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    My Colombian Recipes » Recipes » Breakfast and Brunch » Kumis Colombiano Casero (homemade Colombian Kumis)

    Kumis Colombiano Casero (Homemade Colombian Kumis)

    Jun 17, 2013 · Modified: Sep 13, 2022 by Erica Dinho · 36 Comments

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    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.

    Kumis Colombiano Casero (Homemade Colombian Kumis)Pin

    Kumis Colombiano Casero (Homemade Colombian Kumis)

    Erica Dinho
    5 from 32 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Course Drinks
    Cuisine Colombian
    Servings 4 servings
    Calories 383 kcal

    Ingredients
     

    • ½ gallon organic whole milk
    • 3 tablespoons lime juice
    • ½ cup of sugar

    Instructions
     

    • ½ gallon organic whole milk
    • ¼ cup commercial yogurt that contains active cultures
    • ½ cup of sugar
    • Heat the Milk in a saucepan over low-medium heat. Donu2019t 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.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 383kcalCarbohydrates: 48gProtein: 16gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 9gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 57mgSodium: 180mgPotassium: 723mgFiber: 0.04gSugar: 48gVitamin A: 772IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 584mgIron: 0.02mg
    Keyword colombian drinks
    Have you Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @mycolombianrecipes and tag #mycolombianrecipes!
    Kumis Colombiano Casero (Homemade Colombian Kumis)Pin

    Kumis 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.

    Kumis Colombiano Casero (Homemade Colombian Kumis)Pin

    Making Kumis at home is very easy and I want to share two different, but both very easy recipes for making Kumis. You don't need special ingredients or fancy equipment to make these two recipes. Here are my mom's and my Aunt Luz's Kumis recipes using pasteurized whole milk. Buen provecho!

    Kumis Colombiano Casero (Homemade Colombian Kumis)Pin

    More Drinks Recipes

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    About Erica Dinho

    My name is Erica and I was born and raised in Colombia and now live in the northeastern United States with my husband and family. This blog was inspired by my grandmother, Mamita, who was an amazing traditional Colombian cook.

    Author Page →

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Belinda @zomppa

      June 17, 2013 at 8:12 pm

      5 stars
      Huh...you got me intrigued! Want to try this!

      Reply
    2. Angie@Angie's Recipes

      June 18, 2013 at 9:05 am

      5 stars
      Sour and creamy...sounds fantastic and lovely for the summer.

      Reply
    3. Brightbiologist

      June 18, 2013 at 11:47 am

      5 stars
      seems sort of like kefir. My girls LOVE that! I wonder if they'd like kumis. Do you ever flavor with fruit or fruit purees?

      Reply
      • Erica Dinho

        June 18, 2013 at 1:13 pm

        5 stars
        I don't! I like to drink it plain!

        Reply
      • Maria

        April 19, 2020 at 6:10 pm

        5 stars
        I used to blend my plain kefir milk with different fruits, but yesterday I decided to try something new, so I added some lime juice and brown sugar to the plain kefir milk and blended it. I tasted it and it was like Colombian kumis! (I'm from Colombia and I love kumis) It was delicious!

        I googled the kumis ingredients and I found this website LOL

        So I guess I can leave you my new recipe:

        1 Cup of plain kefir milk
        1 Tsp of lime juice
        1 Tsp of brown sugar (or even more if you like it sweeter)

        Blend it and enjoy!

        Reply
        • Andres

          September 13, 2020 at 8:30 pm

          5 stars
          Gonna try this tomorrow!

          Reply
      • Dolly

        November 16, 2022 at 11:10 am

        I do. I add strawberrys and blue berries and mix it in the nutribullet, my grandson loves it.

        Reply
    4. Evelyne@cheapethniceatz

      June 18, 2013 at 1:43 pm

      5 stars
      I think you know how much I enjoy dairy/cheese products 🙂 Must give this a try!

      Reply
    5. grace

      June 19, 2013 at 2:27 pm

      5 stars
      this is really, really interesting, erica! my first thought is that i wouldn't like the taste or texture of this, but after mulling it over, i think i simply must give it a try!

      Reply
    6. Adriana

      June 19, 2013 at 3:41 pm

      5 stars
      Kumis is a must buy every time I go to Colombia. Thanks for sharing the recipes, I'll try both! Just came back from vacation in Colombia and I'm craving Kumis already 😉

      Reply
    7. Norma - Platanos, Mangoes and Me!

