Whey Health Benefits and Recipes
Whey contains “good” bacteria, especially for your digestive system. I love homemade whey and have experienced its health benefits. Learn how to make whey.
Whey is that cloudy liquid that remains after milk has been curdled or strained. I add whey to all of my fermented foods, such as sauerkraut, ginger ale, ketchup, and pickles. Our ancestors always fermented their condiments; this gives them not only probiotics but digestive enzymes as well.
After two years of drinking beet kvass, my periodontist told me that my tooth pockets were smaller than they used to be. In the four years that I have now been drinking a shot glass with most of my meals, I have not been sick once.
How to Make Whey
To make whey, you have to have access to raw milk. That is the only kind of milk that I buy. Pour some of the milk in a glass jar and cover it loosely to keep dust and other debris out of it. Leave on a kitchen counter for four to seven days or until it begins to separate. The warmer the room is, the faster it will separate.
Put a strainer over a bowl and place a piece of cheesecloth in the strainer. Pour the mixture through it.
The curds will stay in the cheesecloth, and the whey will fall into the bowl. Refrigerate the whey until you are ready to use it.
The curds can be made into a spread by adding some chives, basil, garlic powder, turmeric or whatever other herbs you like to eat.
This and many other how-tos and recipes can be found in my new book, Celeste’s Garden Delights. Enjoy!
Recipes with Whey
These are great fermented recipes in which you can use your new homemade whey.
How did your whey come out, and which is your favorite fermented recipe? Tell us below!
Celeste Longacre
Introduction to Preserving
Freezing
Making Quick Pickles
Making Quick Jams: Refrigerator or Freezer Jam
Water-Bath Canning
How to Can Tomatoes
How to Can Pickles
How to Can Jam and Jelly
Pressure Canning
Drying
Salting and Brining
Oh my... I am 67 y/o, was raised in Puerto Rico, drinking milk "right out of our cows".... the best coffee I ever drank... I do believe I did not die nor did I ever get sick.
Um, no, there is not a 100% chance of getting e coli from raw milk. People have been drinking raw milk for millennia, and would not do so if *every single time* they suffered extreme food poisoning. There is *always* a chance of bacterial contamination from raw milk, but it's impossible to put a percentage on it; farmers who handle raw milk normally take a great deal of care to keep the process as clean and sanitary as possible for the very obvious reason that they don't want their customers to suffer.
I have drunk raw milk occasionally for over 15 years and have not once suffered from it. I probably would not drink it if my health was frail or I were immunocompromised, but raw milk has a number of health benefits over pasteurized milk, especially commercial pasteurized milk.
As an inflammation sufferer I’d really like to try this as a holistic remedy. TBH I’m a little weary as a local health official warned residents of a recent salmonella outbreak last summer and urged against consuming unpasteurized dairy. Curious—is there is a way to ensure I’m not exposing myself or my family to unhealthy pathogens during the process of fermenting homemade whey?
A milky liquid separates from the curds of Stonyfield plain (whole milk) yogurt. It's not made from raw milk. Will this whey serve in making fruit kvas?
Hi there. I make Kefir Milk with grains. When the Kefir Milk is ready then I make smoothies or Kefir Cream Cheese. I have 12 Liters of Whey at present and need some ideas of what to do with it. I am using it to dilute fresh guava pulp so as to drink it. I read that you can feed it to your animals by adding a table spoon of it in to their water. Apart from using it as a Starter Culture in baking and fermenting, watering the plants what else can I do with it?
Frances from South Africa
Hi Stephen,
I use whey in many recipes. It's an excellent addition to fruit and beet kvass (see blog), sauerkraut, ketchup, mayonnaise, and kimchee (see blog). It helps these foods to keep longer in the fridge.
Yogurt whey. After straining my home made yogurt to make Greek style yogurt. There is an abundance of whey remaining. I've found very little information as to it's uses. Any suggestions?
