Too much kefir? What to do with it

Why you suddenly have too much kefir

It is nearly always good news. Milk kefir grains grow with every batch. After a few weeks, the 20 g you started with have become 30 or 40 g, they ferment the milk faster, and you are tempted to add more milk to keep up. The result: more kefir than you can drink.

The same goes for water kefir, whose grains love to multiply in summer. Before you work out how to use it all, remember that strained kefir keeps for several days in the fridge, getting a little sharper each day. The details are in How long does kefir keep? A kefir that is four or five days old, too sharp for the glass, is just right for cooking.

At breakfast

The easiest time of day to get through a litre without thinking about it.

• Overnight oats: oats, kefir and a handful of fruit, and the jar spends the night in the fridge. In the morning it is ready. The recipe is kefir overnight oats.
• Porridge: stir a few spoonfuls of cold kefir into a hot bowl just before eating, for a tangy swirl.
• Muesli and cereal: pour kefir instead of milk, as it is or loosened with a drop of milk.
• Smoothie: a banana, a glass of kefir, a pinch of cinnamon, blend and go. See the banana kefir smoothie.
• Pancakes: kefir in the batter gives thick, fluffy pancakes, the kind that stack.

In the oven

Kefir makes doughs and batters lighter and more tender. Its sourness reacts with bicarb or baking powder, and the dough rises better.

• Anything that asks for buttermilk: kefir takes its place cup for cup, from drop scones to a fried chicken marinade. This is the best use there is for a sharp kefir, and Kefir or buttermilk? explains why.
• Scones: tall and tender, with a gentle tang that is lovely with clotted cream and jam.
• Cakes and muffins: swap part of the milk or cream for kefir for a moister crumb. A good start is the kefir apple cake.
• Yeasted bread: a sharp kefir in place of some of the water gives a light sourness that recalls sourdough.
• Flapjacks and tray bakes: a few spoonfuls bind the mixture and keep it soft.

At lunch and dinner

On the savoury side, kefir replaces cream, yoghurt or sour cream in plenty of dishes.

• Marinade: kefir, garlic, lemon, paprika and herbs. One night in the fridge is enough for tender chicken thighs in the oven or on the barbecue.
• Cold sauce: the kefir cucumber dip goes with grilled meat, falafel and sticks of raw vegetables.
• Salad dressing: kefir, mustard, chives, salt and pepper, for a potato salad or a crisp lettuce.
• Coleslaw: half kefir, half mayonnaise for a lighter, fresher slaw.
• Cold soup: cucumber, kefir, mint and a clove of garlic blended together, for the odd warm evening.
• Mash and gratins: in place of some of the cream or milk, for a lighter, fresher result. With a hot sauce, stir it in off the heat so it does not split.

For dessert

Strained, frozen or whipped, kefir becomes a dessert in its own right.

• Kefir cheese: pour a litre of kefir into a fine cloth set over a sieve and leave it to drain overnight in the fridge. The next day it is firm and spreadable. The recipe is strained kefir cheese, delicious with honey and berries or on a toasted crumpet.
• Ice cream: sweetened, flavoured with vanilla or fruit, churned or simply stirred a few times in the freezer. See kefir ice cream.
• Quick pots: kefir cheese, stewed apple and crushed biscuits, ready in five minutes.

The whey that drips out of the kefir cheese is not wasted either: it can replace the water in bread dough or go into a smoothie.

And if it is the water kefir that is overflowing?

Water kefir is easier to drink in quantity, but it piles up now and then too, especially in summer.

• Ice lollies: poured into moulds with a few pieces of fruit, it makes tangy lollies for children and adults alike. See water kefir ice lollies.
• Granita: in a dish in the freezer, scraped with a fork every hour, with a squeeze of lemon.
• Alcohol-free cocktails: water kefir, fresh mint, lime and crushed ice, for a long evening in the garden.
• Soaking dried fruit: the fruit for a tea loaf is usually soaked overnight in cold tea; try water kefir instead, or use it to plump raisins and sultanas for any fruit cake.
• A mild vinegar: left for several days under a cloth, a forgotten water kefir turns very sour. Use it in a dressing in place of some of the vinegar.

How to avoid a surplus next time

The real fix is to match your grains to what you drink.

• Take some grains out: for 1 litre a day, 20 g of milk kefir grains is plenty. For half a litre, 10 g. For water kefir, 30 g per litre of sugar water.
• Take a break: every other day, put the grains in the fridge in fresh milk with the lid on. They slow down without suffering, and you pick up the rhythm again whenever you like.
• Give your surplus grains away: a small jar of grains in fresh milk, with the method written on a label, will delight someone close to you who wants to start.
• Keep a spare: a few grains in the fridge, in milk, are your backup if your main batch ever worries you.

How to rest the grains, for how long and how to wake them up again is all in Caring for milk kefir grains and, for water kefir, in Caring for water kefir grains.

Starting again from scratch?

If you have given everything away, if your grains have flagged or you simply want to try the other kefir, our live milk kefir grains come in 10 g and 20 g from £14, and our water kefir grains from £11. The kefir duo brings the two together.

Frequently asked questions