Learn how to make cottage cheese with minimal ingredients with this step-by-step guide. It’s delicious served with fresh fruit, a rich and savory addition to main dishes, and the perfect base for creamy dips.
This homemade cottage cheese recipe involves curdling milk with an acid, letting it rest, then straining the curds and adding cream.
It’s easily enjoyed on its own, but it can be served so many different ways whether sweet or savory. Add sliced tomato, salt, and black pepper for a savory dish, or enjoy it sweet with a swirl of homemade peach preserves. It’s perfect for using in zucchini lasagna, and also adds a creamy protein boost to scrambled eggs.
With roughly 14 grams of protein per half-cup serving, cottage cheese is a great option for a low-fat, tasty snack that keeps you feeling full longer.
Why You’ll Love This Creamy Cottage Cheese
Delicious and nutritious – Cottage cheese is rich and creamy with a fun texture. It’s also an easy way to get more protein in your family’s diet.
Healthier than store-bought – You’ll notice that cottage cheese purchased from the grocery store typically has a whole host of additives for extended shelf life and preserved consistency. Homemade cottage cheese contains only four simple whole ingredients for a far fresher and healthier product.
Simple to make – This recipe uses basic ingredients that you probably already have in your own kitchen. It also makes good use of extra milk or milk that is beginning to sour.
Ingredients
Milk – You can use almost any kind of cow milk, raw or pasteurized, whole or low-fat. However, don’t use ultra-heat pasteurized, as the milk proteins are altered and it will not form curds properly. I prefer whole milk for its rich flavor and creamier consistency.
Vinegar – If you don’t have white vinegar, you can substitute apple cider vinegar or lemon juice.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
How to Make Cottage Cheese
Step 1: Pour the milk into a large pot over medium heat. Stir often so the bottom doesn’t scald and the heat is dispersed. Heat slowly until it begins to simmer or reaches 185 degrees Fahrenheit. It will be frothy but should not boil.
Step 2: Add the vinegar and salt to the milk. Stir, then remove from the heat and let sit for 45 minutes. You will see the milk curdling.
Step 3: Strain the curds through some cheesecloth or a tea towel positioned over a large bowl to catch the whey. Place the curds into a bowl with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours. Store the whey in the fridge for use in other recipes!
Step 4: Once chilled, gently break up the curds and mix with ¼ cup of heavy cream. For a smaller curd, break it up a little more, and for a creamier consistency, add another ¼ cup of cream. Serve cold.
How To Serve Cottage Cheese
- Cottage cheese is a great protein-packed snack that can be served with fresh fruit, fermented blueberries, strawberry jam, honey, nuts, or seeds.
- Make it savory and top it with chopped veggies like avocado, sweet peppers, or cucumber, or add crumbled bacon, fermented salsa, pico de gallo, or fermented hot sauce.
- Use cottage cheese in place of ricotta in lasagna, or add it to other pasta dishes for added creaminess, texture, and richness.
- Add fresh herbs and spices to make a healthy veggie dip.
How to Use Up Leftover Whey
When making cottage cheese, you’ll inevitably end up with quite a bit of liquid whey. If you’re wondering what on earth to do with all the excess liquid, here are some suggestions!
- Replace the water with whey in sourdough discard English muffins, beginner’s sourdough bread or Pullman bread.
- Add it to soups like this homestyle chicken noodle soup.
- Use it in smoothies like this very berry kefir smoothie.
Tips
- Bring the milk to temperature, but be careful not to boil or heat it too quickly as this can impact the strength of the curds.
- Don’t use ultra-heat processed milk.
- As an added step, you can gently rinse the strained curds with cold water to make them less sour before adding the cream.
- Strain well to end up with firm curds. You can squeeze the cottage cheese inside the cheesecloth or tea towel to remove even more liquid.
- When storing the cottage cheese in the refrigerator, you can place the airtight container upside down, creating an air pocket that serves as a vacuum seal to extend the freshness.
Recipe FAQs
You be the judge, but the result is fresh and delicious, and it’s not an intensive process. It’s a great way to use up extra milk or milk that is about to sour.
One gallon of milk will yield approximately 3 cups of cottage cheese.
