Making Cottage Cheese from Sour Milk
Making cottage cheese from sour milk is a great way to reduce waste, save money, and get some extra protein in your diet. Are you tired of dumping sour milk down the drain? Years ago I learned that there are uses for milk that’s past its prime. I’ve used sour milk in place of buttermilk or regular milk in recipes, but it’s nice to have another option.
I had read somewhere that you can make cottage cheese from sour milk, and being rather frugal, that sounded like a great idea. I used to buy 2 or 3 gallons of raw milk from a farmer each week, but I didn’t always use it up fast enough. Recently, I’ve found milk at the store marked down for quick sale. I buy several gallons and use it for frugal yogurt, cheese, and baking. Sometimes I don’t use it fast enough and I have sour milk for cottage cheese.
I recently experimented and found a way to make sour cream in a yogurt maker…and Homemade Buttermilk and Buttermilk Cheese…yum!
Sometimes You Have to Experiment
I have found several sites online that gave instructions for making cottage cheese from sour milk. The only problem is that each site gave different instructions and they didn’t say how sour your milk can be and still be usable for cottage cheese. I’ve found that it can be curdled, but if it is really horrible smelling…I dump it.
This page contains affiliate links. You will not pay any extra when you purchase products through these links, but I will receive a small commission. Thank you for supporting The Self Sufficient HomeAcre!
One site listed an old fashioned recipe for cottage cheese using ‘thick sour milk.’ (Note: I can’t find this link online anymore…sorry!) Perfect! I decided to go with my gut instinct and kinda wing it on the recipe. It turned out really good and I will be making it again! Here’s the recipe:
Old Fashioned Cottage Cheese
- half gallon sour milk (whole is best)
- 3 Tbs vinegar
- 1 tsp salt
- small amount of cream or whole milk (not sour)
Pour sour milk into a saucepan. Turn heat on to medium and use a candy thermometer to measure temperature. Heat milk to 185 degrees F. Take off heat and add vinegar. Stir gently until curds and whey separate. Pour through a colander lined with cheesecloth. Rinse the curds, squeeze the water out through the cheesecloth. Pour curds into a bowl. Crumble to the size curds you like. Add salt and a small amount of cream or whole milk. Stir. Add milk or cream until your cottage cheese is the consistency you like. Refrigerate and use within 1 week.
Learning to Make Cottage Cheese is a Work in Progress!
Here are my thoughts on this process:
The instructions that I read said to heat sour milk until curds and whey separated (without vinegar). My pan of sour milk never separated, so I used the vinegar. I think I could reduce the amount of vinegar to 1 Tbs and it would work just fine. You could try it without the vinegar and see if your sour milk separates on its own.
One of the recipes called for rinsing the curds until all the whey was removed. I did this and then wondered why you would need to rinse the curds? Upon further reflection, it is probably to remove all traces of vinegar. However, in the future, I won’t spend much time rinsing the curds.
This recipe is basically the same as the queso fresco I posted previously. In this case, you crumble the curds up and add the milk or cream to it. I used cream, but in the future, I will switch to milk. The cream was a little too rich for my taste.
You don’t have to use sour milk to make your own cottage cheese, fresh milk will work great too!
Tip: If your milk doesn’t curdle, add more vinegar or lemon juice to increase the acid.
I Liked This Better Than Storebought Cottage Cheese
I liked this cottage cheese much better than the store-bought version. The curds are denser and the flavor had more tang to it. That may have been from using sour milk. I will definitely be making my own cottage cheese from now on instead of buying it. I never have a problem with cottage cheese going bad in our fridge, but this pretty much disappeared pronto!
My mother and I were discussing homemade cottage cheese. She remembers Gram making it when Mom was a little girl. They had their own milk cow and Gram made butter and cheese with the milk. I love hearing about things like that. 🙂
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Shared on Farm Fresh Tuesdays, the Off Grid Hop
- Thanksgiving Hacks for The Homesteader - November 22, 2015
- Pumpkin-Pecan ‘Pie’ Pancakes - November 16, 2015
- Planning For a ‘Self Sufficient’ Thanksgiving - November 15, 2015
So I just made a batch with some what i assume is pasteurized and is definitely homogenized whole milk (nothing on it says ultra-pasteurized) . The milk had soured enough that when I poured it into a pot I could see some curds forming. I didn’t have to use any acid to separate the milk- it just did it on it’s own. Everything looks great and fine but the final product has a slightly bitter aftertaste or finish.
Just wanting to be sure that bitter flavor wasn’t a flag to chuck the whole thing. From what I can read, it’s an indicator of bacteria.
