Homemade Cream Cheese is so easy to make, and all the ingredients are most likely in your fridge as we speak. Where I live, cream cheese is rarely available and when it is, its crazy expensive and definitely not worth that cost. So instead of buying those expensive brands, I decided to find a way to make cream cheese at home, where I can make it any time I want.
Being a baker, I make loads of cheesecakes, tiramisu and cream cheese frosting. So coming up with this recipe was a no brainer. I needed to create a recipe to cater to my customers needs, as well as my own. This recipe is so easy to put together, I couldn’t believe it. I recently used it to make ravioli as well. Make sure you check out the recipe.
So there are a few questions that people have asked me about this:
How long can this cream cheese keep in the fridge?
This cream cheese keeps in the fridge for one week. It is best served cold.
Can the cream cheese be frozen?
Yes, it can be frozen, but make sure you defrost it in the fridge before using it.
Can this cream cheese be used to make cheesecakes?
Yes. Like I said before, I use this cream cheese to make cheesecakes all the time. It works so well. If you feel the cheese is a little gritty, just add a little milk and keep mixing in a processor until smooth.
Do I use raw milk or pasteurised milk?
You can use whichever suits you best. I used raw milk to show the process of making it from fresh milk. Using pasteurised milk only saves a couple minutes so just go with whatever suits you.
Preparation time 2 minutes
Cook time 20 minutes
Yields 2 cups
Ingredients
2 litres milk- I used raw milk but you can use pasteurised milk if you want
6 tablespoons lemon juice- or the juice of a large lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons canola/ vegetable oil/ butter.
Instructions
Place 2 litres milk in a heavy bottom pan. If using raw milk, then bring the milk to a boil and then simmer the milk for 3-4 minutes. If using pasteurised milk then bringing it to a boil is not necessary. Just a simmer is fine.
Once the milk is done simmering, add the lemon juice. The milk will curdle. Wait for the curdles to gather.
Eventually the liquid in the pan will become green and the curds will rise to the top.
Collect the curds will a sieve, then just strain in a colander, with a bowl underneath, until the liquid is collected. Throw away the water.
While the cheese is hot, sprinkle with salt.
Place the cheese, 2 Tablespoons canola oil in the food processor and process the curds while it’s hot.
Check for salt, add more if needed. Pulse until smooth. This will take approximately 3-4 minutes.
Scrape into an airtight container and store in the fridge.
Once the curds gather, the water will become green like this
Adaptations
Maple and Walnut Cream Cheese: Once you grind down the warm cream cheese, fold in 1/4 cup of chopped walnuts, 1/4 cup maple syrup and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (for 1 cup of Cream cheese)
Chilli and Mint Cream Cheese: Again once the cream cheese has been ground down, fold in 8 chopped mint leaves, 1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes. (for 1 cup of Cream Cheese)
Garlic, Lemon and Herb Cream Cheese: Add 3 cloves minced garlic, 2 teaspoon dried herbs and a good squeeze of lemon. (for 1 cup of Cream Cheese)
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