You wouldn’t believe how easy it is to make your own cream cheese.
It’s literally only one ingredient.
From cheesecakes to spreads, cream cheese has undoubtedly secured its place as one of the most ubiquitous ingredients around.
This version of a mild-tasting cheese is so versatile that it could be used in desserts and savory dishes.
Mary from Mary’s Nest shared this recipe on her YouTube Channel.
The former city girl from New York moved to Texas Hill County and has embraced the life of a modern pioneer woman.
Her goal is to teach people how to make “nutrient-dense” food from scratch and other culinary techniques, like canning, using traditional means.
But this doesn’t call for anything complicated.
In this recipe, she transforms a seemingly simple ingredient into an amazing product where all you need are some tools you already have and a lot of time.
You’ll need a carton of yogurt.
While she said on her website that low-fat, fat-free, or any type of regular yogurt will do, she shared that full-fat yogurt produces the best final product.
As for other types of yogurt, like flavored ones and Greek yogurt, she insisted to stick with regular plain yogurt.
The steps are simple
Regular yogurts are generally less expensive than Greek yogurt.
And two, the byproduct of regular yogurt, which we will be extracting at the beginning of the process, is so much more than other types of yogurt could produce.
So, how do we make our cream cheese?
- Assemble your draining apparatus. Put the strainer over any container that can catch liquid-like mixing bowls, pitchers, or a big Pyrex cup.
- Line your strainer with a finer sifting film like cheesecloth, flour sack cloth, or coffee filter.
- Then, put your yogurt into the straining apparatus. In this recipe, Mary used a big carton of yogurt, around 32oz, to make a whole block of cream cheese.
- Place it inside your refrigerator for 24 hours.
- Then, get a container for your cheese. It could be an oven-friendly food container with a lid or a microwavable container. Line the container with a sifting cloth. Again, flour sacks, coffee filters, and cheesecloth are okay to use.
- Transfer your cheese into the lined food container. Don’t throw away the whey water! It’s the liquid that was strained from the yogurt. This is rich in probiotics which can aid digestion.
- Cover the container with a lid. Put it inside your refrigerator and let it ripen for a week. This process will also drain out any moisture left in the cheese.
After the cheese ripens, it’s ready!
Mary mentioned that this block of cream cheese can be used as one would intend for store-bought cream cheese.
It can be used as icing or batter for cheesecakes.
You can also add in some onion chives, dried garlic, or your favorite berries to make a cheesy spread for bagels and toasts.
It’s amazing what one ingredient can do so make sure you give this a try when you have the chance.
Get the full details on this simple recipe in the video below!
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