Cream cheese
Soft, smooth fresh cheese from whole milk. Makes 1½ cups
A soft, spreadable fresh cheese made the same way as paneer, but blended until creamy instead of pressed. Spread it on crackers, or use it in dips, cheesecakes and the eggless mayonnaise.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Bring 4 ¼ cups whole milk to the boil in a heavy-based pan. Take it off the heat and leave it for a few minutes.
10 minStep 2: Mix 1 tsp citric acid into ½ cup warm water until it dissolves.
Step 3: Pour the mixture into the hot milk and stir gently once. Leave it to stand for 5 minutes, until the milk curdles on its own.
5 minStep 4: Strain through muslin and let it drain for about 10 minutes. Don't squeeze too hard: the cheese should stay moist.
10 minStep 5: Blend the cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Keep it covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 100 kcal
- Protein
- 6 g
- Carbs
- 2 g
- Fat
- 8 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
Badal Patel
Good to know
- How long does cream cheese take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of whole milk?
- Semi-skimmed milk with 1 tbsp cream per 240ml (1 cup).
- What can I use instead of citric acid?
- Juice of 1 lemon or 1 tbsp white vinegar per tsp (for curdling milk).
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