      July 01, 2013 at 7:05 pm

      5 stars
      When growing up in Venezuela my Dad would make this...Wow it's been so long since I had this.....

      Reply
      • Isa

        May 07, 2015 at 8:05 pm

        5 stars
        Hi Norma, would u share your dad's recipe if have it?

        Isabel

        Reply
    8. Gloria Carvajalino C.

      November 04, 2013 at 9:49 pm

      5 stars
      I love my colombian Kumis and I really miss it. Here, somebody told me to put some sugar in buttermilk to try to recreate the taste, but it is not the same. I will try both. 🙂

      Reply
    9. zara

      March 18, 2014 at 2:23 pm

      5 stars
      Question: the second recipe wouldn't make yogurt instead of kumis since you used yogurt to star with?

      Reply
    10. AdrianaG

      April 03, 2014 at 3:54 am

      5 stars
      A few quetions:

      1. Have you tried either of these recipes with raw unpasteurized milk?

      2. In your aunt's recipe "Let the milk cool until hot to the touch. " don't you mean " warm to the touch" ? Typically temperatures over 120°F will kill the starter bacteria.

      3. Can reculture a new batch of kumis using some from the previous batch or is it best to start fresh with starer from yogurt !

      Reply
    11. Juan Guerra

      August 16, 2014 at 8:18 pm

      5 stars
      I have made Kumis at home that is very thick and great tasting, using a small 150ml pak of store bought Kumis as a starter, and a 1.1 Liter bag of Whole Pasteurized Milk.

      Both are at room temperature when I start. Into a sterile plastic jug of about 1.5 Liters I empty the small Kumis pak. Then I pour about half of the whole milk into a sterile, plastic measuring cup and place it in a small microwave oven. I use full power for 90 seconds and the milk is warm, not hot, about 85-90 degrees F. I pour the warmed milk into the jug with the starter Kumis and stir for a few seconds with a sterile spoon. I then pour the rest of the whole milk into the empty measuring cup and microwave it for 90 seconds.
      I then add the rest of the warmed milk to the jug and stir to mix it all up.

      I cover the jug and place it in warm cabinet that is about 95-100 degrees F. It is warmed by a 40 watt bulb. After about 3-4 hours it thickens and I place it overnight in the fridge and the next morning I enjoy a cup of fresh Kumis.

      As long as I leave about an inch of Kumis at the bottom of the jug, I can repeat making more Kumis from only Whole Milk.

      Since I arrived in Colombia 2 years ago and a carpenter made my warmer cabinet, I have bought the small 150 ml starter pak only three times.

      Reply
    12. Dexter

      December 05, 2015 at 11:22 pm

      5 stars
      Colombian Kumis is a cheap imitation of the Mongoliank Kumis (also spelled koumiss and koumis). It is essentially a cultured milk drink just like kefir, but instead of using cow or goat milk, Kumis is made with mare (horse) milk. The real stuff is a probiotic drink with substantial health benefits. The Colombian Kumis is made with plain low quality cow milk. while tasting ok, it is basically curds (made by adding lime juice o milk), with added sugar (why?), then heated to kill most beneficial cultures of yeast and bacteria that kefir and Kumis are known for. You cannot buy or make your own real Kumis but most stores in USA carry real kefir.

      Reply
      • Jasmine

        March 03, 2017 at 10:26 pm

        5 stars
        Dexter
        There is no reason to be insulting. First of all many cultures have a version of kumis. That goes back many years and the variations on recipes are also depending on what was available , cow milk, goat milk, horse milk etc. If you don't like it, don't make it or drink it and leave no comment. Everything else is unnecessary .

        Reply
        • Anonymous

          May 18, 2020 at 7:47 am

          5 stars
          You tell him

          Reply
      • Ana

        May 30, 2017 at 2:08 pm

        5 stars
        Really? How rude you are , too much sour Kegir I guess

        Reply
      • The Guy

        August 29, 2019 at 4:51 pm

        5 stars
        If you knew anything about Mongolia, you'd know that they generaly call it "airag" over there. It has different names throughout Central/Northern Asia and elsewhere in the world. Archi, qumis (and anglicization means nothing), kummis, etc. No one knows where it originated, and it could have developed in different places without knowledge of each other.

