Easy Homemade Cheese

This recipe for homemade cheese is very, very easy. No special equipment is needed.

The texture of the cheese reminds me of feta, which I love. You can slice it, spread it on crackers and sandwiches and crumble it on your salads etc.  I used some of it on a chicken pizza, and wow, so delicious. It's fun to make too! 

Chicken Apple Citrus Salad 
with crumbled homemade cheese

Here's the recipe that is customized to my tastes, but you can totally change up the flavors to the way you prefer.

Easy Homemade Cheese

All you need is
4 cups whole milk
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar 
4 tablespoons butter, melted
salt to your taste
2 - 3 teaspoons garlic powder (optional)
chopped herbs such as chives, thyme, rosemary, oregano (optional)

Instructions
1. Add the milk to a large pot on the stove. Heat it up until just boiling, stirring constantly so you don't scorch the milk.

2. Take it off of the burner and immediately add the apple cider vinegar. Stir for a couple of minutes. The milk will start to curd-up right away. Let it sit for about 5 minutes.

3. Next pour the curds into a stainless steel mesh sieve. The liquid left behind is the whey, which you can save for bread-baking, etc. Let the liquid drain from the curds for a few minutes. I help it along a bit by pushing down on the curds to get the excess whey out.

Curds with herbs added

4. Move the curds to a large bowl. Add in the melted butter and the herbs and spices if using. Beat with an electric mixer for about 5 minutes. At this point, stir in some salt and add any more herbs or spices as needed. 

Cheese packed into mold with cheesecloth

5. You can now scoop out your cheese into whichever kind of mold you would like. I use my 6-inch round cake pan. I put plastic wrap on the bottom and around the sides so it is easy to lift out when ready. Pack the cheese down into your mold. The back of a spoon works great. Place a piece of cheesecloth on top of it, and then place something heavy on top of that. I use a flat-bottomed ceramic bowl about as big as the mold and put my pie weights inside.

6. Put it in the fridge for about 45 minutes, and then take it out.

7. You can leave it on the counter at room temperature if you want to use it as a spread. I like mine a bit harder so it can be crumbled. You can put the crumbled cheese on pizza. I love garlic, and the cheese is so delicious on pizza.

You should give it a try. It's super fun with a delicious product at the end! 

Dana ~ 

Printable Recipe Pages

 

copyright 2025, Dana Meier, My Olde Country Home

Dana Meier is a caterer, cookbook author, online content creator and purveyor of historic crafts in Washington state. Her first cookbook was published in 2023.

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