Farmer Cheese

By
Jennifer Meier
Jennifer Meier
Jennifer Meier
Food writer, cookbook author, and recipe developer Jennifer Meier specializes in creating healthy and diet-specific recipes.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 09/4/22
Tested by
Colleen Graham
Photo of Colleen Graham
Tested by Colleen Graham
Freelance writer and cocktail book author Colleen Graham is a seasoned mixologist who loves sharing her knowledge of spirits and passion for preparing drinks.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Mound of plain farmer cheese and ball of farmer cheese with herbs on a cutting board with crackers

The Spruce Eats
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 15 mins
Curdle, Press, & Refrigerate: 80 mins
Total: 105 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Yield: 1 cup
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
40 Calories
2g Fat
3g Carbs
2g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 40
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 2g 3%
Saturated Fat 1g 6%
Cholesterol 6mg 2%
Sodium 105mg 5%
Total Carbohydrate 3g 1%
Dietary Fiber 0g 0%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 2g
Vitamin C 0mg 0%
Calcium 70mg 5%
Iron 0mg 0%
Potassium 81mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Farmer cheese is a mild white fresh cheese that's not pressed or aged, with a crumbly texture and subtle flavor. Incredibly versatile, this type of cheese can be eaten with bread or crackers or crumbled on top of salads. It is commonly used to make cheese blintzes, makes amazing stuffed pasta, and adds a lot of flavor and texture to lasagna and casseroles. It can be blended with cheeses such as ricotta or full-fat yogurt, and can be made into dips or as part of parfaits and desserts. Farmer cheese can be an alternative for ricotta or mascarpone in certain recipes in which there is no need for a silky texture in the end product—the curds of farmer cheese will indeed give a texture to all dishes in which it's used.

This cheese can be easily made at home; it just requires some patience and three ingredients. Once you start using this amazing product, you'll fall in love with its versatility and will incorporate it into countless recipes. Since this is a fresh cheese, it can easily be customized with your favorite add-ins. Mix in fresh herbs with the curds or sprinkle them on top of the finished farmer cheese along with olive oil and red pepper flakes. Add dry spices like black pepper, cayenne, or cumin to make wonderful dips. Use it as you would cream cheese or goat cheese.

Before you start, be sure to have at hand a cheesecloth and good-quality milk. Whole pasteurized—don't use ultra-pasteurized—is best as the cream will have a lot of body and flavor, but 2 percent milk will also yield good results, even though the cheese will be thinner and less rich in flavor.

1:16

Click Play to See This Farmer Cheese Come Together

"I can attest that the recipe is a perfect introduction to cheesemaking. It was a simple process that takes less than an hour, and worked out perfectly. After an hour in the fridge, the cheese solidified more but still had a slight milky taste; another two hours, that flavor mellowed and created a very tasty cheese." —Colleen Graham

Farmers Cheese Tester Image
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 1/2 gallon pasteurized whole milk

  • 1/4 cup white vinegar

  • 3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill (or chives), optional

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients. 

    Ingredients for farmer cheese recipe gathered

    The Spruce Eats

  2. In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, bring the milk to a slow boil, stirring occasionally. Keep the heat at medium or medium-low; otherwise, you risk scorching the milk on the bottom of the pot.

    Milk being poured into a heavy-bottomed pot

    The Spruce Eats

  3. When small, foamy bubbles begin to form in the milk, but it is not yet at a rolling boil, turn off the heat. If using a thermometer, the temperature should be about 190 F.

    Thermometer inserted in milk with foamy bubbles forming

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  4. Slowly add the vinegar and stir the milk. Curds will immediately begin to form.

    Curdling milk and vinegar mixture being stirred with a wooden spoon

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  5. Let the milk sit for 15 minutes without stirring.

    Curds floating on top of liquids in the pot off the heat

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  6. After 15 minutes, add the dill or chives, if using.

    Chopped herbs being stirred into the curdled mixture with a wooden spoon

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  7. Place a colander over a large bowl or pot. Drape either a dampened cheesecloth or thin dampened clean dish towel over the colander. Pour the curds into the cheesecloth. The whey, all the liquid in the mixture, will drain and be collected in the bowl below, while the solid curds will be caught in the cheesecloth. (Use the leftover whey for bread making, add it to soups, or use it as a protein boost in smoothies.)

    Curds draining in a colander lined with cheesecloth

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  8. Lift the cheesecloth and wrap it around the curds, twisting and squeezing to remove as much moisture as possible.

    Cheesecloth being twisted and squeezed around the curds using both hands

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  9. After squeezing out the moisture, the curds for farmer cheese will be dry and crumbly. If you want a creamier texture, mix a little of the reserved whey back into the curds.

    Whey being added back into the drained curds by the tablespoon

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  10. Add the salt and stir it together.

    Sat being added to the drained curds

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  11. To shape the cheese, keep it wrapped in cheesecloth and form it into a mound on a plate. Set another plate on top and press the curds into a flat disc that is 1 to 2 inches tall. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or so before removing the cheesecloth.

    Farmer cheese shaped into a smooth mound in cheesecloth and placed on a light-green plate

    The Spruce Eats

  12. To make a ball, tie the cheesecloth with a length of butcher's twine, attach it to a shelf in the refrigerator or a wooden spoon, and suspend it over a bowl. Gravity will help shape the cheese into a ball and remove any excess moisture.

    Farmer cheese tied into cheesecloth and suspended over a bowl with a wooden spoon

    The Spruce Eats

  13. Enjoy the cheese as is or in any of your favorite recipes.

Tips

  • Cheesemaking produces a lot of whey; this recipe creates about 6 cups of whey from 1/2 gallon of milk. Keep this high volume in mind when deciding which bowl to use for straining. Choose a large, deep bowl that will keep the bottom of the colander out of the liquid as it drains.
  • If you have time, let the whey drain out of the cheese on its own before pressing out the excess. A good amount of whey will drip out of the cheesecloth in 5 minutes or so and reduce the amount of time you need to squeeze it.
  • A thermometer really helps you figure out when the milk is at the perfect temperature for better curd development.

How to Store

  • Farmer cheese will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator when stored in an airtight container.
  • You can freeze farmer cheese; wrap in plastic wrap and place in a zip-top freezer bag. Upon thawing it, however, the texture will be a bit crumblier.
  • If saving the whey, store it in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to one week.

Why Not Use Ultra-Pasteurized Milk?

UHT, or ultra-high temperature processing, is a widely used food process that sterilizes dairy and other products like wine, fruit, and soy products to eliminate many forms of bacteria. Ultra-pasteurized milk is not always labeled as such; the extremely long expiration date—usually 30 to 90 days from purchase—is a good indication of it, however. When using UHT milk, the curd in the farmer cheese will not set because the proteins have been destabilized from the high temperature used in the process, and the calcium in the milk won't bond adequately to make the curds. Regular pasteurized milk works fine, but raw milk, if it's available in your area, works the best.