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Home » Larder Basics » Homemade Cottage Cheese Recipe

Homemade Cottage Cheese Recipe

Author: Karon Grieve Published : June 2021

Recipe Video
homemade cottage cheese
homemade cottage cheese
homemade cottage cheese

This homemade cottage cheese is super healthy and of course right up there as part of any diet. It’s rich and creramy but light and will take on almost any flavour so just perfect for adding into all sorts of dishes from salads to baked potatoes and so much more.

cottage cheese with ham salad on crispbreads

Cottage cheese takes me right back to my school days. We were always trying to lose weight and cottage cheese and crispbreads featured heavily in our lunch boxes on a regular basis.

Now don’t be put off by the ubiquitous cartons of cottage cheese and pineapple that you find in the supermarket. This homemade cottage cheese is super tasty and way better than anything store-bought. And yes, you can add pineapple too if you like!

Health benefits of cottage cheese

  • Cottage cheese is packed with protein and other goodies too including calcium for teeth and bones
  • It helps you to feel fuller for longer so yes it does help in a calorie controlled diet!
  • It’s low in calories as you can make cottage cheese from skimmed milk
  • The casein in the protien is great for muscle building which is why cottage cheese is so popular with sportsmen
ingredients; skimmed milk, rennet and buttermilk

Ingredients for homemade cottage cheese

There are only 3 ingredients in my version of cottage cheese;

  • skimmed milk
  • buttermilk (see my recipe for Homemade Buttermilk)
  • vegetarian rennet

Alternative ingredients

You can use any type of milk you have to hand, full cream, semi skimmed or skimmed milk.

I use vegetarian rennet but you can easily use lemon juice or white vinegar instead to make cottage cheese. I just use rennet as I’ve been doing loads of cheesemaking and have it in the larder as it’s so useful.

If using lemon juice use 2 tbsp for this recipe.

heating the milk
the curds appear in the pan
straining the curds through muslin
wrapped cheese in muslin

How to make cottage cheese

  • Heat the milk to 35C/95F and add the rennet mixed with a little water (or lemon juice/vinegar whatever you are using here) and stir well.
  • Pop on the lid and set aside for an hour at room temperature.
  • Cut the resulting curds with a knife into chunks and reheat to 43C/110F and keep it at this temperature for 10 minutes.
  • Ladle the curds into a sieve lined with cheesecloth/muslin and let the whey drain off for 5 minutes (save the whey, see below)
  • Wrap the curds in the cheesecloth and rinse under cold water and squeeze out the cheese to remove more whey/water
  • Put the cottage cheese into a bowl and stir in some salt. Pop it in the fridge to chill before using
cottage cheese with pineapple and also with chives

Flavouring cottage cheese

Cottage cheese does not hold a lot of flavour in its own right . This makes it the perfect vehicle for adding anything you like to create your own flavours.

Flavour your cheese by adding in the ubiquitous pineapple or some snipped chives. Go for a sweet version by stirring in some homemade jam.

Or why not go spicy and add some harissa or other spices. Check out my homemade harissa recipe.

How much does this recipe make?

You should get about 350g of cottage cheese from this recipe.

How long does homemade cottage cheese keep?

This will keep in the fridge for up to a week. Remember to keep it in a jar or box with a lid so that it doesn’t absorb any of the aromas lurking in the fridge – like onions etc!

How to serve cottage cheese

On crispbreads of course with salad to be the perfect diet lunch/snack.

Use your cottage cheese as a dip, like tzatziki by stirring in some grated cucumber and mint.

Use instead of cream cheese in sauces and the like.

Serve in a baked potato, a classic!

Cottage cheese is just perfect for picnics and BBQs as it’s the ideal side dish for salads etc.

larder links

Looking for more easy homemade cheese recipes to try? Then check these out before you go;

Homemade ricotta cheese (+Video!)

How to make Labneh (yogurt cheese) with video

Making Halloumi cheese

Traditional Scottish crowdie cheese

Homemade mascarpone (+Video!)

how to make Greek style feta cheese

Finally, if you do try this recipe don’t forget to leave a comment/star rating below as I just love to hear from readers. Want more Larder Love? Then follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter and sign up for my newsletter too of course.

Photos And Tips AboveMost of my recipes have step by step photos and useful tips plus videos too, see above.
cottage cheese with ham salad on crispbreads

Homemade Cottage Cheese

Karon Grieve
A super easy recipe for healthy light cottage cheese
5 from 2 votes
Print Recipe Comment Bookmark Saved! Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 minutes mins
Cook Time 15 minutes mins
Total Time 20 minutes mins
Course cheese
Cuisine British
Calories 20 kcal

Ingredients
 

  • 2 lt skimmed milk
  • 5 drops rennet in 2 tbsp cooled boiled water
  • 2 tbsp buttermilk
Metric – US Customary

Instructions
 

  • Heat milk and buttermilk to 35C/95F and stir in the rennet then cover with a lid and set aside at room temperature for 1 hour
  • Cut the curds into chunks and reheat to 43C/110F for 10 minutes
  • Pour this through a sieve lined with cheesecloth/muslin and let it drain for 5 minutes
  • Wrap the cheesecloth round the curds and wash under cold water and squeeze out well
  • Put in a bowl and stir in some salt then chill in the fridge

Video

Notes

Use 2 tablespoons of lemon juice instead of the rennet. Or use 2 tbsp vinegar.
You should get abouot 350g of cottage cheese from this recipe.
This will keep for up to a week in the fridge
Add anything you like from pineapple to jam to flavour your cottage cheese

Nutrition

Calories: 20kcalCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 3mgSodium: 32mgPotassium: 49mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 54IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 37mgIron: 1mg
My Top Tips*Always read the full recipe first. *Assemble all your ingredients and everything you need before you start. *For baking check the size of tins I’m using as this makes a big difference to your cakes. * I use medium sized eggs unless otherwise stated. * I use extra virgin olive oil unless otherwise stated. * I use unsalted butter unless otherwise stated. * Check out My Preserving Kit!
Tried this recipe?Mention @LarderLove or tag #LarderLove

Filed Under: ALL RECIPES, Larder Basics

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Comments

  1. Maria says

    June 30, 2021 at 7:37 pm

    Hi Karon
    I love your website. I found you when I was looking for a Scottish crowdie recipe and what a find!! Your website is amazing with so many interesting and delicious recipes. I made the crowdie using your recipe. Delicious.
    Regarding the cottage cheese, how much do I use of vegetarian solid rennet? (I don’t have the liquid one). And if I use lemon, how many tablespoons?
    Thank you very much

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      July 1, 2021 at 10:17 am

      Hi Maria
      So glad you like my web site so much and find the recipes useful. I’m sorry I don’t use solid rennet so don’t know the quantities. I actually say on the recipe card at the bottom of the post to use 2 tbsp of lemon juice instead of rennet if that helps.
      K

      Reply
  2. D Laurence says

    July 1, 2021 at 4:27 am

    What is the yield? Thanks.

    Reply
    • Karon Grieve says

      July 1, 2021 at 10:12 am

      I got about 350g from this it just depends how much liquid comes out when dripping through. hope this helps.
      K

      Reply

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