Cream Cheese

There are two methods for making a cream cheese substitute.

  1. Place yogurt in a mesh strainer or a strainer lined with cheesecloth. Drain until desired consistency (approx. 12 hours). One cup of yogurt will yield approximately ¼ c. cream cheese.
  2. Follow the directions for making yogurt, but increase the amount of milk powder by 2 times. (The quantities below are cut in half from the standard yogurt recipe—most people don’t want to make that much cream cheese!)
    1. Mix:
      • 1½ c. warm water
      • 2 1/2 c. non-instant dry milk powder
    2. Add:
      • ½ c. plain yogurt with active culture

      (Or purchase packets of yogurt starter culture from a health food store or dairy supplier. Keep all dairy cultures in the freezer. For this recipe, use one 5 g. packet of starter culture.)

    3. Add:
      • 2 c. warm water
    4. Pour into containers and cover with lids. (Use a yogurt maker or canning jars.)
    5. Keep the containers in the ideal temperature range for 6 to 24 hours. (The time will depend on the strength of the culture and the size of the jars.) Choose one of the following methods:
      1. Place the containers into a yogurt maker that maintains the ideal temperature and set it for 6 hours. Rotate the placement of the containers after 3 hours.
      2. Place the canning jars into a pan or insulated cooler, surround the jars with warm water, and cover. Replace the water regularly to maintain a temperature between 100°F and 120°F. (In the summer, place the pan in the sun. In the winter, wrap a heating pad around the pan.)
      3. Place the canning jars onto the rack in an electric roaster, surround the jars with water, and cover. Set the temperature below the lowest marking on the knob, and measure with a thermometer regularly until you can adjust the knob for the ideal temperature. A standard roaster can hold 12 pint jars, but the more jars, the longer the culturing time.

      Cream cheese takes about 18 hours.
      Makes approx. 6 cups.

    3. (Note: It may also be necessary to allow this cream cheese to drain to get a dry enough cheese for recipes such as the following cheese ball recipe. A recommended way to drain cheese is to set the cheese on a square of cloth, pull the sides up around the cheese to form a ball, and tie a string to close the fabric. Hang the ball over a bowl.)