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This is my mom’s method of making farmer’s cheese. Grandma made this cheese in Ukraine. It takes a few days, but the steps are easy and the results are wonderful. Not to mention you will feel like a ninja after you’ve made your own cheese.
You end up with a good amount of farmers cheese and whey. Use organic milk for the best tasting cheese (I buy discounted organic milk that is about to expire just for this!). You can use the cheese to make syrniki or cheese crepes (nalesniki). Keep the whey (yellowish juice) to make bread.
Substitute water for whey and your bread will always taste better and it will be healthier since whey contains protein that is easy to digest. Are you a cheese ninja? How do you make your farmer’s cheese?
Ingredients for Farmers Cheese:
1 gallon whole milk (get the best quality you can; organic is best), At room temperature.
1/2 gallon Cultured low fat buttermilk, at room temp
What you will need:
4 layers of cheese cloth
Time to make:
3 days
Day 1:
1. Allow the milk gallon and buttermilk to come to room temperature on the counter (about 7 hours).
2. Pour milk and buttermilk into a large soup pot. Cover and place in a warm (100 ˚ F) oven for 1 hour or until mixture feels luke warm.
3. Remove from oven and place in a warm room (I put mine on the floor next to the heating vent in the laundry room) and let it sit for 24 hours. When it’s done, it should become the consistency of sweetened condensed milk. It pulls when you lift it up with a spoon and should not really stick to your spoon if you insert it vertically and remove it straight out. Do not stir.
Day 2:
4. Place on the stove again over LOW HEAT, UNCOVERED for 40 minutes or until it is WARM. Do Not Stir. You have to heat it up slowly, since high temperatures destroy the nutritious protein.
5. Remove from stove and place in a warm room for another 24 hours (again, next to the heating vent on the floor).
Day 3:
6. Place on the stove over medium/low heat UNCOVERED for 40 minutes or until hot (do not boil). The cheese will separate from the whey. Turn off the heat and let it sit covered for an hour (this helps for the curds to separate as well).
7. Place 4 layers of cheesecloth over a large colander set inside a large bowl.
8. Pour cheese mixture over the cheesecloth.
Here’s the Leftover whey. Refrigerate this stuff and use it for bread. There will be some settling on the bottom
9. You can tie a knot with your cheesecloth and hang it over your kitchen faucet for 8-10 hours OR place a cutting board either in a baking dish or in the sink. Put bag of cheese on top. Cover with another cutting board and place a heavy weight over the top (i.e. dutch oven filled with water or a large jug of water).
10. Remove cheese after 10 hours and make something tasty or refrigerate. You can let it sit longer if you want a drier cheese.
So, how do you make your cheese?
Farmer's Cheese Tvorog Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 gal whole milk at room temperature, organic is best
- 1/2 gallon Cultured lowfat buttermilk
What you will need:
- 4 layers of cheese cloth
Instructions
Time to make: 3 days
Day 1:
- Allow the milk gallon and buttermilk to come to room temperature on the counter (about 7 hours).
- Pour milk and buttermilk into a large soup pot. Cover and place in a warm (100˚ F) oven for 1 hour or until mixture feels luke warm.
- Remove from oven and place in a warm room and let it sit for 24 hours. When it's done, it should become the consistency of sweetened condensed milk. It pulls when you lift it up with a spoon and should not really stick to your spoon if you insert it vertically and remove it straight out. Do not stir.
Day 2:
- Place on the stove again over low heat, uncovered for 40 minutes or until it is warm. Do Not Stir. You have to heat it up slowly, since high temperatures destroy the nutritious protein.
- Remove from stove and place in a warm room for another 24 hours (again, next to the heating vent on the floor).
Day 3:
- Place on the stove over medium/low heat for 40 minutes or until hot (do not boil). The cheese will separate from the whey. Turn off the heat and let it sit covered for an hour (this helps for the curds to separate as well).
- Place 4 layers of cheesecloth over a large colander inside a large bowl.
- Pour cheese mixture over the cheesecloth. Tie the top of the cheesecloth and hang it over your kitchen faucet for 8-10 hours OR place a cutting board either in a baking dish or in the sink. Put bag of cheese on top. Cover with another cutting board and place a heavy weight over the top.
