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Farmers fresh cheese, sprinkled with fennel, lemon zest and ground pepper, on an appetizer plate.
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5 from 4 votes

Homemade Farmer's Cheese

Step-by-step instructions on making your own farmer's cheese. Recipe makes 4 ounces or ½ cup of fresh cheese. For the nutrition, I assume 2 tablespoons per serving.
Course: Appetizer
Cuisine: Any
Keyword: farmers cheese, fresh cheese, homemade cheese
Servings: 4
Calories: 179.8kcal
Author: Susan Pridmore

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1 quart whole milk NOT ultra-pasteurized!
  • 1 cup buttermilk I use reduced-fat
  • 2 teaspoons white vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt divided
  • ¼ teaspoon lemon zest
  • teaspoon ground black pepper
  • Pinch of fennel powder optional

Instructions

  • Combine milk, buttermilk, vinegar and ½ teaspoon salt in a medium pot over medium heat.
  • Bring the mixture to 180° F, using a temperature probe to track the temperature.
    As the mixture heats up, curds will start to develop. With a spoon, gently move them to the center of the pot to allow them to accumulate in one large cluster.
    Once the mixture has reached 180° F, turn the heat off and let the mixture sit for 20 minutes. I have found this to be an important step in developing flavor and maximizing the amount of curds yielded from the milk. Even longer is fine, but I don't recommend shorter.
  • Line a strainer with at least 4 layers of damp cheesecloth and place over a large bowl. This is how you'll strain excess whey from the cheese.
  • Transfer the curds to the cheesecloth by pouring the pot of whey and curds into the strainer, allowing the large bowl to contain all the whey.
  • The whey can be discarded or saved for another use. The biggest thing I've used it for is making bread.
  • Strain the curds for at least 4 hours, and preferably overnight.
    If you choose to strain the cheese overnight, wrap it in the cheesecloth and keep it in the strainer over a bowl in the refrigerator.
  • Place the strained fresh cheese in a bowl and add the lemon zest, pepper and ground fennel.
    Taste and adjust for seasoning. Add the remaining salt if needed.

Nutrition

Calories: 179.8kcal | Carbohydrates: 14g | Protein: 9.7g | Fat: 9.6g | Saturated Fat: 5.5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2.1g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 734.3mg | Potassium: 437.1mg | Fiber: 0.03g | Sugar: 14.3g | Vitamin A: 482.7IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 361mg | Iron: 0.03mg