How to Make Cream Cheese With Low Fat Milk
Homemade cream cheese with just 3 ingredients.
If you've ever wanted to make cream cheese and wondered how you can make it at home, then this cream cheese recipe is for you.
Smooth and creamy with a slight tang to it, your cream cheese spread can be made with just a jug of full-fat (whole)milk, lime or vinegar, and salt.
How to make cream cheese at home.
We've been making our own cream cheese for some time now.
Having kids who love cheese spread and looking at the soaring prices of store-bought cream cheese, it's just practical to make it at home.
If you are making it for the first time, the whole process will take you an hour but once you've made the cheese spread a few times, you can make it within 30 minutes.
You'll never go back to buying store-bought cream cheese spread ever again.
Homemade cream cheese Vs store-bought cream cheese.
Honestly, there isn't much of a difference except the saltiness and texture.
And these elements can only be improved as you make each batch of cream cheese and experiment as you go along.
Beginner's tips on making cream cheese.
Having all the prep work and ingredients ready will help the making cheese process seamless.
You need whole milk(full fat milk) to make cheese, non-fat won't work.
The amount of salt you add can impact the taste of your cream cheese.
We used lime juice to curdle the milk, you can substitute with lemon or vinegar. if you using vinegar, you need to be careful on the quantity as it affect the taste.
Strong vinegar can leave a aftersmell on your cheese, use light white vinegar.
Appliances and utensils needed
- Heavy bottomed medium-sized pan to heat the milk.
- A colander or large sieve to strain the milk curd.
- Cheesecloth (I've mentioned a few substitutes to use instead of cheesecloth, I have mentioned a few materials on the recipe instructions below).
- A pan to collect the whey water
- Blender (use the smaller blender cup) or food processor
- Glass container to store the cheese
More useful homemade recipes.
ginger garlic paste recipe(5-steps, DIY).
How to make pickled Garlic (DIY recipe)
Sri Lankan three spice-raw/unroasted curry powder(thuna-paha).
how to make ground cumin powder.
how to make coriander powder and how to use it.
How to store homemade cream cheese.
Make sure the container you choose to store the cream cheese is completely dry. Once you fill the bottle with the cheese, close the lid tight and refrigerate. Always use a dry spoon.
How long will the cream cheese last?
As there are no preservatives and you'll probably be using pasteurized milk, I would recommend using the cream cheese within a week.
RECIPE DIFFICULTY- LITTLE CARE NEEDED
How to make cream cheese
Please make sure to read the recipe instructions at least once to avoid mistakes.
The ingredients mentioned below use standard measuring cups and spoons.
Ingredients
1 liter (4 cups)of full-fat milk(also known as whole milk)
2 tablespoons of lime(substitute with lemon or white vinegar, make sure the vinegar has a strong smell)
Salt to use as needed(start with 1/2 a teaspoon, taste and adjust)
Herbs, such as garlic are optional ingredients to flavor the cheese.
Method
Prep work to make the cheese.
Have a dry empty bottle ready to store the cheese.
Place the straining cheesecloth(substitute materials mentioned below)over a colander or large sieve.
Place this over a pan to collect the whey liquid.
Substituting cheesecloth, if you are unable to find a cheesecloth, use a material that will strain and separate the whey from the milk curd.
I tried a piece of stretchable material which worked well too.
Make sure the material is large enough to cover the sieve or colander and then grip and squeeze out the whey comfortably.
Some other substitutes for cheesecloth are white linen(handkerchief material, not a handkerchief as it will not be big enough), a fine mesh bag, muslin, a clean and new cotton dish towel or a tightly woven mesh strainer.
Have the ingredients to make cream cheese ready.
Add the milk into a heavy-bottomed pan and heat the milk over low-medium heat.
Frequently stir the milk and bring it to a high simmer(not to a rolling boil).
Reduce heat to low and pour in the lime juice(2 tbsp).
Continue stirring.
You'll notice the milk curdling.
Further, reduce heat to low and stir gently to help the curdling.
Stage 1 of curdling.
Stage 2 of curdling after a few seconds.
Stage 3 of curdling where you will clearly see the whey separating from the milk curd.
Remove the pan and pour the milk curd into the sieve.
