You’ve probably heard that fermented foods are great for you, and they are, if they are made with good quality ingredients, and include a healthy, healing mix of probiotic cultures, and they don’t have sugar in them. But products that meet all those criteria are not easy to find in grocery stores! So I’ve put together this set of instructions to guide you in making your own yogurt, kefir, and sour cream – it’s super easy, and the end results are so delicious and good for you, you might never want to go back to store-bought!

While these instructions will work using dairy products, for optimal health, I recommend using coconut milk or coconut cream instead of dairy. Be sure to choose coconut milk and coconut cream that do not have any additives or thickeners such as guar gum (which is a gut irritant for many).

DIY Sour Cream

Servings: 4

Instructions

  • Pour 2 x 14 oz cans of coconut cream into a sterilized quart glass jar.
  • Mix ½ packet (~1 Tbsp) of Body Ecology Culture Starter into the coconut cream, and let it sit out at room temperature, undisturbed, for 1-2 days in cooler months, or 12-24 hours in summer.
  • After 12 hours, check it every couple of hours to see if it is starting to solidify. 
  • Once it has thickened some, place it in the refrigerator, and enjoy. 
  • It will keep in fridge for 1-2 weeks, and will thicken more as it sits in the fridge. 
  • And, like with the yogurt, you can also strain it through cheesecloth or a nut milk bag if you’d like it to be thicker.
* Why do I specifically recommend Body Ecology’s culture and kefir starters? Because they are made especially for balancing the gut microbiome and contain a precise mixture of cultures for creating a healthy, diverse gut flora, which is essential for optimal health! 😊