Easy Recipe to Make the Best Homemade Cottage Cheese

I could not believe how easy it was to make this recipe for Homemade Cottage Cheese with Lemon Juice, but it honestly is! And if I can do it, I know you can too. Let’s do this. 

I have slowly grown to incorporate a number of easy homemade swaps in our weekly meal prep. Two reasons for this: grocery store budget and ingredient control. After seeing a number of store-bought options containing thickening agents like xanthan gum or guar gum along with high amounts of sodium, I wondered how difficult it would be to make our own cottage cheese. Turns out, it couldn’t be easier. Adapting the recipe and instructions I read from David Lebovitz, I arrived at a version that I personally adore.

In just a little under an hour, this homemade cottage cheese recipe became a good substitute for the store-bought options we purchased before. Scroll down to see the step by step guide using a simple ingredient list whip up your own creamy cottage cheese. 

Why You’ll Love This Homemade Cottage Cheese Recipe

From a list of basic ingredients making our own homemade cottage cheese is truly a super simple recipe. It’s a great way to start learning to make your own cheese if you’re wanting to do this. This is also the best way to use up any half gallon of milk that hasn’t been used yet. This recipe version is akin to the texture of farmer cheese in that we remove a good amount of moisture when making this fresh cheese. The good news? You can customize the texture of this farmer’s cheese so it’s just right for your easy recipe needs. 

Ingredients for This Easy Homemade Cottage Cheese

When it comes to achieving the creamy texture in these easy homemade cheese recipes, plenty of people are surprised (including me!) that we don’t need special ingredients to make different types of cottage cheese. Rather, we draw from a simple list of ingredients: 

• Fresh milk: This recipe uses whole milk but you can use low-fat milk or skim-milk as well if wanting to control the amount of milk fat in your fresh cottage cheese. Since this is our star ingredient, use the best quality kind of milk you like. You can make this with raw milk or lightly pasteurized milk. I love using the Clover Sonoma brand for this recipe. 
• Lemon Juice: Our curdling agent responsible for all the curd sizes we’ll see. The generous quarter cup lemon juice provides the acidity that helps the milk proteins to coagulate, resulting in the milk clumps which become the cottage cheese curds. This is also what we observe in seeing the curds separate from the whey. Fresh lemon juice adds a hint of lemon flavor in the resultant cups of cottage cheese that I personally love. 
• Kosher Salt: In an effort to reduce the amount of sodium, a small amount of kosher salt helps our tastes buds enjoy the flavor of our farmers cheese. A little goes a long way. Start with a quarter teaspoon and adjust to your own taste preference. 
• Heavy Cream: To create a smaller curd and creamy texture, this is an optional ingredient. Heavy cream is an easy way to finish the cottage cheese and create a creamy flavor to your homemade cheese. 

​Equipment Needed to Make Homemade Cottage Cheese

While there isn’t necessarily special equipment needed to make your cottage cheese, there are a few items that will support the process: 

• Heavy Bottomed Pot or Dutch Oven: We’ll need a large pot to heat the milk to prepare it for separating the cheese curds from the whey. I’m using my 4 quart Staub for this recipe. It works perfectly here. 
• Cheesecloth: Cheese cloth is what will help remove any additional moisture for your cheese. 
• Two Spoons: You’ll need a wooden spoon for stirring and a slotted spoon for scooping up the cheese solids once they’ve curdled. 
• Two Large Bowls: One large bowl will be used for draining the soft cheese and the second bowl will be used for mixing in the final seasonings for your cheese. 
• Colander: You’ll place this over one large bowl to help in straining the cheese. 
• Thermometer: This is great to keep track of the temperature during the warming process. We don’t want the milk to burn. The desired temperature is between 180 to 190 degrees Fahrenheit. 
• Storage Container of Choice: Once your cheese is prepped and ready to go choose an airtight container to store your cottage cheese. If stored properly, it can last a relatively long time in the refrigerator for up to week. We usually consume ours within 5 days. 

How to Make Homemade Cottage Cheese

Check out the video below for a preview into how we make this delicious homemade cottage cheese. 

• Pour milk of your choice into a large heavy bottomed pot or dutch oven. Warm the milk over medium heat to approximately 190 degrees Fahrenheit. Using a wooden spoon, gently stir milk occasionally so it doesn’t burn on the bottom of the pot.
• Once milk is heated to temperature, remove from heat. If you remove it prematurely, your cheese may not curdle. From numerous recipe tests a temperature of between 180 and 190 degrees Fahrenheit works well in order to support cheese curdling.
• Add the 6 tablespoons of lemon juice to the warmed milk and stir using the wooden spoon. You should start to see the milk curdle immediately. Once curdling begins, cover the dutch oven with its lid and let milk mixture rest for approximately thirty minutes.
• While the milk curdles, prep your straining apparatus by lining a colander with cheese cloth or a nut milk bag. Place the cheesecloth-lined colander over a large bowl just in case anything drips out when you drain the cheese solids.
• Using a slotted spoon, scoop out the cottage cheese solids from the pot into the cheesecloth lined colander. Allow the cottage cheese solids to drain into the bowl for approximately 10 minutes or until the dripping has slowed down. If you don’t have a slotted spoon, you can use a normal spoon but the draining process may take a bit longer.
• Once your cheese is drained, gather the ends of your cheesecloth or nut milk bag and begin wrapping the cheese into a ball tightly. Hold the ball in one hand and run cold water over it while squeezing it gently with your other hand. This will help to cool the cottage cheese solids evenly as you squeeze out any remaining liquid.
• Place the ball of strained cheese curds into a clean bowl. Use a wood spoon to break up the cottage cheese curds into smaller curds to your desired size. Season to taste with a little salt. I like to start with about 1/4 teaspoon and build from there. It honestly does not need a lot of salt.
• If you want creamier texture to your homemade cottage cheese, add in a couple tablespoons to the mixture. Give it a gentle stir until it reaches the desired consistency. If you want to add more cream, add in a tablespoon more each time between stirs.
• Once your cottage cheese is at the texture and taste you like, transfer it to the storage container of choice. 

A few cook’s notes: Chill your cottage cheese for at least an hour before serving. Your homemade cottage cheese is best if eaten within 7 days. If using milk that is about to spoil, consume the cottage cheese within 3 to 5 days. Signs of spoilage include: foul odors, signs of mold, or a very sour bitter taste.

Bonus Note: Do not discard the leftover whey! The liquid that drips when straining the cottage cheese is whey. This is the same whey we know of when we think about whey protein powders. It’s also the pooled liquid you might see in store bought yogurt or cottage cheese. What’s great about this is that whey is already packed with protein and the liquid gathered from straining your homemade cottage cheese is a great alternative to the powders. I like to freeze the liquid whey into cubes and then toss them into my smoothies for added protein. 

Frequently Asked Questions

The best part? Once you’ve made your own cottage cheese you’ll never want to go back to buying it from the store again. If you do give this a go, let me know on social media. I would love to see what you make! If you have additional questions or feedback, let me know in the comments of this post or DM me on Instagram. Cheers to the next nourishing meal!