How to Make Cottage Cheese

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: March 16, 2023 References

Cottage cheese makes a delicious light breakfast or lunch when served with fruit or a salad. This dish is so simple to make at home that there's no reason to pick up a tub at the store. Learn how to make cottage cheese using rennet, vinegar or lemon juice.

Ingredients

Using Rennet

1 quart whole milk
4 drops liquid rennet
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons heavy cream or half and half

Using Vinegar

1 gallon (3.8 L) pasteurized skimmed milk
3/4 cup white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup heavy cream or half and half

Using Lemon Juice

1 quart whole milk
1/2 teaspoon citric acid or lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons heavy cream or half and half

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Using Vinegar

1
Heat the milk. Place the milk in a saucepan and put it on the stove. Turn the burner to medium and let the milk heat to 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a candy thermometer to monitor the milk's temperature. Remove it from heat once it is sufficiently warmed.
2
Add the vinegar. Pour the vinegar into the saucepan and stir the mixture slowly for 2 minutes. Cover the pan with a dishcloth and let the mixture rest for 30 minutes.^{[1]
X
Research source}

Advertisement
3
Strain the curds from the whey. Pour the mixture into a colander lined with cheesecloth or a thin dishcloth. Let the whey drain for about five minutes.^{[2]
X
Research source}
4
Rinse the curds. Gather the edges of the cloth and hold the curds under a stream of cold water. Squeeze the curds and move them around until they are all rinsed and cooled.
5
Finish the cottage cheese. Place the curds in a bowl. Add the salt and the cream or half and half. Store in the refrigerator or serve immediately.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Using Lemon Juice

1
Heat the milk. Place it in a saucepan and heat it until it begins to steam, but does not come to a boil. Remove the milk from heat.
2
Add the lemon juice. Pour the lemon juice into the warm milk and stir it slowly for several minutes.
3
Let the mixture rest. Cover the saucepan with a dishcloth and let the curds separate from the whey for about an hour.
4
Strain the curds from the whey. Place a piece of cheesecloth over a bowl and pour the curds and whey into the cheesecloth. Let the curds drain for about 5 minutes.
5
Rinse the curds. Gather the ends of the cheesecloth and hold it under cool water to rinse the curds. Continue until they are completely cooled, then squeeze the cloth to get the curds as dry as possible.
6
Finish the cottage cheese. Place the curds in a bowl and add the salt and cream or half and half.^{[3]
X
Research source}

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Using Rennet

1
Heat the milk. Pour the milk into a small saucepan and place it over medium heat. Heat the milk slowly, making sure it doesn't boil, until it reaches 85 °F (29 °C). Use a candy thermometer to monitor the temperature. Turn off the heat when the milk is sufficiently warm.^{[4]
X
Research source}
2
Add the rennet. Place the drops of rennet directly in the milk. Use a spoon to stir the mixture for about 2 minutes.
3
Let the mixture stand. Cover the saucepan with a clean dish towel and let the rennet and milk sit untouched for about 4 hours. The rennet will start reacting with the milk to turn it into cheese.^{[5]
X
Research source}
4
Slice the mixture. Remove the dishcloth and use a knife to make slices in the mixture and break up the curds. Slice several times in one direction, then make several slices in the opposite direction.
5
Cook the mixture. Add the salt to the saucepan. Turn the burner to medium low. Stir the mixture as it heats to help the curds separate from the whey. Stop as soon as the curds have separated and the whey looks slightly yellow. Don't overcook the mixture, or the curds will be hard.^{[6]
X
Research source}
6
Strain the curds. Place a piece of cheesecloth or a fine-mesh strainer over a bowl Pour the curds and whey into the cheesecloth to strain the curds from the whey. Keeping the curds in the cheesecloth suspended over a bowl, cover the curds loosely with plastic wrap and place all of it in the refrigerator to let the whey continue to drain for a few hours. Stir it every once in a while to help it along.
7
Serve the cottage cheese. Place the curds in a clean bowl and add the cream or half and half. Season with more salt to taste.

Community Q&A

Question

Can you just add a little whole milk instead of heavy cream or half and half?

Community Answer

You can use whole milk to substitute for cream. Add a little at a time and cut it in with a fork.
Question

What do the salt and cream do to the cottage cheese? Would it work without these ingredients?

Community Answer

Yes, it will work without any add-ons of creams and salts. The only reason to put salt is to add a little bit of seasoning and the cream is added for the texture, to avoid causing the cheese to be too dry. You can put half/half if you don't like heavy cream.
Question

How many carbs does a cup of cottage cheese contain?

Community Answer

A single cup of cottage cheese contains 8 grams of carbohydrates if it has small curds, and 7 grams if it has large curds.