Basic Kefir Sour Cream

Basic kefir sour cream is rich in flavor & probiotics – a great alternative to store-bought sour cream!  It’s easy to make with 2 simple ingredients.

 

Kefir sour cream tastes very similar too regular store-bought sour cream except it’s quite a bit better. Then, I admit I might be biased as well.

Making kefir sour cream is quite simple really – most of the time is hands-off. If you can use a mesh strainer then you can make this easy sour cream at home quite easily.

What is Kefir?

Kefir is one of the best and most nutritional foods you can consume – whether or you are pregnant, or you are dealing with gut issues (leaky gut primarily).

It’s something we all consume daily and it works wonders to boost your immune system, when used as a natural part of your health regimen.

How Does Kefir Work?

Making Kefir can be done with Milk Kefir Grains or a Starter Culture. Starter culture is a single use culture but grains are reusable.  

If you are making kefir at home, it’s best done with raw milk and not pasteurized milk (as in milk from the grocery store). To find raw milk in your area head to the real milk site to use their state finder.

Kefir grains are harder to find.  We picked up ours from our raw milk farm a long time ago and have since used them over, and over, and over again.  You can pick up grains at Cultures for Health if you are buying online.

To make kefir, simply place a teaspoon of grains in a clean, pint-size glass jar and add milk to the (almost) top of the jar. Place a cheesecloth or coffee filter over the top of the jar, and push to the rear of the counter for 12-24 hours. In colder months, kefir may take up to 24 hours to ferment, as little as 12 hours in warmer weather.

At the completion of the ferment, simply strain out the grains with a nylon strainer (avoid using metal).  Place the strained milk in a clean jar. Then put the grains in a clean glass jar, cover with milk, and repeat the fermenting process again.

How to Make Basic Kefir Sour Cream

To make basic kefir sour cream, you’ll cover your kefir grains with the cream top from your raw milk (instead of using regular raw milk). Then lightly cover with cheesecloth or a clean coffee filter and push to the rear of your counter.

Allow that to sit 12 hours in the summer, or 24 hours in cooler weather. You’ll see that the kefir becomes very “set” after that time.  Now, the tricky part: removing the grains.  I pour the contents of the jar over a clean, mesh strainer (avoid metal) that sits atop a wide bowl and wiggle that strainer back and forth. You can also use a wooden chopstick to wiggle them around and help the kefir through the strainer.

The grains should remain in the “top” of the strainer while the kefir strains out into the bowl underneath.

Put those kefir grains back into a clean, pint-size glass jar and top with fresh raw milk (or, more cream top), and push to the rear of the counter to start the process again.

Use raw milk for kefir grains if you wish to incorporate kefir into smoothies.

Use raw heavy cream (cream top) if you wish to make more kefir sour cream.

Meanwhile, quickly rinse your strainer. Now line your strainer with 2-3 clean coffee filters, and place it atop of a clean bowl. Pour your strained kefir over the strainer again, and set it in the fridge overnight, or for up to 24 hours.

Making basic kefir sour cream is quite – and is quite simply, very easy.   Place a strainer (avoid metal) over a clean bowl. Line that strainer with 2-3 clean coffee filters and pour the strained kefir from earlier into the strainer.

Place that strainer in the refrigerator overnight, or up to 24 hours.

Now you have it!   Once you pull that kefir cream out of the fridge, it will be nice and thick – a sour cream texture. You have successfully made yourself basic kefir sour cream!

Keep this kefir sour cream in a jar  in the fridge. It should keep fine for up to one week.

Use it as a topping for your baked potatoes, or anywhere that you would normally use regular sour cream.   Just make another batch when you are running low.

If you ever find yourself with extra kefir, it works wonderful for this recipe, below!

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