        Reply
      • Anonymous

        September 08, 2020 at 11:54 pm

        5 stars
        You don’t know anything about Colombian kumis. Kumis Alpina is the best!

        Reply
        • Susi

          June 08, 2021 at 2:00 pm

          I just bought some while my homemade is ‘cooking’! Thanks for letting me know!

          Reply
    13. Bill

      February 14, 2017 at 12:21 pm

      5 stars
      I know this is long after the original post, but I have to agree with at least one commentator who said this is just yogurt, and it sure is. I make yogurt all the time, kefir too, and those directions for the second method are the same as for making yogurt. Then you add all that sugar. The first method it is the way I learned on how to make a substitute for buttermilk.

      Reply
    14. John-Ali Sanjarbek

      December 06, 2017 at 2:56 pm

      5 stars
      Our people from Central Asia and Siberia made Kumis - Qimiz from Mare-Horse milk. It is fermented milk with mild alcohol. Also from Camel milk we make Qimran. Almost same process.

      Reply
    15. Leo

      April 26, 2018 at 4:58 pm

      5 stars
      Kumis is not Colombian. we do consume it here a lot but it is not Colombia. I hate that Colombian claim they invented so many foods such Arepas, Empanadas, Arequipe (Dulce de leche), Tamales, Morcilla (blood sausage or blood burst), and so on. You'll always find all those things all over Latin America and Brazil, and in cases like kumis, Asia.

      Reply
      • Старий Казачка

        July 03, 2018 at 11:28 am

        5 stars
        This is central asian origin.... the word is turkic - credit where its due. This is the food of my ancestors for 1000s of years (Scythian, Bashkir, Kazah, etc) not South America... this has been brought to the country possibly by Russians within the past 200 years.

        Reply
      • Patty

        October 10, 2019 at 8:57 am

        5 stars
        Leo, she is not claiming that the Kumis is originally from Colombia. This is her Colombian version. And her site clearly states "My Colombian Recipes"

        Regarding Arepas. Many Latin American countries have their own version, including pupusas, tortillas and so. Leave this to our Indian Ancestors. And the rest when we "America" was discovered by Europeans.

        Take and use what you need/want, ignore the rest. Thanks Erica for posting your recipe.

        Reply
        • leonardo

          October 10, 2019 at 12:26 pm

          5 stars
          I quote: "Kumis is a sour and creamy, popular Colombian drink."
          which implies that kumis is a Colombian drink.

          On the other hand, I invite you to educate yourself about corn: "Maize (/meɪz/ MAYZ; Zea mays subsp. mays, from Spanish: maíz after Taino: mahiz), also known as corn, is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago", ergo corn is American, not Indian or European... google it.

          Reply
          • The Guy

            December 11, 2019 at 2:36 pm

            5 stars
            Seeing that we're all about specifics here... "corn" is a classical Roman Latin word for grains in general. In the English context, it has come to refer to maize. Who knows why.

            "Corn" is a solid European word, though its meaning changes according to context.

            Reply
          • Martin

            July 05, 2020 at 1:26 pm

            5 stars
            I grew up a poor Colombian household, the kind that couldn't afford buying an extra litter of milk to make kumis. Instead, my mom would collect the leftover milk during the week in a glass bottle (no fancy container either) so she could treat us with homemade kumis on Sunday. Bottom line, kumis was part of my upbringing, and I don't really care if the origin is Colombian, Russian, or Martian.

            Reply
    16. P Buena

      July 16, 2020 at 10:27 pm

      5 stars
      Thanks for sharing your Colombian recipes.
      Will definitely try this. I have been adding sugar to my Kefir but not the same as Kumis.

      Reply
    17. Julia

      March 05, 2021 at 2:57 pm

      5 stars
      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.

      Reply
    18. David

      January 08, 2022 at 9:57 pm

      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?

      Reply
    19. David

      January 08, 2022 at 10:03 pm

      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?

      Reply

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    Erica Dinho Author | My Colombian Recipes

    Hola and welcome to My Colombian Recipes. My name is Erica and I was born and raised in Colombia and now live in the northeastern United States with my husband and family. This blog was inspired by my grandmother, Mamita, who was an amazing traditional Colombian cook.

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