Description
Creamy homemade cream cheese offers a luxurious spread with simple ingredients and minimal effort. Rich Philadelphia-style cream cheese provides a delightful base for countless culinary creations you’ll enjoy making at home.
Ingredients
Scale
- 4 cups/960 milliliters whole milk
- 3–4 tablespoons/45-60 milliliters fresh lemon juice
- 0.5 teaspoon/2.5 grams salt
Instructions
- Milk Preparation: Gently heat milk in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium flame, watching carefully to prevent scorching and achieve a soft, bubbling surface.
- Curd Separation: Introduce lemon juice while stirring delicately, observing instant curd formation and whey separation.
- Straining Process: Transfer milk mixture through a cheesecloth-lined strainer, allowing complete liquid drainage for 10-15 minutes, then squeeze remaining moisture using clean hands or spatula.
- Texture Development: Combine curds in a food processor with salt, pulsing and blending for 3-4 minutes while periodically scraping sides to create a smooth, creamy consistency.
- Storage and Finishing: Pack the freshly processed cream cheese into an airtight container, pressing to eliminate air pockets, then refrigerate for minimum 30 minutes to enhance flavor and firm texture.
- Consumption Guidelines: Enjoy the homemade cream cheese within 5-7 days to maintain peak freshness and optimal taste quality.
Notes
- Prevent Scorching: Monitor milk temperature carefully to avoid burning, which can ruin the entire cheese-making process.
- Curd Separation Technique: Pour lemon juice slowly and stir gently to ensure perfect curd formation without breaking delicate milk proteins.
- Draining Precision: Use a fine-meshed cheesecloth and allow sufficient time for complete whey drainage to achieve desired cream cheese texture.
- Storage and Freshness: Seal container tightly, remove air pockets, and consume within a week to maintain optimal flavor and creamy consistency.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Snacks, Breakfast
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3
- Calories: 200
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 1.25 g
- Fat: 10 g
- Saturated Fat: 6 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 4 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 12 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 8 g
- Cholesterol: 40 mg