Author: This recipe for homemade cream cheese yields a thick and creamy result, with no heat required! Create a beautiful finished cream cheese block for use in cheesecakes, frosting recipes, or just to enjoy on a fresh bagel. Once you make your own cream cheese, you’ll never go back to store-bought!
‘Tis the season for cheesecakes, cream-filled pastries, cream cheese iced cinnamon rolls, and cheese-based sauces. But when you want to buy quality ingredients, the cost of all that cream cheese adds up fast!
Let me share with you how to make homemade cream cheese for much less than store-bought. Plus, you can use raw milk for this recipe as well, giving you all sorts of added probiotics!
Homemade Cream Cheese
Many of the recipes I’ve seen around the internet produce a very soft cream cheese result. However, it is possible to get a good thick homemade cream cheese that closely resembles the store-bought version, I have done it many times!
Not only is it cost-effective to make your own, but it’s a really fun experiment for kids. You’ll also get huge bragging rights at all the holiday events when you tell everyone that the homemade cheesecake you brought was made with homemade cream cheese!
Ingredients
Really, this recipe only needs one ingredient, with a few optional ingredients I want to cover.
- Milk – Raw milk OR CULTURED buttermilk is needed for this recipe. Regular pasteurized milk may still work, but ultra-pasteurized milk will not sour properly. Non-dairy milk is not suitable for this recipe either.
- Salt – I recommend adding a pinch of salt at the end of the process, regardless of what other flavors you might add, as the cheese is very bland without it! This is optional, and you can adjust the amount to your tastes.
- Sweetener – We like to add a little dollop of honey or maple syrup to our finished cream cheese to sweeten it just a touch before storing. Again, this is optional, but creates a better finished product!
Instructions
This is probably the easiest recipe you will ever try… you really just let the cheese make itself! Before we get started, you might be wondering about the term “clabber”, so let me clarify that!
What does “clabber” mean? Basically, it just means that the cultures have taken over and have started to form chunks of cheese in the milk, causing it to turn into two parts: curds and whey.
- Clabber – Pour 4 cups into a glass container. Loosely seal the container, making sure it is no more than halfway full, and leave it on its side. The more surface area of the milk that is exposed to air, the faster it will clabber! I like to use this half gallon Ball mason jar and it works really well. Note: This process may take several days, depending on how cold the room is where the milk is sitting, and how cultured the milk was when you started. Fresh milk takes longer, older milk will clabber more quickly!
- Strain – When you see the cheese clearly separated from the whey (the whey is yellowly, but clear), dump it all into a cloth (thin, but doesn’t have to be cheesecloth), and hang it to drip. Hanging it is important as simply placing it in a colander will not allow all the whey to escape and your finished product will be much softer. I wrap mine up in a thin dish towel and tie a hairband around it a few times. Then I hang it from the attachment knob on my KitchenAid. However you hang it, make sure it drips until the whey has stopped dripping and the cheese is the consistency you want! The longer you allow it to hang, the more firm the finished product will be.
- Check Consistency – You may need to massage the cloth and contents briefly once the whey has stopped dripping if you are doing a large batch as the inside cheese may not drain as well once the outer cheese has become more solid. The whey dripping out should be a nice yellow and mostly clear. If it isn’t, scrape all the cheese back into the container it was in and allow it to age longer. When you take it down to inspect it, it should peel away from the towel easily and be quite thick.
- Flavor – Once the cheese is finished, scrape it all into an air-tight container, add in a bit of salt and honey (or whatever flavors you would like), stir until smooth, and use it as you would store-bought cream cheese!
- Store – Keeps in the fridge for up to 3 weeks, but I doubt there will be any left in there that long!
Storing the Whey
The liquid that drips out of the cream cheese is called whey. It’s very nutritious and can be added to soups, sauces, vegetables or smoothies for an added kick of all sorts of great things that you can read more about here.
I like to freeze mine (get the pumpkin mold here), and then keep them in baggies for use later on.
