What is quark cheese?

Quark is a fresh, unaged cheese made by culturing milk with mesophilic bacteria until it sets, then draining the curd. It is smooth and spreadable with a clean, mild tang — somewhere between cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, and cream cheese. It originated in central and eastern Europe and is a staple in Germany, where it is used in everything from cheesecake to savoury dips.

What is the difference between quark and cottage cheese?

Both are culture-set fresh cheeses, but the texture is the split. Cottage cheese is broken into distinct curds and often has cream stirred back in, so it stays lumpy and wet. Quark is stirred or blended smooth after draining, giving a uniform, spreadable paste with no visible curds.

Do I need rennet to make quark?

No. Traditional quark is set by culture and acid alone over 12-18 hours. Many recipes add a very small amount of rennet (a drop or two per 2 litres) to firm the curd and speed the set slightly, which makes draining easier. It is optional, not essential.

What temperature do you ferment quark at?

Room temperature, around 22-25°C (72-77°F), because mesophilic cultures work best in that range. Warmer than about 28°C pushes it toward a different flavour and risks the wrong bacteria; cooler slows the set. A spot on the counter away from draughts is ideal.

How long does homemade quark keep?

Stored airtight in the fridge, quark keeps about 1-2 weeks. It is fresh cheese, so it does not age or improve — use it while it is bright and mild. If it starts to taste sharp or smells yeasty, it is past its best.

Can I make quark from skimmed or whole milk?

Both work. Skimmed milk gives the traditional low-fat quark used in German baking. Whole milk, or whole milk with cream added, gives a richer, more cream-cheese-like result. The method is identical; only the fat content changes.

How to Make Quark Cheese at Home — Ferment Calculator

Quark is a fresh, culture-set cheese with a smooth, spreadable body and a clean, mild tang. Think of it as the point where cottage cheese, cream cheese, and Greek yogurt overlap. It takes almost no active work, just patience: culture the milk, let it set overnight, and drain it to the thickness you want. Germans use it for cheesecake, dumplings, dips, and breakfast spreads, and once you have made a batch you will find the same uses.

What quark is

Quark (also called Topfen in Austria and by many regional names across eastern Europe) is an acid-curd cheese. Mesophilic bacteria ferment the milk, producing lactic acid that slowly coagulates the casein into a soft, uniform curd. Drained and stirred smooth, it becomes the familiar spoonable paste.

Unlike farmer’s cheese or paneer, quark is not set with heat and a fast shot of acid. The set is slow and biological, which is what gives quark its mellow, rounded tang rather than the sharper bite of a vinegar-set cheese.

How the culture sets the milk

Mesophilic culture is a blend of bacteria that thrive at room temperature. Added to warm milk, they eat lactose and release lactic acid. Over 12-18 hours the pH drops until the casein coagulates into a gel, the same way it does in yogurt, just at a cooler temperature and with different bacteria.

22-25°C fermentation temperature (72-77°F)

12-18h time to a clean set

6-12h draining time for a spreadable curd

A pinch of rennet, if you use it, adds a second coagulating force alongside the acid. That firms the curd and makes it easier to drain without the finished quark turning grainy.

What you need

Milk Whole or skimmed cow's milk, pasteurised or raw. Skimmed gives traditional low-fat quark; whole gives a richer one. Avoid ultra-pasteurised (UHT) milk, which sets poorly.

Mesophilic culture A packaged mesophilic starter (the same kind used for cheddar and chevre). In a pinch, 2-3 tablespoons of cultured buttermilk per 2 L will seed the milk.

Rennet (optional) One or two drops of liquid rennet diluted in a little unchlorinated water, per 2 L. Optional, for a firmer curd and cleaner drain.

Cloth and colander Butter muslin or fine cheesecloth over a colander. A thermometer to hit the fermentation temperature.

The method, step by step

1
Warm the milk Gently heat 2 L of milk to 22-25°C (72-77°F). This is barely warm — you are only bringing it to the temperature the culture likes, not cooking it.
2
Add the culture Sprinkle the mesophilic culture over the surface, let it rehydrate for 2 minutes, then stir it in gently for a minute. If using buttermilk, stir it through now.
3
Add rennet (optional) If using rennet, stir the diluted drops in with a few gentle up-and-down strokes, then stop moving the milk so it can set undisturbed.
4
Ferment Cover the pot and leave it at room temperature (22-25°C) for 12-18 hours. It is ready when the milk has set into a soft, yogurt-like gel and a little clear whey pools at the surface.
5
Drain Ladle the set curd into a cloth-lined colander. Let it drain 6-12 hours in a cool place. Shorter draining gives a soft, pourable quark; longer gives a thick, cream-cheese-like one.
6
Stir smooth Scrape the drained curd into a bowl and stir or blend until smooth. Add a little salt for savoury use, or leave it plain for baking and sweet dishes. Chill before serving.

Two litres of whole milk gives roughly 400-500g of quark. Keep it refrigerated and use within two weeks.

Dialling in the texture

Quark can run from a soft, yogurt-thick spoon cheese to a dense block close to cream cheese. Draining time and fat content are your two levers.

Soft breakfast quark drain 4-6 hours. Loose enough to spoon over fruit or swirl with honey.

Standard spreadable quark drain 8-10 hours. The all-purpose texture for dips and baking.

Firm, cream-cheese-like drain 12 hours and use whole milk plus a splash of cream. Holds its shape on a knife.

Richer body stir a little double cream into the finished quark to soften the tang and add gloss, the classic move for cheesecake.

Common problems

! Watch for

Milk never set — the room was too cold, the culture was old or killed by chlorinated water, or the milk was UHT. Keep it at 22-25°C and use fresh culture and non-UHT milk.
Grainy, curdled texture — usually over-fermented (left far past 18 hours) or too warm. Catch it as soon as it sets and ferment at room temperature, not in a warm oven.
Too sour — fermented too long. Reduce the time and drain in a cooler spot; the tang builds the whole time the culture is active.
Bitter or off flavour — a sign of contamination or stale milk. Sterilise your pot and cloth, and start with the freshest milk you can get.

How to use quark

Quark is genuinely versatile because it swaps in for several richer ingredients at a fraction of the fat.

Sweet Fold with honey and fruit for breakfast, whip into cheesecake, or use in the German käsekuchen and quark dumplings (Topfenknödel).

Savoury Season with herbs, garlic, and salt for a dip, spread it on rye bread, or dollop onto baked potatoes in place of sour cream.

Substitute Stands in for cream cheese, ricotta, or sour cream in most recipes, lighter and tangier than any of them.

Try the calculator

Milk-to-Cheese Calculator

Plan your batch size — enter the quark you want and get the milk to buy.

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Keep exploring cheese

For a fast acid-set fresh cheese instead, see farmer’s cheese. For the cultures behind quark and its cousins, read cheese cultures and starters. And for the universal cheesemaking steps, start with how to make cheese at home.