- Remove cheese after 12 hours and make something tasty or refrigerate. You can let it sit longer if you want a drier cheese.
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
I can’t thank you enough for this recipe! I am married to a Pole and my favorite Polish food is twarog. Sadly I can’t find it locally in the area we live so I tried several times over the years to make it using the quick method of adding vinegar to heated milk and buttermilk. The result was ok but never fully satisfying. I came across your recipe recently and decided to give it a try. I just enjoyed a breakfast with the most delicious homemade twarog on a piece of bread! The cheese is creamy and slightly tangy. I have to admit I didn’t follow the recipe EXACTLY. Instead of hearing it on a stove the second day I just put the pot in the oven, heated the oven for literally a minute then left the pot there for a couple of hours. I also hang the cheese up inside the cheese cloth to drain it instead of pressing it. But overall I used your long fermentation method. The result is a much more delicious cheese than what the acid method created, at least for me. This will be how I make twarog from now on. Doing the happy dance now! LOL Thank you!!!
Wow! Thank you! I’m so happy you love our recipes! Thank you so much for the fantastic review! I am smiling big reading your comment 🙂
Hi Natasha, thank you for the recipe! What can I do with all the whey? Im having a hard time finding a bread recipe that calls for it. Thank you!
Hi Yelena, Leftover whey is perfect for bread! Simply substitute water for whey and your bread will always taste better and it will be healthier since whey contains protein that is easy to digest.
Hi! I tried your recipe and the result was faaabulous!
Greetings from Patagonia.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Tvorog recipe with buttermilk is phenomenal. Tastes exactly like I would buy in the store in Riga, Latvia or homemade by my family. Being able to make it is just so nice and I am glad that this recipe was not complicated. 100% recommend !!!!!!! I always have the hardest time in America because of missing traditional food, and the main one was tvorog. Now that I am able to make it, I feel more at home than ever before. Thank you Natasha! I tried other recipes and with American ingredients being very different sometimes other recipes don’t work as well. This worked as it was supposed to and I am extremely pleased.
Awww that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me :). I’m all smiles!
Hi, I make this cheese often, but came across your method while searching. My method was simply putting everything in a pot cold, and allowing three days, then strain. Worked for a while till recently. Had to throw all that beautiful product away. I think I prefer your method. It worked well, and I assume it always will. I don’t like waste. So thank you for instructions and recipe.
You’re so welcome, Sandria! I’m so happy our method worked for you!
How long can this be stored in the refrigerator? Are there long-term storage methods?
Hi Ruth, I haven’t tested it’s limits just because we always consume it within 3-5 days. I would say at least a week and longer if you keep it in an airtight container with as little air as possible (since, as with all cheeses, air will cause it to spoil faster).
I grew up in a Ukranian home, we always had farmers cheese from Broadway Market in Buffalo, my mother used it for pirohi. I’m going to try this recipe, thank you.
My pleasure Olya, I hope you enjoy the recipe! Please let me know what you think.
I make tvorog by mixing milk and buttermilk without any waiting or warming up. The mixture takes 2-3 days to sour. I am wondering how warming up the milk before mixing changes the outcome.
Hi Lana, I haven’t tried your method so I can’t compare them but heating does help the curds to form.
I’m adding sour cream to slightly warm whole milk, and then place it in the warm oven. Next day warm oven again, leave there pot with milk for another day, and, finally, heat it on low until curds start forming. Strain cheese right away, when it is still hot, or do it later, when it is cold.
Will try buttermilk today.
Thank you for sharing your method!
You’re welcome Vira! Thanks for sharing your tips with other readers!
Hi Natasha, can you please tell me why you use fat free butermilk and not the 3.25 % buttermilk?
Hi Tim, you can use a buttermilk with a higher fat content. It will still work well 🙂
Hi Natasha, I can’t really understand it says it takes 38 total hours to make it, how is that possible if you need to set it for 24 hrs and then again for 24 hrs, and then 10 hours, that’s already more then 50 hours…? Please reply ASAP! Thank you.
