20-Minute Homemade Cottage Cheese from Raw Milk
Cultured cottage cheese made from scratch using raw whole milk, mesophilic culture, and rennet. The milk ferments at room temperature for 24 hours before curds are cut, drained, and salted to create creamy, tangy cheese curds with a traditional texture.
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1
Shake milk gently to mix
- 2
Pour into food grade bucket or food safe container
- 3
Sprinkle mesophilic culture over milk and mix well
- 4
Combine rennet and water in a cup and mix
- 5
Pour rennet mixture over milk while pouring over wooden spoon and stir well
- 6
Cover bucket with plate or cloth and leave at room temperature to culture for about 24 hours
- 7
Skim away cream layer from top after 24 hours
- 8
Place colander in pot and line with two layers of 90 count cheesecloth
- 9
Transfer curds into cheesecloth
- 10
Bring up cheesecloth sides and fold on top, cover pot with lid
- 11
Leave for 12 to 24 hours until whey drips into pot below
- 12
Open cheesecloth and using it as handles, tip curds into medium mixing bowl
- 13
Sprinkle sea salt over curds
- 14
Mix salt in by chopping with wooden spoon to maintain cottage cheese consistency while breaking curds smaller
- 15
Transfer cottage cheese to glass bowl or jar and store in refrigerator
Tips
Save skimmed cream to make cultured butter
Use food grade or food safe containers only
Keep pot covered during draining to prevent dust contamination
Good to Know
Glass bowl or jar in refrigerator
Make up to several days in advance; stores refrigerated
Serve chilled as component in other recipes or with fruit and honey
Common Mistakes
Use non-food grade containers to avoid contamination and foodborne illness
Skip covering during fermentation to avoid dust and bacteria settling in cheese
Overmix curds with salt to avoid losing cottage cheese texture and creaminess
Use chlorinated water instead of pure water to avoid inhibiting culture activity
Substitutions
Dairy-Free Swaps
adds tanginess instead of cultured flavor
General Alternatives
traditional option