Store cream cheese lists locust bean gum, carrageenan, and guar gum before the ingredient count reaches five. Those stabilizers replace what slow fermentation and careful draining used to provide for free. Homemade cream cheese is tangier, cleaner, and tastes like actual cheese.
The yogurt-strain method is two ingredients and 24 hours of hands-off fridge time — Greek yogurt and salt, cheesecloth doing the work. The cultured method starts from whole milk and cream, uses a mesophilic starter, and produces a richer, more traditional result after a 12-hour incubation and overnight drain.
Ingredients
- Strained yogurt: 2 cups full-fat Greek yogurt, ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- Cultured: 2 cups whole milk, 1 cup heavy cream, ¼ tsp mesophilic starter culture (or 3 tbsp plain yogurt with live cultures), ¼ tsp fine sea salt
Instructions
- Stir ¼ tsp fine sea salt into 2 cups full-fat Greek yogurt until fully combined.
- Line a fine-mesh strainer with 4 layers of cheesecloth and set it over a bowl deep enough to keep the strainer above the draining liquid. Pour the salted yogurt into the center of the cheesecloth.
- Fold the cheesecloth over the top to cover. Refrigerate for 24 hours for a soft, spreadable texture — or 48 hours for a firmer block that can be sliced.
- Unwrap and transfer to a glass container. Taste and add a pinch more salt if needed. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
- Combine 2 cups whole milk and 1 cup heavy cream in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Warm over medium-low heat to 86°F (30°C) using a thermometer. Do not boil — heat gently.
- Remove from heat. Sprinkle ¼ tsp mesophilic starter culture over the surface (or add 3 tbsp plain yogurt with live cultures). Let it hydrate for 2 minutes, then stir gently to combine.
- Cover the pot and leave at room temperature (68–72°F is ideal) for 12 hours. The mixture will thicken into a soft, yogurt-like curd.
- Line a fine-mesh strainer with 4 layers of cheesecloth set over a deep bowl. Gently ladle the curd into the cheesecloth. Sprinkle ¼ tsp fine sea salt over the curd.
- Refrigerate for 12–24 hours. The whey will drain and the curd will compact into cream cheese. Longer draining produces a firmer result.
- Unwrap and transfer to a glass container. Refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.
Tips
Tip 1
Use full-fat Greek yogurt for the strain method — low-fat yogurt drains into a grainy, watery result.
Tip 2
The whey that drains off is worth keeping: add it to pancake batter, bread dough, or smoothies.
Tip 3
If you don't have mesophilic starter culture, 3 tbsp of a good full-fat plain yogurt with live active cultures works as the starter. The result is tangier.
Tip 4
For herb cream cheese: fold in 1 tbsp fresh chives, 1 tsp lemon zest, and a pinch of garlic powder once drained.
What you'll need
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