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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!
Day 2 cheese is now on the stove for the 40 min low heat. So far looks good.
Hooray! I hope you love it! 🙂
I will be trying my hand at making two batches of this version of tvorog beginning this Saturday, and interestingly enough… will be driving it down to Idaho once finished. My husband had the wise idea of “just” ordering it from you rather than making my own since you live in the old hood. Truth be told, I have never personally eaten tvorog or touched it for that matter. Is it the consistency of cottage cheese or is it more dry? I am wondering because I don’t know how to store it; does it require crumbling prior to moving it a container?
Ha ha the “old hood” It is similar to cottage cheese but it is much more dry and crumbly. The consistency is similar to feta cheese but the flavor is closer to cottage cheese except slightly tangier. I hope you love it!
Uh oh… I went to strain my cheese last night and it all went through the 4 layers of cheese cloth I had laid out in my colander. The cheese was just too runny… my first thought was that our house wasn’t warm enough for the magic to happen so I stuck it on the stove and continued to warm the cheese after reading a few other methods online. Any tips on how I can salvage this? I will be throwing out two batches otherwise… And showing up at my in law’s place with NO CHEESE. =(
Hi Kitti, I suggest putting the cheese back on the stove and heat until hot and almost to a simmer. The curds should separate from the whey. Also, is your cheese cloth a fine mesh or does it have large holes? You may just need a couple of extra layers if it is going through it. Not all cheese cloth is created equal. I used to need 4 layers with the one I used awhile back and the one I use now (see link in post above) only requires 2 layers because it is so tightly woven.
Womp. Womp. Womp… Only one batch worked out for me. Left it to sit an extra night and it almost looked like a solid mass in the whey. The other pot I had disturbed while trying to strain prematurely did not form a solid at all and looks chunky/curdled… This is where I call in the big guns… Help me mama! Hopefully mama can figure it out or I’ll get rid of it. Thanks for the speedy replies Natasha! I appreciate you being so attentive to the comments left on your blog.
Thanks Kitti, we try! Some days comments can be overwhelming but we do our best to provide timely replies 🙂
I make a similar cheese 1 gal Whole Milk warmed to180* F , cooled to 110*F Add 1 Small Plain yogurt With Live Cultures ,Put into clean Large Mason Jars [2 Large] Place into Oven with light on ,leave for 12 Hrs. { DO NOT DISTURB } DURING PROCESS after 12 Hrs remove put into Colander lined with cotton dish towel ,Put weights onto it ,place in Fridge for 1DAY . The longer in fridge the drier it will be .I’ve done this several times works great ! Hope this helps
Thank you for sharing your method!
Hi Natasha, so I’m on day 4 trying to fit all this cheese and squeeze it out :0 My whey doesn’t all clear yellow and has a lot of white to it.. I’m not sure if it’s because not all the milk turned into cheese or what.. You mention not to stir, so I noticed that the bottom part of the mass has a pink tint to it and I was wondering if it’s because it slightly got warmer then the rest because it was at the bottom. Also, how can you be sure if all your ingredients were fresh that at the end of this process you won’t get food poisoning.. I’m pregnant and got so excited to make my own cheese but now I’m a little nervous…
Thank you!!!
Hi Rita, the pink on the bottom was most likely due to overheating the pot and having some of it scorch to the bottom. What are you using to strain the cheese? If cheese cloth, what brand and how many layers? It makes a difference what product you use. I hope that helps!
My husbands mom makes her own cottage cheese as well, her recipe is a little different but just as good. She makes cottage cheese dough. We then roll the dough in organic sugar and bake it. Taste amazing. Thank you for sharing all your amazing recipes.
Wow that does sound really good! Could you share the recipe? I would love to try it!
It’s a cheese dough with 2 cups flour .1 and half cups cottage cheese. 1 cup butter pinch salt.we roll it in cinnamon and wh sugar.yum.cinnam twist we call it.google. “Mennonite girls can cook.com cheese dough” and look at images and you’ll find it with a little time
Twarog makes great lazy pierogi.
Natasha, thank you for the recipe! My first time making it and I enjoyed making tvorog following your recipe =) I had a had a gallon of milk from Amish and i wanted to put it to a good use, and it turned out great!! I will post a picture on instagram and ill #you =)
I have some sirovotka left, not sure what to use it for, any ideas/recipes?
Hi Nina! I’m so happy you liked it! 🙂 Thank you for sharing that on Instagram. That’s awesome of you! I use the sirovatka (whey) for making bread. Use the whey instead of water and you will have the softest bread you’ve ever tried 🙂
My favorite use for farmer’s cheese is Cheese Paska…delicious!
Here is an example, though you may have made already!
http://www.food.com/recipe/russian-easter-cheese-paska-219557
My husband mentioned that to me but I’ll be honest the thought of 6 raw eggs left out sounds a little scary but that was my only hesitation. Have you tried the recipe you linked? Maybe one day I’ll be brave and give it a whirl 🙂
Honestly, I have never gotten the farmer’s cheese paska recipe to work right…it always seems a bit grainy! I’ve used a different recipe that uses cream cheese to cheat 😉 http://www.lenten-season.com/sirnahya-paska/
Other women at my church have made it was farmer’s cheese though – and it is delicious! It seems like something that works best if you learned from your mom, from her mom, etc. etc 🙂
I haven’t tried this recipe, but it uses boiled eggs instead of raw. If you try it out, I’d love to hear whether it tastes as good as the real thing!
http://www.cooks.com/recipe/5w7tw2dn/easy-cheese-paska.html
Thanks for sharing! When making farmers cheese, have you tried it using my method or do you use a quick cheese method? I have found that the slow process works well every time and I’ve never had a grainy batch.
fresh eggs a farm would be much safer sitting out than store bought. just find a reputable person with eggs for sale…if the eggs are fairly clean you’re usually good to go. fresh eggs can sit out at room temp for about 2 weeks sometimes more without going bad.
my great aunt from Ukraine made farmers cheese just by taking raw milk and letting sit in a warm place for about 3 days.
