Making your own Cream Cheese From Scratch is a lot easier than you’d think!
In honor of our Homemade Everything Bagels, of course we had to try making our own Cream Cheese From Scratch. ‘Cause what’s a bagel without cream cheese?
Ingredients Needed:
- Whole Milk
- Half and Half
- Heavy Whipping Cream
- Lemon juice (fresh is best!)
- Salt
Ok, so I know that ingredient list is expensive. You can totally just use a gallon of whole milk, too. Personally, I think that the Cream Cheese From Scratch comes out creamier and richer with the mixture of the half and half and cream, but still works with whole milk.
Equipment Needed:
Sieve or colander
How to Make:
- Add milk and cream to pot and heat
- Add salt and bring to simmer
- Once it comes to a simmer, add lemon juice and give a stir.
- Let simmer and then remove from heat
- Line a colander with a cheese cloth
Definitely make sure you have a big cheese cloth that covers the full sieve or colander.
- Scoop curds into the the cheese cloth / pour them in.
- Gather the ends of the cheese cloth and let it drain for at least 6 hrs.
And done!
Once it’s drained, you have a super creamy, delicious cream cheese from scratch! Who know Cream Cheese From Scratch was so easy! Thanks, Lynn Rossetto Kasper!
Tips for Making Cream Cheese:
As we’ve all learned at some point in our lives, science is hard. And that’s all that cheese making is, science. Some things to keep in mind though:
- 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.
- Don’t heat too fast! You don’t want to burn the milk. This is why it’s so key to have a good thermometer and keep a good eye on 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.
- Do a mixture of a scoop of the curds and then pour and drain is ok! But patience is key. Take your time. Add slowly, drain slowly, patience is a virtue.
- Let it drain! Allow the time to let it drain well.
Now that you have this Cream Cheese, you can make this amazing Cream Cheese Frosting From Scratch!
FAQs
If you overheat your milk, you’ll end up with a kind of gritty cheese. It’ll be smooth but it will have a grainy texture because the protein is denatured.
Totally. I think that it’s a little less creamy, but just using milk is still delicious!
We find the best results with 10 hrs. but if you want a looser, wetter cheese, then drainer for a shorter period.
It’s best to use this cheese within a week of making it.
Yes, you can. However, it will change the texture. So it wont be great for spreading on bagels, but if you’re using it for baked goods or cooked dishes, it’ll be fine. Just be sure to wrap it in foil and store in freezer for up to 2 months.
As always, if you do please let me know!! I love to hear about it on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
Cream Cheese From Scratch
Ingredients
- 1 quart of whole milk
- 1 quart of half and half*
- 2 quarts of heavy cream*
- 1/3 cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons of salt
Instructions
- Line a large colander with a layer of cheesecloth and place in the sink or over a bowl if you want to save the whey. Wet the cheesecloth to hold it firmly in place.
- Over medium-high heat, bring the milk and salt to a gentle simmer in a heavy large pot. Stir in the lemon juice and continue to simmer gently until curds begin to form and float to the top, 1 to 2 minutes. They will first look like spatters of white, then gather into soft, cloud-like clumps.
- When you see the liquid begin to clear of cloudiness and the curds are firming up but not hard, scoop them out with a slotted spoon or sieve. My liquid didn’t really clear and my curds didn’t really firm up so I just poured all of the liquid into the cheese cloth lined colander and a sieve. This seemed to work just as well, but it required draining over night. I let the sieve sit out covered with a cloth napkin and I gathered the ends of the cheese cloth and suspended it on the kitchen sink faucet to drain. My house is kept pretty cool at 55-60 degrees though so I had no problem leaving it out- if your house is pretty warm, I’d suggest suspending them in a cooler place if leaving overnight.
- Let the curds drain thoroughly in the lined colander. If very soft, press gently to extract a little moisture, but take care not to dry out the cheese. Turn into a bowl, cover and chill. Store in fridge up to a week.
IS MAKING CREAM CHEESE THE SAME AS MAKING RICOTTA CHEESE. I HAVE NEVER TRIED MAKING CREAM CHEESE BUT THIS IS HOW I MAKE MY RICOTTA. ALSO DO YOU PUREE IT TO GET IT SMOOTH AND CREAMY AFTER DRAINING THE CURDS?
What is half & half?
It’s half whole milk and half light cream. Here’s an example.
I have not tried this recipe yet, but as I work on my girlfriends parents dairy farm I plan on trying it with farm fresh raw milk. I shall return to tell you how it turned out.
Hi! I actually wouldn’t recommend making it with raw milk! This recipe is specifically for pasteurized milk. When using fresh raw milk, the recipe will adjust. I don’t have any of those on my site, unfortunately, but here’s one using raw milk! https://wholelifestylenutrition.com/recipes/condiments-sauces/how-to-make-organic-raw-cream-cheese/
Followed recipe to the letter, but no curds ever formed.
I’m so sorry to hear this, Dom. This is usually a sign that the temps weren’t right (or that you used an ultra high pasteurized milk). Did you use a good thermometer – sometimes if the thermometer isn’t reading accurately that can throw things off. Again, so sorry this happened. I’d be happy to continue to troubleshoot it with you, though!
yes i used a thermometer, the temps were right. i did not use UHP milk, i had never heard of this product until troubleshooting cream cheese…. i used 100% organic dairy products which makes the abject failure of this attempt that much more upsetting
I’m so sorry to hear this, Dom. I wish I had more answers but it could have been something to do with your milk – if it was heated too high in the pasteurization process, something you’d have no way of knowing. Here’s another article that might provide some insight, too https://www.cheesemaking.com.au/problems-with-setting-milk/
Apparently, you will more commonly find that organic milk is ultra pasteurized. Super frustrating! I was planning a recipe once and I actually contacted the dairy myself to ask if their products were ultra pasteurized, they told me that it was a good thing that I checked since so many organic dairies do. Maybe contact the dairy and ask them for guidance for next time you want to try making this, I’m sure they would help you! : )
Dom, all organic milk products are UHT (Ultra High Temperature) process so that organic milk will last longer from cow to your mouth. Here is an article that explains it very well.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/experts-organic-milk-lasts-longer/
Thank you very much! This is really helpful! I shared it on my blog post about cheese making on TurtleDoveToughts