Warning- the liquid and milk curd is hot, pour gently to avoid splashing.
Gradually pour the milk curd onto the cheesecloth to strain.
Cover with the edges of the straining cloth and let the milk rest for 5 minutes.
Gather the material and let the milk curd bundle hang over the pan.
DO NOT THROW AWAY THE WHEY WATER.
Twist and gently squeeze the excess whey water.
Place the bundle in a bowl and remove the cloth from the milk curd ball.
Crumble the curd with a spoon.
Add salt, start with 1/2 a teaspoon and add more as you need later.
For this batch I added 1 teaspoon which made the cheese a little too salty, so be careful with the salt.
Transfer the curd into a food processor.
Add 2 tablespoons of the whey water and pulse until the cheese is slightly smooth. At least a minute.
Stage 1.
Cream cheese is still grainy.
2nd Stage of the cheese texture.
Add 1 tablespoon of whey and blend for a minute.
Check the texture and taste of the cream cheese.
Continue to work on the cream cheese texture and taste by adding whey and salt to reach the correct creamy consistency.
Once the cream cheese is done store it in a glass container.
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Ingredients
- 1 liter (4 cups)of full-fat milk(also known as whole milk)
- 2 tablespoons of lime(substitute with lemon or white vinegar, make sure the vinegar has a strong smell)
- Salt to use as needed(start with 1/2 a teaspoon, taste and adjust)
- Herbs, such as garlic are optional ingredients to flavor the cheese.
Instructions
Prep work to make the cheese.
Have a dry empty bottle ready to store the cheese.
Place the straining cheesecloth(substitute materials mentioned below)over a colander or large sieve. Place this over a pan to collect the whey liquid.
Substituting cheesecloth, if you are unable to find a cheesecloth, use a material that will strain and separate the whey from the milk curd. I tried a piece of stretchable material which worked well too.
Make sure the material is large enough to cover the sieve or colander and then grip and squeeze out the whey comfortably.
Some other substitutes for cheesecloth are white linen(handkerchief material, not a handkerchief as it will not be big enough), a fine mesh bag, muslin, a clean and new cotton dish towel or a tightly woven mesh strainer.
Have the ingredients to make cream cheese ready.
Add the milk into a heavy-bottomed pan and heat the milk over low-medium heat.
Frequently stir the milk and bring it to a high simmer(not to a rolling boil).
Reduce heat to low and pour in the lime juice(2 tbsp).
Continue stirring.
You'll notice the milk curdling.
Further, reduce heat to low and stir gently to help the curdling.
Stage 1 of curdling.
Stage 2 of curdling after a few seconds
Stage 3 of curdlingwhere you will clearly see the whey separating from the milk curd.
Remove the pan and pour the milk curd into the sieve.
Warning- the liquid and milk curd is hot, pour gently to avoid splashing.
Gradually pour the milk curd onto the cheesecloth to strain.
Cover with the edges of the straining cloth and let the milk rest for 5 minutes.
Gather the material and let the milk curd bundle hang over the pan.
DO NOT THROW AWAY THE WHEY WATER.
Twist and gently squeeze the excess whey water.
Place the bundle in a bowl and remove the cloth from the milk curd ball.
Crumble the curd with a spoon.
Add salt, start with 1/2 a teaspoon and add more as you need later. for this batch I added 1 teaspoon which made the cheese a little too salty, so be careful with the salt.
Transfer the curd into a food processor.
Add 2 tablespoons of the whey water and pulse until the cheese is slightly smooth. At least a minute.
Stage 1.
Cream cheese is still grainy.
2nd Stage of the cheese texture.
Add 1 tablespoon of whey and blend for a minute.
Check the texture and taste of the cream cheese.
Continue to work on the cream cheese texture and taste by adding whey and salt to reach the correct creamy consistency.
Once the cream cheese is done store it in a glass container.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 5 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 51 Total Fat: 3g Saturated Fat: 2g Trans Fat: 0g Unsaturated Fat: 1g Cholesterol: 9mg Sodium: 179mg Carbohydrates: 4g Fiber: 0g Sugar: 0g Protein: 3g
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How to Make Cream Cheese With Low Fat Milk
Source: https://www.islandsmile.org/homemade-cream-cheese/