Tips For Sour Kefir

Three Things You Can Do

Perhaps you've seen this happen, and it even happens to me from time to time: my kefir will get really sour. This can happen for several reasons.

  • During your first ferment you let your kefir ferment too long on your counter, or your house might be warmer than usual.
  • Kefir will also ferment more quickly if your grains have grown and multiplied, and you didn't increase the milk or remove some of the grains.
  • You leave your finished kefir in the fridge for a long time and don't drink it. Remember that kefir still ferments a little in your fridge. The longer it is in there, the more the bacteria will eat the sugars out of the milk and make it sour.

A Few More Things

  • Second fermenting your kefir will always help with kefir that is sour. It really makes it taste so much better. Whenever you add something to kefir to second ferment, be it fruit or the peel of fruit, you give the good bacteria something else to eat instead. The bacteria turns it into probiotics and they love it. It is essentially like feeding the bacteria again, which in turn makes your kefir less sour.
  • Here is another great tip: give your kefir a prebiotic like Prebio Plus. Prebiotics are food for bacteria and they give your kefir something to eat, which will help make your kefir creamy again. Give it a scoop of Prebio Plus (you can get it here) and shake it up, place it in the fridge, and let it do its thing. In the morning it will be creamy again!
  • Instead of making your regular recipe with a large amount of kefir, split it up. For instance, instead of using a cup of kefir for a recipe, only use a half of a cup and then use regular milk, coconut milk, or my favorite - kefir cottage cheese, and blend it together. It's a lot less sour this way.
  • You can also add some more milk to your super sour kefir and let it ferment again on the counter for 4 to 6 hours. This will help it to lessen the sharp twang. You don't need to add kefir grains. It will work without them because the kefir is so strong.
  • Make your kefir into a fruit smoothie! (See recipe below.) The fruit I add most often to help with the sourness is a banana. I'm not sure why, but bananas seem to help a lot in cutting down on the sourness of kefir.
  • One more ingredient that helps significantly is vanilla or lemon extract. It tends to mellow out the flavors. You can also add my own homemade rum vanilla to my smoothies, ice cream, and desserts in general. I usually add a half tablespoon.
  • Add Vanilla Collagen powder to your kefir smoothie. It tastes great and adds extra nutrients. I do this all the time. I love the taste!

Kefir Green Smoothie

I probably make this smoothie at least once a week for my husband, Ron. It's one of his favorite smoothies. You can't taste the spinach as it blends in and just adds lots of anti-inflammatory properties. I sometimes add a scoop of collagen for extra protein and flavor. I like the vanilla version flavored version and collagen is an important protein that the body needs.
Course: Beverages
Servings: 1 serving

Ingredients

  • ½ cup Kefir
  • ½ cup Coconut Milk
  • handful spinach
  • 1 banana
  • ½ tablespoon lemon extract
  • 1 cup ice
  • 1-2 teaspoons Allulose - or 3 tablespoons of honey

Every ingredient with a link was selected by me to make it easier for you. I may receive a small affiliate commission if you buy something through my links. Thank you! ❤️

Instructions

  • Place all ingredients in a blender
  • Blend on high speed until smooth.

Listen To My Podcast

Perhaps you've had this happen, and it even happens to me from time to time: my kefir or kombucha will get really sour. This can happen for several reasons and I have lots of help if this does happen to you. Tune in to learn more!

References I talked about:

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