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    Home » Appetizers & Snacks » Homemade Cream Cheese

    Published: Sep 14, 2012 · Modified: Jun 28, 2022 by Carolyn

    Homemade Cream Cheese

    This post may contain Amazon or other affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    12.9K shares
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    You won’t believe how easy it is to make your own cream cheese. Perfect for all of your low carb and keto cheesecake recipes!

    Homemade Cream CheeseLittle Miss Muffett, sat on a tuffet, eating her curds and whey.  Who among us doesn’t know that nursery rhyme off by heart?  I must have said that one over and over as a kid, but like the words of the Canadian Anthem in French, I didn’t exactly know what it meant.  What the heck is a tuffet?  And what are curds and whey, they sound utterly dreadful!  Along the way somewhere, I found out what curds and whey were, but they still sounded dreadful.  Clumpy cheese in some sort of watery, milky liquid?  Um, no thanks.  I think I will stick with your basic Cheddars and Monterey Jacks.

    It wasn’t until just now that it occurred to me to look up the word “tuffet”.  According to the almighty Wikipedia, it’s a kind of low footstool covered in cloth.  I always imagined it as some sort of outdoor thing, like a little grass-covered mound or the stump of a tree.  I envisioned Little Miss Muffett sitting outside under a tree from which the spider descended.  I’ve read my fair share of English Lit classics and tuffet always seemed to go along with words like “heath” and “moors” and “hillock”.  Words that conjure up images of a lonely, windswept English countryside with a single imposing stone house lording over it.  With turrets, the house must of course have turrets.  Turrets, tuffets…you can see where I am going with this, right?

    I am now much more familiar with curds and whey.  I am not about to sit down and eat a bowl of the stuff, but I know what both are and how to use them to advantage.  And I’ve made my own yogurt and my own butter.  It was time to step it up a notch and start making my own cheese.  Which means making my own curds and whey, and then draining the whey away.  A-whey!

    I got this bee in my bonnet about a week ago and I googled how to make cream cheese.  I came across a recipe from the Splendid Table and it seemed easy enough, so I gathered my cream, half and half, and milk, and away (a-whey?) we went.  Except that as I was in the middle of it, I realized that the instructions from The Splendid Table were rather vague.  Oh, and it said to gently simmer on medium-high heat.  I don’t know about your stove, but on mine, medium-high usually results in a full boil.  It did come to a boil, which I caught rather quickly and turned the heat down.  I was so unsure of myself in the middle of the process that started looking up other resources.  I found instructions for making ricotta, which said clearly to NOT boil the cream mixture.  Uh oh.  I also was worried that my curds weren’t forming properly so I added some vinegar.  By the time I was scooping out my curds, I was quite certain this wasn’t going to work at all.

    Boursin with homemade cream cheese and homemade butter!

    But I am happy to report that making cream cheese is quite a forgiving process!  Once the whey drained out, I was left with a beautiful creamy cheese that tasted far better than any storebought version.  I can’t believe how well it worked and I’ve corrected the instructions to reflect what I did, so that you can have the same results.  This stuff is so good and it makes quite a lot (I think I got about 1 ¼ lbs of cream cheese out of the deal).  We’ve been spreading it on everything.  My husband used some to make his wonderful Boursin (recipe here) and I used a large amount of it to make some gorgeous mini pumpkin cheesecakes (recipe to come in a few days).  And it was so easy, I am not sure I will ever buy cream cheese again.

    Want to make more of your own cheese? Check out this recipe for Easy Homemade Ricotta from Texanerin Baking.

    Mini Maple Pumpkin Cheesecakes

    Homemade Cream Cheese

    You won’t believe how easy it is to make your own cream cheese. Perfect for all of your low carb and keto cheesecake recipes!
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes
    Drain Time: 4 hours
    Total Time: 30 minutes

    Ingredients

    • 4 cups heavy cream
    • 2 cups half and half
    • 2 cups whole milk
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 3 tablespoon white vinegar

    Instructions

    • Line 2 medium sieves with cheesecloth or cotton tea towels and place over bowls.
    • In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine cream, half and half, milk and salt. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium low and simmer gently.
    • Stir in the vinegar and continue to simmer until cream mixture separates and curds appear and float to the top. Curds will begin to clump together.
    • Remove from heat. Scoop out curds with a slotted spoon and divide between lined sieves. When you are getting to the bottom of the pan and it's hard to scoop them out, feel free to pour all of the mixture into the sieves.
    • Let drain until whey is removed, at least 4 hours. This is faster if you divvy the curds up into two sieves, as opposed to one. You can also hang the cheesecloth/tea towels filled with curds to encourage it to drain faster.
    • Once curds have the consistency of room temperature cream cheese, transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate.
    • Keeps for about 1 week.

