The Best Homemade Cream Cheese

Make this easy homemade cream cheese to spread on bagels, dip veggies in, or add to recipes, like a classic cream cheese frosting. With just three simple ingredients, you’ll never have to buy the store-bought version again. 

During the times our milk cow is producing, we often have more milk than we know what to do with.

I’ve had to come up with creative ways to use it all up. I’ve made everything from raw milk ice cream, yogurt, kefir, butter – and the list goes on. 

Some of you may know that I’ve been on a kick of making my own cheese lately, too. I started by experimenting with mozzarella. I’ve even made kefir cheese with my abundance of milk kefir.

There is really nothing more satisfying than enjoying fresh cheese you made yourself. 

Next up? Making my own cream cheese. I honestly don’t know why I didn’t try this sooner. 

With just three simple ingredients, I ended up with something way better than any store-bought cream cheese I’ve ever had.

A half gallon of raw milk (regular whole milk is just fine, too), lemon juice, and salt produced the most delicious cream cheese for spreading on bagels. It has really elevated our usual breakfasts this week. 

What is Cream Cheese?

Unlike hard cheeses, cream cheese is a smooth and creamy spread that consists of non-aged curds that have been drained and blended. Soft cream cheese is used for savory dishes, but it is probably best known for sweet recipes, such as cheesecake and cream cheese frosting. 

It various from ricotta cheese and cottage cheese, which are also not aged. Ricotta is made up of curds that are not drained, while cottage cheese is separated curds and whey together.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Easy to make – With only 3 ingredients, this recipe takes about 20 minutes to make. It’s so simple to make, and, oh, so creamy!

Great way to use up milk – This is the best recipe if you find yourself with a half gallon of milk that needs used up.

So much better than store bought – You may be thinking, “Why do I need to make a homemade version of cream cheese?” Let me tell you – it’s worth it! It is so creamy and fresh. Plus, you don’t have to worry about any extra ingredients or preservatives.

Tips

• If you know me, you know I hate to waste anything. This recipe leaves you with a decent amount of whey. Some people like to use it in soups, smoothies, and other various recipes. When using this whey, don’t forget that it was salted, which means you’ll likely want to adjust the salt amount in whatever recipe you are using. 
• Don’t have lemon juice? You can use lime juice or even white vinegar instead. You simply need the acid to make the whey and curds separate. 
• Make this your own by adding in your favorite flavor combinations. Add a little honey to make it sweeter or create a savory cream cheese with bacon and scallions. If you like spicy flavors, add a few red pepper flakes. Keeping this plain cream cheese, of course, is also delicious. 

Ingredients

Whole milk – Using full fat milk ensures you end up with the creamy consistency you’d expect from cream cheese. You could also use half of another type of milk such as 2% and half heavy cream. Avoid using ultra-pasteurized.

Lemon juice – I prefer to use freshly squeezed lemon juice. 

Salt

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Tools You May Need

Pot

Measuring Cups and Spoons

Wooden Spoon

Fine-Mesh Strainer

Cheesecloth

Blender – You can also use a food processor. 

How to Make Your Own Homemade Cream Cheese

Place the milk into a large pot and bring to a boil.

Stir in the lemon juice and turn the heat off. Let sit undisturbed for about 3 minutes.

Strain the liquid from the curd in a mesh strainer. Rinse the curd with cold water, then strain the remaining liquid from the curd with a cheesecloth.

Place the drained curds into the blender with the salt and blend until completely smooth.

Pour into an airtight container in the refrigerator and let chill before serving.

Storage

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. I prefer to use a glass container or jar. 

How to Serve

The ways to enjoy this homemade cream cheese recipe are endless. 

• Use it as a spread.
  This is probably the most obvious way to enjoy cream cheese. We love it slathered on to a homemade sourdough bagel. 
• Make a savory or sweet dip. 
  Cream cheese is so versatile. It can be made savory by adding things like green onions, bacon, herbs, etc. it can also be made into a sweet dip by adding a little honey or fruit. For savory dips, I like to use veggies or sourdough crackers. For sweet dips, try using my sourdough graham crackers. 
• Add it to your favorite recipes. 
  Homemade cream cheese an be add to any of your cream cheese recipes. One of my favorites that I make quite often at the farmhouse is my sourdough cinnamon rolls with cream cheese icing.
  
  Of course, it is almost strawberry season here in the midwest. It’s the perfect time to make my strawberry cheesecake ice cream or strawberry cream cheese cobbler with sourdough. 

FAQ

More From Scratch Recipes 

• Easy Homemade Noodles For Soup
• How to Make Sour Cream from Raw Milk
• Greek Yogurt Cream Cheese
• Homemade Sourdough Pop Tarts with Jam Filling
• Easy Avocado Aioli Recipe
• Homemade Cottage Cheese

If you try this recipe and love it, I would love if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone

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