Kefir is a probiotic you can add to your diet to help keep your body healthy. This yogurt-like product is usually made using dairy Below is a list of the best brands of natural kefir on the market and a bit about each product.
The Best Natural Kefir Brands
After extensive reviewing and testing, we’ve curated a list of the best kefir brands to buy right now. The top kefir brands are:
1. Maple Hill Organic Kefir
Maple Hills uses grass-fed cows milk to make this organic kefir. This brand comes in three distinct flavors; plain, vanilla, and strawberry. With a promise of being GMO-free, you can rest assured this brand of kefir is truly good for your body. For more information about this brand and other products, follow this link here.
One reviewer of the brand stated, “I found a wonderful product in the Maple Hill Creamery brand.” For more reviews of this brand, follow this link here
KeVita Sparkling Probiotic Drinks
This brand uses a water kefir in its sparkling probiotic drink. This makes for a dairy-free kefir drink. For those on a dairy-free diet, this is a good choice of kefir. This brand offers nine flavors in this style of drink.
- Ginger Colada
- Lemon Cayenne
- Lemon Ginger
- Mango Coconut
- Mojita Lime Mint Coconut
- Pomegranate
- Strawberry Acai Coconut
- Tangerine
- Watermelon Rose
You can find more information and other products from this brand by following this link to the website here.
As one review stated about this product, “Five stars out of five for a great work out beverage.” For more reviews, follow this link here
2. Lifeway Kefir
This brand of kefir has several types within its line of products. These include:
- Low Fat
- Organic
- Low Fat
- Organic Whole Milk
- Nonfat
- Real Fruit Kefir
- Minis
- Biokefir
- Low Fat Seasonal
- Traditional
These are the varieties available from the Lifeway Kefir brand.
Within those varieties are many wonderful flavors including but not limited to these listed below.
- Plain
- Strawberry
- Blueberry
- Raspberry
- Coconut
- Mango
- Pomegranate
- Strawberry banana
- Honey fig
- Cappuccino
- Chocolate truffle
- Ceremonial macha,
- Vanilla
- Lemon
- Campfire smores
For more information and a full list of products from the Lifeway, brand website follow this link here.
As one reviewer said of this brand, “I love the variety available both in flavor and type of drink.” For more reviews of this brand, follow this link here
3. Redwood Hill Farm
This kefir is made using goat’s milk rather than cow’s milk. It is sold from this brand in two flavors, plain and blueberry pomegranate acai, in thirty-two fluid ounce bottles. You can find more information and other products on the website following this link here.
As one reviewer mentioned, “This brand only offers two flavors; however, I enjoy both immensely.“
4. Green Valley Creamery
This kefir is lactose-free, as are all the products from this brand. The kefir is made using live and active cultures. It comes in three flavors; plain low fat, plain whole milk, and blueberry pomegranate acai low fat. For more information and other products, visit the website by following this link here.
As one reviewer mentioned, “Most kefir is full of lactose, and I am intolerant. With Green Valley, I can enjoy the benefits of kefir without the negative reaction to lactose.”
5. Nancy’s
This kefir is non-GMO, certified organic, and has live probiotics to boost digestive systems and promotes immune system health. In the whole milk variety, the three flavors offered are blueberry, plain, and vanilla.
In the low-fat variety, the four flavors offered are plain, strawberry, raspberry, and peach. For more information and a full list of products from Nancy’s brand, visit their website by following this link here.
As one reviewer mentioned. “While there aren’t many flavors, each one tastes great! I enjoy the Strawberry flavor of the low-fat kefir the most.”
6. Wallaby Organic
This Australian based kefir brand is widely popular wherever it is found. This brand offers nonfat and whole milk options as well as sizes in thirty-two fluid ounce bottles and seven fluid ounce bottles. The flavors available are peach, plain, strawberry, mango, vanilla, and blueberry. For more information and a full list of products, visit the website by following this link here.
One review suggested, “I buy the larger bottles and use them in smoothies in the morning. Wallaby Organic makes a great addition to any morning.”
