Farmers Cheese with Greek Yogurt (Tvorog)

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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)

4.91 from 31 votes

Author: Natasha Kravchuk

My Mother's method for homemade Farmers cheese (tvorog). Easy to make and much better than store-bought farmer cheese.

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Prep Time: 3 days d

Cook Time: 2 hours hrs 2 minutes mins

Total Time: 3 days d 2 hours hrs 2 minutes mins

Ingredients 

Servings: 9 cups

• 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

*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.
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

323kcal Calories24g Carbs25g Protein14g Fat8g Saturated Fat0.5g Polyunsaturated Fat3g Monounsaturated Fat0.01g Trans Fat57mg Cholesterol202mg Sodium792mg Potassium24g Sugar695IU Vitamin A0.02mg Vitamin C643mg Calcium0.1mg Iron

• Full Nutrition Label
• Nutrition Disclosure

Nutrition Facts

Farmers Cheese with Greek Yogurt (Tvorog)

Amount per Serving

Calories

323

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

14

g

22

%

Saturated Fat

 

8

g

50

%

Trans Fat

 

0.01

g

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

0.5

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

3

g

Cholesterol

 

57

mg

19

%

Sodium

 

202

mg

9

%

Potassium

 

792

mg

23

%

Carbohydrates

 

24

g

8

%

Sugar

 

24

g

27

%

Protein

 

25

g

50

%

Vitamin A

 

695

IU

14

%

Vitamin C

 

0.02

mg

0

%

Calcium

 

643

mg

64

%

Iron

 

0.1

mg

1

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Russian

Keyword: Farmer's Cheese, greek yogurt farmer cheese

Skill Level: Easy

Cost to Make: $$

Calories: 323

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!