Your questions answered: Alcohol content of kefir

Reader Sarah wrote with a question about kefir:

I have been reading your website for a while now, and came across your thoughts on kefir. A quick Google search showed that kefir has a high alcohol content. Is yours different, or do you know anything about this? I would love to start making it as it is so healthy, but am concerned about the alcohol.

Sarah, thanks for writing! :)

You are correct that kefir does contain some alcohol, since it is a fermented food. My research indicates that kefir may contain between 0.08% to 2% alcohol.

However, kefir that has been cultured for 24 hours is more likely to contain between .08% to .1% alcohol. Kefir that is cultured with a tight lid will get fizzy and be on the higher end of those figures, for alcohol content. The temperature of your room and length of culturing time all can affect the alcohol content slightly, as well.

I did, however, make a kefir fruit smoothie one day, and put it in the fridge for later. The next day, it was very fizzy, and I guess the yeast in the kefir reacted with the sugar in the fruit to increase the alcohol content. I didn't like the taste at all! :)

So anyway, unless someone is on a very strict diet, where they don't wish to consume anything with alcohol (even tiny amounts of naturally-occurring alcohol), kefir shouldn't be a problem. :)

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Is that a lot?

Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 2007-08-29 20:07.

Hello again, it's lil_irish_lass. I just passed some kefir grains to a friend, and was looking up your instructions since somehow my bookmarks got wiped. It never occured to me that kefir contained alcohol, but it makes sense since it's fermented and all :D I don't do the extra-step fermenting that some places talk about to make it fizzy; I only culture my kefir for 12 hours.

Anyways, I don't know anything about alcohol, but I'm wondering if that's a lot? Compared to a beer or something? Do you know? I just don't want to give it to my kids if it has a lot of alcohol in it, but I don't know what "a lot" is.

No, it isn't! :)