How to Make Cottage Cheese from Scratch, Full-Fat and Delicious (2024)

The sad days of watery low-fat cottage cheese as lackluster diet food are finally over. Let us all take a moment to acknowledge what happened, and be grateful for the lessons learned from our mistakes. Ladies and gentlemen, FULL-fat (the good kind of fat), organic, locally sourced, grass-fed, additive free, yada-yada cottage cheese has arrived to the marketplace and is here to stay. Lucky for all of us, brands like Cowgirl Creamery and Good Culture have taken the high road and reinvented this oft-overlooked dairy product as something worthy of your attention and your table.

Some of our most treasured mornings in the test kitchen occur when there’s cottage cheese in the walk-in. We eat it for breakfast, lunch, and a mid-afternoon snack. It’s become somewhat of a thing, just ask my dear colleague and fellow cottage cheese aficionado, Claire Saffitz. But what Bon Appétit was missing, it turns out, was a recipe to make cottage cheese at home.

To correct this oversight, I spent the last few weeks developing this recipe for cottage cheese so that even when Brad forgets to order it, I can pull through for the team. And although it takes about 5 hours to complete—don’t run away from me yet!—only 20 minutes of those hours are actually active, and the rest is left up to nature. So really, it’s like a 20 minute, 4-ingredient recipe. It’s easy! Just indulge me, okay?

Use good buttermilk—thank us later.

Laura Murray

A word to the wise: the few ingredients in this recipe demand that you use the highest quality dairy you can get your hands on for the best tasting results. There’s nothing added to enhance the flavor of your milk, buttermilk, and cream so please, please start with the best stuff you can find. It will pay off in the end. When it comes to sourcing milk, the most important thing is that it’s not labeled “ultra-pasteurized,” which means the milk has been heated for a longer period of time, killing bacteria that’s essential in cheesemaking. (Pasteurized milk is great, it’s the “ultra” stuff that’ll make things difficult.)

Back to the recipe. What even IS cottage cheese? Cottage cheese is made by heating whole milk, coagulating or “setting” the milk into a solid curd (in this case with animal rennet), and then gently cooking the set curd until it soft and bouncy. Yes, you’ll need liquid animal rennet (a bottled product made with enzymes from animal stomachs, used in cheesemaking) which you can get your hands on at any cheese shop or from some place called Amazon.com.

How to Make Cottage Cheese from Scratch, Full-Fat and Delicious (2024)

FAQs

How much cottage cheese does 1 gallon of milk make? ›

One gallon of Family Cow Raw Milk yields approx. 3 cups (1.3 lbs) of cottage cheese. Do Not Forget: Order an extra gallon or so of raw milk if you'd like to make Cottage Cheese this week!

Why is my homemade cottage cheese rubbery? ›

Don't overheat. That will make your cottage cheese rubbery. When the comes to the top, it's time to remove it from the heat. Place a colander in the sink and line it with cheese cloth.

How do you make cottage cheese more flavorful? ›

SAVORY
  1. Veggies. Tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and avocado: pretty much whatever suits your fancy. And a drizzle of olive oil.
  2. Seeds and nuts. Stir in your favorites together or separately.
  3. Grains. Quinoa, anyone?
  4. Salsa. You decide: mild, medium or hot! Or try hot sauce.
  5. Eggs. Plus salt and pepper.
  6. Crumbled bacon. Yum!

How long does homemade cottage cheese last? ›

In fact, you can use any kind of milk when making homemade cottage cheese, and that includes milk that's about to go sour. Just make sure if you choose to do this, you eat the cottage cheese the same day. Otherwise, the cottage cheese will stay fresh in the fridge for about a week.

Is it worth making your own cottage cheese? ›

Homemade cottage cheese just tastes better than store-bought. Use the best dairy you can find for the creamiest flavor.

Which kind of milk is preferred for manufacturing of cottage cheese? ›

Fresh, sweet, clean-flavored skim milk of low bacterial count is preferable for manufacturing Cottage cheese.

Is watery cottage cheese OK to eat? ›

It's easy to tell if your opened cottage cheese has turned bad before you eat it. If the cottage cheese appears watery or has a grainy-like texture, then it's probably no longer safe to eat. More obvious signs of bad cottage cheese include black, gray, or green mold.

How do you make cottage cheese less lumpy? ›

Place the cottage cheese in a food processor and blend for about 30 seconds. Stop and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Blend again until completely smooth.

What seasoning is good on cottage cheese? ›

Savory Cottage Cheese Toppings

Give cottage cheese a drizzle of your best olive oil, flaky sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Caprese: Dice fresh tomatoes and chop basil, drizzle with olive oil and balsamic reduction, and add a dash of salt and pepper to make a "caprese" cottage cheese salad.

What's better, Greek yogurt or cottage cheese? ›

So far, these two high-protein snacks are neck in neck when considering protein, calcium and calories. But one clear distinction steers the choice: Cottage cheese can be loaded with sodium. Just 1 cup of cottage cheese can deliver 8 to 9 times the sodium found in Greek yogurt.

Can dogs have cottage cheese? ›

You can give your dog cottage cheese, and he or she will likely love it. You can give your dog 3 ounces of cottage cheese a day per 25 pounds of body weight. The benefits of cottage cheese for dogs include being a good source of protein and vitamins and minerals and supporting gut health.

Can I eat 2 week old cottage cheese? ›

In fact, the Department of Health and Human Services says cottage cheese that's kept refrigerated at the safe temperature of 40º F or lower should be consumed within two weeks, if unopened, and a mere one week once opened.

Can you eat cottage cheese every day? ›

This fad diet provides quick weight loss by using cottage cheese as the basis for your meals. While it is safe for most people to eat cottage cheese every day, it should not be consumed to the extent that you exclude other food groups. Also, some types of cottage cheese contain high amounts of sodium and/or sugar.

How can you tell if cottage cheese has gone bad? ›

If it is lumpy, watery (with a bad smell), or has a grainy texture, it is bad and should be discarded. Color: Cottage cheese should be white or off-white in color. If it is yellow, brown, or has any other discoloration, it is bad and should be discarded. Mold: Cottage cheese should not have any mold on it.

How much cheese will 1 gallon of milk make? ›

Cheese Yield From One Gallon

The yield of cheese from one gallon of milk is approximately one pound for the hard cheese and two pounds for the soft cheese. The amount of butterfat in the milk will affect this. Sheep milk for example, is 9% butterfat, so the yield will be much higher than Goat or Cow milk.

What is the yield of milk cottage cheese? ›

per 100 lb. of skim- milk of 9% solids, or 1.72 lb. of curd per pound of solids, is a good, satisfactory yield with pres- ent conventional methods of making cottage cheese.

How much cottage cheese equals one cup of milk? ›

1 cup of milk (all fluid milk), soymilk (soy beverage) or yogurt, 1½ ounces of natural cheese, or 2 ounces of processed cheese, ⅓ cup of shredded cheese, or 2 cups cottage cheese can be counted as 1 cup from the Dairy Group.

Is cottage cheese good for milk supply? ›

Dairy products like milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, and other products that provide calcium are also important to your diet. These products are also a great source of protein. If you're lactose intolerant, leafy green vegetables, chia seeds, and soy milk are nondairy options for calcium.

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