Make your own cream cheese at home. This homemade yogurt cream cheese requires minimal effort and only a few ingredients. The creamy, tangy and spreadable cheese, with a touch of lemon zest and fresh thyme, will wow you and your guests.
Isn’t cheese just something delicious? There are hundreds and hundreds of varieties. I can’t just choose one. I want to buy all of them. But then I think, why don’t I try to make my own? Easy to make, this cheese looks very much like cream cheese.
The process itself couldn’t be easier, too. In fact, you only need one main ingredient and some patience. Also, you are going to need a few basic pieces of kitchen equipment, such as a bowl, a sieve that fits the bowl and a cheesecloth. Instead of cheesecloth, you can use coffee filters or paper towels.
Made out of plain yogurt or Greek yogurt, yogurt cheese is a great ingredient in your meals. For instance, you can use it as a spread on sandwiches or wraps, in salads, as dips for chicken wings or ribs, on pizza or in soups.
More, for some ideas, here are a couple of my recipes you could pair this lovely cheese with this persimmon walnut Flammkuchen, salty braided breadsticks, the cute cream cheese puff pastry, these delicious honey figs cheese stuffed mushrooms or this frtalja.
Besides tasting delicious, I could say it is almost addicting, it is also naturally low in fat, rich in nutrients and high in protein. Also, yogurt cheese is truly a blank canvas for almost any flavour. In fact, it pairs great with herbs and spices. I used some lemon zest for a fresh note and fresh thyme for the floral touch.
A quick tip, look for a regular or a regular Greek plain yogurt. The higher the milk fat percentage the creamier and tastier the cheese will be. In fact, try to avoid using non-fat yogurt. And, the longer you let it drain, the more whey will be removed, the less moisture it will have and the thicker consistency it will have. Therefore, it can have the texture of very thick yogurt or cream cheese. It all depends on how much whey is removed.
Since it requires quite some hours to set, preferably overnight, I suggest making it in advance. The result will amaze you.
Ingredients for a homemade yogurt cream cheese:
- 250 g Greek yogurt
- zest of 1/3 a lemon
- 2 pinches of salt
- some fresh thyme
To begin, put yogurt, lemon zest, salt and fresh thyme in a bowl. Stir to combine. Then, line the sieve with a double layer of cheesecloth or one coffee filter and place it over the bowl, which will catch the whey.
Once all is prepared, transfer the yogurt mixture onto the cheesecloth and cover it with plastic foil. Place the bowl with the sieve and yogurt in the fridge for about 7 hours or overnight.
The following day, remove the yogurt cheese from the cheesecloth and place it onto a serving plate. Keep the yoghurt cheese in the fridge until ready to use.
Finally, top the homemade yogurt cream cheese with a drizzle of olive oil and serve it with some bread, crackers, olives and prosciutto. Enjoy it for breakfast, a snack or dinner.
Enjoy!
