Farmer Cheese

Written by
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
Jennifer Meier
Updated 06/24/20
Farmer cheese with crackers, sliced cucumber, and grape tomatoes

The Spruce
  • Total: 30 mins
  • Prep: 15 mins
  • Cook: 15 mins
  • Refrigerate: 60 mins
  • Yield: 2 cups cheese (4 servings)

Farmer cheese is an unaged (also known as fresh) mild white cheese with a crumbly texture. Farmer cheese has limitless possibilities and can be used in countless ways. It's really easy to make at home, and this simple recipe calls for just three ingredients. Since this is a fresh cheese, you can easily add more flavor. For example, you can mix your favorite fresh herbs in with the curds or sprinkle them on top of the finished farmer cheese along with olive oil and red pepper flakes. Farmer cheese can also be eaten with bread or crackers or crumbled on top of salads.

Ingredients

  • 1/2 gallon milk (whole pasteurized, not ultra-pasteurized)
  • 1/4 cup white vinegar
  • Optional: finely cut fresh herbs (like dill or chives)
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients. 

    The ingredients for farmer cheese on a wooden table
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  2. In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, bring the milk to a slow boil. Keep the heat at medium or medium-low; otherwise, you risk scorching the milk on the bottom of the pot.

    Pouring milk into a heavy-bottomed pot
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  3. When small, foamy bubbles begin to form on the surface of the milk, but it is not yet at a rolling boil, turn off the heat. If using a thermometer, the temperature will read about 190 F.

    Just before a rolling boil, foamy bubbles begin to form on the milk
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  4. Add the vinegar and stir the milk. You will notice curds immediately beginning to form.

    Vinegar is added to the milk and stirred with a wooden spoon
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  5. Let the milk sit for 15 minutes.

    The milk is let to sit for 15 minutes
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  6. After 15 minutes, add any flavorings, like finely cut fresh herbs.

    Finely cut fresh herbs are to milk
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  7. Place a colander over a large bowl or pot. Drape either a dampened cheesecloth or thin dampened dish towel over the colander. Pour the curds into the cheesecloth. The whey (liquid) will drain and be collected in the bowl below, and the solids curds will be caught in the cheesecloth.

    Straining the curds using a 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.

    Wrapping the cheesecloth around the curds
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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.

    Adding whey with a spoon over the curds
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  10. Add the salt and stir it together.

    Adding the salt to the 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 an hour or so before removing the cheesecloth.

    Shaping the cheese into a smooth ball
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  12. To make a round ball, tie the cheesecloth with a length of butcher's twine, attach it to a shelf in the refrigerator, and suspend it over a bowl. Gravity will help shape the cheese into a ball.

    suspending the cheesecloth over a bowl using a wooden spoon
    The Spruce

  13. Serve with crackers and enjoy.

Tips

  • Do not use ultra-pasteurized milk for cheese making; the curd will not set. Ultra-pasteurized milk is not always labeled as such, but you can tell by the extremely long expiration (usually 30 to 90 days from purchase). Regular pasteurized milk works fine, however, and raw milk, if it's available in your area, is best.
  • Don't toss the whey. Instead, use for bread making, add it to soups, or use it as a protein boost in smoothies (and, of course, you can feed it to the chickens). Store it in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
  • The farmer cheese will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator. Use it as a spread, as you would cream cheese or goat cheese. Eat it like cottage cheese—just add berries. Or, incorporate it into any recipe that calls for a soft, fresh cheese.

Recipe Variation

  • For similar variations of this style of homemade cheese, try recipes for Italian ricotta, Indian paneer, or French fromage blanc (literally "white cheese").

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