Making milk kefir at home: the routine, step by step
In short
Tip your kefir grains into a jar of milk, rest a cloth or lid loosely on top and leave it on the worktop for a day. Next, sieve the kefir into a jug for the fridge and put the grains straight into fresh milk. That is the entire routine, and it takes roughly five minutes a day. The guide posted with your Natural Probio grains goes through each move properly and shows the simple signs that everything is working.
- Moves
- 3
- Daily effort
- About 5 minutes
- First kefir
- The day after
- In the parcel
- A full guide
Three moves, then pour
- Into the jar
Put your live grains into a clean glass jar, add the milk and lay a cloth or a lid loosely over the top.
- Leave it alone
The jar sits in the kitchen for a day while the grains thicken and sour the milk. No stirring, no checking.
- Sieve and refill
Pour everything through a sieve into a jug, chill the kefir, and drop the grains into fresh milk for tomorrow.
Honestly, that's all. On the first morning you'll keep the leaflet beside you; by the weekend you won't need it. If this is your very first ferment, our beginner's guide answers the questions people ask before they begin, from the doorstep to the first glass.
What you'll use
The grains
Your Natural Probio milk kefir grains, plus the leaflet and the guide that come with them.
Kitchen basics
A glass jar, a sieve, a clean cloth or loose lid, and a jug or bottle for the fridge.
Milk
Whatever you normally buy. The guide explains which kinds give the creamiest kefir.
No gadgets, no thermometer, nothing exotic, and nothing extra to order.
What the guide covers
Alongside the grains you receive a quick-start leaflet and the complete guide as an e-book. Together they show you:
- how to get your very first jar going the day the parcel arrives;
- the easy-to-spot signs that tell you all is well;
- how to steer your kefir milder or sharper to suit your taste;
- how to make it thicker, or keep it light and pourable;
- how to let the grains rest while you are away for a few days.
The booklet's QR code also opens our recipe collection, so your kefir can earn its keep: porridge, oats and smoothies, savoury dishes and bakes and puddings. See the full contents of the parcel.
We wrote the guide for people who have never touched a kefir grain: short sentences, signs you can actually see, and the questions every beginner ends up asking. Dip back into it whenever you like, and if something still isn't clear, our team is only an email away.
A few minutes, really
Milk kefir doesn't need watching, and it doesn't need equipment beyond the basics. The daily job of sieving and refilling takes about as long as the kettle does to boil. For the rest of the day, the grains get on with things by themselves. Lots of customers do it first thing, while the toast browns, so tomorrow's jar is under way before breakfast.
Because it is so quick, it slots around work, the school run and lazy weekends alike. Miss your usual moment by a few hours and nothing is lost; the guide tells you what to expect.
How much kefir will you get?
| Pouch | Kefir each day | Ideal for |
|---|---|---|
| 10 g of grains | Roughly half a litre | One person, or a first try |
| 20 g of grains | Roughly a litre | Couples, families, keen bakers |
Fancy something fizzy alongside? The milk and water kefir duo adds water kefir grains, which keep to the same easy daily pace.
Stuck? Ask us
Unsure about a step, or your kefir doesn't look quite as you expected? Email hello@natural-probio.com, with a photo if you can. A real person writes back, more often than not the same day, in English, German, Italian or Spanish. As Alex wrote on Trustpilot, “there's even the option of one-to-one help if doubts or snags crop up” (translated from Spanish).
First, the grains
Live milk kefir grains from time-honoured methods, ready to work the day they arrive, with the leaflet, the guide and our recipe collection.
- Your first kefir the day after you start
- Complete guide as an e-book
- Real people answering your emails
- Your money back if it isn't right
Grains from time-honoured methods, unique and resilientDispatched within 24 to 48 hours, trackedLifetime guarantee on your grains' activityOver 20,000 customers worldwide
