Cultured Cream Cheese

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Making cream cheese is easy! And cultured cream cheese is much better for your digestive system than regular cream cheese. However, if you are used to eating regular cream cheese, this version will taste a little different, think tangy, like yogurt. It goes well on bagels and most things that you would use cream cheese for that aren’t desserts. (Unless you need a little tangy in your dessert!)

What you need:

  • Yogurt

Take a piece of cheese cloth(you can get this at most retail stores) and get it wet. Drape it over a large container.

Push the cheesecloth down with you fist so it forms a bowl in the container.

Pour yogurt into the bowl you made in the cheesecloth. You will have to hold the cheesecloth around the edges so it doesn’t slip into the container. I used some of my homemade yogurt.

Hold up the ends of the cheesecloth and wrap it around a large spoon so it will hang into the container. Let it sit here on the countertop and drip until the whey stops dripping out(about 12 hours)

That’s it! Store this in the fridge. Enjoy!

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12 Comments

  1. Sounds easy enough, quick question. Do I need to refrigerate during the12 hours or so as the whey is draining? Or is it left out on the counter the 12 hours,then refrigerated when ready for use?

  2. When I make yogurt I have let the moisture drip off similar to how you described, but I was told the end result is greek-style yogurt. What makes it cream cheese as opposed to greek yogurt? Do you use the drippings from the yogurt for anything else? We refrigerate it or freeze it in ice cube trays and use it in fruit smoothies instead of yogurt; it is very nice. 🙂

    1. This is Greek yogurt. We were professionally draining yogurt in the early nineties before any was selling anything even called “Greek yogurt.” And certainly, no one was claiming it was “homemade cream cheese.’ This is very disappointing.

  3. I’ve always heard of this being called yogurt cheese. Is that the same thing as cream cheese? Do you have to add anything to it to make it cream cheese instead of just yogurt cheese?

    1. Yes, technically this would be yogurt cheese, it’s pretty much the same as cream cheese but the difference is that cream cheese has added stabilizers and thickeners and ALL the whey would be out whereas your yogurt cheese will still have some whey in it (not matter how long you strain it) so it will be a little more tangy and soft.

  4. Could you do the same thing with Kefir? I have some in my fridge that separated during culturing, so I wrapped it up in cheesecloth and let it drip for a bit, and it’s nice and thick – and just a touch on the sweet side from using fresh raw milk.

  5. Store-bought cream cheese has additives, yes. Homemade cream cheese doesn’t have additives unless you add them. This is not cream cheese; this is labneh. Cream cheese needs a mesophilic starter culture and rennet.