Common Questions
Yes! Since this recipe only makes 1 cup of finished cream cheese, you may find you need more for the recipe you are making. You can scale this recipe as many times as needed! Just note that larger amounts of milk in the same size container may take longer to ferment. Instead, use several smaller containers for faster fermenting.
Opt for high-quality, full-fat milk for the creamiest and most delicious cultured cream cheese. Avoid ultra-pasteurized milk, as it may not culture effectively.
The tanginess depends on the fermentation time. For a milder flavor, ferment for a shorter time; for a stronger tang, let it culture longer.
The whey can be used in smoothies, soups, or as a replacement for water or milk in bread or baking recipes.
Homemade cream cheese is best consumed within one to two weeks from the refrigerator but can be frozen for up to 3 months. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for optimal freshness.
Absolutely! You can personalize your cream cheese by mixing in herbs, spices, fruit preserves, or other flavors to suit your taste.
Yes, homemade cream cheese is versatile and can be used in a variety of recipes, from savory spreads to sweet desserts and frostings. We love making this homemade cherry cheesecake with our fresh cream cheese!
Best Recipes Using Cream Cheese
Now that you’ve mastered the art of making your own cream cheese, here are a few recipes where you can put that skill to use!
- Homemade Cherry Cheesecake
- Einkorn Cinnamon Rolls with Cream Cheese Icing
- Maple Cream Cheese Oatmeal Cream Pies
- New York Style Bagels
Homemade Cream Cheese
Ingredients
- 4 cups milk
- 1/2 tsp salt optional
- 1 tsp maple syrup optional
Instructions
- Pour 4 cups into a glass container. Loosely seal the container, making sure it is no more than halfway full, and leave it on its side. The more surface area of the milk that is exposed to air, the faster it will clabber! Note: This process may take several days, depending on how cold the room is where the milk is sitting, and how cultured the milk was when you started. Fresh milk takes longer, older milk will clabber more quickly!
- When you see the cheese clearly separated from the whey (the whey is yellowly, but clear), dump it all into a cloth (thin, but doesn't have to be cheesecloth), and hang it to drip. Hanging it is important as simply placing it in a colander will not allow all the whey to escape and your finished product will be much softer. The longer you allow it to hang, the more firm the finished product will be.
- You may need to massage the cloth and contents briefly once the whey has stopped dripping if you are doing a large batch as the inside cheese may not drain as well once the outer cheese has become more solid. The whey dripping out should be a nice yellow and mostly clear. If it isn't, scrape all the cheese back into the container it was in and allow it to age longer. When you take it down to inspect it, it should peel away from the towel easily and be quite thick.
- Once the cheese is finished, scrape it all into an air-tight container, add in a bit of salt and honey (or whatever flavors you would like), stir until smooth, and use it as you would store-bought cream cheese!
- Keeps in the fridge for up to 3 weeks, but I doubt there will be any left in there that long!
Notes
Common Questions
Can I make a larger batch of this homemade cream cheese? Yes! Since this recipe only makes 1 cup of finished cream cheese, you may find you need more for the recipe you are making. You can scale this recipe as many times as needed! Just note that larger amounts of milk in the same size container may take longer to ferment. Instead, use several smaller containers for faster fermenting.Nutrition
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Can you also make it this way out of raw goat milk?
Hi Leticia! I have heard from others that it works for them, but I have not personally tried it. Do you have a goat? Always love to hear how people get their raw dairy! :-)
Yes and it is DELICIOUS!!!
Is it supposed to have a strong smell? I made it with raw milk but I’m not sure it was fully clabbered because it was only very thick, not separated into two parts. Now I’m wondering if I messed up. I did a search and found this page, so I didn’t see your instructions. I was using another web page. I can’t dream of using the whey for anything, it tastes terrible to me and has a very strong smell, like raw buttermilk that has soured.
Hey Jennifer, yes the whey is very strong! It sounds like you need to leave it out longer. I’ve had to leave mine out for up to 3 days before!
When it separates then strain it. I kept the whey for a long time, but now always dump the whey because yikes! Too strong for me!
Your link to making cultured buttermilk doesn’t work.
Thank you! I’ve added a new working link :-)