{ "id": 28490, "date": "2026-11-02T15:30:03", "date_gmt": "2026-11-02T07:30:03", "guid": { "rendered": "https:\/\/kefir.link\/zh-tw\/garlic-chive-kefir-cheese\/" }, "modified": "2026-11-02T15:30:03", "modified_gmt": "2026-11-02T07:30:03", "slug": "garlic-chive-kefir-cheese", "status": "publish", "type": "post", "link": "https:\/\/kefir.link\/en\/garlic-chive-kefir-cheese\/", "title": { "rendered": "Garlic and chive kefir cheese spread" }, "content": { "rendered": "
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n

\"\"By Nik<\/strong><\/a>, founder of \u6771\u6b50\u56b4\u9078\uff5ckefir.link and former chef \u00b7 Updated 2 November 2026<\/p>\n

Leave milk kefir to drain for a day and it turns into a soft white cheese, as spreadable as cream cheese but brighter and tangier. Stir in garlic, snipped chives and a little mustard, and you have a savoury spread for crackers, bread or cucumber and carrot sticks, with no cooking at all.<\/p>\n

\n
Prep time<\/span>5 min<\/strong><\/div>\n
Total time<\/span>1 day 5 min<\/strong><\/div>\n
Makes<\/span>4 servings<\/strong><\/div>\nJump to the recipe \u2193<\/a>\n<\/div>\n
\"Garlic<\/figure>\n

How a cloth turns kefir into cheese<\/h2>\n

As kefir ferments, its bacteria turn milk sugar into lactic acid, which sets the milk proteins into a soft curd. In a cloth-lined sieve, gravity pulls the watery whey away and the curd stays behind. A few hours gives a spoonable kefir like thick yogurt, about a day gives a spread, and longer makes it firm and crumbly. Draining in the fridge keeps the flavour mild, because at room temperature the kefir keeps fermenting and turns sourer.<\/p>\n

If the cheese stays runny, give it more time or use a tighter cloth, since a loose weave lets small curds slip through. If it turns crumbly, stir back a spoonful of the saved whey. Kefir that has already separated is a good start, because its whey is already on the way out.<\/p>\n

A cousin of labneh, at home on a cracker<\/h2>\n

The closest classic is labneh, a salted strained yogurt eaten across the Middle East with olive oil and bread. Kefir cheese is just as soft but starts from milk kefir. Spread it on a cracker with a slice of cucumber and a few extra chives, or loosen it with a little kefir as a dip for carrot sticks. For other versions, fold in chopped olives and sun-dried tomatoes, or swap the chives for dill, spring onion and lemon.<\/p>\n

Chives and mustard from a Taiwanese shop<\/h2>\n

Fresh chives are grown in Taiwan and sold in small packs by specialist herb growers. They taste like a more concentrated green onion, so green onion tops work when chives are hard to find. For the mustard, choose a yellow or Dijon-style one made from mustard seeds. The green paste served with sushi is a different product, made mostly from horseradish with green colouring.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/trp-tag><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
<\/div>
\n\t

Garlic and chive kefir cheese spread<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
\n\t
Prep Time <\/span>5 minutes<\/span><\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span><\/div>
Refrigerated straining <\/span>1 day<\/span><\/span> day<\/span><\/span><\/div>
Total Time <\/span>1 day<\/span><\/span> day<\/span> 5 minutes<\/span><\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>\n\t
Servings <\/span>4<\/span> servings<\/span><\/span><\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n\t<\/path><\/g><\/g><\/g><\/svg><\/span> Print the recipe<\/a>\n<\/div>\n
\n\t
\n\t\t

Ingredients<\/h3>