How to make coconut kefir

If you're keen to get the probiotic benefits of milk kefir into your diet but have a dairy allergy, coconut kefir could be a good alternative for you. (Note: if you are lactose intolerant, you may still be able to drink milk kefir as the kefir grains absorb all the lactose in the milk, so the liquid you're left with should be lactose-free.)

Even if you don't have a dairy allergy, but want to play around with some tropical flavoured smoothies, it's worth knowing how to make a batch of coconut kefir.

Why drink kefir?

• Kefir contributes to a healthy immune system as it contains minerals and essential amino acids that help your body with its natural healing and maintenance functions.
• Kefir supports healthy digestion. It can restore balance to your digestive tract after the use of antibiotics. (Did you know that antibiotics kill all gut bacteria, the good and the bad? What grows back in your gut naturally after a dose of antibiotics may be less than ideal, but drinking kefir will repopulate your digestive tract with good bacteria.)
• Kefir curbs unhealthy food cravings by better nourishing your body. 
• Kefir has a relaxing effect on the nervous system, and can help people otherwise having difficulty sleeping.

Making coconut kefir
Ingredients

• 1 400ml can of coconut cream (Check the ingredients label before buying it, as it shouldn't say anything other than coconut cream/extract and water. )
• 400mls water
• 2T milk kefir grains

Method
1. Mix coconut cream with water and shake to combine.

2. Add kefir grains and leave to ferment at warm room temperature for 48 hours. You'll see in the next photo that milk kefir grains look somewhat like cauliflower pieces.

3. Give your mixture a swirl from time to time and open the lid to relieve any pressure that builds up as it ferments. You can see the air bubbles in the next photo, caused by the fermentation process.

4. After 48 hours, drain liquid through a plastic sieve into a jug. You can tip the liquid back into the jar it came out of and store it in the fridge until it's ready to use. The coconut will harden as it gets cold, so you'll need to give the jar a good shake. Word of warning: make coconut kefir in summer or on a warm day, as my coconut cream would not stay liquid for this process and I had to keep shaking it to try and stir the clumps back through the water.

Note: You can make a few batches of coconut milk in a row, but then you'll need to put the kefir grains back into dairy milk as they feed off lactose and will stop thriving if you continually put them in coconut milk. Go here to see my recipe for milk kefir yoghurt.