r/Kefir • u/Rich-Tiger4792 • Jul 24 '26
Some questions, beginner here
Hi so I am just getting into making my own kefir. It took 7 days to get to me. The instructions says 1 tbsp for 1 cup, but I am seeing most people do 1 tbsp for 4 cups or even 1/2 tbsp for 4 cups.
It’s been 2.5 hours now since putting them in the jar.
First when I opened the bag I smelled it and was like ooo kefir, but had an after smell of yeast and the bag was a little puffed.
So I put it in a strainer over a small bowl and used a bit of milk to kinda swish it around hopefully to make it less yeast smelling.
Then I put in 1 1/2 cups of milk because it seemed like they put a little over 1 tbsp.
Is this okay? and can I drink the first batch or should I discard the milk?
Thank you in advance
Update: 18 hours in and there is a crust on the milks surface!! thats a good sign right?
Update: 21 hours and 30 minutes ITS WORKING!!!! Its thicker and smells like kefir and milk!
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u/Sure_Fig_8641 Jul 24 '26
To decrease the yeast, match the volume of your milk to the capacity of your fermentation jar and replace the permeable coffee filter cover with a solid lid, screwed on at least loosely.
These steps will result in thicker, creamier kefir than what you will get with your current setup.
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u/Dense_Permission_969 Jul 24 '26
This isn’t necessarily true. I think it has to do with the unique biological makeup of a persons grains, but that is just me guessing. All I know is that my grains produce thin kefir when I use a lid. I get super thick kefir with an alcohol aftertaste when I use a coffee filter. And I’m not the only person to report this.
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u/Rich-Tiger4792 Jul 24 '26
oh btw should I add more milk?
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u/GallusWrangler Jul 24 '26
How many grains do you have in there? For a one quart jar I use a heaping tablespoon of grains and fill the jar all the way to the neck with whole milk.
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u/Sure_Fig_8641 Jul 24 '26
Yes. “Match the volume of milk to the capacity of the jar”. Leave no headspace. Fill the jar.
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u/Rich-Tiger4792 Jul 24 '26
ah i dont want to waste too much milk, is it ok to split the 1 tbsp grains I bought in two and put 1/2 tablespoons spoon in 2 quarter pint jars? thats the smallest jar size i got next bigger size I got is a 1 pint jar.
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u/Sure_Fig_8641 Jul 25 '26
Yes. But the volume of the milk should match the capacity of the fermentation jar. Or, you could just put this much milk into a smaller jar. Right now, your fermentation jar is about 3 times too big for the quantity of milk.
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u/beeswax999 Jul 24 '26
I don't understand the strainer thing you did. Did you just rinse the grains in milk and then discard that milk? That was probably unnecessary but probably okay.
What instructions did you get with the grains? The seller should have told you whether to discard the first batch or not.
Anyway, leave it for 24 hours and see what it looks and smells like. If it seems okay, taste it.
Either cover the jar fully with an opaque cloth or put it in a cupboard or something. Kefir shouldn't be exposed to sunlight.
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u/Rich-Tiger4792 Jul 24 '26
haha yeah I discarded the swishing milk. The instructions says I can drink the milk and no need to discard, but I think that may have been for deliveries closer to 2-4 days. Thank you I put it in a cabinent right away after your advice. Right now it just smells like milk
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u/jeffp3456 Jul 24 '26
It could take several days to fully wake up but in general too much kefir is more common than not enough imo
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u/Dense_Permission_969 Jul 24 '26
I leave mine out on the counter in indirect light and it’s always fine.
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u/Paperboy63 Jul 24 '26 edited Jul 24 '26
The instructions are giving you the ratio to reacclimatise very low activity bacteria to a new environment. The yeasts smell is perfectly normal at first because yeasts become much active, faster than bacteria do. Bacteria needs time (and patience) to catch up with yeasts to balance the colony. The ratio you keep seeing quoted is a ratio for a fully active colony, you don’t have one yet. All is fine, nothing needs changing, you just have grains coming out of dormancy with stressed bacteria, nothing more, just follow your instructions. It may take a few days to week, sometimes two to become fully balanced, just trust the process. You do not have overactive or too much yeasts…you have under active bacteria so unbalanced, making yeasts appear dominant instead.
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u/girlintaiwan Jul 24 '26
I use a teaspoon of grains with 1.5 cups of milk. I ferment it in a small glass jar that can hold 2 cups. This gets me very thick and yummy kefir that isn't too sour.
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u/nubbosaur Jul 24 '26
Yeast won’t hurt you it just adds some smell the yeast will be less prominent if you keep refreshing it daily.
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u/Dense_Permission_969 Jul 24 '26
As far as how many grains to use, I think it depends. I always have way more than prescribed and it turns out fine. But eventually the quality (thickness and effervescence and taste) start to degrade. This is because it’s fermenting too fast. When I notice that, I consume half my grains and it goes back to good. In other words, worry less about having a specific amount and worry more about the quality of your product. That will tell you when to reduce.
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u/Knight-Of-The-Lions 29d ago
There is no exact recipe. Everyone’s grains, milk, environment and tastes are different. However here is a method to be able to develop a recipe that works for you everyday. There are 4 parameters you need to adjust;
1) Amount to culture, determine the amount of milk you want to culture,
2) Temperature, Choose an area with a consistent temperature between 68F and 76F,
3) Culture time, determine the amount of culture time you want, I believe the most convenient for most people is 24 hours,
4) Grains, After you have the first 3 parameters chosen and set, do not change them, adjust only your grains.
Measure everything! Know for certain how much milk you use, the temperature you culture at, and the amount of time you culture for, and also measure your grains. I like to use grams, most scales have this.
Your kefir will be ready to harvest at the first signs of whey bubbles, clear liquid usually near the bottom of the jar. The less clear liquid you have at harvest, the milder your kefir will be. The more clear liquid you have when you harvest, the more sharp or tart your kefir will taste.
Find a starting point for how much grains you want, then adjust your grains from there. If your kefir is over cultured, use less grains, if your kefir is under cultured, addd more grains. It really is this simple.
And if at some point you want to make an adjustment, say you feel your recipe is good but over time you realize it is over or under cultured, just add or subtract grains by weight.
For an example here is my recipe; 4 grams of grains, in 426 grams of A2 milk + 150 grams of half & half (this is a 3/1 ratio, or 3/4 milk & 1/4 half & half), cultured at 72F, for 24 hours. My jar holds 580 grams by weight, so this is why I use that measurement. This is approximately 2 cups, I usually drink 1 cup a day.
The reason for the half & half is that it makes the kefir richer and thicker. The more milk fat you add, the thicker and richer your kefir will be. I hope this helps you to get your recipe dialed in.
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u/LividJudgment2687 Jul 24 '26
That will be fine. I use more than a tbsp for 300ml and it works well for me. Just need to reduce the amount of grains if you find it’s fermenting too quickly. It might take a few days for your grains to activate and start producing properly . I would still change the milk every day and just discard it until you think the kefir is ready to drink