Kumis is a fermented milk drink similar to a thin yogurt popular in Colombia. You can buy in supermarkets in Colombia or make it at home.
What is Kumis?
It is a sour and creamy, popular Colombian drink. You can find it pre-made in almost every grocery store in Colombia, so making Kumis at home is no longer so common.
The traditional way to make Colombian Kumis is by fermenting raw unpasteurized cow's milk over the course of several hours or days. My grandmother made Kumis from scratch all the time. She had a large clay pot just to make Colombian Kumis. I actually hated it as a kid. I only started drinking it when I came to the United States and began missing my Colombian food.
Ingredients You'll Need
The printable recipe card with exact amounts and directions is below.
Milk: I recommend using organic whole milk to make Kumis. You can replace it with skim, but it won't be very creamy.
Limes: I always use organic limes.
Sugar: I like to use granulated sugar, but baker's will work too.
Yogurt: Use a good quality plain whole milk yogurt. I use a local brand.
Making Kumis at home is very easy and you don't need special ingredients or fancy equipment to make this recipe.
How to Make Kumis
- Heat the milk in a saucepan over low-medium heat. Don't let it boil.
- Let the milk cool until hot to the touch. Pour about a cup of the warm milk into a small bowl and whisk it with the yogurt. Pour it back into the pan of milk.
- Place the mixture in a glass jar and cover with a clean kitchen towel and set aside at room temperature. Let the mixture sit for 12 to 24 hours.
- Place the mixture in a blender with the sugar and blend until smooth. Place in the fridge for 24 hours more and serve.
More Drinks to Try
Canelazo (Sugar Cane and Cinnamon Hot Drink)
Kumis Colombiano Casero (Homemade Colombian Kumis) Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ gallon organic whole milk
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- ½ cup of sugar
- ¼ cup commercial yogurt that contains active cultures
Instructions
- Heat the milk in a saucepan over low-medium heat. Don't let it boil.
- Let the milk cool until hot to the touch. Pour about a cup of the warm milk into a small bowl and whisk it with the yogurt. Pour it back into the pan of milk.
- Place the mixture in a glass jar and cover with a clean kitchen towel and set aside at room temperature. Let the mixture sit for 12 to 24 hours.
- Place the mixture in a blender with the sugar and blend until smooth. Place in the fridge for 24 hours more and serve.
Lesly
When do the limes come in? I didn’t see them anywhere on the recipe except the ingredient list
Laura Giron
Hola Erica,
Mira que yo también estoy en el extranjero y extraño mucho la comida de mi mami. Como ella yo no cuenta con la habilidad de enseñarme, por eso uso blogs como el tuyo para acercarme un poco a la sazón de ella. Hace 5 años soy vegana. Hay algunas recetas tuyas que he veganizado pero de esta no tengo ni idea de cómo hacerla, puedo conseguir ácido láctico vegano pero no sé cómo preparar este kumis. Me podrías ayudar?
David
Sorry one more question
Place in glass jar for 12-24 hours, is that out side the fridge or inside the fridge…? The next step is for another 24 hours into the fridge?
David
Hi there at which point do you add the lime juice. In your original recipe you seemed to have left the lime juice out of the directions?
Julia
Leo ; take a chill pill. BTW arepas are Colombian, are you Venezuelan? Don't forget that we use to be La gran Colombia (Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, we later became just Colombia,, I would also say that Kunis is Colombian because is not made out of horses milk . As Latin American we have same foods, with different names , what makes them uniquel to each country is the ingredients and preparation , dulcet de Leche from Alpina (Colombia is to die for. Fyi in case you care to try it.