Coconut milk kefir with milk grains

[Topsy]

Hi everyone. I have been reading about making coconut milk kefir with milk grains and have my first batch fermenting today. I have been told that milk grains will not continue to thrive in the long term in coconut milk. This makes me wonder if it is possible to make the coconut milk better for fermenting by adding another ingredient like molases. Has anyone tried this before either with molases or something else? Thanks, I just found this forum and this is my first post. I look forward to sharing my experiences with you all.

[Robinstar]

Hi!

I believe the problem with coconut milk is not the mineral content but rather the sugar. Molasses is really rich in minerals and could possibly work in larger quantities, but it would taste awful. Coconut milk has some pretty good minerals by itself, so maybe all you need is some sugar or lactose to help keep the grains going. I haven't tied it though, so I'm not certain.

[Topsy]

Thanks. I will try a few things and post my results. First batch with just organic coconut milk from a can and milk grains went nice and sour like milk kefir but there was no thickening. I let it ferment for 48 hours.