Cottage Cheese: What It Is & How to Make It at Home

Cottage cheese is a fresh, unaged cheese made from cow’s milk curds. The milk is curdled with acid or a bacterial culture (or both), the curds are cut, cooked gently, drained, rinsed, and then dressed with cream and salt. The result is loose, lumpy curds in a creamy liquid: not a solid block or a smooth spread.

Unlike aged cheeses, cottage cheese undergoes no ripening or pressing. The curds retain significant moisture, giving the cheese its soft, wet texture and mild flavor with a slight tanginess from the acidification process.

The cultured method is recommended if you care about texture and flavor. The acid-only method works when you want cottage cheese in 30 minutes and do not mind firmer curds.

1. 1
   Warm the milk Heat 4 L (1 gallon) of whole pasteurized milk to 22 to 30°C (72 to 86°F). Avoid ultra-pasteurized (UHT) milk.
2. 2
   Add culture Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon mesophilic culture over the surface. Let it rehydrate for 2 minutes, then stir gently for 1 minute.
3. 3
   Add rennet Dilute 1 to 2 drops of liquid rennet in 60 mL (1/4 cup) cool unchlorinated water. Stir into the milk gently for 30 seconds. The rennet helps the curd set firmly enough to cut cleanly.
4. 4
   Ferment Cover and hold at 22 to 30°C for 4 to 12 hours (or overnight). The milk will set into a solid gel when the pH reaches about 4.6 to 4.7. Test for a clean break: a knife inserted at an angle should split the curd cleanly.
5. 5
   Cut the curd Cut the curd mass into cubes. For small curd, cut 0.6 cm (1/4 inch) cubes. For large curd, cut 1.3 to 2 cm (1/2 to 3/4 inch) cubes. Let the cut curds rest undisturbed for 10 to 15 minutes.
6. 6
   Cook gently Very gently raise the temperature to 43 to 49°C (110 to 120°F) over 30 to 60 minutes. Increase no more than 1 to 2°C every 5 minutes. Stir gently every few minutes. Curds are done when they feel springy and slightly firm throughout.
7. 7
   Drain Pour curds into a colander lined with butter muslin. Let whey drain for several minutes.
8. 8
   Rinse with cold water Rinse the drained curds under cold running water or dip in an ice bath. This stops cooking, removes excess acid (reducing sourness), and firms the curds. This step is essential.
9. 9
   Dress Transfer curds to a bowl. Add 2 to 4 tablespoons of heavy cream, half-and-half, or sour cream per cup of curds. Add salt to taste (about 1/4 teaspoon per cup). Mix gently without breaking the curds apart.

Same milk, same culture, same process: only the cutting size changes the result.

Dry, naked curds are bland and crumbly on their own. The cream dressing is what makes cottage cheese cottage cheese.

Add the dressing just before serving for the freshest texture. The curds gradually absorb it during storage.

Figures are USDA FoodData Central values for a 226 g cup. Most of the protein is casein. Cottage cheese is also a source of calcium, phosphorus, selenium, riboflavin, and vitamin B12, and has less lactose than milk because much of the lactose leaves with the whey. Cooking the curds to 43 to 49°C cuts down the live culture, so homemade cottage cheese is not a reliable probiotic. Some brands add live cultures after cooking and say so on the label.

For cottage cheese recipes and how to dry cottage cheese curds, see cottage cheese recipes. For the universal cheesemaking steps behind every cheese, start with how to make cheese at home. The rennet calculator sizes your dose for any milk volume.