Cow’s milk of varying fat content.
Ricotta is typically made from whey, which provides a soft but gritty texture with very small curds. Cottage cheese is made from milk, and it has more noticeable curds, giving it a looser texture.
Store cottage cheese in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Monitor for any developing sour smells or discoloration to determine the freshness. Cottage cheese does not freeze well, so that is not recommended. It develops a less pleasant, gritty texture.
More Sourdough Recipes from the Farmhouse
- Homemade Ricotta Cheese
- How to Make Kefir Cheese
- How to Make Sour Cream from Raw Milk
- The Best Homemade Cream Cheese
- How to Make Yogurt in the Instant Pot
- Farmer’s Cheese
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love it if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone.
Cottage Cheese
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 cups whole milk
- ⅓ cup white vinegar
- 1 tsp salt
- ¼-½ cup heavy cream
Instructions
- Pour the milk into a large pot over medium heat. Stir often so the bottom doesn’t scald and the heat is dispersed. Heat slowly until it begins to simmer or reaches 185 degrees Fahrenheit. It will be frothy but should not boil.
- Add the vinegar and salt to the milk. Stir, then remove from the heat and let sit for 45 minutes. You will see the milk curdling.
- Strain the curds through some cheesecloth or a tea towel positioned over a large bowl to catch the whey. Place the curds into a bowl with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.
- Once chilled, gently break up the curds and mix with ¼ cup of heavy cream. For a smaller curd, break it up a little more, and for a creamier consistency, add another ¼ cup of cream. Serve cold.
Notes
- This recipe makes approximately 1 to 1½ cups of cottage cheese.
- Bring the milk to temperature, but be careful not to boil or heat it too quickly as this can impact the strength of the curds.
- Don’t use ultra-heat processed milk.
- As an added step, you can gently rinse the strained curds with cold water to make them less sour before adding the cream.
- Strain well to end up with firm curds. You can squeeze the cottage cheese inside the cheesecloth or tea towel to remove even more liquid.
- When storing the cottage cheese in the refrigerator, you can place the airtight container upside down, creating an air pocket that serves as a vacuum seal to extend the freshness.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I just finished with my first batch & ZOWIE!!!!! It is DELICIOUS!!! I’m so impressed with this recipe & your clear cut guidelines!!! THANK YOU!!!
For me, 1gal of low fat milk made 5 cups cottage cheese.
I do have a question abt using the whey: it smelled SO STRONGLY of vinegar, I tossed this batch. Will anything made with this whey also smell/taste of vinegar?
An answer would be SO VERY APPRECIATED.
Could you use the yogurt setting on IP to heat the milk and then proceed with other steps?Thanks!
Yes.
Can’t wait to try this but want to make it have large curds instead of smaller; how can that be acccomplished?
If you stir them a little less and wait a bit longer before cutting them, it will make them larger.
Stumped
Darn just realized I bought UHT milk. What can I make with it?
Hi. This made a small amount and I followed your directions to the T. I have a really good thermometer so I was watching the temp of the milk. I got maybe 12 oz. Is that correct? It’s warm now but it tastes delicious. I have a lot of whey left over. Can I give this to my dog? I didn’t want to waste it. Thank you.
Yes, that should be fine! We give it to our dogs and chickens, and also make things that need whey!
I’m sure this response is probably too late for you but I wanted to respond anyway. Buying UHT milk is not necessarily a bad thing. Actually, that’s what I use for COLD START YOGURT. That method skips the heat and cool steps and goes straight to culturing. I use a half gallon of shelf stable whole milk and a 5 oz live culture store bought greek yogurt. I use my IP or bread maker to culture it for 12 hours. When finished, I drain using a tea towel or cheese cloth for a few hours, take out 4 oz to culture the next batch, then sweeten to your liking.
Can I lower the amount of salt in this recipe?
Thanks!
Yes!
You have a link to use left over whey to make ricotta. Ricotta requires milk to make. You dont even mention how to use whey to make ricotta. In fact in your ricotta recipe you say to strain off the whey and use it for other things.
I used half lemon juice/half white vinegar with raw milk. This turned out great!
Can u use the whey for anything?
Yes, probiotic lemonade! Here’s my recipe.