Learn How to Make Cream Cheese with this simple One Ingredient Recipe.

Watch the How to Make Cream Cheese Recipe video

Affiliates note: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. My content may contain affiliate links to products and services. If you click through and make a purchase, I’ll receive a small commission. It does not affect the price you pay.

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.

Download Your Free 36-Page Pantry List

For an extensive list of the traditional foods you can make and purchase to stock your pantry, be sure to download my free 36-page Traditional Foods Pantry List. This comprehensive eBook is full of links to recipe videos, helpful articles, and more!

And if you’re looking for a printed book full of my traditional foods recipes to show you how to create a traditional foods kitchen, be sure to order your copy of my new bestselling book, The Modern Pioneer Cookbook.

Order YOUR COPY Now!

The Modern Pioneer Cookbook

Seasonal ingredients, traditional techniques, and nourishing recipes. Over 85 traditional, from-scratch recipes! Discover for yourself how you can use simple ingredients and traditional techniques to cook the modern pioneer way.

Join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy

Are you looking for more traditional foods videos? If so, I invite you to join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy. Members of this optional paid YouTube community get access to exclusive videos and other members-only perks. Plus, your YouTube comments include a special members-only badge.

Kitchen Academy Videos

See all →

Stay in Touch with Maryโ€™s Nest

  1. Subscribe to My YouTube Channel for Traditional Foods Videos (Free) - When you subscribe, be sure to click on the notification bell that will let you know each time I upload a new video.
  2. Subscribe to Maryโ€™s Traditional Foods Newsletter (Free) - Get a free 36-page eBook for signing up: How to Stock Your Essential Traditional Foods Four-Corners Pantry.
  3. Join the Traditional Foods Kitchen Academy (Optional Paid) - For more detailed videos and exclusive members-only perks, join my YouTube membership community.
  4. Order The Modern Pioneer Cookbook (Optional Paid) - Get a printed book of Mary's nourishing recipes from a Traditional Foods Kitchen. This bestselling cookbook is published by Penguin Random House with their DK imprint.

I look forward to having you join me in my Texas Hill Country Kitchen!

Homemade Cream Cheese with One Ingredient

5 from 5 votes
Prep: 5 minutes
Draining and Aging: 8 days
Total: 8 days 5 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
Learn how easy it is to make homemade cream cheese with just one ingredient

Equipment

  • Bowl or large measuring cup
  • 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.

Video

Notes

Find this recipe and video at https://marysnest.com/how-to-make-cream-cheese/
Copyright © 2020 Mary’s Nest, LLC, All Rights Reserved

Nutrition

Calories: 69kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 52mg | Potassium: 176mg | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 112IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 137mg | Iron: 0.1mg
Calories: 69
Watch Mary’s Nest on YouTube

Shop for items used in this blog post or video

Favorite Homemade Dairy Supplies

Amazon Shop and Shopping Guide

  • Visit Maryโ€™s Nest Amazon Shop
  • Visit my Shopping Guide page
    Get up to 15% off for stocking your Traditional Foods Pantry and equipping your Modern Pioneer Kitchen, including discounts from US Wellness Meats, Farmhouse Teas, Lehman's, Masontops, Cultures for Health, Survival Garden Seeds, Redmond Real Salt, Plan to Eat, and More!

Posted in: , ,

About the Author

Read More About Me

You may also like:

Comments

  1. Paula says:

    5 stars
    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?

    1. Mary's Nest says:

      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

  2. Niyati says:

    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?

    1. Mary's Nest says:

      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

  3. Stephanie says:

    5 stars
    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 Iโ€™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 didnโ€™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.

    1. Mary's Nest says:

      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

  4. Stephanie says:

    5 stars
    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 Iโ€™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 didnโ€™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.

  5. Ella Martin says:

    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.

    1. Mary's Nest says:

      Hi Ella, Iโ€™m not 100% sure but based on your explanation, I would try cutting back on the water. Keep me posted. Love, Mary

5 from 5 votes (2 ratings without comment)

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating