Cooking with Kefir

I introduced my mom to kefir. Her reaction? "It smells just like buttermilk!" And that got me to thinking, "Like buttermilk? Hmmm." So I was thinking I could substitute kefir for buttermilk in recipes. Here is what I've tried.


Kefir Ranch Dressing

1 cup kefir, cultured 24 hours and strained
1 cup mayonaise
1 package buttermilk Ranch dressing mix (I used a cheap brand, with good results)

Mix well. Chill.

We are pretty picky about our Ranch dressing and won't even eat many bottled brands. This came out great though. It will keep for over 2 weeks in the refrigerator. (This does not separate like kefir is known to do.) I will experiment and find a made-from-scratch recipe to avoid soy and MSG.



We normally eat Sourdough hotcakes, but my husband is a sucker for plain old Buttermilk pancakes. I made them substituting kefir for the buttermilk and they came out great.

Not-Buttermilk Pancakes

2 cups flour
2 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons honey or sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
3+ Tablespoons water, add to desired consistency
1 1/2 cups Kefir
1/2 cup coconut oil

Beat well. (I usually melt the coconut oil and add the raw honey to it until softened. Then I beat it well to incorporate it into the batter.)