7. Biotiful Dairy
This line of kefir products comes in three types, ice cream, cheese, and the beverage. The Ice Cream has three flavors; vanilla, chocolate, and cherry. The cheese comes in three flavors; plain, herbs and garlic, and red pepper and cumin.
Tip: You can also make your own kefir cheese at home!
The beverages come in ten flavors. These flavors are organic plain, organic baked milk, honey ginger, cacao, raspberry, strawberry, mango, original, cherry, and black currant. For more information and the full list of products, visit the website by following the link here.
One reviewer mentioned, “I love that I can enjoy guilt-free ice cream with all the benefits of a kefir drink.“
8. Chuckling Goat
This United Kingdom-based company sells a variety of products; by far, the most popular is the probiotic goat’s milk kefir. This brand has one flavor, plain. It also sells two skincare products with kefir in it, a lotion, and a facial cleanser. For more information and a full list of products sold, visit the website by following this link here.
As one reviewer stated, “I’ve noticed a significant boost in my energy since I started adding kefir into my diet.”
9. Evolve Kefir
This brand offers a probiotic smoothie and greek yogurt. The smoothies are low fat. The flavors for the smoothies available are; plain, strawberry, peach, blueberry, pomegranate, vanilla plus omega three, and goji, acai, and cranberry. The greek yogurt comes in four flavors. These flavors are as follows; plain, peach, strawberry, and blueberry. For more information and a list of nutritional facts, visit the website at the following link here.
As one reviewer said of this brand, “I enjoy adding the yogurt into my daily lunches. I get a tasty treat, and it’s good for me too!“
10. Yeo Valley Organic
This brand offers a kefir yogurt and a frozen kefir yogurt as well. The regular kefir yogurt comes in four flavors; plain, mango and passion fruit, strawberry, and blueberry. The frozen selection of flavors are as follows; strawberry and blueberry. For more information and a full list of products from the Yeo Valley Organic brand, follow this thing to the website here.
As one reviewer mentioned, “I love the healthy alternative to ice cream, I found in this brand’s frozen yogurts.”
Nutritional Benefits Of Kefir
This beverage is often used to replace milk to help add nutrients to the diet. As kefir is a probiotic filled drink, it has multiple health benefits, including aiding in proper digestion. This drink also is high in vitamins and minerals such as phosphorus, calcium, iron, potassium, and zinc, to name a few. Some vitamins found in kefir are Vitamin A, B1, B6, and B12.
Kefir helps with gut health. It’s sometimes recommended as a supplement when being proscribed an antibiotic. When you take probiotics, you are adding to the natural bacteria that should be in your body, especially the digestive tract. This improves your overall health and wellbeing.
What Probiotic Bacteria Are In Kefir?
The cultures of probiotic bacteria that make up the grains of kefir are as follow:
- Lactobacillus acidophilus
- Bifidobacterium bifidum
- Streptococcus thermophilus
- Lactobacillus delbrueck ii subsp. Bulgaris
- Lactobacillus helveticus
- Lactobacillus kefiranofaciens
- Lactococcus lactis
- Leuconostoc species
What Yeast Strains Are commonly Found In Kefir?
Some of the most common yeast strains are:
- Kluyveromyces marixanus
- Kluyveromyces lactis
- Saccharomyces fragilis
- Saccharomyces cerevisiae
How Is Kefir Made?
Kefir starts with some form of milk. Traditionally cows milk is used, but as mentioned previously, sheep’s milk, goat’s milk, or substitute milk such as soy milk or coconut milk can be used. Next, a solution of kefir grains and the milk of choice is made. Next, it is placed in a sealable contained suitable for fermentation.
The mixture is allowed to ferment in a dark place at a mild temperature for around a day or so. After the time allowed has passed, the grains of kefir are removed and stored for use to make a new kefir batch. What remains is then the yogurt-like drink known as kefir.
“Kefir and goat milk kefir – Uncle’s Deli, Bentleigh” by avlxyz is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0