Hi Musket,
If you have heated the sour milk up to 160 degrees F and kept it at that temp for 10 minutes, you shouldn’t have a problem with bacteria making you sick. However, the flavor may not be good. And I can’t guarantee that this is safe to drink! It might be best for using in a baking recipe, like muffins or cake.
Best wishes!
So I just made a batch with some homogenized whole milk. The milk had soured enough that when I poured it into a pot I could see some curds forming. I didn’t have to use any acid to separate the milk- it just did it on it’s own. Everything looks great and fine but the final product has a slightly bitter taste which was how the milk tasted when I drank some the night before (and clued me into the fact it was turning).
Just wanting to be sure that bitter flavor wasn’t a flag to chuck the whole thing. From what I can read, it’s an indicator of bacteria.
Cheese making is just one of those projects we’ve dipped our toes into but haven’t had the time to really improve our game. Thank you for this recipe- we’re going to have to try it:)
Cheers!
I tried making cottage cheese from sour raw goats milk, and it didn’t separated at all. I used a thermometer to know when to stop heating. I slowly added 1tbsp of Vinegar at a time, waiting in between dosage to see if it curdles up. Even after 20tbsp of vinegar, there were no curds. I left it in the sink overnight, and it still didn’t curdle up the next morning.
That’s interesting…I’m not sure why that happened. I hope you have better luck next time! Thank you for sharing your experience, Lang.
Hi Lang…It occurred to me after my reply that goat milk doesn’t separate as cow milk does. With cow milk, the cream rises to the top but not with goat milk. So I wonder if that has something to do with your experience. Just a thought.
I never tried making my own cottage cheese. Your recipe looks perfectly okay that I should give it a try.
Came across site and it made me think of my Grandmother’s recipe for Vereniki (It’s basically a farm-style cheese ravioli or pierogi) when I was a child. I am old now, so this recipe is over 100 years old, but still works and is easy.
Make a dough out of 1 cup water, 1 egg white, 1 teaspoon salt and 2 1/2 cups flour. No heavy kneading required, this is just a mixed dough, you’ll know when it comes together. Remember, this is ‘old world’ cooking. Add flour in stages until nice soft dough, stop when perfect or add more if still sticky.
For the dough filling – Mix 1 egg yolk, teaspn each of salt & pepper (it’s to taste so you can adjust as needed), and 1 lb. homemade cottage cheese (Dry), so when making your recipe, drain well and eliminate the milk or cream at end.
Roll out dough on floured surface to 1/8 inch thickness and cut into 3 or 4″ squares., place heaping teaspn of cheese mixture in center and fold into triangle (one corner to another) and pinch edges.
Drop Vereniki in a pot of boiling water and cook slowly for ten minutes.
These were made when Grandma was making fried ham or smoked sausage. After removing meat from skillet, she would add 1 cup of sour cream to meat dripping, bring to a boil, and pour over the Vereniki. Note: Vereniki can be made with all sorts of sweet or savory fillings (potatoes and cheese or sour cherries are also very popular), but this was Grandma’s standard and she always used homemade cottage cheese.
Thanks for letting me remember and share an old family recipe.
Hello I was wondering is it the same process to make block cheeses? I would love any recipe you can send my way.
Hi Mirtica,
Block cheeses are typically made with rennet and I haven’t had much experience with making them. Sorry I don’t have a lot of info to share on those. I do hope to make some in the future and I will share the recipes if I do.
Thanks for reading. 🙂
Lisa,
I have some raw milk that is way past date (haven’t smelled it yet) but our dairy does not remove the cream they sell it with the cream on top and we usually shake it and drink it whole. My question is will this still work for cottage cheese if the cream is not separated? Really want to try this.
It should be fine, Marta. Just stir the cream in as it heats. Best wishes!
Lisa,
Well considering my first try it came out pretty well. I made the mistake of stirring a little too much when I added the salt and cream in and it broke up a little more than I would have liked but it tasted excellent. Even though my milk was two weeks out of date it really wasn’t sour so I added a little extra vinegar. Mine did not separate until I added the vinegar as well so I’m thinking it was the milk was not truly sour. Also I was really surprised by how much liquid was still left. I used a gallon of milk and had almost a gallon of liquid left now I have to find a use for that. Wish I could share a picture. Thanks for the great ideas here.
Glad it worked! Yes, there is a lot of whey left over. You can use it in baked goods in place of milk and it works quite well.
