Milk kefir from store-bought kefir as starter
4
Units:
Prep: 5 min
Ingredients
- 2 cup whole milk
- 3 tbsp plain store-bought kefir with live active cultures
When you can't find kefir grains, use a spoonful of live-culture store-bought kefir as your starter. The culture is less diverse than real grains and weakens over generations, but it gets you brewing kefir today.
Instructions
- Add starter: Pour the store-bought kefir into a clean glass jar.
- Add milk: Add whole milk to the jar and stir gently to combine.
- Cover loosely: Rest a lid on top without sealing, or cover with a cloth.
- Ferment: Leave at room temperature (68-75°F) for 24 hr until slightly thickened and tangy.
- Refrigerate: Move to the fridge once the kefir reaches your preferred tanginess.
- Save starter: Reserve 3 tbsp of this batch to start the next. Refresh with a new store-bought bottle every 5-7 batches as the culture weakens.
Tips
- Use plain, unflavored kefir with "live active cultures" clearly on the label.
- Lifeway and Green Valley are widely available brands with live cultures.
- This is a bridge — real kefir grains remain vastly superior for long-term kefir making. Source grains from an online store or a local fermenter when you can.
Created: 3/23/2026, 2:44:00 AM diylow cost
Glass jar (1 pt), cloth cover