How to make milk kefir at home: safe, tasty & foolproof method

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Başak

January 5, 2026

On January 5, 2026

Preparation: 2 mins

Fermentation: approx. 24 h

Difficulty: very easy

Yields: 2 servings

Cost: very low

If you want to go straight to the recipe click here

How to make Milk Kefir at home: Introduction

“How to Make Milk Kefir at home” is a guide designed for people who want to include more probiotic foods in their diet, but who dislike the idea of taking supplements and/or do not want to spend $1.50 per person each day on buying them from the supermarket.
Furthermore, by making your own kefir, you will not only reap all the benefits mentioned in the dedicated article, but also reduce your use of disposable plastic. So, all things considered, you have everything to gain.
Without further ado, I’ll explain everything you need to know about making kefir at home, starting with the ratios of kefir grains/milk.

Ratio of kefir grains/milk

The most commonly used ratio is 1:10, i.e. 1 gram of kefir grains to 10 grams of milk*.
For example, if you use 50g of kefir grains, you should use 500g of milk. For those without kitchen scales, this corresponds to approximately two heaped tablespoons of grains to be fermented in two cups of milk.
Another common ratio is 1:5, i.e. 50g of grains or 2 heaped tablespoons to 250g or 1 cup of milk.
This ratio produces thicker kefir in a shorter time.
However, during the winter months, if your house is cold like mine (it never exceeds 18 degrees on my boat), I suggest using a 1:5 ratio. In summer, when temperatures exceed 25°C, it is better to use a larger quantity of milk, closer to a 1:10 ratio.

I would like to point out that, as milk is denser than water, 100ml of whole milk corresponds to approximately 103g. For smaller quantities of milk, you can make an approximation, but if you are preparing kefir for a large group of people, I recommend weighing the milk to ensure you use the correct amount.

How much kefir should you drink, and when?

I drink kefir because I like the taste, but many people drink it for its therapeutic properties. You may therefore be wondering how much kefir you need to drink to achieve the desired effects.

What is the recommended daily intake of milk kefir?

There is no fixed rule, but experts recommend starting with two tablespoons if you have never consumed probiotic foods before, to give your body time to build up a tolerance. You should then gradually increase your intake to 250ml or 1 cup per day to obtain the beneficial effects of kefir.
Some people with excellent tolerance, drink up to 500ml – 2 cups, and in exceptional cases, even 800ml – approx 3 cups, when there are special needs. But I would suggest not to exceed these amounts.

My heartfelt advice is this: if you have one or more medical conditions, you should always inform your doctors about how much and how often you consume milk kefir.

When should you drink milk kefir?

Again, there is no fixed rule. Many people drink it on an empty stomach in the morning, while others drink it after dinner to aid digestion, increase intestinal motility and improve sleep quality.
Personally, I like to drink some on an empty stomach in the morning and some as a snack between breakfast and lunch.

However, if you suffer from constipation, I recommend taking it either before going to bed or on an empty stomach before breakfast. Either way, be careful with the quantity: as mentioned above, you should start with the minimum amount (50g or 2 tbsps) to test your tolerance, then increase the amount gradually.

Interesting facts on milk kefir production:

Although it is difficult to accurately estimate how much kefir is prepared at home around the world, the industrial kefir market is booming. It is estimated to be worth approximately £1.3 billion by 2025, with millions of kilograms sold, especially in Europe and North America. Forecasts suggest it could be worth £2.1 billion by 2030. However, if we all start making kefir at home maybe these numbers may decrease

Ingredients for the best homemade milk kefir

500g – 2 cups of milk, prefarably pasteurized organic farm milk
50g – 2 heaped tbsps of kefir grains

Kitchen Tools you need

1 large glass jar
1 piece of gauze, clean tea towel or kitchen roll
1 elastic band
1 stainless steel or plastic strainer
1 stainless steel or plastic spoon

Should you avoid metal kitchen utensils on kefir, or not?

You may have heard that touching grains with metal utensils harms them. For this reason, it is best to use a plastic strainer and spoon. Provided it is of good quality and not damaged, using plastic is fine.
However, not all metals are harmful to kefir grains. High-quality stainless steel, for example, is perfect: it is hygienic and practically inert in the presence of kefir’s acidity. However, you should never use low-quality stainless steel with visible rust spots, nor copper or aluminium utensils, if you wish to maintain the characteristics of your kefir grains.

Directions to make milk kefir at home

Step 1. Drain the kefir into a bowl using a plastic or stainless steel strainer.

Step 2: The liquid obtained is the kefir that can be drunk. The grains remaining in the strainer can be used to make new kefir, so transfer them to a clean jar. First, weigh them.

Step 3: Pour 50 g of grains into a clean jar and cover them with 250–500 g of milk.

Step 4: Cover the jar with gauze or a tea towel and secure it with an elastic band.

Step 5: Put the jar somewhere away from sunlight, heat or wind for about 24 hours.

Step 6. Fermentation normally takes about 24 hours, but the exact time depends on the temperature of your surroundings. In summer, after 18 hours, check whether the liquid is uniform or if the whey has separated visibly; if so, the kefir may have fermented for too long. Next time let it ferment for a shorter time or with more milk.
If your home is cold in winter, it may take up to 26–30 hours.

Step 7. After about 24 hours, you can strain the kefir and drink it straight away, move it to the refrigerator to cool for a few hours, or leave it to undergo a second fermentation in the fridge for another day. The grains recovered after filtering can be used to make milk kefir at home again.

example of overfermented milk kefir, with visible whey separation

How to consume excess kefir grains

Making kefir at home inevitably results in an excess of grains. Each time you feed them with new milk, they multiply by 5-10%, requiring consequently 5-10% more milk.
You could overlook this obvious imbalance in the grain/kefir ratio for 3–4 refreshments, but after a while, the situation will become unignorable.
Here are some ideas for putting these little treasures to good use:

Become a grain donor to friends, relatives and strangers who frequent social groups for kefir lovers;
Eat the grains, as they contain many more probiotics than the kefir they produce. You could also feed them to pets, especially dogs;
Add the grains to smoothies or other uncooked preparations;
Store them in the freezer in a little milk in case you lose all your kefir grains;
As a last resort, you can use them as fertiliser for plants or as compost.

But never throw them away because, over time, you will find that they become part of the family too.

What if it’s the milk kefir that’s left over?

How to consume leftover milk kefir?

Then you could make a sort of Greek yoghurt, similar to ricotta, by draining the filtered kefir for 1-2 days, preferably in the fridge, and use it on bread or in recipes, such as Turkish borek with spinach.
Or you can use kefir to make delicious flatbreads.

Now that you know how to make milk kefir at home and how to never waste it, you will become more and more involved in the Revolution.

Good luck and bon appétit!