One-Ingredient Homemade Cottage Cheese

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.

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Have you ever thought of making 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. Suppose you’ve heard or read anything about making homemade cottage cheese. In that case, 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. Unlike the store-bought brands, this recipe has no added salts, which makes it excellent for babies or anyone looking for a low-sodium diet. One thing to remember 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.

What you will need to make this simple homemade cottage cheese:

2 liters of plain Kefir
Large oven-safe pot
Colander
Cheesecloth (Pro tip: you can reuse the cheesecloth by washing it with dish soap and water and hanging, drying, and storing it in a clean zip-lock bag).

How do you make it:

Here is a step-by-step on making your very own creamy, homemade cottage cheese:

Preheat your oven to 500°C.
Add a 2L kefir container to your oven-safe pot, and close the lid.
Place the pot inside your 500°C and turn your oven off.
Leave it overnight to do its thing – roughly 12-15 hours. Within this time, the whey liquid and the cottage cheese will separate.
Next, prepare your colander in the sink with cheesecloth layers.
Spill the content in the pot, wrap the cheese curd in the cheesecloth, and create a ball. 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.
Place completed cottage cheese into a glass container and the fridge. Enjoy it on its own throughout the week or add it to some delicious recipes.

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.

Pour out the whey liquid, or you can drink or use it in your smoothies and pancake recipes. Wrap the cheese curd by creating a ball, and place this ball into the colander with a bowl underneath. 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.

Homemade Cottage Cheese FAQ

Can you explain how kefir turns into cottage cheese with just one ingredient? I may not be a scientist, but I believe that by heating it for a certain amount of time, the cheese and liquid separate. By straining the liquid using a cheesecloth, you can obtain a smooth and delightful high protein, cottage cheese.

What should I look for when I take out the pot from the oven 12 hours later? When you take it out of the oven, you will see that the cheese and liquid have separated and are ready for the next step. If you do not see the separation, the oven wasn’t hot enough when placing the kefir. Place the colander in the sink with four layers of cheesecloth; make sure it is long enough so that the content doesn’t spill over when you pour the cheese into the colander.

Can I do anything with the whey liquid or is it waste? We are all about repurposing ingredients especially when it’s as nutritious as whey. My two favorite recipes to make with whey liquid are fruit smoothies and pancakes for extra protein and nutrients. A trick to collecting the whey liquid is to add a bowl underneath the colander before pouring it into the pot of cheese.

My cottage cheese is too runny? If your cottage cheese is too runny, it means the oven wasn’t hot enough. If this happens, I recommend heating it up once more for 20-30 minutes on low heat on your stovetop, then allowing it to cool completely before you try again.

My cottage cheese is too dry? If your cottage cheese is hard, the cooking temperature was too high. I sometimes do this on purpose to make a baker’s cottage cheese for perogies or even a cottage cheese cake. It is still delicious but not as creamy consistency we are looking for.

What can I eat cottage cheese with?

How long does fresh homemade cottage cheese last? If placed in an airtight container in the fridge, this homemade cottage cheese will stay fresh for up to seven days.

How can I serve cottage cheese? You can serve homemade cottage cheese with fruit, jams, or avocados with a sprinkle of salt. My twin’s very first food was this homemade cottage cheese with avocado and we ate it at least once a week. It is often a go-to breakfast for me these days 🙂 Here is a list of other ways you can use cottage cheese: toast, perogies, replace ricotta in lasagna, smoothies, protein pancakes, or stuff them into crepes or blintz.

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, berries, 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 of oatmeal with fruits and nut butter. It is also my secret ingredient in smoothies and pancakes for extra protein and creamy texture.

You can elevate any meal when adding this high protein ingredient, including:

Smoothies or breakfast bowls
Rich creamy dips
Use in replacement of ricotta in lasagna
Add to pancake or waffle batter for extra protein
Cheese perogies or blintz
Cottage cheese ice-cream

I invite you to try this homemade one-ingredient cottage cheese recipe and see for yourself.

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So, what are you waiting for? Let’s get cooking and delight our taste buds with this simple, creamy cottage cheese recipe.

Inna