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Homemade farmers cheese (tvorog) is easy to make. Farmer cheese is truly lovely and once you try it, you’ll want to keep a constant supply in your refrigerator. We had always made this cheese with buttermilk but my Mom-in-law came discovered it works really well with Greek yogurt.
The cheese takes a few days to form but it happens in the background while you go on with your life. The timeline is also pretty forgiving and you can bend it to what works with your schedule. For example, the recipe says 24 hours but if you let it sit for 18 hours or 30 hours, everything will still work out. I’ve seen speed setting cheese methods online but I have found this (my Mom’s method) to have the best flavor and texture.
It is difficult to come by tvorog cheese in American supermarkets and when you do find it, it can be fairly spendy. Fresh, homemade is always better and I know the quality of ingredients that went into this. With organic milk and the Greek yogurt, I spent about $11 to make around 8 to 9 cups of farmer’s cheese.
What do we use this for? Check out the yummy recipes at the bottom of this post and I have 2 new ones coming soon so stay tuned!
Ingredients for Farmers Cheese:
1 gallon whole milk (preferably organic), room temp*
35 oz (large tub) full fat Greek yogurt, room temp*
2 Tbsp sour cream
*Bring milk and Greek yogurt to room temp by leaving them on the counter 4 – 6 hours.
*Click here to learn how to make cheese using buttermilk and whole milk.
How to Make Farmers Cheese Day 1:
1. In a large stainless steel pot, whisk together 1 gallon milk, 35 oz Greek yogurt and 2 Tbsp sour cream. Cover and place in a warm 100˚F oven for 1 hour until luke-warm. (For many ovens, the lowest temp setting is 170˚F, so if that is the case for you, keep an eye on the mixture and take it out of the oven as soon as it’s just warm).
2. Place the covered pot in a warm room for 24 hours (I put it next to a heating vent on the floor). When it’s done, it should become the consistency of sweetened condensed milk and pulls when you lift it up with a spoon. DO NOT STIR.
Farmers Cheese Day 2:
1. Place on the stove and heat again over low heat for 40 minutes or until warm. DO NOT STIR. Heat it slowly, since high temperatures destroy the nutritious protein and good bacteria. Remove from stove and place in a warm room for another 24 hours. It should be consistency of regular yogurt.
Farmers Cheese Day 3:
1. Place on the stove over medium/low heat 40 minutes or until hot. 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).
2. Place 2 layers of very fine mesh cheesecloth over a large colander set inside a large bowl. Pour cheese mixture over cheesecloth. Keep the leftover liquid – this is called whey – refrigerate it and use instead of water for making the best bread you’ve ever had!
3. Tie a knot with your cheesecloth and now it’s important to squeeze out excess liquid. Place a cutting board either in a baking dish or in the sink. Place tied bag of cheese on top. Set another cutting board on the cheese and place a heavy weight over the top (i.e. a heavy cast iron pot or a large jug of water) and let stand 8-10 hours.
Farmers Cheese Day 4:
Unwrap your cheese and it’s ready to enjoy! Refrigerate if not using right away. Here are some of our favorite farmers cheese recipes and I have 2 more really really good ones coming soon!
Farmers Cheese with Greek Yogurt (Tvorog)
Ingredients
- 1 gallon whole milk, preferably organic, room temp*
- 35 oz large tub full fat Greek yogurt, room temp*
- 2 Tbsp sour cream
Instructions
How to Make Farmers Cheese Day 1:
- In a large stainless steel pot, whisk together 1 gallon milk, 35 oz Greek yogurt and 2 Tbsp sour cream. Cover and place in a warm 100˚F oven for 1 hour until luke-warm. (For many ovens, the lowest temp setting is 170˚F, so if that is the case for you, keep an eye on the mixture and take it out of the oven as soon as it's just warm).
- Place the covered pot in a warm room for 24 hours (I put it next to a heating vent on the floor). When it’s done, it should become the consistency of sweetened condensed milk and pulls when you lift it up with a spoon. DO NOT STIR.
Farmers Cheese Day 2:
- Place on the stove and heat again over low heat for 40 minutes or until warm. DO NOT STIR. Heat it slowly, since high temperatures destroy the nutritious protein. Remove from stove and place in a warm room for another 24 hours. It should be consistency of regular yogurt.
Farmers Cheese Day 3:
- Place on the stove over medium/low heat 40 minutes or until hot. 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). DO NOT STIR.
- Place 2 layers of very fine mesh cheesecloth over a large colander set inside a large bowl. Pour cheese mixture over cheesecloth. Keep the leftover liquid - this is called whey - refrigerate it and use instead of water for making the best bread you've ever had!
- Tie a knot with your cheesecloth. To squeeze out excess liquid, place a cutting board either in a baking dish or in the sink. Place tied bag of cheese on top. Set another cutting board on the cheese and place a heavy weight over the top (i.e. a heavy cast iron pot or a large jug of water) and let stand 8-10 hours.
