Kefir or a pot of homemade yoghurt: the honest comparison
In short
Homemade yoghurt is thick, mild and spoonable; milk kefir is pourable, tangier and sometimes faintly sparkling. Yoghurt is usually made by keeping milk warm, often in a yoghurt maker, and you start each new pot from some of the last one. Kefir is made at ordinary kitchen temperature with live grains that you strain out and put straight into fresh milk, and it is ready the next day. Love a thick spoonful? Yoghurt. Want something to drink, pour and cook with, with less fuss? Kefir.
- Yoghurt
- Thick, mild, spoonable
- Kefir
- Pourable, tangy
- Kefir needs
- A jar and a sieve
If you already make yoghurt at home, you know the pleasure of a fridge stocked with something you made yourself. Kefir offers the same satisfaction with a different result and a different routine. Neither is better than the other: they suit different tastes and different kitchens. Here is how they compare, honestly.
Taste and texture
Homemade yoghurt sets into a soft, thick curd you eat with a spoon. Its flavour is mild, gently acidic, comforting. Strained, it becomes thicker still, close to the Greek-style pots many of us know.
Milk kefir stays pourable. It is thicker than milk, smoother and tangier than most yoghurts, with a fresh, lively finish and sometimes a faint prickle. You drink it from a glass, pour it over cereal or blend it into a smoothie. Left a little longer, as the guide explains, it becomes thicker and sharper, and some people enjoy it almost like a drinking yoghurt with attitude.
How each is made
Yoghurt usually needs milk to be brought up to temperature and then kept warm for several hours, which is why many people use a yoghurt maker, a flask or a warm oven. Each new pot is started from a little of the previous one, or from a fresh sachet.
Kefir is simpler. You put live kefir grains into milk at room temperature, cover the jar loosely and leave it on the worktop. The next day you strain out the grains, which go straight into fresh milk for the next jar. No heating, no machine, no timer. The guide that comes with Natural Probio grains explains each step and the signs that everything is fine.
Side by side
| What matters | Homemade yoghurt | Homemade milk kefir |
|---|---|---|
| Texture | Thick, spoonable | Pourable, creamy |
| Taste | Mild, gently acidic | Tangier, fresher, sometimes faintly fizzy |
| Warmth needed | Yes, kept warm for hours | No, ordinary kitchen temperature |
| Equipment | Often a yoghurt maker or flask | A jar, a sieve, a cloth |
| What carries on | A spoonful of the last pot | The same live grains, jar after jar |
| Ready | The same day or next morning | The next day |
| Main uses | Bowls, desserts, sauces | Drinks, smoothies, baking, marinades |
In the kitchen
Both earn their keep. Yoghurt is the natural choice for a thick bowl with fruit and granola, for raita or for a set dessert. Kefir shines wherever a recipe asks for buttermilk or something pourable: soda bread, scones, pancakes, marinades, salad dressings and, of course, smoothies and overnight oats. Many households that make kefir find it replaces bought buttermilk entirely, and it also stands in nicely for yoghurt in cakes and dressings. Ideas to get you started: breakfast and smoothies, savoury cooking and bakes and puddings.
Which suits you?
Homemade yoghurt
Perfect if what you want is a set, mild bowl to eat with a spoon.
Milk kefir
No heating, no machine: a jar on the worktop and five minutes a day.
Milk kefir
A pourable, tangy ingredient that works in place of buttermilk.
Keep your yoghurt, add kefir
They sit happily side by side in the fridge and do different jobs.
Thinking of trying kefir?
If you already make yoghurt, you will find kefir refreshingly easy. Start with the 10 g pouch of milk kefir grains for about half a litre a day, or the 20 g pouch if you will cook with it too. Your grains arrive live with a leaflet, a full e-book guide and recipes, and your first kefir is ready the day after you start. See what you receive, or compare kefir with the bottled kind.
“After a few days of making milk kefir we've got the hang of it and it comes out perfect,” wrote Alex on Trustpilot in September 2026 (translated from Spanish).
Questions people ask
Can kefir replace yoghurt in recipes?
In many recipes, yes, especially cakes, scones, dressings and marinades. For a thick set dessert, yoghurt remains the better fit.
Do I need a yoghurt maker for kefir?
No. Kefir is made at ordinary room temperature in a simple glass jar.
Can I make kefir thicker?
Yes, within limits. The guide explains the simple ways to get a thicker or milder kefir to suit your taste.
Does kefir contain milk, like yoghurt?
Yes. Milk kefir is made from milk, so it is a dairy food, just as yoghurt is.
Add kefir to your kitchen
Live milk kefir grains with a step-by-step guide and recipes: no heating, no machine, ready the next day.
- 10 g or 20 g, to suit your household
- Leaflet, e-book guide and recipe collection
- A team that replies, usually the same day
- Lifetime activity guarantee
Grains from time-honoured methods, unique and resilientDispatched within 24 to 48 hours, trackedLifetime guarantee on your grains' activityOver 20,000 customers worldwide
