How to Make Cream Cheese with Just One Ingredient
Learn How to Make Cream Cheese with this simple One Ingredient Recipe.
Yogurt Cheese or Cream Cheese?
Making homemade cream cheese couldn’t be easier, and it only takes one ingredient to make it…yogurt! Any yogurt will do—full-fat, low-fat, or fat-free. In this recipe, I am using full-fat yogurt because I believe it creates the best final product. Plus, make sure the yogurt that you use is plain, unflavored yogurt and not Greek yogurt.
Why Not Greek Yogurt?
I recommend making this homemade cream cheese with regular yogurt for two reasons:
- First, plain unflavored yogurt is generally less expensive than Greek yogurt.
- Second, by straining regular yogurt, which is the first step in this process, you will be getting a nice amount of whey liquid. Whey is a nutritious probiotic-rich by-product of making homemade cream cheese. In a future video and blog post, I will be sharing how to use this wonderful liquid in a myriad of different ways. So stay tuned!
Straining Yogurt and Molding Yogurt Cheese
After straining the yogurt for 24 hours, you’ll be ready for the next step, which involves lining a small container—any type you have will do—with some cloth and allowing your cream cheese to “ripen” or “age” for about a week in the refrigerator. Once you un-mold it from your container, you’ll have homemade cream cheese! This couldn’t be easier!!
How to Use Homemade Cream Cheese
You can use your homemade cream cheese in the same way that you would use the block of cream cheese that you can buy from the grocery store. Your cheese can be used in both sweet and savory dishes. And easiest of all, you can simply place the homemade “block” on to a plate and cover it with some spicy jelly or shrimp and cocktail sauce, and you have a quick and easy dessert!!
More Homemade Dairy Recipes
Now that you’ve learned how to make Cream Cheese be sure to try your hand at making other homemade dairy recipes, including homemade Cottage Cheese, Ricotta Cheese, Sour Cream, and Cultured Butter.
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Homemade Cream Cheese with One Ingredient
Equipment
- Bowl or large measuring cup
- Mesh strainer
- Flour sack towel, cheesecloth, or coffee filters
Ingredients
- 32 ounces Plain whole milk yogurt, unflavored Low-fat or fat-free yogurt can also be used
Instructions
- Line a mesh strainer with a flour sack towel, cheesecloth, or coffee filters.
- Place strainer over a bowl or large measuring cup.
- Pour yogurt into the lined strainer.
- Place lined strainer with yogurt, which is over the bowl (or measuring cup), into the refrigerator, and allow the yogurt to drain for 24 hours.
- The yellowish liquid that will accumulate in the bowl or measuring cup is acidic whey. Transfer this to a lidded jar and refrigerate. This will last, refrigerated, for six months. It is rich in probiotics. You can drink it, use it in place of liquid in baked goods, or use it to soak grains.
- After the yogurt has drained for 24 hours, transfer it to a small container lined with a small flour sack towel, cheesecloth, or coffee filters. (See Video.) And then cover the container with a lid or other weight such a plate.
- After one week, un-mold the "cream cheese" and store it in the refrigerator to be used in any recipe that calls for cream cheese. This homemade cream cheese will stay fresh, refrigerated, for about 2 weeks.
Notes
Shop for items used in this blog post or video
Favorite Homemade Dairy Supplies
- 8-Cup Measuring Cup
- Stainless Steel Mesh Strainer
- Flour Sack Towels
- Cheesecloth
- Spatula
- Glass Containers with Snap-Tight Lids
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Mary, I love your presentations and use your recipes to make things I never knew I could make so easily and better at home.
I am having a bit of a problem though with my no knead sourdough bread. I don’t know if my starter is to strong or if I am adding to much water to the dough, but my dough looks like the sponge (all bubbly). It does not hold any shape and is very sticky when pressed into, please tell me what I am doing wrong. It rises great! It’s just very fluid. I’m going to keep trying because I love sourdough bread.
Hi Ella, I’m not 100% sure but based on your explanation, I would try cutting back on the water. Keep me posted. Love, Mary
Hello! I love your channel! Thank you for sharing so much information and showing me and teaching how to cook and actually love to cook. One question I’m wondering about is the cream cheese. I made it and let it sit for the week in the covered container. Although it tastes great and we have been eating it with crackers and salami how do I remove or lessen the yogurt flavor? I separated it into two and added garlic salt, pepper and basil to what I call mine, but my kids didn’t like my flavored one and prefer the non flavored one but they said it still has a slight yogurt taste to it.
Thank you again for everything.
Hello! I love your channel! Thank you for sharing so much information, showing and teaching me how to cook I actually love to cook now (after 10 years of motherhood) One question I’m wondering about is the cream cheese. I made it and let it sit for the week in the covered container. Although it tastes great and we have been eating it with crackers and salami how do I remove or lessen the yogurt flavor? I separated it into two and added garlic salt, pepper and basil to what I call mine, but my kids didn’t like my flavored one and prefer the non flavored one but they said it still has a slight yogurt taste to it.
Thank you again for everything.
Hi Stephanie, Thank you for the kind words! Hmmm…you ask a great question! This is in essence a mock cream cheese because actual cream cheese is made with cultured milk and cream under pressure in the factory which we can’t really do at home. So using yogurt is as close as we can get. I’m not sure I have a good answer as to how to lessen the slight yogurt flavor. Maybe try a different brand of yogurt that might have a more mild flavor? Or if you are making your yogurt homemade let it ferment for a shorter period of time. I’m not sure. I will have to experiment and see what I can come up with. I’ll keep you posted. Love, Mary
Hi,
I made the cream cheese twice turned out lovely. I had a question though about seasoning the cream cheese, could i add salt and other ingredients after draining the yoghurt and then put it to ripen for a week or would the salt change the yoghurt cheese as it rests?
The method you described works perfectly. Yes, add the flavoring, salt, etc., mix well and then put it in the mold. So happy to hear that the batches you have made so far turned out great! Love, Mary
Love this idea of homemade cream cheese and your channel! However, I am lactose intolerant and was wondering if I could make this using store bought coconut plain yogurt? Like the brand So Delicious?
Hi Paula,
Definitely! You can use coconut plain yogurt, but the cream cheese will have a slightly different texture and taste. Otherwise, everything should work wonderfully.
Love and God bless,
Mary