Hi Valentina, you are correct! It does come to a total of 56 hours or just shy of 3 days. We are switching to a different print-friendly format soon which will have a spot for “waiting” time and will be much more clear on recipes like this. I updated the print-friendly to reflect what is in the instructions above.
Natasha,
Hello again. I am doing Tvorog (again). I am confused about this process (again) but I am determined to figure this out. Left Milk and Buttermilk unopened on counter for 7 hours. Then opened both and mixed it in a pot and left for 24 hours. Then heated it up for 40 minutes on med-low heat. At thsi point the mixture looked done. Tvorog was separating from the whey. I still waited 24 hours and am now heating it up again for 40 minutes. Could I have eaten it after the 24 hours and not waited another 24? What are your thoughts? It feels like I am doing something wrong.
Hi Anna, it sounds like you are heating at too high of heat the first time – it should just get to a warm temperature (not hot) after it sits for the first 24 hours. Since different stove tops may vary, I changed the instructions there to just say “low” heat rather than medium/low. If you over heat it, the cheese will form and it could have been drained at that point – it won’t hurt to continue with the process until the end though 🙂 Oh and one more thing – warm on the stove uncovered or you trap heat in the pot and it heats up too quickly.
Natasha,
Hi. I am here to bother you about TVOROG. I think I bothered you before. I poured Butter Milk and Milk into a pot last nigh. This morning I had no place to put this milk pot so I put it into an oven after I finised baking popovers. Oven was still very warm. Now I look at it (3 PM) and the top has a thick layer and underneath is water. Am I done? Should I wait 24 more hours and then heat it one final time or should I heat it up tonight, wait 24 then heat again. Or did I mess this up. Thanks!
Hi Anna, it sounds like you sped the process up by heating on too high of heat for a long period of time. If you see the cheese is well separated from the whey, you can proceed to the end of the recipe and squeeze it with the cheesecloth.
I’ve read some recipes that say tvorog can be made in 25 minutes. And they use vinegar instead of buttermilk.
Do you know anything about this method and if it tastes the same?
I’ve made the three day recipe once, and it was delicious. But making it in 25 minutes would be nice and fast.
Hi Alisha, there are quick methods like you are describing but we always use the long method. Allowing the cheese to form slowly, rather than speeding through the process, makes for a sweeter cheese. The flavor is better when you given more time 🙂
Growing up, my mom always made tvorog that way. She would heat a gallon of milk on the stovetop just until it was about to boil and then she added a half gallon of buttermilk and let it separate and squeezed it out when it was cooled down. I’ve watched her do it many times and always loved the outcome but have been too scared to try it myself yet. I’m going to visit them in a couple weeks and maybe I’ll finally give it a go with my mom there to troubleshoot the process haha
Thank you for sharing that with us, Svetlana! I hope you try that soon!
I did some tests with milk to buttermilk ratio and found that I only need 1 cup for 1/2 gallon of milk. Increasing quantity of milk does not make a lot more cheese. You’ll get more cheese if you make two 1/2 gallon pots of milk rather than 1 whole gallon at a time. I make mine a little differently. I let it sit on the counter for ~ 48 hrs after adding milk and buttermilk . The longer it stays the more sour it is, instead of bland flavor. Afterwards I cook it on low setting (electric stove setting 2) for 3 hrs. Here too the longer it cooks, the drier the cheese. This also depends on the brand of buttermilk. Some cause the milk to sour into thicker consistency, some thinner. So you can adjust cooking to your preferred result ( spreadable or thicker cheese) by increasing time by 1/2 hour intervals or slight temperatures increase. Afterwards leave the cheese to cool to room temperature ( leave in the pot). After the cooling time elapsed I use a pot with colander ( small steamer pot works great), place cheesecloth into colander and drain the cheese. Once most of the whey drains and is discarded, you can place the pot into the fridge to continue to drain and cool overnight.
Great tips Ann! Thanks for sharing them with other readers!
Natasha if you use the left over whey for any othet recipes other than the bread can you please share them with us? 🙂
Thanks!
Hi Inna, I have only used it in bread. It might be a good liquid for workout smoothies since it’s packed with protein. There are loads of resources online though, like this one for example which will give you some great ideas.