Farmers Cheese Day 4:
- Unwrap your cheese and it's ready to enjoy! Refrigerate if not using right away. Here are some of our favorite farmers cheese recipes and I have 2 more really really good ones coming soon!
Notes
*Click here to learn how to make cheese using buttermilk and whole milk.
Note on Nutrition Label: The nutrition label is a rough estimate per cup of cheese. It's difficult to calculate the true nutrition label since the label accounts for all of the ingredients whereas when the cheese is made, the whey is separated from the cheese.
Nutrition Per Serving
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
Our favorite Farmer’s Cheese Recipes:
1. Farmers Cheese and Chocolate Cake
2. Ukrainian Cheese Pancakes (Syrniki)
3. Donut Holes (Ponchiki with Cheese) – scrumptious!
4. And finally, here’s the recipe for making farmers cheese with buttermilk (it’s a little less expensive to make and also tastes great!)
Q: Are you a farmer’s cheese super-fan? I’d love to know what you make with Farmers cheese. I’m always on the look out for creative ways to use it!
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Would ULTRA PASTEURIZED organic milk work or does it have to be just pasterized?
Hi Tatiana, that may work, but consider it may impact texture, flavor, and ultra pasteurized milk may take a tad longer to form curds. You also may need to adjust the acid with ultra pasteurized milk. I hope that helps.
Help please! I decided to make tvarog with half a gallon instead of a full gallon of milk also we keep our home quite cool, so I kept the milk yogurt mixture in the turned off oven overnight. This morning (day 2) I heated it up very slowly for about 30 minutes and noticed that the whey was already starting to separate. Is this a problem. Do I proceed as planned and let it sit for another day, or did I inadvertently speed up the process and now just need to heat some more and strain?
Hi Mayya, it is not a problem if you start seeing this happening. Just proceed as usual.
Should the why be clear? Or milky? What if it’s too milky, can I save it?
Hi Jenny! You should see the cheese distinctly separated from the clear yellow-ish liquid (whey). The only thing to do in this case would be to put it back on the heat for it to get hot enough to separate.
I remember a snack that I would get more often that I should have while living in Russia 10+ years ago. It was a slightly sweet curd that had been dipped in chocolate and sometimes had a biscuit/cookie base with jam as well. I want to say it was called tvorg. Is that something that could be done with this cheese?
I’m honestly not sure, I have not tested that to advise
I did a bit more research, and what I’m thinking of is called syrok. It is made with tvorog cheese. I found a couple of recipes and am going to give it try soon.
Thanks
Natasha, do you know by chance what would the fat content (like tvorog can be 2.5%, 5% and etc) of it?
Not so much for nutrition value but sometimes receipies call for a certain type … thank you!
Hi Alena, I tried running the nutrition label on this recipe but some disclaimers on that: The nutrition label is a rough estimate per cup of cheese. It’s difficult to calculate the true nutrition label since the label accounts for all of the ingredients whereas when the cheese is made, the whey is separated from the cheese.
So excited to make this! Does it have to be in a stainless steel pot or can I use a nonstick one? I have a regular black nonstick that I use for everything but if it’s stainless steel only I’ll buy one for this purpose!! Love творог!
Hi Lena, it’s best in a stainless steel pot, but nonstick may work. Since you will stir a lot in the pot, you may damage the nonstick coating, so ensure to use tools that are sage to wisk and mix in a nonstick pot. I hope you love this recipe!
Your recipe said 35 oz of greek yogurt? It comes in 32 oz containers so should it be 35 oz or 32 oz?
Hi Patty! Yes, 35oz is correct. In my pictures above, you’ll see I used 2 containers that were 17.6 oz. 🙂
Ok it was late and we live very rural and did not want to drive into town to get more yogurt 😀😀😀so I did the math and removed 6 oz milk so the 32 oz of yogurt would work. It looks great so far!
The cheese came out perfect! I ended up using 32 oz of yogurt and reduced the milk by 6 0z. Its wonderful! Nice and firm and crumbly!
Natasha, you’re the best. How long can you keep the whey? I make this cheese often for many things. This cheese makes a delicious cheese cake.
Hi Gennie, I haven’t maxed it out myself, but I have read that it can be stored for up to 6 months in the refrigerator.
Hi Natasha,
Thanks for the recipe, I make pierogi with farmer cheese and herbs
That sounds amazing!
i don’t know if i missed it, but how much farmer’s cheese does it make – 16oz? more? less? and can it be frozen to use a next time? thankyou!
I didn’t measure or weigh it but it makes about 9 cups. I’ve never tried freezing it. I even asked my Mother and she hasn’t experimented in the freezer. If you try it, let me know how it goes! 🙂
I finally decided to make it. It came out great! I will use it to make blintzes. My family can’t wait. I will also use your crepe recipe, since it looks so easy. I have used so many of your recipes and they all come out as winners.
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Kathy! I hope everyone loves it!