Why Make Your Own Cream Cheese
I know thats probably a question that some of you are asking, and I actually have the perfect answer. Because homemade cream cheese is SO much better and Im not just saying that.
Im not just talking about taste and texture either. Now, obviously I havent tried EVERY cream cheese out there but last time I was at the store I decided to have a look at the ingredients list of some of the biggest brands of cream cheese here in the UK.
What I found was E ingredients, gums and thickeners including the controversial carrageenan! Homemade cream cheese simply uses lemon juice, milk and salt and is still wonderfully smooth and creamy.
How To Make Cream Cheese:
As I said above, the method for making cream cheese is actually very similar to making ricotta Heat your milk, add a coagulant, leave to curdle, drain and blend!
Okay, theres a little more to it than that, but you get the gist.
Whats needed:
- salt
- optional add-ons dried herbs, garlic powder, dried chillies
Note* You could alternatively use half whole milk and half heavy cream OR completely use whole cream for soft cheese that is richer/creamier
You will also need a cheesecloth or a fine-mesh sieve
The Steps:
Begin by pouring the milk in a saucepan. Heat the milk and bring it to boil over medium-high heat.
As soon as it boils, add the lemon juice and then turn off the heat.
Set aside for a few minutes while the milk curdles. Youll notice curds forming and a yellow-ish liquid being left behind.
Within a few minutes, all of your curds should have formed. Pour the curdled milk through a cheesecloth and a sieve to strain all the liquid whey.
Alternatively, you can use a slotted spoon to scoop out all the curdles, while leaving the liquid whey in the pot.
Note* This leftover whey can then be used in a variety of ways. Ive talked about this more in my DIY How To Make Paneer At Home post.
Rinse the curdled milk with cold water by pouring the water over the sieve. This will help to get rid of any extra whey, clinging to the curds.
Squeeze the curdled milk as much as possible to drain any last drop of the liquid whey.
How to eat it?
And a bazillion other ways.
How To Make Perfect N0
Like I mention above, this no-bake cheesecake recipe is very easy. Beat the filling ingredients together, then spread into your graham cracker crust and refrigerate until set. Thats it! The cheesecake filling is made in 2 bowls. In the 1st bowl, beat heavy cream into stiff peaks. In the 2nd bowl, beat the remaining ingredients. Fold everything together. Here are the cheesecake filling ingredients. Each has a job to perform!
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Can I Make Cheese With Yogurt Or Buttermilk
Yes. Yes, you can. Here is why I dont entirely recommend it for the novice. Actually, you can try to make it with the ambient bacteria in the air, it could turn out, most likely it will fail. This is how it was originally discovered thousands of years ago. Over time our ancestors realized you could reproduce it by using whey as a starter and they would get more dependable results.
I personally think if you are trying this for the first time you should spring a couple of bucks for culture and get dependable results. I looked up the bacteria that are in both mesophilic culture and buttermilk. They are as follows.
Mesophillic culture may contain lactose, lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis, lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris
Buttermilk may contain lactose, lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis, lactococcus lactis subsp. cremoris, lactococcus lactis subsp. biovar diacetylactis, leuconostoc mesenteroides subsp. cremoris.
Yes, there is some overlap. As you can see they are not the same, so sure you will produce a type of cream cheese but isnt the recipe that I am sharing.
Use homemade cream cheese in these recipes:
Did You Make This Recipe
Category:
Each recipe on this blog has been written with great care and love to the best of my ability with you in mind.Its free and on the blog, for you to try anytime.
All I ask is that you do not save it on any apps, recipe boxes or online groups which will affect me as a food blogger and the growth of this blog.
I would appreciate if you only share the link rather than the full recipe.
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How To Make Cream Cheese
We’re going to use plain old yogurt, a little bit of salt, and a lot of time to make an easy and incredibly delicious homemade cheese. I found some sheeps’ milk yogurt at the farmers’ market, but I’ve done this with regular cows’ milk yogurt and it works beautifully. The taste is more flavorful and tangier than regular cream cheese.
- 1 container plain yogurt
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
What Is Lactic Acid Coagulation
In the most basic terms, lactic acid coagulation is basically allowing time and bacteria from your culture to work their magic by converting lactose into lactic acid which curdles the milk. Its very similar to making homemade yogurt.
Other lactic acid cheeses include Chèvre, Cottage Cheese, Fromage Blanc, and Quark.
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Process Of Making Cream Cheese At Home
As basic as the ingredients are for making cream cheese at home, the process of making it compliments that. All you need is a heavy bottom saucepan, a muslin cloth, a wooden spoon/spatula, and a bowl.