I use leftover whey for “buttermilk pancakes” and just substitute the buttermilk with it. Sooo delicious!! Make sure you let your batter sit at room temp for 20 min before you fry. Best pancakes ever♡
Great tips Lina, thanks for sharing!
Natasha,
For how long can it be stored in refrigerator?
Hi Rita, I haven’t tested it’s limits just because we always consume it within 3-5 days. I would say at least a week and longer if you keep it in an airtight container with as little air as possible (since, as with all cheeses, air will cause it to spoil faster).
We have a Ukrainian exchange student for the year so this recipe is very important to us. As the first day is ending, it looks like milk with a layer on top but not the consistency of condensed milk. Should we wait another 24 hours or proceed to the next step? We did have room temperature ingredients at the start.
Hi Nicole, did you warm it at the temp and time stated in the recipe? How is the texture right now? Does it pull when you lift it up with a spoon and when you put a spoon into it vertically and remove it straight out does it stick to the spoon or slide right off? That is the consistency you should get. If it’s close to the way I described, it should be safe to proceed 🙂
Yes we warmed it up and then let it rest. Right now, when I stick in a spoon, there is a decent layer of thickness on the surface but under is still liquid. Should I just proceed with the warming of it as listed on day 2?
Hi Nicole, you should proceed as listed for day 2 🙂
Help!! I started making this recipe yesterday and, today (Day 2), accidentally let the mixture get to boiling after getting distracted. Who knows how long it’s been simmering?! I basically plan on treating this as if it were Day 3, where you bring the mixture to “hot” lol. Do you think I still have a chance of salvaging this, or is it, “Kaput”? 🙂
*First name! ugh; sorry!
Hi Mariya, I think you could treat it like it was day 2 unless it was really strongly boiling and changed color. That happened to us once after forgetting about it (we have a second stove top in the garage so it’s easy to forget!), and it changed to an orangy color and was kaput at that point. If it looks white and separates well from the whey, it is still salvageable and useable.
It definitely separated and turned out pretty well for the first try! Thank you for sharing this and I will certainly try it again, and this time with the leftover whey instead of butttermilk. I hope that it works! Thank you again. 🙂
Hi Mariya, I’m so glad to hear that! I have never tried it with leftover whey – not sure if that will have the correct properties to help form the cheese though. Have you seen anyone else try with success? I just haven’t seen it before.
I have tried it on someone else’s advise, and I used the outside method since I live in AZ too. It works! I saved 1/2 gal of whey in the buttermilk container and keep reusing it! (Sort of)
It worked with the whey, like Olga said! I thought it wouldn’t, since it was coming out much more liquid-y (but still separated), but that’s only because I’d messed it up the first time and this was a big contrast to the drier curds from that batch. Since I thought the curds were too loose, I ended up throwing away the whey in frustration, but then it strained great overnight. I will start again with the buttermilk, but then will keep on re-using the whey from the subsequent batches. 🙂 Same 2-to-1 milk-to-whey ratio. 🙂
Thank you for sharing!!
Hi Natasha,
My way of making tvorog is very simple because I’m fortunate to live in Arizona)) With our summer heat I just place my pot with the milk on the patio for 2 days! (Of course, it is properly sealed with the plastic wrap). When I take it out, I just need to use a simple mesh strainer (the thickness of cheese is good enough for not using a cheese cloth). If I want my tvorog to be more tender I only have it outside for 1 day (24 hrs), and I do 72 hrs if I want it to be more sour and hard.
Oh wow! That’s a great benefit of living in extreme heat! Thanks for sharing your tips/suggestions with other readers!
Masha, do you mix the milk with the buttermilk or just leave the milk itself outside without it? I have found before that “American” milk spoils and smells bad rather than becomes the way it used to be when we were little (the whey separating from the rest), and I don’t know if its because it was homogenized? Any thoughts? Thank you!
Olga, yes, for the very first batch I do use buttermilk, but when I already have the milk whey separated from tvorog, I use some of this whey to run a new batch instead of buttermilk. And yes, I agree, “American” milk do smells and tastes different from “Russian” milk (and not only when it spoils). I’m not sure if it is because it was homogenized or if it’s because the cows were fed differently…
wow, i live in AZ too! I need to try this since its summer now