    Notes

    The carbs are difficult to calculate because many are in the whey that is drained off. But it would have no more than store bought cream cheese, about 1 or 2 g per 1 ounce serving.
    12.9K shares

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    Nutritional Disclaimer

    Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Sandy says

      June 24, 2013 at 11:52 am

      Oh and on this note what about making ricotta is this possible would love to know how to make a lower carb ricotta for an eggplant recipe I want to try to convert to low carb…

      Reply
      • Carolyn says

        June 24, 2013 at 11:59 am

        I haven’t yet tried ricotta but I hear it’s not difficult!

        Reply
    2. Sandy says

      June 24, 2013 at 11:50 am

      I love your recipes and this looks great but what is the carb content wonder because you posted the fact that it is made with whole milk and half n half and the like. Thanks Sandy!

      Reply
      • Carolyn says

        June 24, 2013 at 11:59 am

        Hi Sandy…keep in mind that the majority of the whey from the whole milk gets drained out, and that’s where all the carbs are. So I estimate that the carb count is similar to store bought CC, but maybe less because I don’t add in any fillers like carrageenan. So I think 1-2 carbs per 1 ounce serving.

        Reply
    3. Lori Dukes says

      June 24, 2013 at 8:19 am

      How much cream cheese does this make? What size container should I expect to use.
      Really excited to try this.

      Reply
      • Carolyn says

        June 24, 2013 at 10:30 am

        It makes about 1 pound of cream cheese, I think.. Since I actually have some draining right now, I will weigh it out and let you know once it’s completely done. I use a medium sized tupperware, something that holds 3 cups or so.

        Reply
      • Carolyn says

        June 24, 2013 at 12:51 pm

        Okay, so turns out that it made almost 2 full pounds of cream cheese! 1 lb and 11 ounces.

        Reply
    4. Judy says

      June 14, 2013 at 3:31 pm

      Can you taste the vinegar in the finished product & does it work well for cheesecake?

      Reply
      • Carolyn says

        June 14, 2013 at 7:00 pm

        No you can’t taste the tang of the vinegar at all. It’s even sweeter and creamier than storebought cream cheese.

        Reply
        • Judy says

          June 15, 2013 at 1:55 pm

          Thanks

          Reply
    5. Asma says

      May 22, 2013 at 6:13 pm

      Hey, I’ve seen the ingredient half n half around in many recipes but I’ve no idea what it actually is and I doubt they have it where I love, could there be a substitute for it?
      Great recipe by the way! Could this be turned low fat?

      Thanks a bunch for your amazing recipes

      Reply
      • Carolyn says

        May 22, 2013 at 8:12 pm

        Hi Asma – half n half is basically half cream/half milk, meant for coffee and other hot drinks. It’s homogenized so it doesn’t separate. YOu could easily take that quantity and do half cream and half milk and get the same thing for the cream cheese. I am not at all sure about making this low fat, though. The consistency relies on the fat content…but you could probably give it a go. Try a half batch and see if it works. In reality, it will be Neufchatel cheese.

        Reply
        • Lori Dukes says

          June 24, 2013 at 8:21 am

          Quit being afraid of FAT!

          Reply
          • Carolyn says

            June 24, 2013 at 10:26 am

            Not sure what this is in reference to?

            Reply
    6. Amna says

      March 15, 2013 at 9:47 am

      Can i use this homemade substitute of heavy cream to make this cream cheese?? Please help..

      Reply
      • Carolyn says

        March 15, 2013 at 10:30 am

        No, I am sorry, I don’t think that would work very well at all. The flour would really gum up in the cream cheese.

        Reply
    7. Tammy Allen says

      February 17, 2013 at 10:39 am

      It worked! I, like you, was concerned I had done something wrong, but low and behold, I now have cream cheese. I’m going to use your husband’s boursin recipe for dinner party tonight.

      Reply
    8. Lori says

      February 03, 2013 at 12:27 am

      I have terrible reactions to the stabilizers used in commercial cream cheese (carrageenan, guar gum, locust bean gum) so haven’t been able to eat cream cheese in YEARS, which is devastating because I love it. I was so excited about finding this recipe, I went out and bought the cream (another challenge: finding cream without the stabilzers), came home, and went right to work. It’s now draining in bowls on my counter. I’m excited beyond excited to taste the results! I didn’t want to use a cheese with rennet, or one using a culture. Of all the recipes I searched, this was the right one for me. THANK YOU!

      Reply
      • Carolyn says

        February 03, 2013 at 7:33 am

        So glad, Lori! We actually just made another round of it this weekend, and it worked beautifully. It’s so creamy and slightly sweet, and the only ingredients are cream, milk and some vinegar!

