wrong? have I lost them now? Please help!

[@victorialg1270]

I would like to know how to improve my water kefir grains.

[@CulturedFoodLife]

Hi Victoria I have loads of information on my website. This is a great place to start: www.culturedfoodlife.com/water-kefir-faqs/

[@DoublehaulMT]

Does the EZ kefir you talk about have as many probiotics as regular kefir?

[@jbwjr54]

My Kiefer has a light brown sort of yellowish color on the top, after it is fermented overnight. It is sort of a clearish liquid. Thought maybe the way it discolored a little bit. This is the first I’ve seen of this over the last couple of years I’ve had my Kiefer grains. Is it mean they’re going bad?

[@CulturedFoodLife]

Hi Sounds like something is off balance. I'm guessing it also has a yeasty flavor and smell? Send us an email at [e-mail] we can help you. Also check out this page: www.culturedfoodlife.com/milk-kefir-faqs/

[@jbwjr54]

@@CulturedFoodLife Yeah it’s funny the flavor didn’t change but the next day it was fine. So maybe there was something that was just off a little bit. I am going on vacation for a week so I’m going to put them in 4 cups of milk and let them rest in the fridge. Thanks for getting back to me. Really enjoy your podcasts.

[@amandadobson4229]

Hi I’m very new to your channel and to fermenting in general. Can I ask a question please about blending the kefir? I watched someone else that said if you blend it the bacteria gets cut up and so they are no longer useful for out gut. Is there any truth in this?

[@janab2370]

I don’t think that could even be possible- bacteria is a single cell organism- blending it would not be cutting it.

[@chuckylamb4398]

What is pre bio made of please 🇬🇧

[@user-cl7pm7zm3x]

There is no recipe for sour cream in description as you said.

[@DaphneLoh]

Can I use chocolate flavored fresh milk to ferment?

[@PixieJC]

No

[@pamfraim9597]

Put in fridge overnight and it will go back. STIR it first.

[@jackylopez909]

Hi my kefir is not getting thick at all it smells just fermented what can I do

[@charleencnossen9930]

What makes kefir sour but still milky? I can’t seem to get whey out of my daughter-in-law’s completed kefir!!

[@CulturedFoodLife]

You should definitely be able to get whey and cheese. But keep in mind if you are using lower fat milk you wont get very much cheese curd. Make sure you are using a coffee filter lined strainer to get the curd and milk separated. If the milk is still super runny and not developing a curd at all then it isn't done fermenting. It should be just slightly thicker than the milk you used.

[@andreawarren4910]

How can I make kefir with almond milk can you help me please thanks

[@Princess.T3rf]

why use almonds? use raw milk 100% healthier and tastier than almond water

[@andreawarren4910]

Hi Donna I bought kefir from you but is not like robbery it’s mushy it’s not the way you show in your video thanks

[@jason2014]

Anyone who throws their Kefir away should spend 2 weeks in a third world country. I bet when they come back they won't throw it away again.