How To Make Cream Cheese At Home – Uncooked Cheese

Our cream cheese recipe will guide you through each step to make your own homemade cream cheese.

You will learn to make your own cream cheese at home to be able to have fresh, creamy cheese to use in a variety of ways!

How To Make Cream Cheese At Home

We have compiled not only a recipe for making your own cream cheese at home but also recipes and ideas to use it!

Keep reading for our guide all about how to make cream cheese at home and wonderfully yummy ways to incorporate it into your cooking and baking!

Cream Cheese Ingredients

How To Make Cream Cheese

How To Make Homemade Cream Cheese - Uncooked Cheese

  1. Bring cream (or half and half) to room temperature
  2. Add starter and mix well
  3. Leave to ripen and set up a curd for 12-16 hours
    Curd will not be a firm strong curd like the curd you get when using rennet, but should still be well set up
  4. Ladle into a fine weave cheese cloth (use 2 layers if necessary) and hang to drain for 12-24 hours
    Change the cloth a couple of times or gently turn the curd over to exposure soft curds to the cloth so they drain
  5. When the cheese has reached your desired consistency spoon it into a bowl and mix in flavouring
  6. Press cheese into containers and put it in the fridge to set

How To Store Cream Cheese:

Will store for 2 weeks in the fridge

 

What is Cream Cheese

Cream cheese is a soft cheese with a mild flavor that originated in England as early as 1583.

While family farms throughout the country made cream cheese, it was the varieties in Philadelphia and New York City that gained popularity. Cream cheese began being mass-produced in 1873.

The New York City Jewish community added cream cheese to their cuisine and the “schmear” became a popular accompaniment to bagels, a practice that remains very common today.

 

How is Cream Cheese Made

Cream cheese is fairly simple to make. (Yay!) You begin with only four ingredients. Cream, milk, acid, and salt!

The acid causes the milk and cream to curdle. The resulting curds are strained and then processed to create a creamy texture. Homemade cream cheese can last up to two weeks in the refrigerator!

 

Cream Cheese Uses

There are so many different ways to use cream cheese, whether it is cooking, baking, as appetizers, main dishes or desserts! We’ve compiled several different uses for your homemade cream cheese.

 

Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

Every home baker needs to have a great cream cheese frosting recipe on hand and Food Network’s Best Cream Cheese Frosting recipe is surely a winner.

How to Make Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients

4 oz unsalted butter (softened)

4 oz cream cheese (softened)

2 cups powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

  1. In a large bowl, mix butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer.
  2. With the electric mixer on low, add one cup of powdered sugar at a time until the frosting is smooth and creamy.
  3. Beat in vanilla extract.

Cream Cheese Dips

Cream cheese is a very versatile cheese and is wonderful served warm or cold.

how to make cream cheese dip at home

 

Sweet Chili-Cream Cheese Dip

8 oz. cream cheese

1 cup sweet chili sauce

  1. Place cream cheese on a serving dish
  2. Pour chili sauce over it.
  3. Serve with crackers of your choice

If you’re not a fan of sweet chili sauce, feel free to substitute any other pepper jellies or fruit preserves. This jelly topped appetizer is always a huge hit at parties and potlucks.

 

Cream Cheese Spinach Dip

Another party favorite is this spinach and cream cheese dip. It is absolutely delicious and makes a great dip to serve with raw vegetables.

Ingredients

8 oz softened cream cheese

1 cup sour cream

1 oz ranch salad dressing mix (usually one envelope)

9 oz of chopped spinach (thawed and drained if using frozen)

8 oz chopped water chestnuts (drain if using canned)

½ cup chopped red peppers

    1. In a medium bowl, mix cream cheese with sour cream and ranch dressing mix.
    2. Mix in the remaining ingredients.
    3. Refrigerate at least 3 hours.

Create Your Own Dip

Having a recipe to follow is great, but it’s also nice to have a base recipe that you can change up and make your own! Try a yummy, hot, baked cheese dip to create your own dips.

