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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.
Hey Natasha! I am excited to try out this recipe, but before I do, you mention using the leftover whey for bread. Do you have a recipe for this type of bread? Just curious because I wouldn’t want to waste anything 🙂 Thank you in advance!
You can use it in my no knead or my Dutch oven bread. You simply replace the water with the whey and it works great! You can use whey in many different bread recipes replacing water equally.
Thank you Natasha! Really appreciate you getting back to me so quickly! Excited to try both recipes out! Thanks again!!
My pleasure Kristina!
If it is difficult to find a warm spot to let the cheese sit, would placing it in the oven with the oven light left on work? I used this method to make yogurt and it worked well.
I made your blueberry cake with the bluberries in the centre and on top. It was wonderful–nice and moist.
Hi Marilyn, yes that would work fine to leave it in the oven with the light on. I’m so glad you enjoyed the blueberry cake! It’s quickly become one of the most popular desserts on my blog 🙂
Hi, Natasha, Thank you so much for posting your clear directions for farmer’s cheese; the photos are very helpful!
A question – I have noticed that your recipe differs from the many others I have seen online by your Step 2, where after the milk has cultured, you warm it again and leave it for an Additional 24 hours. If you have any insight as to the difference the extra day makes, I would appreciate learning about it. Thanks very much!!!
Hi Lori, 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 🙂
Hi Natasha,
I am in the process of making the tvorog using organic milk and kefir (I didn’t have buttermilk). I have done the 1st heating in the oven and it has sat for almost 24 hours in a warm room. It is already sepating and looks nothing like your picture or sweetened condensed milk. Should I continue? Do you have any thoughts on what I did wrong? Thanks!
Were your two ingredients at room temperature? If not, you may just need to let it sit a little longer until it reaches the right consistency. It won’t hurt to let it rest longer until it reaches the consistency I described in the recipe.
Thank you for responding! Yes, I did have the 2 ingredients at room temperature. I didn’t stir them together when I first poured them into the pot though. Should I have? Perhaps that is where I went wrong? Also, I should have waited for your response before I did anything, but I was afraid that the tvorog would go bad, so I went ahead and heated it for 40 minutes last night. It’s resting again now, but still looks about the same.
It should still be ok to continue, even if you left the cheese an extra day, it would still be fine :).
Amazon sells Nut Milk bags for making almond milk etc. They are a very fine mesh fabric that works much better than muslin, cheese cloth, pillowcases or even jelly bags used for home canning. Nut Milk bags are durable, don’t stain and are really easy to clean. I don’t work for the company, I just wanted to share a really good product.
Good to know Wendy, thank you for sharing!
What else can i use instead of buttermilk because in Macedonia we don’t have that product?
You can substitute with kefir if you have that or try this Greek yogurt version of Farmer Cheese.
hi, I was wondering which one of the tvorag do you like better, I do see you have 2 . which one is your favorite?
Hi Karolina, they are equally good and I make whichever one I have ingredients for when I need it. The one with buttermilk is less expensive to make which is always nice 🙂
I have buttermilk that is 3.5 milkfat…will it work? I’m in a process of making it now
Hi Karolina, that should work fine 🙂
it turned out!! thanks so much for the recipe 😘
Awesome!! I’m so happy to hear that 🙂
Hi Natasha, I made this cheese and now I would like to add it to my crepes. How would I go about sweeting the cheese. My mother used to add one egg I belive, some vanilla extract and sugur. But I don’t know the exact recipe, I wouldnt want to mess it up. Please help.
Hi Lydia, yes you would add egg, sugar and vanilla to make it work for crepes :). I don’t have an exact recipe written down for this because I usually make my crepes with cottage cheese and cream cheese. I would suggest adding sugar to taste followed by a splash of vanilla and finally the egg so you don’t have to taste it once the egg is in.
I use Eagle brand sweetened condensed milk and mix it with the cheese, when serving. Taste great with some berries in it. Yum!
Yum! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Hi Natasha, should the milk be expired for this? Or can it be expired to make it?
Hi Erica, I wouldn’t risk using expired milk for food safety reasons, especially if it has an off odor or consistency to it before you start.
Natasha, thanks s lot for such a good tvorog receipe. My tvorog came out too dry (not moist as you may buy at farmer’s markets back to Ukraine or Russia). Have I done something wrong? Also, you mentioned to heat on day 3 over medium heat. I tried to keep that but it almodt bolied, so I reduced temp. Thanks. Oksana
Hi Oksana, you do have to watch it on the third heating and turn it off before it boils. It’s ready when the curd separates from the whey as shown in the photo. I updated that step to clarify that. Part of why it may be dry is you may have squeezed out too much moisture (i.e. having too heavy of a press for too long). I sure hope that helps for next time! 🙂
So excited I found this! When I was a kid, we made tvorog allll the time, but since prices have gone up for milk my family had to stop.
Now that I’m married I’m trying to re-create recipes I grew up with. Can’t wait to make this!
We used to mix garlic, dill, and salt in with the tvorog and use it as a spread on bread. SO delicious! And when toasted it melts divinely 🙂
I just love how food can bring back some great memories from the childhood 😄. I never used tvorog as a spread before but I’m curious now.
Hi Natasha.
How do you use whey for making bread?
Thank you.
You just use whey instead of water. I replace it in equal amounts. So if a recipe calls for 2 cups water, I use 2 cups whey instead.
Hey Natasha thank you for the tvorog instructions mine turned out wonderful. I just have a question. The whey liquid you Said we can use it for bread, does that mean when making bread instead of water you can use that stuff?