Lisa,
I’m so glad you shared your instructions for making sour milk cottage cheese. My mom always used sour milk, in fact, she put milk aside until it reached sour stage. I am 67 now, and my family left our dairy farm when I was 7. The last time I remember mom making cottage cheese, I must have been 6 or 7, because she was pregnant with my brother and didn’t feel good. She went to lay down and asked me to wash up the blue granite an she used to and the cheese. It had the white speckles on it as well those pans did. I can still remember scrubbing to beat the band to get rid of the white spots thinking they were stuck on from the cheese. When I called out to her saying I couldn’t get them off, she laughed and explained to me they were part of the pan. Goodness, 60 years ago and it seems like yesterday. I’m making your cottage cheese right now. Got fingers crossed!
Hi Freda,
What a fun memory from your childhood! Thank you for sharing. 🙂 I always loved those ganiteware pans…reminds me of my Gram!
I hope you liked your cottage cheese. Best wishes!
Thanks for sharing.
My milk was expired for more than 2 weeks, but it’s still in liquid form. I cooked over low medium fire until it reaches the temperature and the milk separated without adding the vinegar. I used 2% milk.
Thanks for sharing, Arlene. Sometimes the milk is sour enough that you don’t need the acid to curdle it.
I’m glad to share!
Well mine won’t set. At all. I used a candy thermometer. I followed your instructions. NO CURDS whatsoever.
Hi Ruby,
Try adding more vinegar until it curdles.
I’ve also read that ultra pastuerized milk doesn’t work as well, but I haven’t experimented with it.
This cottage cheese is so great and so easy to make! Thank you for sharing this recipe and your experience.
I’m happy to share this, Aimee! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving a comment! 🙂
THANK YOU! I hate to toss out milk and I had a few cups of whole milk that spoiled. I followed your recipe and it worked! Now if I weren’t allergic to wheat ans sugar would use the why to make some baked goods. Any other ideas for whey would be amazing because I make Greek- style yogurt weekly and usually just use the why to feed the roses!
Hi Heather,
You can also use the whey in soup. You might be able to replace the wheat flour with gluten free and the sugar with honey. If using honey in place of sugar, reduce the liquid and use less honey. I don’t remember the exact changes…sorry!
Hi. Here in India we make cottage cheese at home all the time. And u are right. Full creamilk is the best. Most of us use sour curd to separate the milk. It is called paneer in Hindi. If u look up for paneer recipes there are plenty online. Also it is an alternate protein for vegetarians.
Hi Nirmal,
Thanks for the info! I’d like to try making some paneer…I’ve had it before and it is delicious. 🙂
Didn’t work for me but I was going to trow the milk out anyway. Got no curds just curdle.
Hi Joan,
If it happens again, try adding more vinegar or lemon juice to the milk. It may be that yours didn’t have enough acid to completely curdle the milk. This doesn’t always make curds like you see in store bought cottage cheese, they will likely be smaller. Thanks for sharing.
Hi! I am super thrifty myself and woke up this morning to half a gallon sour milk. I googled what can I do with sour milk, and came across your website. I am now busy making cottage cheese! I am a housewife/mommy and have lots of time on my hands some days.
I recently started living more green-efficient, and recycle everything possible, including bathwater and am planning on building my rocket stove in this week (very excited).
My home has a large amount of property but its in a suburban area so my neighbours wont be thrilled if I had chickens etc, but I am looking for someone to house chickens and a few cows for me, where I could get all my dairy and poultry needs.
Keep up the excellent work, you have just got a very frequent blog visitor!!!
Have a great day
Abi (all the way down in South Africa)
Thanks for reading, Abi! I’m glad you found my post and happy to have you on board! Sounds like you are doing a great job of learning to live more sustainably. 🙂 Best wishes looking for a place for chickens and cows!
Let me know how you like the cottage cheese 🙂
This may not be appropriate for this site but wondered if you or any of your readers have made cottage cheese from sour kefir? thanks so much!
Hi Rudy,
Totally appropriate! I haven’t tried this, but it seems like it would work. Let me know if you do try it!
Ever try lemon instead of vinegar?
Hi Doni,
Yes, my Farmer’s Cheese recipe uses lemon. I think you could substitute lemon for vinegar in this recipe too. Let me know if you try it!
Congratulations on such a huge following Lisa! Wow. Very impressive. I have a half gallon of sour raw milk in the frig, but I don’t have a thermometer, so I’m going to soak in it in a bath after I’m tired working in the garden. Congrats on 2+ years of the homemaker hop! I didn’t participate much because, as you know, I’m not homesteading, just urban gardening, don’t have farm animals. I did get into canning last summer and since I have a lot of tomato and bean plants crammed into the front yard hope to be canning again. I might have to spring for an official canning pot. Except I just remembered, the large burner on my 1948 Frigidaire electric oven went out. I need to find some parts so I can get it in fine shape again. Otherwise, I’m going to have to sadly get rid of my mother’s stove we grew up with (which I had shipped to CA from TN!). All the best. P.S. If you have a moment, could you click on my name and let me know where it takes you? I lost all my WordPress connections when I went to a paid WordPress Engine website. Thanks!