        Reply
    9. Kemily says

      January 08, 2013 at 10:28 pm

      Can you freeze this cream cheese?

      Reply
      • Carolyn says

        January 09, 2013 at 10:33 am

        Honestly, I am not sure. Most cream cheese gets a bit of a strange texture after freezing, a bit clumpy, and I think this probably would too, especially as it has no fillers or preservatives.

        Reply
    10. Pris says

      November 25, 2012 at 6:26 pm

      Hi Carolyn,
      Sounds great, I’m going to try it. DON’T throw your whey out though. It’s awesome to use in place of water when making bread or in protein shakes; anything really. It is chock-full of protein… lots. Have a great day 🙂

      Reply
    11. Mrs Wibbs says

      November 20, 2012 at 7:47 pm

      Wow. Cannot wait to try this one!!
      Can you suggest a substitute ingredient for what you call “half and half” as we do not have this in the UK…?
      Thank you!
      Mrs Wibbs

      Reply
      • Carolyn says

        November 21, 2012 at 7:09 am

        Half and half is simply half milk, half cream. So take the amount and split it between milk (whole milk) and cream.

        Reply
        • Mrs Wibbs says

          November 21, 2012 at 3:57 pm

          Ah ok….. Is that all “half and half” is?!? If so, why do people BUY that stuff???! You don’t have to answer that! Thank you for the reply.
          Guess I’ll be making cream cheese this week end!

          Reply
          • Carolyn says

            November 21, 2012 at 4:34 pm

            It’s homogenized, so it stays together, without the cream separating out. And you don’t get an oily film on the top of your coffee 🙂

            Reply
    12. Laureen @FoxKitchen says

      October 05, 2012 at 1:58 am

      Seems simple enough…I make my own yogurt, why not take it a step further and try my hand at making cream cheese?

      Pinned, shared on Facebook and adding to my MMM Must-Make-Monday series 🙂

      Reply
    13. Barb says

      September 27, 2012 at 10:46 am

      I don’t know if I missed it but can you tell me how long it takes on the simmer heat before you see curds? I am not sure if I have done this correct. I actually have a pot on the stove as I write this!

      Reply
      • Carolyn says

        September 27, 2012 at 10:50 am

        I didn’t specify how long because it depends so much on the heat of your stove. Stick a spoon in and drag some up from the bottom. You should see it look like milk that has gone bad and is kind of lumpy, with some milky liquid around the lumpiness. Then I’d say give it a few minutes longer, even up to 5 or 10 minutes, (without boiling).

        Reply
        • Barb says

          September 28, 2012 at 10:27 am

          It worked fine! It’s delish! Just so everyone knows, I used 2% milk and it worked. I love how creamy, almost like a whipped cream cheese and it taste so much better than store bought.

          Reply
          • Carolyn says

            September 28, 2012 at 6:37 pm

            So glad it worked!

            Reply
    14. Kim Bee says

      September 24, 2012 at 12:08 am

      Carolyn this is so cool. I would never have thought to make my own. You amaze me.

      Reply
    15. cj says

      September 20, 2012 at 3:38 pm

      Isn’t amazing that everyone is amazed at this? People would have thought nothing of this until the start of the 20th century when everything went mechanized and commercial. Are we really so “advanced”?

      Reply
    16. Kathy - Panini Happy says

      September 18, 2012 at 12:11 am

      Fantastic! I’d love to try this – I’ve made mozzarella and ricotta over the past year or so, this would be a great next cheese to try. 🙂

      Reply
      • Joyce says

        December 20, 2015 at 1:55 am

        Can you tell me how to make the mozzarella?

        Reply
        • Carolyn says

          December 20, 2015 at 9:16 am

          No, because I’ve never made it! Sorry.

          Reply
    17. Stephanie @ CopyKat.com says

      September 17, 2012 at 11:53 am

      I will have to give your method a try. I made it using a cheese culture, I like how yours can be made without having to get some supplies at a cheese making specialty store. Love the homemade cream cheese though, lovely taste and texture.

      Reply
    18. Lori @ RecipeGirl says

      September 17, 2012 at 11:29 am

      Wow, what a fun project! I totally want to make this now!

      Reply
    19. Island Vittles says

      September 16, 2012 at 11:43 pm

      Homemade cheese of any kind is always on my menu…I love the look of this…I’ve made mascarpone before, but this looks at least a little bit lower in fat. And my hips could use the help. 🙂 Theresa

      Reply
    20. Liz says

      September 15, 2012 at 10:08 pm

      You go, girl!!! Your hubby’s homemade boursin looks fantastic! Brava on making your own cream cheese…who knew it could be done so easily????

      PS…I used your yummy roasted tomato soup for a guest post on Tuesday. Loved it!

      Reply
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