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December 22, 2016 By Yang 10 Comments

Raspberry Kefir Cream Cheese Spread

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This raspberry kefir cream cheese is so tasty! Made from the best probiotic source, kefir cheese is your healthiest treat from parties to breakfast. This raspberry kefir cream cheese will help improve your gut flora and is easy on the digestive system. Use the full instruction to make this wonderful recipe from scratch using real milk kefir grains.

(Fermented) Probiotic raspberry kefir cream cheese spread can be easily made at home using real milk kefir grains.

Can you believe Christmas is almost here? Tis the season filled with get-togethers with families and friends. I know I will be adding an unique raspberry kefir cream cheese spread to my cheese board for the holiday parties!

Considering the poor digestibility of milk by many people and the high amount of calcium in dairy that could work against building strong bones if over consumed, I do believe in eating our dairy in moderation. Growing up in Asia, I didn’t consume as much dairy in my traditional diet as now living in Canada. Most of us in the western world are getting more than enough dairy in our regular day to day foods. I figure when we prepare our own foods at home, we should use our “dairy tokens” on the most nutritious forms possible. In my family, the dairy we consume most regularly are the home-made milk kefir foods. Fermented, milk kefir has more nutrients available to our body than milk, is a better source of probiotics than yogurt, and is beneficial for our digestion.

(Fermented) Probiotic raspberry kefir cream cheese spread can be easily made at home using real milk kefir grains.

Although cheese is also a fermented dairy, not all cheese we buy from grocery stores contain probiotics.  Also we often have no way of finding out how many strains of beneficial bacteria was used in making the cheese.  The home-made kefir cream cheese however, contains the same profile of beneficial bacteria that present in the milk kefir grains. That is typically 30-50 strains of probiotics, which is super awesome!

I know some people make their milk kefir with a powdered starter. But keep in mind the powdered stuff contains only 10-12 strains of good bacteria, and that’s often what we get from the grocery store milk kefir.  Therefore using milk kefir grains makes a big difference! Adding fermented vegetables into our diet, like my fermented salsa and pineapple-turmeric-ginger sauerkraut, can put even more strains of probiotic bacteria into our body.

(Fermented) Probiotic raspberry kefir cream cheese spread can be easily made at home using real milk kefir grains.

Ever since my friend Erin got me into making my own milk kefir with real milk kefir grains, I have been experimenting so many ways to use it in my cooking.  The raspberry kefir cream cheese is one of my favourite kefir foods I made at home.  For those who are already fermenting milk kefir, this kefir cream cheese is fairly easy to make.  I will lay out the method using real milk kefir grains, assuming the readers already have the basic knowledge of milk kefir making.

(Fermented) Probiotic raspberry kefir cream cheese spread can be easily made at home using real milk kefir grains.

Other milk kefir recipes you will love:

  • Kefir Cheese Smoked Salmon Wrap
  • Superfoods Kefir Maca Smoothie
  • Mango Kefir Ice Cream w/o Ice Cream Maker {Video}
(Fermented) Probiotic raspberry kefir cream cheese spread can be easily made at home using real milk kefir grains.

Raspberry Kefir Cream Cheese Spread

This raspberry kefir cream cheese is so tasty! Made from the best probiotic source, kefir cheese is your healthiest treat from parties to breakfast. This raspberry kefir cream cheese will help improve your gut flora and is easy on the digestive system. Use the full instruction to make this wonderful recipe from scratch using real milk kefir grains.
4.5 from 4 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 250 g
Calories: 540kcal
Author: Yang

Ingredients

  • 2 tsp milk kefir grains
  • 4 cups (or 1 quart) whole milk, organic
  • 1/2 cup frozen raspberry, approximately 50 g
  • 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 tbsp raw honey

