Slightly tangy, yet creamy and smooth, this homemade kefir ice cream, or frozen kefir, is a delicious frozen treat with the probiotic benefits of kefir.
So, the weather is getting hotter, and you’re looking for a somewhat healthy treat? Maybe you’ve been making kefir for a while, and are looking for fun new ways to use it?
This homemade kefir ice cream, or frozen kefir, is perfect for either of those scenarios.
What is kefir?
Kefir is a fermented milk-based drink that is similar to yogurt. It is normally thinner than yogurt, and has more protein and more probiotics.
While both are relatively simple to make at home, kefir is even easier to make than homemade yogurt because it is fermented at room temperature. It doesn’t need to be cooked at all.
How to Make Kefir at Home
What is frozen kefir?
Frozen kefir is the kefirized equivalent of frozen yogurt. While you could just throw a kefir smoothie of sorts into your ice cream maker, I prefer to add kefir to a more classic ice cream base. To do so, I add kefir to a custard made with eggs and cream, and then freeze the mixture.
The final result is a tangy, creamy ice cream with the probiotic benefits of kefir.
Ingredients
This tasty treat uses 5 main ingredients. The custard is made with an egg and some whipping cream. You can use either a heavy or light whipping cream, but heavy cream generally makes for creamier ice cream. Two yolks can be used instead of the whole egg.
Kefir gives this frozen dessert its tanginess. You can either make the kefir yourself or buy it already made. Another option is to substitute the kefir for yogurt to make frozen yogurt instead.
For sweetness, I like to use honey or maple syrup, but you can use granular sugar instead. If using sugar, add it while cooking the custard mixture so that the heat helps dissolve the sugar. You can also sweeten with a low carb sweetener like stevia or erythritol for a keto dessert.
In order to preserve the beneficial qualities of the honey and kefir, I prefer to add them, along with the vanilla extract (I use homemade), to the finished custard, after it has cooled down.
Homemade Pure Vanilla Extract
Procedure
Begin by making a custard. To do so, mix together the egg and the cream, and cook the mixture in a pan over low heat. Keeping the heat low, and keeping it from boiling, helps ensure that the custard doesn’t burn or curdle. Stir constantly, using a spatula to keep the mixture from sticking.
One the mixture has thickened, remove it from the heat and allow it to cool. If you are using honey that has crystalized, you can add it at the end of the cooking process so that the residual heat liquefies the honey.
Add egg to pan. Add cream to pan with egg. Cook to a thick custard.
Once the mixture has cooled, add the kefir and the vanilla extract. If you didn’t add the honey yet, add it too. Blend all of the ingredients together until completely combined and smooth.
Add honey kefir and vanilla extract.
Once all of the ingredients have been mixed together, chill the mixture. Using a chilled mixture helps ensure a creamier ice cream.
Once chilled, add the cold mixture to the frozen bowl of an ice cream maker. Follow the instructions for your particular machine to make the frozen kefir ice cream.
Using an ice cream maker normally makes a soft-serve type ice cream. To make a firmer ice cream, remove the frozen kefir from the bowl and add it to another container.
Place the container in the freezer until it has reached a hard enough consistency.
Customizing the recipe
There are many ways to simplify this recipe or to customize it to suit your taste.
Vegan kefir ice cream
For example, this can be made vegan by using a vegan kefir, usually made with coconut milk instead of a milk-based kefir. (Follow the recipe for how to make kefir, using the grains to ferment coconut milk.) Then, coconut cream can be used instead of dairy cream. While the egg adds creaminess, it can be left out.
To make a light, creamy ice cream without eggs, consider beating the cream or coconut cream until enough air is incorporated to make it the consistency of whipped cream. This adds lightness to the frozen dessert.
No churn kefir ice cream
Don’t have an ice cream maker?
Don’t worry. You can still make this recipe.
