Cheesemaking is an art but if you have ever thought about making cheese at home, this cream cheese recipe is an excellent place to start as it only requires three ingredients and doesn’t need any specialized equipment. Plus, it has a multitude of uses from spreading it on toast for breakfast to using it as a filling for pastries.
To make the cream cheese, you first boil milk with lemon juice before straining it through a kitchen towel to separate the curds from the whey. Then, the curds get blended into a smooth consistency with some salt. This recipe may be your gateway into making other types of cheeses like ricotta or mozzarella.
What is Cream Cheese?
Cream cheese is a spreadable cheese that has a slightly tangy and salty flavor. Since it is meant to be eaten fresh, it has a more delicate taste than other cheese as it doesn’t require any aging or fermenting.
Pro Tips
- Use higher fat milk like whole milk to ensure the cream cheese is thick and creamy.
- Don’t skip the lemon juice. While it imparts flavour to the cheese, it also helps the milk curdle so that you can separate the curds from the whey.
- Strain the curdled milk through a fine-mesh strainer that is lined with a kitchen towel or cheesecloth.
- Save the whey for another use such as to ferment vegetables, boil pasta or rice, as a broth for soups, or as a liquid component in homemade smoothies.
- Feel free to flavor the cream cheese with fresh or dried herbs, garlic, smoked salmon, and more.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Homemade Cream Cheese Similar to Store Bought Cream Cheese?
Yes, texturally they are quite similar. However, one benefit to making homemade cream cheese is that it won’t include all of the preservatives and stabilizers that store bought cream cheese has.
Why is My Cream Cheese Grainy?
Grainy textured cream cheese can occur if the milk is heated too hot. It is best to heat the milk at no higher than a simmer to ensure that the cream cheese will have the smoothest texture possible.
Can I Make Lactose-Free Cream Cheese?
Yes, you can! Simply replace the whole milk with a lactose-free dairy alternative. However, the curds that it forms may not be as large as if you were to make the cream cheese with milk that has lactose in it.
How to Store Cream Cheese
This cream cheese can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge where it should stay fresh for a week to a week and a half.
Ingredients
How to Make Homemade Cream Cheese
Pour the milk into a saucepan and heat it until it boils and froths. Reduce the heat, stir in the lemon juice, and continue heating the mixture until the milk curdles.
Pour the milk into a saucepan and heat it until it boils and froths. Reduce the heat, stir in the lemon juice, and continue heating the mixture until the milk curdles.
Strain the curdled milk through a fine-mesh strainer that is lined with a kitchen towel. Rinse it with cold water before squeezing out the excess moisture. Allow it to sit for 20 minutes for the remaining whey to separate from the curds.
Strain the curdled milk through a fine-mesh strainer that is lined with a kitchen towel. Rinse it with cold water before squeezing out the excess moisture. Allow it to sit for 20 minutes for the remaining whey to separate from the curds.
Place the curds in a blender with some of the salt and whey until smooth.
Place the curds in a blender with some of the salt and whey until smooth.
Serve immediately or use in your favourite recipes.
Serve immediately or use in your favourite recipes.
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