Making Yogurt or Kefir Cheese: A Simple How-To

kefir cheese

Making your own yogurt is an easy, healthy, and affordable way to experiment with fermentation, make milk last longer, and replace an industrial food product filled with mysterious chemical ingredients with one you know all about.

Yogurt itself is a wonderful, versatile food, but you can also turn it into a spread or dip by thickening it with this simple method.

The following is an excerpt from Fresh Food from Small Spaces: The Square-Inch Gardener’s Guide to Year-Round Growing, Fermenting, and Sprouting by R. J. Ruppenthal.


You can make a spreadable cheese (resembling cream cheese or sour cream) from either yogurt or kefir. You will notice that when you make either yogurt or kefir, it becomes more solid and sour the longer you let it ferment. Make sure to start the cheese with some mature yogurt or kefir, not the particularly runny stuff; give it a few extra hours of fermentation time for good measure.

  • A few ounces of strong yogurt or kefir
  • Large glass jar, measuring beaker, bowl, or clay pot
  • One square of cheesecloth or large coffee filter
  • Strainer that fits over this container or an extra-large piece of cheesecloth
  • Large rubber band or twine

Wrap your homemade yogurt in cheesecloth or a coffee filter. Using the strainer or extra cheesecloth (with rubber band or twine if needed), suspend this package above the container. Make sure it has room to drip. Put this in the refrigerator, an unused oven, or anywhere else it will fit and be relatively undisturbed. Leave and allow it to drain for 24 to 48 hours. Your main goal here is to strain out the water (whey) from the yogurt or kefir, leaving a solid mass that can be used like cheese. This recipe makes a nutritious, low-fat cheese. Be aware that your yogurt or kefir will continue to ferment during this time, so if you want a milder version, then you might want to put the cheese into the refrigerator as it drains. (This will slow down the fermentation.) Use the finished product as you would use cream cheese or sour cream. And don’t forget the whey: this liquid byproduct makes a refreshing drink on its own, or, if coming from kefir, it could be used to culture a batch of kimchi or sourdough starter.

Related Posts:

Read The Book

Fresh Food from Small Spaces

The Square-Inch Gardener's Guide to Year-Round Growing, Fermenting, and Sprouting

$16.22

Recent Articles

soil health

5 Principles of Soil Health

Wondering how to make your soil (and plants) thrive? Use these principles of soil health to properly prepare your farm or garden to grow. The following excerpt is from Dirt to Soil by Gabe Brown. It has been adapted for the web. (Photography curtesy of Gabe Brown.) Prefer audio? Listen to the excerpt below from the…

Read More
maple roasted nuts

Maple Roasted Nuts: A Sweet, Seasonal Treat

Craving something sweet? These delicious maple roasted nuts are the perfect treat to help you push through those end-of-winter blues. The following is an excerpt from Full Moon Feast by Jessica Prentice. It has been adapted for the web. The Magic of Maple: A Rich History Following the Hunger Moon, just before the first thaw…

Read More
salsa

Mushrooms & Wild Herbs Salsa: A Refreshing Spring Recipe

Spring into the season with a fresh, wildcrafted appetizer! This recipe for mushrooms and wild herbs salsa is very adaptable, giving you freedom to use ingredients you find in your own environment. The following is an excerpt from Wildcrafted Vinegars by Pascal Baudar. It has been adapted for the web. RECIPE: Mushrooms & Wild Herbs…

Read More
permanent beds

Permanent Beds: Designing An Efficient Garden

Permanent beds are going to change your gardening game. This type of garden bed helps improve soil health, ensures crop growth, and is extremely easy to design! The following is an excerpt from The Living Soil Handbook by Jesse Frost. It has been adapted for the web. Designing Permanent Beds The term permanent beds is…

Read More
preserve

How to Preserve Seasonings: Herbs Today, Preserves Tomorrow

What do you do when you have bunches of herbs reaching maturity at the same time? Preserve them!   Preserving herbs for seasonings involves traditional techniques that use salt, oil, sugar, alcohol, vinegar, and a few other simple ingredients.  The following is an excerpt from Preserving Food without Freezing or Canning. It has been adapted…

Read More