Homemade Cream Cheese
A cream cheese recipe that adds butter to boiling milk, curdles it with vinegar and lemon, then thickens it with a cornstarch slurry. In testing the milk never fully curdled, and the result was a spreadable mixture closer to yogurt than to cream cheese.
- Protein · 100 g
- 2.8 g
- Energy · 100 g
- 152 kcal
- Makes
- about 1390 g
Per serving (100 g): 2.8 g protein · 152 kcal
A widely shared homemade recipe that promises to save you money on store-bought cream cheese. It uses milk, butter, acid and starch, and is meant to set in the fridge. It is low in protein and high in fat, and, to be upfront, the result did not live up to the claim.
Method
Heat the milk in a saucepan; as soon as it starts to boil, add the butter.
Add the salt and sugar and blend with a hand blender until smooth and creamy.
Add the vinegar and lemon juice and keep stirring gently until the milk curdles.
Blend again with the hand blender until no lumps remain.
In a separate bowl, whisk the cup of milk with the cornstarch and pour it into the pot; add the cheese wedges now if you are using them.
Blend everything once more until smooth and creamy.
Take the pot off the heat and transfer the mixture to an airtight container while it is still warm.
Close the lid and refrigerate until it cools and sets.
Nutrition declaration
Each serving (100 g) contains:
- Energy636 kJ152 kcal8%
- Fat14 g19%
- of which saturates8.7 g43%
- of which sugars4.5 g5%
- Salt0.50 g8%
of an adult’s reference intake.
| Typical values | Per 100 g | Per serving100 g | %RI**per serving |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy | 636 kJ 152 kcal | 636 kJ 152 kcal | 8% |
| Fat | 14 g | 14 g | 19% |
| of which saturates | 8.7 g | 8.7 g | 43% |
| Carbohydrate | 5.0 g | 5.0 g | 2% |
| of which sugars | 4.5 g | 4.5 g | 5% |
| Fibre | <0.5 g | <0.5 g | |
| Protein | 2.8 g | 2.8 g | 6% |
| Salt | 0.50 g | 0.50 g | 8% |
* Estimated from the ingredient amounts; not stated in the source.
** Reference intake of an average adult (8400 kJ / 2000 kcal).
Per-100 g values are calculated from the weight stated in the source (100 g).
Tips
- The mixture looks runny while warm; it only firms up in the fridge, so do not judge it too early.
- Supermarket milk may not curdle fully; in testing, extra cornstarch was needed to thicken it.
FAQ
Does this really make cream cheese?
Not in testing. The milk did not fully curdle, and after a night in the fridge it turned into a spreadable, yogurt-like mixture.
Why didn't the milk curdle?
The video puts it down to using supermarket milk and suggests fresh farm milk might work better.