Thanks Terra! My mom has fresh eggs and I didn’t realize they were ok to sit out at room temperature that long – I still think that would make me nervous. My mom and pretty much everyone in Ukraine would make this cheese from raw milk back in the day. My mom said you don’t even need the yogurt if it is raw milk because it will turn sour much faster so you don’t have to add anything to it.
Eggs have a protective coating that keep them fresh. So don’t wash them until you’re ready to use them. 🙂
~another Natasha
I didn’t know that! Thanks for sharing! 🙂
Try using Easyo. a packeted powder available at all good supermarkets. Made in 12 hours approx.
I’ve never heard of it. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Natasha, I’m just curious…have you ever made homemade yogurt before? I’ve always wanted to try but the process of it seems a bit intimidating to me for some reason.
I haven’t. It’s so easy and inexpensive that I’ve never really even thought about it. I’m sure it’s probably fairly simple but I don’t have a recipe posted.
Hello Natasha, I always make tvorog from 2gal,1% milk+ 0.5 cup of sour crème+ 2cups fresh water. Its also so good. I will try yours. Thanks. Be bless.
Thank you so much for sharing!
Wow looks really way good and with greek yogurt how very interesting might wanna give it a shot love farmers cheese every time I eat it I always think of my late maternal grandmother may she rip brings back childhood memories
That is the best when food bring great memories from childhood. That’s so great!
Hello Natasha, I love your recipes! One question with this one, what would the ratios be to make 2 cups. It’s just me and my husband, it would be very wasteful for me to make 8 cups of cheese.
Thank you! Yana
Hi Yana, it does hold really well in the fridge and for the amount of time that it takes to make it, we always make the full batch. The easiest way to cut down on the recipe would be to cut the ingredients in half and make 4 cups.
This is really neat, Natasha. I like how you break down the steps. I usually don’t need step-by-step photos, but it really helps with something like this. I’m sure others feel the same! I’ve never made my own cheese. The process looks fascinating and you make it sound very straightforward. Pinning (as usual lol). Hope you’re having a great weekend! 🙂
Thank you Natasha for the comment and for pinning 😀.
Yes, please make a video of the making of farmer cheese.
Thank you
Thank yo for the tip! It’s an easy recipe to make but difficult to film because it needs to be over the course of several days. I’ll see if we can come up with a creative way.
This is very like the “bakers cheese” that my Gran used to make. She used it it peleminis. Once made put them in boiling water, when they rose to the top drain & eat them covered in butter. Not the healthiest, but the yummiest. I have a lot of trouble buying this cheese, so thank you for this receipe!!!
You are welcome Jill, I hope you’ll give it a try 😀.
Cant wait to try your mom’s recipe. I love homemade farmer’s cheese! I usually use organic buttermilk and sour cream. Do you think plain yogurt will do? I use homemade farmer’s cheese for zapekanka with raisins!
I haven’t tried it with plain yogurt but I do think it would work to create the cheese. I would recommend a full fat plain yogurt if using. If you try it, let me know what you think 🙂
Hi Cher,
I use plain yogurt (e.g., Trader Joe’s organic European-style yogurt) and the cheese I make tastes great. Good luck!
You said it has a similar texture to ricotta, so do you think you could use it in lasagne? Does it melt? Also, how long will it keep?
Hi Laura, to be honest I haven’t tried it in lasagna. It doesn’t really melt like cottage cheese does. If you test it out, let me know how you liked it in lasagna. I think it’s worth an experiment but keep in mind it is a little dryer than ricotta so you may need slightly more milk in the cheese mixture if using for lasagna.
Have you tried twarog using 1 gal milk, 1/2 gal buttermilk and 2 T vinigar, Takes about half hour then pour the curds in a cheesecloth and let drip
Hi Jakub, I’ve heard of similar quick cheeses but have found they don’t taste quite as good as the slow process, but it’s great to know there is a quick option if you need the cheese but don’t have time to wait. Thanks!
I will give yours a try have plenty of time.
What the difference from the yogurt and buttermilk in this cheese.?you have two recipes but only that one ingredient different. Thanks
The one with Greek yogurt has a richer consistency as there is more fat from the Greek yogurt and it also has more protein. The consistency also seems a little smoother. They are very close and the other one with buttermilk makes great cheese also.
Oh I love this post, Natasha! Fresh cheese is the best. Such an ingenious method to weigh the tvorog down too, so much better than finding a plate that is the right size, then weighing it down! I am always afraid a plate would crack!
Thank you Julia! I do like this no fuss method to get the water out. It always turns out just right after standing overnight and is never too dry or too wet.
Hi natasha. why I did not find the recipe brownies to your web. Do you rarely make brownies ?
My husband isn’t a big brownie fan so I never make them :). One of these days I’ll post one – you aren’t the first to request brownies and I do like them myself, particularly with a big ‘ol scoop of vanilla ice cream!
Hi what is the difference between these cheeses and is it like cream cheese or cottage cheese?thanks
Hi Lisa, Farmer’s cheese is more like cottage cheese minus the extra liquid and the texture is more ricotta like rather than having the curds like cottage cheese does. I’d say the flavor is closest to cottage cheese. It is used in many Russian and Ukrainian recipes and is a staple ingredient among Slavic people. In recipes that call for Farmers cheese, it is not recommended to substitute with anything else because there really is nothing quite like the real deal 🙂
My Polish Babci used farmer’s cheese in pierogi and in a delicious mouth watering cheesecake she called “placek.” How I wish I could taste them again!