Homemade cream cheese: learn how to make it the easy way

If you're looking for a cheaper alternative to using it to spread on bread and sandwiches, homemade cream cheese could be a great option for you.

Cream cheese is made primarily from cream and milk, which are pasteurized and then added to lactic acid bacteria for fermentation.

Cream cheese has a long history and originated in the United States. Its invention is often attributed to New York dairy farmer William Lawrence in the 1860s.

Its texture is smooth, creamy and is present in many recipes. Who has never heard of cheesecake?

Cream cheese is versatile in cooking, as it can be used in both sweet and salty, and its creamy texture makes it a highly appreciated ingredient in gastronomy.

One of the best-known products that uses cream cheese is the famous “cream cheese frosting”, a sweet and rich topping used on cakes and cupcakes, especially in cheesecake recipes.

Learn how to make homemade cream cheese

Now let's see how you can prepare homemade cream cheese and have this side dish at your disposal every day.

Check out the ingredients you will need:

• 2 liters of pasteurized whole milk;
• 50g of butter;
• 4 tablespoons of white wine vinegar;
• 2 cans of cream;
• ½ teaspoon salt.

To start preparing your homemade cream cheese, place the milk in a pan and leave it on the heat until it starts to boil.

Once it starts to boil, add the white wine vinegar, turn off the heat and stir until the milk starts to curdle. You will notice that it will start to form lumps in the liquid.

Ideally, you should use milk from a bag, which is considered the “purest” milk, but you can use carton milk without any problems. The only downside is that it will curdle a little less due to preservatives to make it last longer.

After adding the vinegar and letting it curdle, prepare a bowl to strain the milk using a fine cloth. Strain or sieve all the liquid and separate the white mass, our cream cheese, from the whey.

Once everything is sifted and as dry as you can get it, put the dough in the blender along with the butter, salt and cream. Blend enough until it becomes a smooth and relatively thick cream.

Set aside a clean, sterilized glass jar to store the cream in the refrigerator. It can be stored and preserved for up to 4 days and should always be kept in a cool place.

And everything in this recipe can be used, nothing necessarily needs to be thrown away.

For example, the whey left over after being sieved and strained is rich in protein and can be used in a wide range of recipes, such as cakes, soups and rice.

The longer it sits in the fridge or the drier it is after straining, the firmer your homemade cream cheese will be, so it's up to you.