Document And Entity Information - USD ($)	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015	Mar. 01, 2016	Jun. 30, 2015
Document And Entity Information
Entity Registrant Name	LIFEWAY FOODS INC
Entity Central Index Key	0000814586
Document Type	10-K/A
Document Period End Date	Dec. 31, 2015
Amendment Flag	true
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Is Entity a Well-known Seasoned Issuer	No
Is Entity a Voluntary Filer	No
Is Entity's Reporting Status Current	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		16,188,376
Entity Public Float			$ 91,167,353
Document Fiscal Period Focus	FY
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2015
Amendment description	Change that impacts financial statements