Lucky for those who can’t drink milk, plant milk can also be used to ferment kefir. Soy milk, coconut milk, rice milk, oat milk, etc. can all be used for fermentation.
The bacteria need to eat the lactose in milk to grow. Therefore, after every 6 times of using plant milk for fermentation, be sure to use 1 time of milk fermentation to allow the bacteria to replenish energy, otherwise the bacteria will die.
1. Fermentation with soy milk
It is more difficult to ferment soy milk, and the proportion of bacterial strains used is slightly lower than that of milk fermentation. The fermentation time only takes about 18 hours, and the acidity will not drop significantly, so it is not suitable for testing with acid-base test paper. So watch the finished consistency carefully, for experienced people.
This video shows the soy milk kefir we fermented with Yimei sugar-free soy milk. The texture should be like this. It is slightly thinner than ordinary milk kefir and has a lighter yellow color.
2. Ferment with coconut milk
The consistency of coconut milk kefir will be a little thinner than that of milk kefir. In addition, when buying coconut milk, please read the label carefully, do not buy coconut milk with preservatives, and choose 100% pure coconut milk with high fat content.
3. Fermentation of other plant milks
Other plant milks, such as oat milk, can also be used. However, the fermentation time of each type of milk is different and will vary depending on your environment. Please try various methods on your own to find the formula that suits you best.
4. Long-lasting milk, milk powder and low-fat milk
It is not recommended to ferment long-lasting milk and milk powder because they lack the nutrients required by kefir, which often results in the taste of the kefir milk being raised. Low-fat fresh milk is also not recommended because the bacteria need fat to ferment properly.
