Have you ever thought to make homemade cottage cheese?
It’s surprisingly simple and incredibly delicious! Smooth texture, rich in nutrients, and high in protein, this cottage cheese can be eaten on its own or added to recipes. If you’ve heard or read anything about making homemade cottage cheese, you’ll know it requires milk, vinegar, and some heavy cream but my version is slightly different and requires just one ingredient!
What is it:
But before we get into it, what is cottage cheese? It’s a soft, fresh cheese with a creamy smooth texture and mild flavor. It has a lot of health benefits and is high in protein and calcium. It can be enjoyed by all from babies to adults and can be incorporated into sweet or savory recipes or eaten on its own with fresh fruit or vegetables.
Can I feed cottage cheese to my baby? Yes! With so many benefits to babies, it can be a staple in their diet. Cottage cheese is loaded with B vitamins that are crucial for brain development, it is high in good fats and low in sodium. This recipe has no added salts, unlike the store-bought brands which make it excellent for babies or anyone looking for a low sodium diet. One thing to keep in mind when it comes to cottage cheese as with any dairy product is that it can be an allergen, so be mindful when introducing it to your baby.
How to eat it? Because it is mild in flavor you can influence the taste by what you accompany it with. For example, creating a yogurt bowl using cottage cheese, barriers, and a variety of seeds. In our house, our favorite combination is mixing cottage cheese, avocado, and a sprinkle of Himalayan Sea salt. Another great way to use this ingredient is by adding two tablespoons to oatmeal with fruits and nut butter. It is also my secret ingredient in smoothies and pancakes for extra protein and creamy texture.
So how do you make this delicious cottage cheese that isn’t like any other? You will need 2 liters of plain Kefir, a large oven-safe pot, a colander, and a cheesecloth. You can reuse the cheesecloth by washing it with soap and water and hanging drying and storing it in a clean place (zip-lock).
How do you make it:
First, preheat your oven to 400°C, add a container of kefir to the pot and wait for the oven to reach temperature. Once it hits 400°C, place the pot inside and turn your oven off. Now here is the easy part, you leave it overnight to do its thing – roughly 12-15 hours.
When you take it out of the oven you will see that the cheese and liquid have separated and it’s ready for the next step. Place the colander in the sink with 4 layers of cheesecloth, make sure it is long enough so that when you pour the cheese into the colander the content doesn’t spill over. Pour out the whey liquid or you can drink or use it in your smoothies. Wrap the cheese curd by creating a ball, and place this ball into the colander with a bowl underneath. Leave in the fridge for roughly 2-3 hours for any excess liquid to be removed. Now your one ingredient cottage cheese is complete and is ready to be enjoyed. I put it in a glass container, and it’s eaten throughout the week. I recommend eating it within 7 days of making it.
The hardest part about this recipe is how long you wait! The rest is easy and once you make it you will understand why it’s a weekly staple here.
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The Best Homemade Cottage Cheese
- Total Time: 14 hours 5 minutes
- Yield: 8 Servings 1x
Description
The most delectable one ingredient homemade cottage cheese. Smooth texture, rich in nutrients, and high in protein, this cottage cheese can be eaten on its own or added to many recipes.
Ingredients
- 2l plain kefir
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°C. Place kefir in an oven-safe pot and close the lid. Once the temperature is reached, place a pot of kefir with a closed lid inside and turn the oven off.
- Leave the pot inside the oven (off) overnight – roughly 12-15 hours.
- Prepare a colander with 4 layers of cheesecloth long enough for the mixture to be poured into the sink or larger bowl.
- Pour content within the pot (you will see a separation between the cheese curd and whey liquid). Gather the sides of your cheesecloth and form it into a ball.
- Place cheese ball and colander into a larger bowl and into the fridge for a few hours for the additional liquid to drip out.
- After 2-3 hours your cottage cheese is ready. Remove it from the cheesecloth and place it into an airtight container.
Notes
- You should expect to have a little bit of liquid remaining in the final cottage cheese – if you leave it in the colander for longer in the final step, the less moisture is in the cheese and the dryer it becomes. If you are looking for dry cottage cheese (bakers’ cheese) you can keep it in the colander for a few additional hours.
- You can reuse cheesecloth by washing it with soap and water and hang drying.
- Cottage cheese is fresh for about 7 days in the fridge.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 14 hours
- Category: Breakfast
