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“Real” Cottage Cheese Recipes
Historically, a cottage cheese recipe would include rennet (to make the milk proteins stick together and make curds) and some kind of culture (to give the cottage cheese flavor). Those traditional or “real” cottage cheese recipes are delicious and, if you have time, you should try making them.
They end up a little bit like feta but without the brine, crumbly and creamy!
However, I don’t always have a whole lot of time in the kitchen. When my kids are asking so sweetly for another batch as quickly as possible, this easy cottage cheese recipe is the one I pull out.
Equipment & Ingredients
Although this is an easy cottage cheese recipe, it does take some time, ingredients, and equipment. The good news is, it only takes about 10 minutes to come together once the milk has started a slow, rolling boil.
You probably have all the equipment you need already in your cabinets, so don’t worry that you will need to buy something expensive to make cottage cheese.
Equipment for Easy Cottage Cheese:
- Large Pot
- Heat Resistant Long Spoon
- Cheesecloth
- Colander
- Metal or Ceramic Bowl
- Knife
- Storage Container with Lid
Ingredients for Easy Cottage Cheese:
- 1 Gallon Whole Milk
- 1/4 C – 1/2 C Lemon Juice (fresh or pasteurized)
- 1/2- 1 Cup Cream
- 2 teaspoons Sea Salt, optional
We don’t usually add the salt because we like the slightly sweet, lemony flavor that naturally occurs with this recipe. If you’re going to add salt, I recommend Redmond sea salt (it’s the brand we use at home).
Easy Cottage Cheese Recipe
Here’s our easy cottage cheese recipe that’s so simple we make it about once a week. This recipe is lower-carb, super creamy, and allows you to add some delicious protein to pretty much any meal. You only need a few ingredients and simple kitchen equipment!
Easy Cottage Cheese Recipes
Equipment
- Large Pot
- Heat Resistant Long Spoon
- Cheesecloth
- Colander
- Heat Resistant Bowl
- Knife
- Storage Container with lid
Ingredients
- 1 Gallon Whole Milk
- 1/4 - 1/2 Cup LemonJuice (fresh or pasteurized)
- 1/2 - 1 Cup Cream
- 2 tsps. Sea Salt
Instructions
- Empty the 1 gallon of whole milk into a large pot and place on medium-low heat. Stirring ocassionally, heat to a low, rolling boil.
- Place a colander over a large bowl, and line the colander with clean cheesecloth. Shake the cheesecloth to be sure all lint, hair, and other fibers are dislodged and it's clear of debris.
- Once steadily boiling, add 1/4 cup of lemon juice and stir it into your milk pot. Watch for coagulation, where small clumps that look like cottage cheese curds begin to stick together and a yellowish, watery fuild appears in your pot (the whey). If the curds aren't forming well or the pot still looks very milky, add the next 1/2 cup of lemon juice and stir.
- Once the pot has separated well into curds and whey, turn off heat, and pour the contents carefully into the cheesecloth-lined colander. The cloth will catch the curds and allow the whey to pass through.
- Stop to rinse your cheese pot before it sets up.
- Dump the curds into a container with a lid and use a fork to lightly break them apart into size, per your tastes. If you're going to add 2 teaspoons of sea salt, do it now.
- Pour 1/2 cup of cream on top of the curds and fold the curds into it. Allow it to sit for 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, examine your cottage cheese. Is it creamy enough? If not, add the other 1/2 cup of cream and fold the curds into it. Allow this mixutre to set up in the fridge for at least an hour. You may also eat it right away while it's warm.
- After refrigeration, you can check the cottage cheese for consistency. The cool temperature will set the cottage cheese curds and you may discover you want more cream.
- Store for about a week in the fridge, if you don't gobble it up before then.
Notes
Easy Cottage Cheese Recipe Procedure
Heat the milk slowly over medium-low heat, stiring often to prevent scorching. Watch for a low, rolling bubbling boil – don’t let the milk overheat and boil over the sides.
Add the lemon juice and watch for the cottage cheese curds to form while you stir slowly. Once the curds have completely separated into clumps and you can easily see them, it’s time to drain them.
Drain off the whey and place the cottage cheese curds into a bowl. Add sea salt now, if you’re going to use it, then add the cream.
Cut the cottage cheese curds gently so they’re not in clumps and slowly mix in the cream. It will seem wet at first but the cream will absorb into the cottage cheese curds.
A Few Random Notes for Easy Cottage Cheese
Once the milk has come to a slow, rolling boil, the recipe takes about ten minutes to come together before you rest the cottage cheese in the fridge for an hour.
- Like I said, the curds will absorb more cream as they sit together, so you may want to add more cream later.
- We don’t usually add salt because we like the lemony, slightly sweet flavor that comes from this recipe. However, it is delicious with sea salt, too.
- You may also eat the cottage cheese while it’s still warm. Store it in the fridge for up to a week in a closed container.
How will you use your easy cottage cheese that you made today? Leave your ideas for future readers in the comment section.
What to Do With Leftover Whey
Reserve the whey that’s leftover from this recipe for a variety of purposes, both in the kitchen and other areas around the homestead.
- Use whey in the place of water in your favorite rice; rice made with whey is so delicious!
- You can also add it to bread recipes in place of water.
- Whey makes a great compost additive.
- Similarly, you can add it to culturing charcoal when making biochar. Add some kefir or sourdough starter to they whey for extra culture.
- Your livestock may appreciate livestock may appreciate lapping up the leftover whey – it’s a bit like an electrolyte drink. The whey from this recipe is mostly water, with lemon juice, and a bit of protein and sugar left behind from the milk.
- Cook Craft Cultivate uses their whey as a marinade for meat, which I think is ingenious.
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