Add the final mixture to a freezer-safe container and freeze it directly in the freezer. To make a creamier ice cream, take the container out of the freezer every 20-30 minutes and stir it. Make sure to incorporate the parts that have frozen around the edges. Once fully stirred, freeze the container again.
This method works especially well if you whip the whipping cream and then incorporate the kefir and other ingredients rather than making a classic custard.
Other tips for creamy ice cream:
- For creamy ice cream, keep the fat content relatively high. Using cream rather than just milk helps ensure smoother ice cream that doesn’t freeze as rock hard. Too much cream, though, can make the ice cream have a buttery texture. So, don’t overdo it. You could use a fermented kefir cream instead of a lower fat kefir, for example, but consider balancing it with milk rather than adding more cream.
- The addition of egg yolks or a whole egg, even if you don’t cook them into a custard, makes for smoother ice cream. The proteins in the eggs help keep ice crystals from forming. If you aren’t using eggs, you’ll want to look for another way of adding lightness to the ice cream. This can be done by whipping the cream to incorporate air into the mixture before freezing it.
- Chill the mixture thoroughly before putting it into the ice cream maker. Using a cold mixture also ensures a smoother ice cream.
Storage
Store uneaten frozen kefir in the freezer. Depending on the method you used to make it, it may become quite hard after being in the freezer for several hours.
If it is too hard, soften it by removing it from the freezer for a little while before serving. You can move it to the fridge for 30-40 minutes before serving or set it on the counter at room temperature for 10-15 minutes.
Video
Kefir Ice Cream
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 1/4 cup milk kefir
- 1/4 cup honey or to taste
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
Instructions
- Mix the egg with the heavy cream and cook in a small saucepan over low to medium heat, stirring constantly until you obtain a somewhat thick custard.
- Remove from the heat, and allow to cool.
- Mix in the milk kefir, vanilla extract, and honey to taste.
- Chill the mixture.
- Freeze in your ice cream maker, according to the directions for your particular machine.
- When finished, transfer to another container and place it in the freezer for a couple of hours to harden it a bit more, giving it the consistency of ice cream.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- If you are using granulated honey, consider adding the honey to the custard mix at the end of the heating process so that the heat will liquefy it again. If using liquid honey, add it with the kefir and vanilla extract while cool. Adding them to the cool custard helps retain the beneficial qualities of these ingredients.
- Honey can be substituted with maple syrup, stevia liquid, or erythritol. The latter 2 will lower the sugar and carb count. Regular sugar can also be used, but it should be added to the cream and egg at the beginning so that the heat will dissolve the sugar crystals.
- To make a vegan kefir ice cream, make kefir with coconut milk instead of dairy. Use coconut cream instead of whipping cream, and leave the egg out. Use one of the other sweeteners listed above. To make a fluffier ice cream, whip the coconut cream to incorporate air into it. Fold the other ingredients into the thickened whipped coconut cream.
- This can be made without an ice cream maker. To make a no-churn frozen kefir, pour the finished mixture into a freezable container and place in the freezer. Remove from the freezer every 20-30 minutes, and mix the ingredients, scraping off the frozen mixture from the sides of the container and incorporating them into the rest of the mixture. Return it to the freezer, and repeat until you achieve the desired texture.
- Once you have a frozen dessert of a “soft-serve” consistency, you can either serve it right away, or let it get a bit harder in the freezer. I have found it is best to move it to a new container before sticking it into the freezer. Not only does that help with not letting more ice crystals form, but it keeps your bowl free for a new flavor!
- Store uneaten frozen kefir in the freezer. If it is too hard, soften it by removing it from the freezer for a little while before serving. (Around 30 minutes if stored in the fridge, or 10 minutes at room temperature.)
This post was originally published on August 10, 2013. It was rewritten with better instructions, adding new photos and video in June 2020.
Azlina Harun
I made this tonight and it was delicious! Thank you for sharing. I chuckled reading the question about shelf live….my little batch was gone in 5 minutes!
Tracy Ariza
Hahaha Azlina,
I’m so happy to hear that!
