Your Guide to Making Raw Coconut Kefir

I first learned about kefir about 10 years ago from The Body Ecology Diet by Donna Gates.

10 years ago I was making it out of goats milk and soy milk. Now I much prefer to make it out of coconut milk.

 According to Donna Gates, Kefir is a health promoting food and it has been traditionally consumed in Russia and the Middle East for thousands of years with good results. It’s a natural probiotic source that can promote a healthy digestive system.  Also, because of kefir’s vitamins, minerals, easy to digest proteins, beneficial bacterias, and yeasts, it contributes to a healthy immune system as well.

Click here to read more about kefir’s benefits. It’s the best article I’ve found on Kefir so far.

 Now for the fun stuff: How to make it!

My favorite is to make it out of young coconut meat and the young coconut water. It’s rather simple:

•  Take the meat from about 4-6 young coconuts and then blend the meat in a blender with some water or young coconut water until you reach a pudding consistency. (Make sure that the meat and water are not pink, purple, or brown. Think bright white meat and clear liquid. )
• Put the mixture in a sealed quart sized mason jar with extra room at the top. (It will expand as it ferments)
• With a sterilized spoon mix a packet of Body Ecology’s Kefir starter in a little warm water and then mix it into the coconut mixture. Seal the mason jar and let it ferment for 24-36 hours. It is best for it to ferment around 70 to 75 degrees F. I put mine near the dehydrator, if it is running, for some extra warmth, or you can put it in an insulated cooler. The longer it ferments the more sour it will get.
• Store it in the refrigerator. The final product should be white and delicious with stevia, honey, fresh fruit, or blended with fruit in a blender.
• If is pink or purple or anything but white please discard.

Click here to learn how to safely open up young coconuts

Easier and Less Expensive Version

 I soon realized that due to the cost of young coconuts that I wasn’t going to be able to make young coconut kefir regularly! So I tried making it with Turtle Mountain’s Coconut Milk, which is pretty much just a watered down version of coconut milk.  I’m sure you could make your own milk with brown coconuts or use watered down bottled coconut milk.  I used the original flavor which has some evaporated cane juice that the beneficial bacteria just love. Use the same directions as above using the coconut milk as a base.  Instead of making a creamy kefir it makes a drinkable probiotic liquid and is a great base for smoothies.

 You can make kefir just out of the young coconut water as well! Probiotics never tasted so good:)

Click here to get the kefir packets

FYI: I remember reading that the packets might contain trace amounts of dairy.

 Instead of using the packets you can use the kefir grains directly which is the most economical way to go, because if taken care of, they last forever and actually multiply!

 You can get the kefir grains from here

If you want to use the grains,  here is a great article on how to get started

The reason I don’t use the grains is because with most of my kitchen projects such as with my kombucha and rice bran pickling experiments, I get really excited at first and then I loose interest and have a huge science experiment I’m not sure what to do with! The packets allow me the flexibility to not make kefir for awhile and then start up again when the mood strikes:)

Here’s a simple recipe using kefir I made just yesterday:

 Strawberry Nectarine Kefir Sorbet

1 and ½ cup frozen strawberries
½ cups coconut kefir
½ a nectarine
1 pinch stevia powder
seeds from 1 vanilla bean* optional

 Blend all ingredients in a high speed blender using a tamper. Blend less for a sorbet, blend more for more for a shake. Garnish with fresh fruit and bee pollen. I added bee pollen, wheat germ, and drizzled with blackstrap molasses. It felt like a sundae:)

 Blending kefir with any fruit in a smoothie tastes great. My favorite with kefir are strawberries and blueberries.

Click here for more kefir recipes

If you liked this post you might like my young coconut yogurt post as well!

Happy Fermenting!

♥,

C