Homemade Cottage Cheese

Homemade Cottage Cheese is surprisingly easy to make! With only a few simple steps and a few simple ingredients you can whip this up in very little time! The results are much better than one can get at the store.

Homesteading is one of our many passions. If you are here you may be interested as well! Try these other homesteader recipes like Homemade Lard. For a challenging yet rewarding experience try Homemade Soap which is not as complicated as you might think.

To see a quick video for this recipe, Click Here!

My wife, my kids, and I love cottage cheese! When the price of the stuff went through the roof we decided to make our own. The results of which we were more than pleased with.

In the pursuit to making more of our own products on our homestead, this one was obvious. It has been a homesteading staple since the 19th century. Being used in old times to make something out of milk that went sour.

The term Cottage Cheese was used in the 1800’s to describe a simple homemade cheese. They weren’t wrong because it is very simple indeed. Cottage cheese has saved a lot of milk in from going unused.

INGREDIENTS TO MAKE COTTAGE CHEESE:

• Milk- Fat free, 1%, 2%, and whole milk will work fine.
  
• White vinegar
  
• Salt
  
• Heavy cream (optional)

As I described, the ingredients are so simple and accessible!

HOW TO PASTEURIZE MILK WITH AN INSTANT POT

• I do it in an instant pot which makes it much easier to pasteurize! Hit “YOGURT” and adjust the settings until the display says, “boil” or “HIGH”. Put your lid on with the steam vent open OR closed.

• When it beeps and says, “YOGT” then it is done pasteurizing.

HOW TO PASTEURIZE MILK WITHOUT AN INSTANT POT

• Heat the milk on medium heat in a heavy bottom pan. Stir constantly so the milk does not burn on the bottom of the pan. Once it reads 190°F it is done and you can shut the heat off.

HOW TO MAKE COTTAGE CHEESE

• After pasteurizing the milk, pour in 3/4 cup of white vinegar.
  
• This will curdle the milk and you will see that it begins curdling instantly!

• Let it curdle for 30 minutes!

• Cover a colander with cheese cloth.

• Get this ready while your curds are forming. Place a colander into a large bowl. Put a sheet of doubled up cheese cloth in the colander.

• You do this so that the curds can sit above the whey, and the excess whey drains in to the large bowl.

• Spoon the curds into the cheese cloth. Let the whey drain out for 30 minutes.

• I prefer to use a slotted spoon for this process to keep more whey in the pot.

• Place all of the curds in the cheesecloth. This left over liquid is called whey and has many uses of its own.

• Wrap the cheesecloth around the curds forming a ball and wash it under cold water.

• Wash the cheese curds until the curds are cool to touch. This should only take a few minutes.

• Pour the curds into a bowl. Starting with 1 teaspoon, add salt to taste.

• Add heavy cream to taste. (optional)
  

• Traditionally cottage cheese is just 3 ingredients. But to get that creamy and refreshing cottage cheese that you are used to you are going to want to add cream!
  

• You can use however much you want but add a little at a time and stir it in. Repeat this process until it is to your desired creaminess.

• Cover and let sit in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
  
• Stir and serve cold.

HOW TO STORE COTTAGE CHEESE:

• Store fresh cottage cheese in a covered container for up to one week.

TOPPINGS TO PUT ON COTTAGE CHEESE:

When it comes to toppings on cottage cheese. Personal preference is key.

• Honey
  
• Fruit
  
• Nuts
  
• Pepper
  
• With a salad
  
• Cinnamon

• I could go on and on but you have the final say. Let me know what you put on your cottage cheese!

RECIPE TIPS AND VARIATIONS:

• Yield: Makes about 3 cups of cottage cheese.
  
• Tips: Pasteurizing with an instant pot is much easier than the old fashioned way.
  
• Storage: Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
  
• Toppings: Honey, fruit, nuts, pepper, cinammon, whatever you want to put on it!

MORE RECIPES TO TRY:

• Easy Homemade Mayonnaise
  
• Homemade Vegan Mayonnaise
  
• Easy Dill Cream Cheese

Yield: 6 servings

Homemade Cottage Cheese

Print

Homemade Cottage Cheese is surprisingly easy to make! With only a few simple steps and a few simple ingredients you can whip this up in very little time! The results are much better than one can get at the store.

Ingredients

• 1 Gallon of milk- Fat free, 1%, 2%, and whole milk will all work
• 3/4 cups white vinegar
• 1 tsp salt
• Heavy cream to taste (optional)

Instructions

1. Pasteurize the milk- If you have an instant pot, put the lid on with the steam vent open or closed. Push the YOGURT button until the screen says "boil" or "HIGH" depending on your model. When the instant pot beeps and says, "YOGT" then it is done pasteurizing. If you do NOT have an instant pot, heat the milk on medium heat to 190°F stirring constantly so the milk does not burn on the bottom of the pan.
2. Add 3/4 cup of vinegar and stir a few times. This will begin curdling the milk. Let the milk curdle for 30 minutes.
3. Spoon the curds into a double layer of cheesecloth that's placed in a colander either over a bowl, or over the sink. Let it drain for 30 minutes.
4. Gather the corners of the cheesecloth up and form a ball of curds. Wash the outside of the ball of curds with cold water until all of the curds in the ball are cool.
5. Put the curds into a bowl and add salt to taste, beginning with 1 teaspoon.
6. (Optional) A few tablespoons at a time, add heavy cream until it is at your desired creaminess.

Notes

Yield: Makes about 3 cups of cottage cheese.

Tips: Pasteurizing with an instant pot is much easier than the old fashioned way.

Storage: Cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Toppings: Honey, fruit, nuts, pepper, cinammon, whatever you want to put on it!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1/2 cup
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 110Total Fat: 4.5gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 460mgCarbohydrates: 3gFiber: 0gSugar: 3gProtein: 12g

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Eligh Miller-Polivka

Hello, my name is Eligh! born in Portland, Oregon. I am a very passionate forager, i enjoy sharing knowledge,
I like to put a spin on popular dishes and creating new dishes, using foraged foods.
i hunt, fish, raise many different kinds of animals, and have a wide variety of ways of getting my own food.
i very much enjoy plant, tree, mushroom identification and there uses for food, beverage and medicine.
follow along! as i create dishes using all of the things that grow outside your door.

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