Begin with a block of cream cheese. Add a few spoonfuls of sour cream or mayo to thin the cream cheese. Beat with a wooden spoon until it is easy to stir, adding a bit more sour cream or mayo as needed.

Add lemon juice, hot sauce, mustard for flavor and to help thin out the cream cheese base.

Sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper and then spices to your liking! Spices such as Old Bay, garlic, ranch dressing mix, dill and more. Citrus zest is also a great way to add a lot of flavor as well!

Next add about of cup of grated melty cheese such as mozzarella, cheddar, gruyere. You can add less melty cheese as well, but make sure to combine with melty cheese for smoothness.

Finally, choose optional add-ins if you’d like! Chopped bell peppers, onions or fresh herbs add great flavor. Frozen spinach and artichoke hearts as also wonderful. Cooked crab, crumbled bacon and sausage are great if you’d like something a little meaty.

Throw all of that in a baking dish and into a preheated oven at 375 degrees F for 15 to 30 minutes.

 

Cream Cheese Desserts

Cream cheese is used in many desserts. From pies to cakes to cookies, the possibilities are endless.

how to make cream cheese at home

Classic Cheesecake

Perhaps the most obvious and well-known dessert recipe for cream cheese is cheesecake. The classic cheesecake is simple, yet rich, smooth and creamy with a crispy graham cracker crust. It can be enjoyed alone or topped with fresh fruit or a chocolate or berry sauce.

Ingredients

Crust

1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs

3 tbsp sugar

½ cup melted butter or margarine

FIlling

32 oz. softened cream cheese

1 cup of sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

4 eggs

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F
  2. Combine graham cracker crumbs, 3 tbsp sugar and melted butter (or margarine)
  3. Press into the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan
  4. With an electric mixer, beat cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, and vanilla extract until blended.
  5. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed until just blended (after each egg)
  6. Pour over crust
  7. Bake 55 min or until center is almost set.
  8. Run a knife around rim of pan to loosen.
  9. Let cool and then remove rim.
  10. Refrigerate 4 hours.

Other Exciting Uses for Cream Cheese

Add cream cheese to brownie batter to create rich and beautiful swirls to fudgy dense chocolate!

Have you ever thought of adding cream cheese to mashed potatoes? Well–

Try a dollop of cream cheese on the top of the batter in your filled muffin tin. It will sink into the middle for a creamy, delicious surprise!

Cheeseballs are great party foods! 

Glazes for topping cinnamon rolls, cakes, and more!

Grilled cheese sandwiches!

Benedictine sandwiches!

Canapes!

Cream Cheese Nutrition

Per 1 oz (28 gm)

Calories 84.0

Carbohydrates 1.9 g

Total Fat 8.4 g

Protein 1.9 g

Vitamin A 373 IU

Calcium 37.3 mg

Sodium 121 mg

Nutrition data found here.

 

More Easy Soft Cheese Recipes

Ricotta Cheese From Whey

Rich Ricotta

Mozzarella Recipe

Queso Fresco Recipe

Cottage Cheese Recipe

Chevre Recipe

Do you have any questions or comments about Cream Cheese? Join the discussion over at the Curd Nerd Forum. We would love to hear from you!

Curd Nerd Forum

4 thoughts on “How To Make Cream Cheese At Home – Uncooked Cheese

  • 04/06/2011 at 12:17 pm
    Permalink

    How much cream cheese would the above recipe make please?

    • 04/06/2011 at 5:48 pm
      Permalink

      Depending on your yield you should get between 500 and 700 grams from this recipe.

  • 11/07/2013 at 7:01 pm
    Permalink

    I add 2 drops of rennet to your recipie and that makes for a thicker curd and easier to drain. Added at the same time as ripening .
    I also have the incubation temp at 20’C for 12 hours and drain in the fridge.

    • 16/07/2013 at 11:32 am
      Permalink

      Hi Lou

      Thanks for the feedback. Other Curd-Nerds might be interested to try the same and see how they go.

Comments are closed.