Kefir ice cream

Kefir ice cream is one of those recipes you make once and then keep making. It is creamy like the classic kind but less heavy, with a fresh tang that recalls frozen yoghurt. That makes it a great match for fruit, especially sharp summer fruit such as rhubarb, strawberries and raspberries, or a warm slice of apple cake. With an ice cream machine it is ready in half an hour. Without one it takes a little more patience, and the result is hardly any less good.

Why cream and sugar?

You can freeze kefir on its own, but you get a hard, icy block. Fat and sugar are what make ice cream soft and scoopable. The cream brings richness and traps air as you whip it. The sugar stops the ice cream freezing rock hard. You can use less, but the ice cream will be harder and need longer to soften before scooping. Remember too that cold dulls sweetness: the mixture should taste slightly too sweet beforehand.

Use kefir made with whole milk. Kefir from low-fat milk works, but gives a more icy result. Thick kefir makes a creamier ice cream, thin kefir crystallises faster. More on texture in milk kefir too thin or too thick.

Variations

• Strawberry ripple: purée 200 g strawberries with 2 tablespoons sugar. After the last stir, layer the ice cream into a container with a spoon of purée between each layer, and draw a knife through once.
• Rhubarb: a ripple of the compote left over from the rhubarb water kefir.
• Hedgerow blackberry: simmer 200 g blackberries with 3 tablespoons sugar, push through a sieve and ripple it in. A deep purple swirl for September.
• Honey and walnut: replace a third of the sugar with honey and fold in a handful of chopped walnuts at the end.
• Brown bread: toast 50 g of wholemeal breadcrumbs with 2 tablespoons brown sugar until crisp, cool, and fold through at the end. A Victorian classic that deserves a comeback.

Serving and storing

Kefir ice cream is at its best within a week. After that, larger ice crystals form and it loses some of its creaminess. Keep it in a well-closed container and press a piece of baking paper onto the surface. Serve it with fresh fruit, a slice of the kefir apple cake or a crumble straight out of the oven. For something lighter and dairy-free, the water kefir ice lollies are a good alternative.

The kefir for this ice cream is made with 20 g milk kefir grains and 1 litre of whole milk, 24 hours at 20 to 25°C. Strain it, chill it well and it is ready to use. The method step by step is in How to make milk kefir.

Frequently asked questions

All you need for a constant supply of kefir are live milk kefir grains. More recipes are on the milk kefir page.