Yes, I have a similar problem- which makes it hard for me to answer those sorts of questions. I don’t normally store my stuff for very long to find out- unless it’s something we don’t like. (In which case I’m not normally sharing it on the blog.) š
Amy
If I make your custard recipe, if I let it sit with the kefir for 24 hours will the custard be cultured as well? Or will it not due that due to the cooking process?
Tracy Ariza
Hi Amy,
I’m not really sure, and not sure if it’s a good idea to culture something made with egg in it. It may be no problem, but I just don’t know enough about it to want to recommend it.
emma
Hello, what is the shelf life of this product how long does it last in the freezer
Tracy Ariza
Hi Emma,
The quality of any sort of ice cream will degrade with time, and it will depend a lot on your freezer type. I’ve never experimented with trying to keep if for very long, so I’m not really sure.
You will find when storing in the freezer that the ice cream will become hard. You’ll want to bring it out of the freezer for a little while before serving, and it may help to stir in to get a nice consistency again.
Chandan sinha
Seems tempting and tasty.
frances Van den Bergh
I do not have an ice cream maker machine so I will make the recipe and then put it into the freezer till frozen. Hope that works as I am drinking 3 glasses of Kefir Milk Smoothies every day, no side effect that I know of, and would enjoy making this ice cream otherwise I will just pour my smoothie into Popsicle Molds. Just love my Kefir Milk.
Frances from Sunny South Africa
Tracy Ariza
Hi Frances,
if you freeze it into popsicle molds, you’ll probably get a very firm popsicle texture.
If you want it to be creamier and more like ice cream without an ice cream maker, you can try freezing it in a pan, removing it from the freezer every 20 minutes or so to mix everything up. By doing so, you keep mixing in the harder crystalized parts on the outside into the rest of the mixture, and you’ll get something a lot more similar to what you’d make in an ice cream maker.
(Just stop when you’ve reached the desired texture/firmness and serve.)
I hope that helps! Enjoy your kefir! š
Becky
Love this! Thank you!!
Tracy Ariza
You’re welcome! š
Kathy
I’m making my first kefir ice cream-hope it’s ok to double the recipe. I’ve been making the kefir every day and have a lot to use up. Will use the egg and heavy cream recipe. Hope it turns out.
Tracy Ariza
Hi Kathy,
You should be fine doubling the recipe. The only difference is that it will take longer to freeze, and that can affect the outcome, depending on what method you are using to freeze the mixture.
I hope it works out well for you! I really liked it. š
Rachel
This recipe looks beautiful and the ingredients look delicious!
Tracy Ariza
Thanks so much, Rachel!
Your oatmeal breakfast bowl looks really good, too. Of course, I see coconut and banana in just about anything and I’m in. š
distortedloop
Honey is a natural anti-bacterial; I’ve read that it kills off the pro-biotics in the kefir.
Frozen desserts (ice cream, ice milk, ice kefir) are less sweet because cbecause extreme cold dulls taste buds. Melted ice cream often tastes too sweet to people whereas the same stuff while cold is just right.
Tracy Ariza
Thanks for your comment!
I’ve seen that being debated before (the honey part). I usually drink kefir plain, so I’m not worried about the occasional possible loss of some of the probiotics when making something like this. If you are concerned about it, though, you could always use something like coconut sugar, or another natural sweetener like maple sugar to sweeten it.
free limewire
do you have a twitter that i can follow
Tracy@thethingswellmake
Hello!
Thanks for your comment.
I was actually just setting one up the other day, but I’ve never used twitter before, so I’m not sure how much I’ll actually use it. I can get back to you with the information.
Meanwhile, I’m fixing my blog to link to my facebook and pinterest pages. I will likely be much more active on those, and would love to see you there. š
Tracy Ariza
Ha- That question and answer were from so long ago.
By now, of course, I do have a Twitter account, and actually use it. š
So, here is my account:
https://twitter.com/make_oh