Yes, just use the whey instead of water in equal parts. 🙂
I make tvorog exactly the same way except it takes me only 2 days (or 1 night and 1 day). Pour milk and buttermilk in a pot (I use the one from my slow cooker) and leave it overnight at room temperature. When the consistency changes next morning I turn the slow cooker on for 1 hour. After pour it on cheese cloth and the rest is the same.
Svetlana, thank you for sharing your version with us 😀.
Hi Natasha,
Can I use kefir instead of buttermilk? I make my own kefir (from organic non-homogenized milk and kefir grains) and I know it subs for buttermilk in a lot of recipes so I was wondering if it would be good here, especially because I know there are some tvorog recipes that use sour cream instead of buttermilk to culture the milk. If so, would it still be the same amount of kefir? Thanks!
Hi Ellie, I haven’t tried it with kefir but I think it would work well with kefir. It might taste even better than buttermilk! I’ve also made this with Greek yogurt and sour cream with great results.
Our family loves farmers cheese, I’m just wondering how long will this typically keep in the fridge? Thanks from your Canadian-Ukranian fans.
Hi Amber, 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).
Will try your method next time, I got a recipe from a lady who makes cottage cheese (tvorog) for over 30-40 years now. Her method is much simpler. You just have to mix 1 gallon organic (or not) whole milk with 1 quart whole buttermilk and 2 tablespoonful sour cream. Place it inside the oven or the warmest place in your house for 2 days. On the 2nd day just give it a gentle stir – i guess to get the air/bubbles out. On the 3rd day turn on the oven to 350C and warm your cheese for 30 minutes. Turn off the oven and let the cheese sit in the oven for another 10-20 minutes so you wont drain a very hot cheese. Drain, hang and let it drip overnight. I have a small white pillow case for this. It drains really well, much easier to tie (gives you a clearer whey) then hang on the kitchen cabinet knob. I make it once a week, use it for everthing – salads, crepe filling, pancake topping (with sour cream and jam) cottage cheesecake and use it to make hard n soft cheese. Nothing beats the real thing! 🙂
Thank you for sharing! I love the idea of using a clean pillow case. I’ve used a fine mesh laundry bag that zips (one that I only use for food ofcourse ;)) and it worked wonderfully well 🙂
Hello Natasha, in the first step on day 2 you use the term “warm”, and in the first step on day 3 you use the term “hot”. Could you be more specific about these temperatures? I want to use my oven for these steps rather than my gas stove top to get even heat and to avoid scorching the bottom of the culture, and I’m concerned that if I don’t get it hot enough the recipe won’t work, and if I get it too hot, I’ll kill the milk cultures and again it won’t work. I’m sure with a little experience I’ll be able to wing it, but this will be my first try at it.
Thanks!
Hi Dave, just warm is about 90 degrees but not more than 100 degrees F. Hot is when it’s too hot to touch – you’ll see steam start to rise but you don’t want it to boil. It needs to be hot for the cheese to separate from the whey and you will see it separate as in the photo where you can see the border of whey around the outer edges of the cheese.
Thank you Natasha – that’s what I needed to know. I finished it this afternoon and, according to my wife Vika who’s from Ukraine, it turned out great.
That’s wonderful! I’m so happy to hear that 🙂 Thanks for sharing your great review! 🙂
Hi Natasha, can I offer another tip here and save you an extra 24 hrs? After your milk and buttermilk gets thick after the first 24 hrs I usually use the oven method instead of cook top. I take a spoon and cut the curd by making a Plus sign all the way down the pot carefully with out disturbing the mixture.. Then I place it in a 250F oven for 2.5 hrs with no lid on. Done. Let cool then proceed as usual with the draining process. May I recommend a muslin cloth instead of a cheese cloth also. I also use about 2 c worth of buttermilk or sour cream, no need to use as much as half a gallon. Good luck.
Thanks for sharing your method! I was surprised that the cheese cloth I ordered was almost like muslin – it was so easy to work with. My former cheese cloth was cheap and needed 4 layers to do the job and even that wasn’t amazing but this one is awesome with just 2 layers!
Have you tried using raw milk? Do you think it’s safe to eat for children?
Thanks!
From what I understand, raw milk is not recommended for children for food safety reasons. My mom used raw milk when she made this cheese in Ukraine and she said that it sours quickly and you don’t even need any buttermilk if using raw milk.
my all family have been using raw milk for 2 years for absolutely everything . my nephew now 4 so he grow up on raw milk . more natural nutrition . I make my own yogurt from raw milk and it is amazing !!! if you drank and you were fine from that raw milk it is very good for your kids !!! we searched for raw milk for 12 years since we came to US . finally thank God we founded . I thought my all family was lactose intolerant but no we were just BS intolerant !!!
That’s so interesting and thank you for sharing! Did your family have digestive issues with regular store-bought milk which cleared up with raw milk?
I too have used raw milk for years and make my own yogurt. I did your yogurt Farmer’s Cheese version (without the sour cream) and did it in the Instant Pot yogurt setting, then let set out for 1-2 days (I forget- sorry)(just check it)(and my raw milk was over a week old, thus getting soured already). It turned out great! I will now do this all the time with leftover milk. I’m looking for more recipes to use the cheese in.
I also used the whey in making no-knead bread. I hardly mix together the whey, yeast (or sourdough starter), flour and salt. Let rise on counter till it pretty much doubles in size, then refrigerate the dough for 1-2 days before using the dough. Take only what’s needed for a small loaf, or pizza crust, or crackers … and bake, leaving dough in fridge for using more later. It can remain there 1-2 weeks.