Instructions

  • Place the milk kefir grains in the milk in a glass jar. Either close the jar with a lid or cover with a breathable cloth. I prefer closing the jar with a lid, because I will shake the jar a few times during fermentation to help the milk kefir culture spread in the milk.
  • Let the jar of milk and culture sit at room temperature for about a day. The timing could vary depending on how fast the milk is being cultured. Making kefir cheese is not as time-sensitive as making milk kefir in the way that milk kefir should be collected as soon as done for a creamy texture. When making kefir cheese, I let my milk kefir ferment hours longer until the milk curdles and a lot of whey is separated in the bottom of the jar.
    (Fermented) Probiotic raspberry kefir cream cheese spread can be easily made at home using real milk kefir grains.
  • Remove the milk kefir grains. They are usually sitting on top of the cultured milk. I pick them out with a pair of chopsticks or plastic forks. Filter the finished product with layered cheese cloth or a coffee filter to separate the whey from the curdled milk. Because we let a lot of whey collect in the bottom of the jar in step 2, it’s fairly fast to filter out a good amount of whey at this point, just be gentle not to stir the whey back into the kefir while filtering. If the milk kefir wasn’t fermented longer until the whey separated, it would take much more time to strain the whey out of the milk kefir. Save the whey for other use.
  • The curdled milk is still too wet right now for cream cheese. A longer straining is needed to achieve the right consistency. I use 4 layers of cheese cloth wrapped around the curdled milk and hang on the knobs of my kitchen cabinets. Place a bowl underneath to collect the whey. You can also let the curdled milk strain in the fridge using a coffee filter. This process may take a couple days or more, until you get the cream cheese texture you desire.
    (Fermented) Probiotic raspberry kefir cream cheese spread can be easily made at home using real milk kefir grains.
  • I use frozen raspberries, because I can apply a little finger pressure to break the raspberries into tiny drupelets without crushing them. The 1/2 cup measurement is based on whole raspberries; once they are broken down into little drupelets, they measure about a 1/4 cup.
  • Place the kefir cream cheese, honey and cinnamon in a bowl and mix evenly. Fold in most of the raspberry drupelets to create a white-and-pink marbled look. Sprinkle rest of the raspberry drupelets on top to decorate. Serve immediately with fruity crisps or store in the fridge to consume within a week.
    (Fermented) Probiotic raspberry kefir cream cheese spread can be easily made at home using real milk kefir grains.

Notes

  1. The calorie calculation is based on the full recipe.
  2. Prep and cook time include time actively spent on making the kefir and cheese from scratch; do not include time waiting for fermentation to progress and waiting for kefir to be strained.  

Nutrition

Calories: 540kcal
Tried this recipe?Tag me @YangsNourishingKitchen on Instagram!


Raspberry Kefir Cream Cheese Spread
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Filed Under: Fermentation, Milk Kefir, Recipe Card, Recipes Tagged With: gluten-free, grain-free, nut-free, probiotic, vegetarian

About Yang

I found cure naturally for my incurable fibromyalgia. I believe you too can heal from ailments by listening to your own body. Let me show you how to use traditional wisdom to heal and use food as medicine. Read More…

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Dee says

    August 18, 2020 at 5:17 pm

    This looks amazing! I’m confused though. I thought that the antibacterial properties in Honey killed off the good bacteria in the Kefir?? Could I use Agave instead?

    Reply
  2. CG says

    April 29, 2019 at 12:55 am

    I will have to try this on einkorn sourdough toast! Extra healthy breakfast! 🙂

    Reply
    • Yang says

      April 29, 2019 at 1:25 am

      That sounds really delicious and healthy!!! <3

      Reply
  3. Cassandra King says

    August 15, 2018 at 9:17 pm

    Your recipes, and your blog are so inspiring!
    Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us!

    I have the “turmeric/pineapple/ginger sauerkraut” and the “fermented ginger in honey” brewing at the money.
    This recipe is next on my list. My husband loves tzatziki (oddly, he doesn’t like cucumbers or yogurt) .. so I am sure he will love this recipe!

    Have you tried making hemp tofu before?

    Reply
    • Yang says

      April 29, 2019 at 1:24 am

      Thank you, Cassandra! I am so glad you enjoyed making these recipes. No, I have not tried making hemp tofu. Would love to hear your thoughts if you make them! 🙂

      Reply
  4. monika says

    November 20, 2017 at 7:21 pm

    I don’t think the calorie count is that high because you strain away the whey, which also contain calories…

    Reply
    • Yang says

      December 2, 2017 at 1:04 am

      Monika, thank you for pointing out! I have re-estimated the calorie count using this calculator: https://www.verywell.com/recipe-nutrition-analyzer-4129594 I believe it’s more accurate now.

      Reply
  5. Billy says

    July 13, 2017 at 3:58 pm

    Okay this looks so delicious. I’ve been trying to find more avenues to bring probiotics into the diets of my family, but this seriously has to take the cake in terms of a recipe that looks the most delicious! I can’t even imagine how easy it would be to just throw this on a toasted bagel in the morning and head off to work! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe, I can’t wait to give it a try.

    Reply
  6. Jen says

    January 20, 2017 at 9:29 pm

    Looks so creamy and delish!

    Reply
    • Yang says

      February 6, 2017 at 4:12 am

      Everyone loves this. You will have to try it one day, Jen! 🙂

      Reply

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Here you will find many nourishing recipes and natural remedies at Yang's Nourishing Kitchen.

Born and raised in China, now living in Canada for the past 20+ years, Yang shares time-tested traditional wisdom from the east to the west, through nutrient-dense real food recipes.

Having healed herself successfully from illness labeled incurable, Yang uses her knowledge and experience to help others to achieve balance and well-being. Read More…

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