Homemade Coconut Milk Kefir Recipe (+ Video)

Recipe for coconut milk kefir that is delicious, creamy, and loaded with probiotics to facilitate a healthy gut and immune system.

Coconut milk kefir is an absolutely delicious, effervescent drink that adds variety to smoothies and other drinks. It is a great substitute for grass-fed milk kefir if there is an allergy or poor quality source. When made with fresh, raw coconut milk, the flavor is simply out of this world!

Raw, coconut milk kefir is an absolute tonic for those with gut problems. It digests very easily giving ample energy and focus to your morning if consumed with breakfast.

I prefer coconut milk kefir vs coconut milk yogurt. The reason is that yogurt only has 2-5 strains of beneficial bacteria, none of which aggressively attack and destroy pathogens in the gut. Therefore, in a gut that is dominated by pathogens and candida (as in someone who has taken many rounds of antibiotics and other prescription drugs over the years and/or eats primarily high sugar processed foods), yogurt tends to have only a temporary impact in favor of the beneficial strains.

Coconut milk kefir, on the other hand, has about 30 beneficial strains of bacteria and yeasts. These strains aggressively recolonize the gut by destroying pathogens. As a result, kefir has the potential to permanently alter the gut environment for the better.

Drink coconut milk kefir plain or blended with fruit in a bowl or in a smoothie. Try it and see for yourself!

If you prefer to learn how to make dairy milk kefir, check out the article plus video at the link. If a lighter beverage is more your thing, this article plus video shows you how to make water kefir.

DIY Coconut Milk Kefir

In the video included with the recipe below, I discuss the cost of making coconut milk fresh as opposed to buying organic coconut milk in cans. Which do you think is more economical and which is most nutritious?

I personally always opt for fresh and raw if possible. Anything that is canned and processed would not match the superior taste of homemade coconut milk. And when you make coconut milk kefir with it, that excellent flavor is definitely noticeable.

Where to get a kefir culture to make some yourself? Check out my Healthy Shopping List for some ideas or find a friend who is already making coconut milk kefir and get a starter culture from her. Be sure to use the right kefir grains though! This article plus video shows you how to tell the difference between milk kefir grains and water kefir grains.

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Homemade Coconut Milk Kefir

Recipe for homemade whole coconut milk kefir using 1 quart of homemade or canned coconut milk and 1/4 cup milk kefir grains.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Servings 1 quart

Author Sarah Pope

Ingredients

• 1 quart whole coconut milk about 2 1/2 cans
• 1/4 cup milk kefir grains
• 1 wide mouth mason jar

Instructions

1. Pour the coconut milk into a clean wide mouth mason jar.

2. Add live milk kefir grains. Take care not to use water kefir grains by mistake!

3. Screw on the lid. No need to stir the grains into the coconut milk.

4. Leave on the counter for 24 hours and then refrigerate.

5. Strain out kefir grains when ready to make another batch and repeat. No need to rinse the live grains between batches. 

   Only use milk kefir grains in coconut milk once or twice before making a batch with dairy milk again to re-strengthen them. If you will only be making coconut milk kefir and never dairy milk kefir, then you might want to purchase single-use powdered milk kefir packets instead.

6. Coconut milk kefir is not very thick and is more like drinkable style yogurt. It tastes effervescent and lightly fermented and is perfect for blending into smoothies.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

Instead of canned coconut milk, feel free to substitute a 16 oz bag of fresh, frozen coconut meat from an Asian supermarket blended with the fresh coconut water from cracking open 2 young coconuts. This process is demonstrated in this article plus video on how to make coconut milk.