Thanks so much for stopping by, Kaye! I think you’re a homesteader at heart and that’s what is important 🙂 Best wishes with your Mother’s stove…I hope you can get it fixed!
If you do decide to try using the milk for cheese, just heat it up until it comes to a low boil and that will kill any icky stuff. 😉
Thanks for the warm wishes!
Hi Lisa, so glad I found this post of yours. I had my first go with creating cottage cheese (was researching for TVOROG actually) from slightly sour milk, and was wondering if the end product should (or should not) smell of expired milk? There seems to be a lingering smell in my finished product (although it could also be that the smell of the sour milk is stuck in my nose)… ? I wonder if I did something wrong? Should I be worried?
Hi Deb,
If you brought the temperature of the milk up to 180F and the cheese is still fresh, it should be ok to taste. If in doubt, you could feed it to dogs, pigs or chickens…they can handle any potential bacteria better than our digestive systems. Or compost it. I’ve only had one batch that smelled funny to me after heating it to 180F and I ended up feeding it to the chickens…they thought it was the best thing EVER! I suspect that the farmer that I originally bought milk from was not using strict sanitary methods and I ended up switching to a new farmer right after that.
If you are concerned, in the future try bringing the sour milk to 180F and hold it there for 10 minutes to make sure that the bacteria is all dead, then go ahead with the rest of the recipe.
I hope this helps!
Good for the chickens. Thanks a lot Lisa. 🙂
No problem, Deb!
Hi Lisa! Thanks for sharing! I just read your post. I have a gallon of ff milk that is two wks expired. I too was ill and didn’t use it but once I saw was expired didn’t want to toss it out. Do you know if two weeks is too long expired?? Thank you! I will be following you now that I found you! I’m a city girl wanting to move away to a safer farm style area where my gkids I am easing can thrive so hoping to get educated and inspired!! God Bless.
Hi Lori,
I’m glad you are feeling better! Thank you for the encouragement 🙂
I have used milk that was 2 weeks out of date before. Just be sure to heat it up to 180 and you might want to keep it at that temp for 10 minutes to make sure that you kill any ickies. 🙂
Thanks for stopping by!
I didn’t have time to read through the comments so you may have answered his question already. Have you ever frozen your cottage cheese? We don’t really eat it fresh much but I do use it in my lasagna recipe. I’d like to make it and save it for later. I make large batches so it could be several weeks before I make it again. Thanks, Janet
Hi Janet,
I have never had cottage cheese last long enough to need to freeze it…so I can’t tell you from experience. But I did find this post that might help…
https://thekrazycouponlady.com/at-home/how-to-freeze-cottage-cheese/
Best wishes!
Thank you! That is very helpful.
🙂 You’re welcome!
FYI 2018 the link is broken.
Lisa, during the past 6-8 months I have enjoyed making yogurt and a variety of soft cheeses. I tried using fresh whole milk to make cottage cheese but it was not the taste I remembered from my childhood growing up on a farm. My mother used to make the most delicious homemade cottage cheese pies with raisins from sour milk. On a trip to the Ukraine two years ago, the hotel I stayed in in Kiev served a breakfast dish that was the the consistency and taste that I remembered but without the pie crust.
Instead of vinegar, have you ever used lemon juice or rennet. If so, did it change the flavor of the cheese? I’m anticipating a fun day making cottage cheese pies, thanks. Elaine
Hi Elaine,
I hope you enjoyed your cottage cheese pies! Sounds delish! I haven’t tried using lemon juice or rennet yet. My source for raw milk dried up, unfortunately. 🙁 But I have been using milk from the store to make cheese and yogurt when I find it marked down. And I just saw a recipe for farmers cheese made with lemon juice that I want to try…so maybe there will be another post coming soon! Someday I hope to have my own goats again, but it will be awhile before that happens. But when I do, you can bet I will be making more cheese!
Thanks so much for stopping by to visit and share! I’d love to try a cottage cheese pie someday…yum!
So I bought a half-gallon of raw cow’s milk from my local market and tried it out. Wow, this is easy to do!!! The cheese tastes great 🙂 I just have to remember to save the whey next time. I’m glad I found you and this recipe!