Looking for the best Farmers Cheese recipe? Once you try this recipe, you will never want to buy Farmer’s Cheese from a store again.
In fact, many of my favorite desserts are made with this Easy Farmers Cheese Recipe! For instance, Farmers Cheese Coffee Cake Recipe, Apricot Farmers Cheese Cake and Farmers Cheese Cake aka Zapenkanka are all made with this easy recipe.
Farmers Cheese is common in European countries. Both my mom and grandma have been making homemade farmers cheese for as long as I can remember. In Ukraine, it’s especially popular with Vareniki.
I’ve tried many varieties of Farmers Cheese recipes, but have not been satisfied with the results until I discovered this one. The cool thing about this recipe is that it has no waiting time for milk to curdle and in my opinion, it tastes exceptionally good!
Farmers Cheese Substitute
Making Farmers Cheese is not difficult at all. But, if you want to make it even easier, try the Easy Farmers Cheese Substitute recipe. It doesn’t work for every recipe, but may be able to save you even more time.
More Ways to Use Homemade Farmer’s Cheese
Since the homemade cheese like this has a very mild flavor, you may be wondering how to use it outside of the recipes I shared. It’s a delicious farmers cheese, and is ideal for many great pairings.
- Add to homemade pierogie’s for a creamy filling that pairs well with almost any herb blend
- Mix into a cheesecake recipe for a creamier texture
- Use in place of ricotta in stuffed shells or lasagna
- Add to a traditional Mediterranean salad or recipe in place of Feta cheese
- Use in Indian dishes and curries instead of Paneer
How to Store Homemade Cheese
When making this homemade Farmer’s Cheese recipe, you know you will end up with more than you may typically buy in a grocery store. While I have some great recipes listed below that use this recipe, you may still have extra on hand. Since I don’t like it to go to waste, I prefer to store in my refrigerator in an airtight container. Typically, this lasts for around 10 days.
Some cheesemakers suggest wrapping homemade cheese in waxed paper and then plastic wrap to keep fresh for longer. This doesn’t work as well with crumbly cheese, but is another option you may want to try. I prefer simply storing in airtight containers since we usually eat it before it goes bad.
Other Tasty Recipes that Use Farmer’s Cheese Recipe
- Farmer’s Cheese Doughnuts
- Russian Creamcheese Vatrushka Buns
- Puff Pastry Cheese Turnovers
- Sweet Cheese Cookies
- Btw, You can season the cheese with herbs and add it to a Charcuterie Board!
Recipe
Instructions
- Pour the milk into a large pot and bring it to a boil, over medium heat. Stir milk occasionally, so it doesn't stick to the bottom.
- Turn off the heat as soon as the milk begins to boil. Stir lemon juice and vinegar into the milk. It should curdle within 5 minutes.
- Line a colander with a cheesecloth and pour milk through the cloth.
- Gather the cloth around the cheese and squeeze out as much of the whey as you can.
- Place cheese on a plate and press with something heavy on top. Leave cheese pressed overnight.
- Use farmers cheese in your favorite recipe or eat as a snack.
When my 38 year old daughter was a toddler, (before microwaves times), she would only drink her milk warm. So every day i managed to get the milk over boil and i had to take my whole stove top apart to clean up the MESS. As i was standing next to the stove just now, making your recepie, waiting for the milk to boil, it happened again. 🙄
Btw. I used 1% milk and it started to curdle immediately, no problem. Now i have to go and take my stove top apart.
I'm going to use my farmer cheese to make my childhood favorite, Hungarian "túro gomboc" cheese dumpling, which is NOTHING like the Italian cheese balls.
Haha, brought back some memories! I'm glad your farmers cheese worked out! Let me know how your dumplings turn out.
I plan to make your donuts with farmers cheese. Approximately how many pounds would this farmers cheese recipe make?
It makes about 1/2 a pound of farmers cheese. There are many factors that go into it, it would depend on the cheese and how much liquids you sqeeze out.
Thank you for this recipe. My family makes pierogi every year and farmers cheese is very hard to find and very expensive in my area. I followed the directions and it turned out just like I hoped. I do have one question, though. From the photo, it looks like you wrapped your cheese and cling wrap before weighting it down. What does weighing down do (I guess I’ll know by tomorrow), and wouldn’t any moisture left in the cheese still be there because it’s trapped by plastic?
Hey, the wrap is only between the pot and the cheesecloth. Sorry for the confusion. But I am so happy you found this recipe! 🙂
My brother-in-law, the chef in charge of the cheese filling for our annual
Pierogi day, said this was the best cheese EVER! The filling was a great consistency and tasted SOOOO good. I’m so glad I found this recipe and thank you again.
That is so good to hear, I'm so glad your family enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for your feedback.
When the cheese is left to be pressed, it is refrigerated right?
Hey Sarah, you can leave it on the counter. Once the whey is drained, you would refrigerate after.
So excited to find this recipe. I’m going to make pierogi!
I hope you love it, circle back and let me know!
Thank you for sharing the recipe, my spouse lives puff pastry and this farmers cheese will make a wonderful filling.