A heavy bottom pan is important because it protects the base from getting scorched and milk from getting burnt. The milk and cream need to come to a simmer. Keep stirring it constantly so that your liquid mixture doesnt burn.
The vinegar or lemon juice has to be added in batches. I put two tablespoons at a time. This will help in forming baby curds nicely and evenly. Once all the vinegar/lemon juice has been added, the mixture needs to be brought to a boil, while stirring continuously. Then strain the mixture over a muslin cloth and sit undisturbed for sometime.
A lot of you would find this process familiar. Ive seen my mom make paneer at home using a similar process and that kind of makes me believe if she can make such good paneer at home, I can also make cream cheese at home.
The difference here is in the amount of vinegar going in. It might start looking like a disgusting mixture but dont get scared. Youll get beautiful cream cheese from it at the end of the process.
I would not manually strain the mixture or squeeze it because I still want some amount of liquid in my cream cheese. So let this set undisturbed and drain naturally for not more than 15minutes.
After 15 minutes have passed, transfer the mixture to a food processor and smooth it out.
The Third Recipe Also Made By Lauren Had Only Three Ingredients And Had The Shortest Process
Next, Lauren tried the “Super Easy Homemade Cream Cheese” recipe by Samira Kazan, a food influencer under the name Alpha Foodie and winner of Netflix’s “Crazy Delicious.”
Off the bat, this recipe seemed ridiculously simple and perfect for people who crave homemade cream cheese but can’t find the time. To make it, people will need 8 cups of whole milk, 1 lemon , and ½ teaspoon of salt.
This recipe also required a cheesecloth, a fine-mesh strainer, and a food processor/blender.
First, pour the milk into a large saucepan and bring to a boil over medium to high heat. As soon as the milk boils, Kazan said to add the lemon juice and then turn off the heat before setting the saucepan aside.
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Tips For Making Cream Cheese:
- Keep the ratios of milk to cream and half and half. You can use just milk, but if you want to use cream and half and half, keep to these ratios.
- Rinse your pot with cold water, first. This will help with the clean up after!
- Use a Thermometer. This will help ensure that you’re not overheating your milk and help prevent you from burning it.
- Make sure you have a good cheese cloth. Be sure that it’s one that’s wide so when you line your sieve or colander so that you have enough room to gather it all to hang to drain.
- Hang it for faster draining. You can just let it drain while in the sieve/colander, but gathering the edges of the cheese cloth and suspending it will help it all drain faster. Plus, doing this will allow you to gently squeeze the cloth a bit to release liquid faster.
Now that you have this Cream Cheese, you can make this amazing Cream Cheese Frosting From Scratch!
Tips & Tricks On How To Make Cream Cheese At Home
- Traditional cream cheese is made from 50% cream and 50% whole milk. Use all cream for the richest tasting cream cheese. If you’re looking to make a lower fat cream cheese, we suggest using all whole milk.
- Be careful heating your cream or milk. Heating milk too quickly may cause it not to set or taste unpleasant later.
- If you wish to make larger batches of cream cheese, use one gallon of milk . Using a Cream Cheese Starter Culture, just follow the recipe above. Using option 2, use 4 drops of liquid rennet with the 1/4 teaspoon of culture.
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Learning How To Make Cream Cheese Is One Of Those Things That Makes You Feel Like A Homesteading Rockstar
But I have to warn you before you proceed, otherwise it just wouldnt be fair:
Homemade cream cheese is one of those things that beckons you to eat it in large spoonfuls. Youve been warned.
Yeah, yeah Smearing it on homemade bagels is nice too, but theres just something about eating it plain
Since I am currently milking our cow twice daily and have an abundance of cream, I decided it was time to try playing around with making my own cream cheese.
And, let me just say that it couldnt be easier!
Homemade Cream Cheese Vs Store
Honestly, there isnt much of a difference except the saltiness and texture.
And these elements can only be improved as you make each batch of cream cheese and experiment as you go along.
Beginners tips on making cream cheese.
Having all the prep work and ingredients ready will help the making cheese process seamless.
You need whole milk to make cheese, non-fat wont work.
The amount of salt you add can impact the taste of your cream cheese.
We used lime juice to curdle the milk, you can substitute with lemon or vinegar. if you using vinegar, you need to be careful on the quantity as it affect the taste.
Strong vinegar can leave a aftersmell on your cheese, use light white vinegar.
Appliances and utensils needed
- Heavy bottomed medium-sized pan to heat the milk.
