Kefir vs Filmjölk: Which Cultured Milk Is Easier and Better for Beginners?

Kefir vs Filmjölk: Which Cultured Milk Is Better?

If you're trying to decide between kefir and filmjölk, both are excellent cultured milk products.  After making kefir for several years and filmjölk for several months, I think filmjölk is easier for complete beginners, while kefir offers a little more flexibility once you're comfortable maintaining the grains.

When people first discover fermented milk, they usually hear about kefir.  It's one of the best known cultured dairy products and has a reputation for being incredibly healthy.  Kefir is surprisingly easy to make.

Filmjölk is much less well known outside Scandinavia, despite being one of the easiest cultured dairy products to make at home.  If you can believe this, its even easier to make than milk kefir.  If you haven't tried filmjölk before, I wrote a separate guide showing how I make it at home: How to Make Filmjölk at Home (And Why My Kids Prefer It to Kefir) .

After making milk kefir for several years and filmjölk for several months, I've found they each have strengths.  I still keep both cultures alive because I use them for different purposes.

If you're trying to decide whether to start with kefir or filmjölk, here's what I've learned.

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Home made filmjölk and milk kefir 

What Is The Difference Between Kefir And Filmjölk?

Although both are fermented milk products, they are made quite differently.

Milk kefir is produced using living kefir 'grains'.  These aren't true grains, and pose no danger to anyone with grain allergies.  These grains contain a mixture of bacteria and yeasts that work together to ferment milk.

Filmjölk does not use grains.  Instead, you save a small amount of finished filmjölk and use it to start the next batch.

If you’re deciding which one to start with, the biggest factor is whether you want to maintain kefir grains or prefer a simpler starter-based culture.  From a practical point of view, filmjölk is probably the simpler of the two.

Milk kefir grains 

Quick Comparison: Kefir vs Filmjölk

Feature	Milk Kefir	Filmjölk
Culture type	Kefir grains	Starter culture
Flavour	Tangy, slightly yeasty	Mild and buttery
Texture	Drinkable	Thick and spoonable
Maintenance	Needs grains separated after each batch	Save some finished culture for the next batch
Difficulty	Very easy	Very easy

Filmjölk is thick and spoonable 

Taste: Kefir vs Filmjölk

This is probably the biggest difference between milk kefir vs filmjölk.

Milk kefir has a distinctive tangy flavour that some people love immediately, while others take a little time to appreciate.  Depending on time of year, it can also develop a slight yeasty flavour and sometimes a little natural carbonation.

Filmjölk is much milder.

It has a buttery flavour with gentle acidity that reminds many people of yoghurt, although the texture is smoother and I find it less sour than Greek yogurt.

When I first made filmjölk, I was surprised how easy it was to enjoy straight away.

Which One Do My Kids Prefer?

This surprised me.

I expected everyone to prefer kefir because my kids have grown up drinking it and have always enjoyed it.  

Instead, my children immediately preferred filmjölk.

The milder flavour makes it much easier for people who aren't used to fermented foods, and apparently it's also nicer for kids who grew up drinking kefir.

That doesn't mean kefir is worse.  My kids still like it and drink it most days, they just prefer filmjölk.  Milk kefir just has a stronger flavour.

Making Filmjölk at home - saving some starter for the next batch 

Which One Is Easier To Make?

Both are easy.

Kefir requires one extra step.

After each batch you need to strain out the kefir grains before starting another batch.  I use a plastic mesh strainer because it makes separating the grains quick and simple.

Filmjölk skips this step completely.

To make more filmjölk you simply keep a little from the previous batch and add fresh milk.

If someone told me they had never fermented anything before, I would probably suggest starting with filmjölk because there is less to think about.

Straining my milk kefir grains 

Equipment I Use

I often make both cultures in recycled jars, but they are such a pain to clean.  It's far better to use ordinary glass preserving jars.  They are inexpensive, easy to clean, and the wide opening makes stirring and cleaning easier.

I also keep thermometer strips nearby, especially during winter when my house is cooler and fermentation slows down.  It's interesting how useful these things are. 

Once fermented, I store the finished milk in glass storage jars in the refrigerator.  I keep a lid on while in the fridge, otherwise there is a risk that they will absorb odours and off tastes from the fridge.

I don't use yogurt makers, or incubators, or heating mats to make kefir or filmjölk.  They aren't needed.  My house gets cold over winter, and my ferments always do just fine (althoughsometimestheymight need an extra day before they are ready).

Which One Is Healthier?

This is a common question.

Both contain live cultures, but they are not the same cultures.

Kefir is reported to contain a wider variety of beneficial bacteria and beneficial yeasts than filmjölk, although the exact number depends on the individual culture. 

Filmjölk contains its own traditional cultures and is also a live fermented food.

Rather than saying one is better, I think they are simply different.