Sonya, I hope you love the recipe, it's great for all kinds of baked goods. I have tons of recipes with farmers cheese as the filling 🙂 I hope you give some of them a try!
Hi natalaya so I just made it turned out perfect I think. It’s currently sitting under a gallon of water. If I wanted to use it to bake zapekanka today how long do I have to have it sit for. Is 6 hours enough ?
Hey Valentina, I think it should be enough. Just double-check on the consistency of it.
Natalya
Is this more similar to Friendship Farmer Cheese or to the pot cheese...both of which were staples in our Jewish household growing up, but are not found in major grocers any longer.
My grandparents were of Russian/Polish descent and this was the cheese used in noodle kugels or sometimes just mixed with egg noodles and served.
Jeff, really cool! I have never tried noodle kugels, had to google it. Sounds delicious!
Hi Natalya. I just made it and it looks like tvorog, but the taste just isn't there. Is it supposed to be sort of tasteless, like ricotta? It's not sour like traditional cheese.
Tamara, When we buy farmers' cheese at the European market, the taste and texture are very similar to this recipe. I know you can also make farmers cheese with buttermilk, maybe that's the recipe you are looking for.
what is ( qt ) plz?
Hey dear, its a quart. Hope this helps 🙂
6 qt = 24 cups? and
cup= 250ml?
Hey, that is correct.
Do you think whole lactose free milk would work for this recipe?
Jennifer, I haven't tried using lactose-free milk. I am not even sure.
Iv tried twice organic Jersey milk from my bulk tank used fresh lemons an bottle both times never curled all I have is liquid brought to boil followed direction to tee it don't work not happy
Please make sure its full fat milk
Yes, whole milk gives you the best results.
Hey Becky, I am sorry this happened. I am a bit confused because if you combine lemons with milk in warm heat, no matter what it should curl up. I wonder if it boiled on high heat or did you just bring it to a slight boil?
Organic milk won't work. It is ultra heat treated. If you can get raw organic, that will work.
Sandy, thats interesting. It worked for me.
I'm going to make this and now I'm worried about the milk. I usually get organic milk but for this should I just get regular pasteurized milk? ALso, planning to make a cheese babka -- do you think this is the right kind of cheese? Thanks!!
You can use organic milk. We use only organic and the recipe has worked for me. I don’t know how cheese babka is made so I don’t know what cheese you may need.
This was amazing and if anyone is wondering it was perfect for Polish cheese babka! I've got a lot leftover though -- do you think it's still good after a week in the refrigerator? I am thinking about making another babka.
Farmers cheese should stay fresh for about two weeks when stored in a sealed container.
We are Polish. I remember my Mama making a cottage cheese spread with green onions. She served it on rye bread. She alway said it is not the cheese in a container by in a block. Could this be Farmers Cheese
Hi Halina! The spread you’re talking about is called “twarożek” And is made from farmers cheese. I usually add some radishes as well besides green onions. Stir in greek Yogurt or sour Cream, little bit of milk if too thick, add salt and pepper and enjoy!!!
Hey Justyna, thank you for sharing. I will have to try it!
Hey Halina, I am not sure. I am not familiar with a cheese spread like this. It sounds delicious with rye bread.
I must brought the milk to a half boil and added the lemon juice along with the vinegar. It started curding but it still looks sort of like milk with some curds. Is there a way for me to fix that?
Marina, two things could be causing this. Either you need to cook it more but as soon as it starts to boil, turn it off. Or it doesn't have enough acidity. When you say half boil, what do you mean?
I don’t think I brought the milk to a boil. I turned it off when it was simmering...
I just heated it up again and it started curding more now. I’m keeping my fingers crossed 🤞
Thank you!
Hey Marina, I hope it turned out for you!
It turned out well 😊 we had it for breakfast this morning and my husband complimented on it!
Marina, when husband compliments, thats the best 🙂 SO happy you guys loved it! thanks for the comment.
I need a pound of the cheese. How would I figure that with your recipe
It makes about 3 cups of cheese, it would depend on the type of milk you use.
Is it going to work with regular Walmart whole milk? I just heard it has to be fresh milk from cow.
Which you did you use on yours?
Hey Diana, you can use any whole milk. Enjoy!
After adding the lemon juice and vinegar it began to curdle, but I think I made the mistake of stirring it. When I squeeze the whey out it looked like mozzarella cheese, and sort of rubbery? I don't know if I overcooked the milk ? The bundle was hot so I put some cool water on it to squeeze the whey out. Any suggestions for next time?
Hey Charlotte, it sounds like the milk got too warm. I think at this point its best to let it cool down completely and see how it comes out. I would love to hear your feedback.
Hi Natalya,
I squeezed out all the whey I could and left a heavy pan on top to squeeze out any remaining liquid. It was a circle disk of rubber, I may have invented a new way to make rubber ehehe. It was inedible, as it was rubbery and tasteless, I tried to eat it but it was not good. I think I made the mistake of not having a rubber or wooden spoon to mix the mixture after the addition of the lemon juice and vinegar. I used a plastic mixing spoon with holes, when stirred probably created a solid mass that congealed into the rubber tire that I ended up with and perhaps over boiled the milk.
