Homemade Cottage Cheese with only one Ingredient
The most delectable one ingredient homemade cottage cheese. Smooth texture, rich in nutrients, and high in protein, this cottage cheese can be eaten on its own or added to many recipes.
Total Time: 14 hours 5 minutes
Yield: 8
Ingredients:
2l plain kefir
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 500°C. Place kefir in an oven-safe pot and close the lid. Once the temperature is reached, place a pot of kefir with a closed top and turn the oven off.
Leave the pot inside the oven (off) overnight – roughly 12-15 hours.
Prepare a colander with 4 layers of cheesecloth long enough for the mixture to be poured into the sink or larger bowl.
Pour content within the pot (you will see a separation between the cheese curd and whey liquid). Gather the sides of your cheesecloth and form it into a ball.
Place cheese ball and colander into a larger bowl and into the fridge for a few hours for the additional liquid to drip out.
After 2-3 hours your cottage cheese is ready. Remove it from the cheesecloth and place it into an airtight container.
Notes:
You should expect to have a little bit of liquid remaining in the final cottage cheese – if you leave it in the colander for longer in the final step, the less moisture is in the cheese and the dryer it becomes. If you are looking for dry cottage cheese (bakers’ cheese) you can keep it in the colander for a few additional hours.
You can reuse cheesecloth by washing it with soap and water and hang drying.
Cottage cheese is fresh for about 7 days in the fridge.
How to eat it?
Because it is mild in flavor, you can influence the taste by what you accompany it with. For example, creating a yogurt bowl using cottage cheese, berries, and a variety of seeds. In our house, our favorite combination is mixing cottage cheese, avocado, and a sprinkle of Himalayan Sea salt. Another great way to use this ingredient is by adding two tablespoons of oatmeal with fruits and nut butter. It is also my secret ingredient in smoothies and pancakes for extra protein and creamy texture.
You can elevate any meal when adding this high protein ingredient, including:
Smoothies or breakfast bowls
Rich creamy dips
Use in replacement of ricotta in lasagna
Add to pancake or waffle batter for extra protein
Cheese perogies or blintz
Cottage cheese ice-cream
FAQs…..
Can you explain how kefir turns into cottage cheese with just one ingredient? I may not be a scientist, but I believe that by heating it for a certain amount of time, the cheese and liquid separate. By straining the liquid using a cheesecloth, you can obtain a smooth and delightful high protein, cottage cheese.
What should I look for when I take out the pot from the oven 12 hours later?
When you take it out of the oven, you will see that the cheese and liquid have separated and are ready for the next step. If you do not see the separation, the oven wasn’t hot enough when placing the kefir. Place the colander in the sink with four layers of cheesecloth; make sure it is long enough so that the content doesn’t spill over when you pour the cheese into the colander.
Can I do anything with the whey liquid or is it waste?
We are all about repurposing ingredients especially when it’s as nutritious as whey. My two favorite recipes to make with whey liquid are fruit smoothies and pancakes for extra protein and nutrients. A trick to collecting the whey liquid is to add a bowl underneath the colander before pouring it into the pot of cheese.
My cottage cheese is too runny?
If your cottage cheese is too runny, it means the oven wasn’t hot enough. If this happens, I recommend heating it up once more for 20-30 minutes on low heat on your stovetop, then allowing it to cool completely before you try again.
My cottage cheese is too dry?
If your cottage cheese is hard, the cooking temperature was too high. I sometimes do this on purpose to make a baker’s cottage cheese for perogies or even a cottage cheese cake. It is still delicious but not as creamy consistency we are looking for.
What can I eat cottage cheese with?
How long does fresh homemade cottage cheese last? If placed in an airtight container in the fridge, this homemade cottage cheese will stay fresh for up to seven days.
How can I serve cottage cheese?
You can serve homemade cottage cheese with fruit, jams, or avocados with a sprinkle of salt. My twin’s very first food was this homemade cottage cheese with avocado and we ate it at least once a week.