Recipes & Cooking Recipes by Ingredient Cheese How to Make Cottage Cheese at Home the Quick and Easy Way 4.3 (3) 3 Reviews You'll be shocked at how simple it is to make! By Sarah Martens Sarah Martens Sarah Martens is the Senior Editor overseeing food at Better Homes & Gardens digital. She has been with the BHG brand for more than 10 years. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Published on March 27, 2024 Recipe tested by Emily Nienhaus Recipe tested by Emily Nienhaus Emily is a recipe developer at Dotdash Meredith in the Better Homes & Gardens Test Kithcen with a focus on food trends, and inventing new ways to bring interesting flavors to your dinner table. When not in the kitchen Emily enjoys hiking, camping and spending time with friends, although these hobbies always lead back to food being the focus. Learn more about the Better Homes & Gardens Test Kitchen Rate PRINT Share Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: Rachel Marek. Prop Styling: Gabe Greco Prep Time: 10 mins Cook Time: 5 mins Stand Time: 30 mins Total Time: 45 mins Servings: 3 Yield: 1 1/2 cups Jump to Nutrition Facts Cottage cheese is having a moment, and I, for one, am thrilled about it. I've found myself adding it to everything from pancakes to queso dip. It's a flavorful way to boost protein and can be pureed until the texture is silky smooth. I decided to give homemade cottage cheese a try, and I have never looked back. Our Test Kitchen perfected the easy recipe, and there are no hard-to-source ingredients or techniques. Just milk, vinegar, salt, and cream. Here's how to make cottage cheese at home. Homemade Cottage Cheese Ingredients Here's a quick look at the ingredients you'll need to make cottage cheese at home. Chances are you have most of them at home already. Milk: Our Test Kitchen prefers to use whole milk when making homemade cottage cheese. You'll need a half gallon.Vinegar: Use plain white vinegar to make cottage cheese. Salt: We tested this recipe with kosher salt. Cream: Adding half-and-half just before serving helps the cottage cheese taste rich and creamy. How Much Cottage Cheese Does a Gallon of Milk Make? A gallon of milk will product three cups of cottage cheese. Simply double our recipe to make that much. How to Store Homemade Cottage Cheese Homemade cottage cheese is best enjoyed within three days of making it. Store the cottage cheese in an airtight container in the fridge. You can also put it to good use in our favorite cottage cheese recipes. Can You Freeze Cottage Cheese? How to Make Cottage Cheese More Flavorful There are several ways to serve homemade cottage cheese. We tapped our recipe testers and editors for their favorites. Top with ground black pepper and serve with chips for dipping. Add fresh berries and a drizzle of honey. Spread on toast and top with fresh cherry tomatoes, salt, pepper, and basil. Top with granola and drizzle with maple syrup. Sprinkle with garlic and herb seasoning and use as a dip for veggies. Whip with ranch powder and a drizzle of milk for a higher-protein sauce or dip. What Is the Best Seasoning for Cottage Cheese? There are many seasonings you can add to your batch of homemade cottage cheese. Here are a few of our Test Kitchen's favorite ideas. Fresh herbs like dill, chives, parsley, or tarragon.Sweeteners like jam, honey, or maple syrup.Veggies like green onion or shallot.Spices like garlic powder, onion salt, or black pepper.Mix-ins like olive oil, diced veggies, or berries. This Surprising Food Will Boost Your Metabolism, Science Says Ingredients 1/2 gallon whole milk 6 tablespoons white vinegar 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 cup half-and-half or heavy cream Directions In a large saucepan heat milk over medium heat until 120ºF. Remove from heat and add vinegar. Let stand for 30 seconds before slowly stirring for 1 to 2 minutes. Cover and allow to sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, until the curd has separated from the whey. Line a colander with a tea towel or cheese cloth (double up). Pour the milk mixture through the colander; let sit for 5 minutes. Gather the edges of the cloth and lightly rinse under cool water. With the mixture still enclosed, squeeze a majority of the moisture out of the mixture. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in the salt, breaking apart the curds as you go. If serving right away, stir in the half-and-half. If not, place into an airtight container and refrigerate up to 1 week. Stir in the half-and-half right before serving. Rate It Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 468 Calories 28g Fat 32g Carbs 21g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 3 Calories 468.4 % Daily Value * Total Fat 28.2g 36% Saturated Fat 16.7g 83% Cholesterol 87.3mg 29% Sodium 599.4mg 26% Total Carbohydrate 31.7g 12% Dietary Fiber 0g 0% Total Sugars 33.3g Protein 21g 42% Vitamin D 8.7mcg 44% Vitamin C 0.1mg 0% Calcium 747.9mg 58% Iron 0.2mg 1% Potassium 875.6mg 19% Fatty acids, total trans 0.2g Vitamin D 343.2IU Alanine 0.7g Arginine 0.6g Ash 5.3g Aspartic acid 1.8g Caffeine 0mg Carotene, alpha 0mcg Choline, total 96.1mg Copper, Cu 0.2mg Cystine 0.1g Energy 1952kJ Fluoride, F 0.6mcg Folate, total 33.2mcg Glutamic acid 4.7g Glycine 0.4g Histidine 0.6g Isoleucine 1.1g Leucine 2g Lysine 1.7g Methionine 0.6g Magnesium, Mg 66.5mg Manganese, Mn 0mg Niacin 0.6mg Phosphorus, P 557.5mg Pantothenic acid 2.5mg Phenylalanine 1.1g Phytosterols 0mg Proline 2.1g Retinol 372.2mcg Selenium, Se 24.7mcg Serine 1.3g Theobromine 0mg Threonine 0.9g Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) 0.6mg Tryptophan 0.3g Tyrosine 1.1g Valine 1.4g Vitamin A, IU 1342.2IU Vitamin A, RAE 379.8mcg Vitamin B-12 3mcg Vitamin B-6 0.2mg Vitamin K (phylloquinone) 2.6mcg Water 611.3g Zinc, Zn 2.5mg *The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.