I tried it again yesterday using fewer ingredients to conserve milk and I had a better result, this time I used:
1/2 gallon of milk (or 2 cups)
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tsp white vinegar
I stopped the milk before it boiled, I added the lemon juice, and white vinegar to the milk and stirred it with a silicone spoon and walked away for 20 minutes before I attempted to squeeze out the whey. After squeezing out the whey, the consistency was cheese-like. I put a heavy pan on top of the cheesecloth to squeeze out any remaining liquid and it looks , smells, and tastes like a mild cream cheese. I am not sure what it's supposed to taste like since I 've never had it and wanted to try it to make the cheese turnovers that suppose to taste like Porto's cheese rolls.
I think I won't know if I did it right or not until I make the cheese turnovers I guess. But I am glad I tried again, since I wasn't sure what I was doing wrong but I really wanted to make the cheese turnovers ehehe.
Very interesting. Thank you for going into such detail with instructions. I know this will really help others. I appreciate your comment.
Sorry, there is a mistake it should be:
1/2 gallon milk (8 cups)
Thank you so much for the easy recipe. I wanted to years to make cheese but felt intimidated, I found your site and made it, I am so happy how it turned out. I am so happy I won't buy again at the store! I made half the recipe the first time. Two questions: 1. when can I put salt? I like store-bought salty taste and would like to salt it. 2. is it possible to modify consistency by modifying more or less vinegar or lemon? What happens if you put more or less of these ingredients? Thank you again, an amazing recipe!
Hey Irina, I never really played around with consistency because this version worked so well for me. You can add salt at the beginning to the milk. I am so so happy this recipe worked well for you. Thank you so much for sharing!
When you leave it pressed overnight, is that in the fridge or room temperature? I just found this site and can’t even decide what to make first it all looks so good!!
Oh my dear, such a sweet comment. Good thing all the recipes are so easy! 🙂 But leave it overnight in a room temperature.
Hi , can I use 2percent milk instead?
Hey Leana, you will get a better result with whole milk but you can use 2% as well.
This is the only place I found that actually uses this cheese in a recipe, thanks for that
Hey Lynne, welcome and enjoy it! Thanks for saying hi!
Could you infuse this cheese? Like adding onion powder and dill?
Yes, you definitely can. But only add it to the finished product.
How much cheese does this recipe make? Looking to use for my homemade pierogi!
Hey Sarah, it would depend on the brand of milk you use but it should be 2-3 cups of cheese.
Hi! This was SO EASY...... and delicious (as is and in zapekanka)! I initially saw the zapekanka recipe and got a little scared that I had to make farmers cheese. So glad I did. Thanks so much. I halved the recipe and got close to almost 3 cups.
me too!
Hey Dina, this makes me so happy. I am glad you found this recipe to be easy. Thanks for sharing!
Two questions 1) does pot need to be non reactive 2) is bottle lemon juice okay or does it need to be fresh
I would suggest using a stainless steel pot. And any lemon juice would work as long as it's not a processed fake lemon juice.
After straining and hand pressing the whey from the curdles, my family usually just hangs the cheese cloth with the cheese from the faucet over the kitchen sink to let it drip dry overnight. Works great for straining Greek yogurt as well. 😉
Hey Larissa, I have seen my mom do the same before. It is definitely a good way to do it. Thanks for sharing that tip with everyone.
Hi
The cheese turned out great! What is the best way to store it and for how long can it be stored?
Thanks
It is best to refrigerate farmers cheese in an airtight container. It can be refrigerated for up to a week.
Hi there...while my cheese was draining I tasted it and it was very bitter, do you have any ideas as to why?
Ani, it could be the quality of milk or the cheese was not drained enough.
It was organic, didn’t expire till mid January, but it’s a new brand so maybe that was the problem. Thank you Natalya
If you make it again, please let me know how it goes. 🙂
Thanks Natalya, I gave this a go and am so relieved with how easy it is!
Do you know if I can use the whey as I normally would with the 2 day process? I love to make homemade bread with the whey.
Thanks!
Yes, I am sure you can. I have used whey in my bread before and it was great.
This was a Christmas miracle!! My grandparents on my father's side were from Poland. My grandmother and her sister would come to my house and make pierogies with my mother every Christmas. They would interject Polish here and there, the loud crazy, messy day was my favorite Christmas tradition - and still is! Growing up in New jersey we always had access to Farmers Cheese, but when we moved to Montana in 2004 it was a different story. When Christmas that first year came around I was frantic to find it and never could so I substituted with various cheeses, but it so lacked that flavor I grew up with. You've brought back the family tradition with this recipe! I made it today with the help of my kiddos and will be using for pierogies this week! Thanks so much for the recipe!!❤
Funny, that I’m reading comments to use the cheese for pierogis here in Arizona.
Shannon, your story made my day. I keep thinking about my grandma when I share recipes. I realized the food has so many memories attached. I am glad you found my blog and hoping you will keep coming back!