I happily consume both.  I personally think of kefir as food and as home remedy medicine, while I only tend to think of filmjölk as food.  

Should You Choose Kefir or Filmjölk?

If you're still undecided, here's a quick summary based on my own experience making both at home.

If you want...	My recommendation
A mild flavour that's easy to enjoy	Filmjölk
A stronger, tangier cultured milk	Kefir
The easiest culture for complete beginners	Filmjölk
A culture with beneficial bacteria and yeasts	Kefir
A thick, spoonable breakfast	Filmjölk
A drinkable fermented milk	Kefir and Filmjölk
The least day-to-day maintenance	Filmjölk
A culture to share and multiply over the years	Both

Which One Would I Recommend?

If you enjoy experimenting and don't mind separating kefir grains, milk kefir is a rewarding culture to keep.  I have kept milk kefir going for years, and I would be really upset if I ever lost it.  I drink milk kefir, I use it on my breakfast in the morning, and use it to make tvorog.

If you want something mild, simple, and easy to maintain, filmjölk is hard to beat.  Given its simplicity, and its mild flavour,  I'm surprised this isn't more commonly made by people at home.

Personally, I don't think it is an either/or decision.

I make both regularly because I like them both and they suit different situations.

I ferment filmjölk with the lid on

Making Kefir and Filmjölk in the Same Kitchen

One question I often get is whether it is possible to make both milk kefir and filmjölk in the same kitchen.

For me, the answer is yes.  I have kept several cultures including milk kefir, kombucha, and filmjölk all going at the same time for years, but I do treat them as separate cultures and take care not to mix them.

I don't share utensils between my kefir and filmjölk.  Each culture has its own jar, spoon, and strainer, which helps reduce the chance of accidentally transferring one culture into the other.

I also handle them slightly differently.  My milk kefir is usually left uncovered while it ferments, which is how I have always made it.  I have always been told that milk kefir is an aggressive culture, and can contaminate other nearby cultures.  My filmjölk is kept covered with a lid while it ferments.

Keeping the filmjölk covered gives me peace of mind that it is less likely to pick up anything from the surrounding environment, especially since I have other active fermented cultures sitting nearby.  

The two cultures are quite different.  Milk kefir grains contain a complex community of bacteria and yeasts, while filmjölk relies on specific lactic acid bacteria.  I like how each tastes, and I like how each has different uses.  I prefer to keep those communities separate rather than risk one gradually changing the other.

My kitchen is not a laboratory, and fermented foods have been made in ordinary kitchens for generations.  However, treating each culture with care makes it easier to keep them healthy and consistent over time.

Where Can You Buy Kefir Or Filmjölk Cultures?

If you want to try making either one, you will need a starter culture.

For kefir, you can start with live milk kefir grains.

For filmjölk, you can use a filmjölk starter culture if you don't have someone nearby who can share some fresh starter.

Both cultures can continue producing batch after batch when cared for properly and can be kept going indefinitely.

I ferment kefir with the lid off

My Recommendation For Beginners

If you have never fermented milk before, start with whichever culture is easiest for you to obtain.

Both are inexpensive to make, forgiving, and require very little equipment.  Both taste great, both have purported health benefits, and both taste remarkably different to one another.

Once you have mastered one, trying the other is very straightforward.

Fermentation Books I Recommend

If you are interested in making kefir, filmjölk, or other fermented foods at home, these are some books I have found useful.

The Art of Fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz

This is one of the best-known fermentation books and covers a huge range of traditional fermented foods.  It goes well beyond milk fermentation into vegetables, drinks, and other cultures.
Check the current price on Amazon

Wild Fermentation by Sandor Ellix Katz

This is a more approachable introduction to fermentation.  I like it because it focuses on the idea that fermentation has been part of everyday kitchens for thousands of years.
Check the current price on Amazon

Super Gut by William Davis

This book focuses more on gut health and fermented foods.  Some of the health claims are debated, but it contains interesting information about fermented foods and probiotic cultures.
Check the current price on Amazon

Continue Your Fermentation Journey

• Beginner Guide to Making Milk Kefir at Home
• Beginner Guide to Growing Milk Kefir Grains at Home
• How To Make Farmer's Kefir Cheese (Tvorog)
• My Filmjölk Guide

Final Thoughts

After making both milk kefir and filmjölk in my own kitchen, I don't think one is universally better than the other.  They simply suit different people and different situations.

If you enjoy a stronger flavour, want the resilience of kefir grains, or like experimenting with fermented foods, milk kefir is an excellent choice.  If you're looking for something incredibly simple with a mild flavour that the whole family is more likely to enjoy, filmjölk is hard to beat.

In our house, I now keep both cultures going.  Kefir remains my favourite (largely for sentimental reasons), while filmjölk has become the cultured milk my children ask for most often.  Fortunately, they're both easy to maintain, so there's no reason we can't enjoy both.