- A colander or large sieve to strain the milk curd.
- Cheesecloth .
- A pan to collect the whey water
- Blender or food processor
- Glass container to store the cheese
More useful homemade recipes.
How to store homemade cream cheese.
Make sure the container you choose to store the cream cheese is completely dry. Once you fill the bottle with the cheese, close the lid tight and refrigerate. Always use a dry spoon.
How long will the cream cheese last?
As there are no preservatives and youll probably be using pasteurized milk, I would recommend using the cream cheese within a week.
RECIPE DIFFICULTY- LITTLE CARE NEEDED
How to make cream cheese
Ingredients
1 liter of full-fat milk
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Homemade Cream Cheese Vs Mascarpone
Homemade Cream Cheese can be allowed to drain for a longer period of time to achieve a dryer texture or not so long to be creamier. Cream Cheese can also be substituted for marscapone which is used in one of my favorite Italian desserts, Tiramisu.
I can tell almost no difference between cream cheese and marscapone although, some say that marscapone tends to be a bit sweeter. I used marcapone when we lived in Switzerland for Tiramisu and other desserts but had trouble finding it once we moved back to the States. So, I substituted cream cheese successfully!
As I said earlier, this recipe is the same for marscapone found in many books. For me, it consistently yields better with more consistent results than other cream cheese recipes. Plus, it even works with ultra-pasteurized cream – I know because I accidentally purchased it once and tried it anyway!
Be sure to read Cheese Making Basics for further tips, equipment and suppliers.
If youâve tried this Homemade Cream Cheese from How to Make Cream Cheese or any other recipe on Cultured Palate please take a minute to rate the recipe and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on , , , and .
Swaps And Suggestions For Cream Cheese Frosting
This is the basic recipe, you can reduce the amount of butter if you want a bit more tang, and increase or decrease the sugar according to your taste. Dress up with ginger, vanilla bean, or coconut flakes.
Here are some fun variations!
- Add 1/2 a cup of unsweetened cocoa powder and a pinch of salt for a chocolate cream cheese frosting
- Mix freshly grated or dried, flaked coconut to the frosting to make a coconut frosting
- Intensify a vanilla frosting by adding some scrapings from a fresh vanilla bean to the frosting
- Add some blueberry syrup for blueberry cream cheese frosting
- Add a tablespoon of Amaretto or a quarter teaspoon of almond extract for an almond flavored cream cheese frosting
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Strain The Mixture Over A Large Bowl And Let It Sit Overnight In The Refrigerator
Once cooled, place a fine-mesh strainer atop a large bowl and cover the strainer with a cheesecloth. Rosen suggested four layers of cheesecloth or a cotton tea towel.
Grab the cooled mixture and carefully pour it into the lined strainer, taking extra care to avoid spills. Finally, cover the poured mixture with plastic wrap and place it into a refrigerator to firm overnight.
Lauren woke up to a fluffy cream cheese good for two weeks. The word she would use to describe it is neutral the taste is subtle without any overbearing flavors.
However, the texture reminded Lauren of crumbly goat cheese rather than smooth Philadelphia cream cheese.
Rachel Checked On The Draining Dairy Again After 12 Hours But Not Much Had Changed She Decided To Wait 24 Hours Instead
The curdled mixture sat in the fridge draining out the liquid whey. While the six-hour draining period left the dairy still wet closer to the strainer, Rachel said it wasn’t much different after a total of 12 hours.
She decided to let it drain for an additional 12 hours totaling 24 hours in the fridge which made a huge difference.
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How To Thicken No
These 2 important steps guarantee a thick no-bake cheesecake filling. Without 1 or 2, youll be eating cheesecake soup.
Speaking of beautiful slices, make sure you smooth the filling into the crust. I like using a large or small offset spatula to make the job easier. After refrigerating, decorate with whipped cream, lemon curd, strawberry dessert topping, fresh berries, and/or salted caramel. But if youre a cheesecake purist, all you need is a fork.
How To Use This Cream Cheese And Can You Bake With It
This cream cheese can be used just like any other, its not just for topping and eating plain, it can be baked and cooked with as well. I love to use this cream cheese in my Best Ever Cream Cheese Frosting and of course in the glaze I use to finish off my No-Knead No-Machine Cinnamon Rolls! This cream cheese also acts as a great substitute for yogurt in lots of recipes, the versatility really is endless.
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How To Make Cream Cheese Step One: Culture The Milk
Option 1: Using a Cream Cheese Starter Culture
Option 2: Using a Mesophilic Aromatic Culture + Rennet
