Welcome! This page will take you through what to do when you receive your grains, how to make milk kefir, and teach you some helpful tips and delicious recipes. If you don't already have kefir grains, our live organic milk kefir grains can be purchased here. They are posted freshly fed and live. 

Upon Receiving Your Grains 

1. Immediately open the sachet (a strong sour smell is normal)
2. Pour the kefir grains into a strainer
3. Rinse them with a small amount of milk
4. Follow the instructions below.

Please note that the kefir grains may need up to a week to adapt to their new environment and reach their full potency; do not be concerned if the first batch or two doesn’t fully ferment—just keep repeating steps 1 to 7. 

However, if you do encounter any issues, do not throw the kefir grains out. Instead, read our common questions and troubleshooting guide or place the grains in the fridge and contact us for assistance. 

Making Milk Kefir

You Will Need

• A glass jar with a lid
• A measuring jug
• A spoon and fine mesh strainer (metal is okay)

Note: Using a stainless-steel strainer and spoon during the straining process is perfectly fine and will not harm your kefir grains

Milk Kefir to Grain Ratios

• 1 tsp of grains - 1 cup (250 ml) of full cream/skim milk 
• ½ tbsp of grains - 1.5 cups (375 ml) of full cream/skim milk
• 1 tbsp of grains - 3 cups (750 ml) of full cream/skim milk 

Steps

1. Measure out the milk
2. Place the grains inside the glass jar and pour in the milk 
3. Loosely place/twist on the lid, allowing for airflow
4. Leave for 24-48 hours at room temperature and out of direct sunlight 
5. Place the strainer on top of the measuring jug and then pour in the contents of the jar
6. Using a spoon, gently move the mixture back and forth to strain out all milk curds, ensuring only the kefir grains remain in the strainer (it is very difficult to break and push the grains through the strainer)
7. Store the milk kefir in your refrigerator and repeat step 1

Note: As the grains multiply, you’ll need discard some of the kefir grains or add more milk to each batch

Over-Fermentation 

If your milk kefir starts to separate into two layers, it means that over-fermentation is occurring which results in milk kefir that’s typically too sour to drink. If this happens, you can: 

• Discard some of the milk kefir grains
• Shorten the fermentation time
• Make larger batches
• Ferment in a cooler location 

Taking A Break 

If you need to take a break from making milk kefir, you can store the kefir grains in the fridge by:

1. Following steps 1 and 2
2. Placing the the jar inside the fridge
3. Refreshing the milk every 7-14 days

Secondary Fermentation With Fruit 

A secondary fermentation is a great way to enhance the flavour of your milk kefir. Simply add a handful of fruit to the milk kefir after the straining process and leave it at room temperature for 24 hours. 

Kefir Smoothies 

Try adding honey, fruit, or herbs to your milk kefir and blending it into a smoothie. Here are some recipes to get you started: 

🍓Strawberry and Mint Milk Kefir

• 1 cup of milk kefir
• 3 strawberries
• 1-2 mint leaves
• Dash of honey

🫐Blueberry Milk Kefir 

• 1 cup of milk kefir
• 60 grams of blueberries
• Half a tsp of vanilla extract

🍌Berry and Banana Milk Kefir

• 1 cup of milk kefir
• Half a banana
• 2 tsp of almond butter 

Explore more fermenting favorites like water kefir grains, kombucha scoby, and sourdough starter on our website. Enjoy and happy fermenting!