Best kefir recipes
Use this gut-friendly, fermented drink in our recipes, from berry smoothies to salad dressings and chocolate cake
Looking for water kefir recipes? Want to use up your homemade milk kefir? Check out our recipes below and then try our gut-friendly recipes and take a look at our guide to making kombucha, another fermented drink, full of good bacteria.
What is kefir?
Kefir is a fermented drink, traditionally made using cow's or goat's milk. Believed to originate near the North Caucasus mountains (between Russia and Georgia), it is made by adding kefir grains to milk or water and allowing it to ferment slowly. Unlike cereal grains, kefir grains are formed of colonies of yeast and lactic-acid bacteria.
What are the health benefits of kefir?
Our nutritionist, Tracey Raye, says... "Kefir offers a good source of probiotics, which are beneficial for digestion and gut health. In addition, the milk-based varieties provide added protein, calcium and B vitamins."
Best kefir recipes
Water kefir limeade
It's the second ferment when the limes get involved in this recipe, leaving you with a zingy and refreshing drink that's full of probiotic goodness and is great served over ice with a slice of fresh lime.
Chocolate-chai kefir cake
We've added milky kefir to this glossy, indulgent chocolate cake to help keep it extra moist. A great alternative way to use up that homemade kefir.
Cucumber kefir and falafel salad
Whisk up kefir with dill, mint, lime and olive oil and then toss through shallot and cucumber for a dressing that will take your falafel to a whole new level.
Kefir smoothie with banana, almonds and frozen berries.
Full of plenty of good bacteria as well as lots of fruity nutrients, this smoothie, made with milky kefir, is a great on-the-go breakfast idea.
Kefir soda bread with kefir salted butter
Kefir goes into not only the soda bread itself here (along with spring onions, coriander seeds and turmeric) but also the salted butter that it's best served with lashings of.
Kale and broccoli salad with kefir dressing
Crisp and crunchy, this low-calorie salad with creamy kefir dressing would make a quick and easy healthy dinner idea. The toasted walnuts add a satisfying bite to the greens, and the kefir brings lots of probiotic goodness.
Cod cheeks, pickled cucumber and kefir
This impressive starter idea comes from chef Dean Parker, it's a great way to start using kefir. The fermented milk and tangy pickled cucumber make for ideal platefellows for juicy cod cheeks.
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