Making Easy Cream Cheese At Home

I just found this recipe video today, and it looks simple enough for me to try making it. It is cream cheese made from drained yogurt, and can be made with any brand of plain yogurt, but not Greek yogurt, she says.
If this turns out well, then I can make cream cheese from the homemade yogurt that I make, which should be even healthier. Since yogurt has lots of probiotics, this should be better for that, too.
I am going to test out a small batch, and will report back in once it is finished. Here is the recipe instructions.

 

I didn't watch the vid because a 15 minute video would put a strain on my monthly hi-speed internet limit.

Interesting the recipe says to use strained yogurt but not Greek Yogurt, when Greek Yogurt is strained yogurt. Maybe she's concerned about "Greek Style" yogurt, which is really yogurt with thickeners.

Those fruit roll-up recipes you steered me to use strained yogurt, and it was so good that I've been straining plain whole-milk yogurt and blending it with fruit just to eat like that. For some reason, low-fat vanilla does not strain at all.

 

I keep 3 paks of cheesecloth on hand.
>If I buy it in the housewares aisle, that brand (Mainstay) is $5 for 4 square yards.
>If I buy it in the craft aisle, that brand (Dritz) is $4 for 6 square yards.
So I stock up when I see it in the craft aisle. It's all the same stuff. This is at Walmart.

When I strain my yogurt, I put a double layer of it in a small mesh colander, set it on top of a Pyrex 8 cup measure, put plastic wrap over it, and let it sit overnight. The full-fat plain Dannon yogurt loses nearly half its volume.

 

Once I've strained the yogurt, I find the easiest way to clean the cheesecloth is to shower with it.

 

She said that the plain yogurt is cheaper, and she saves the whey for cooking and even makes a drink from it; so having more whey counts as a good thing to her.
Here is her website, which has the information, @John Brunner , and that will have everything you need and not use up your internet. This lady has quite a few videos about making things like the cream cheese, and I watched several other ones this afternoon, too.
My yogurt is straining in the refrigerator as I write, and I have a new batch in the yogurt maker, in the anticipation of this turning out good.

https://marysnest.com/how-to-make-cream-cheese/

 

Thanks for that, Yvonne.

I've never made my own yogurt.

Regarding draining yogurt/Greek yogurt, there is a nutritional trade-off you are likely aware of but others may not be.
This is per 8 oz. serving.



You can see that draining off the whey makes Greek Yogurt more concentrated in protein, but it loses calcium.

I thought I had read somewhere that one of these contains more anti-carcinogens than the other, but I won't get more specific than that because now I cannot verify it one way or the other, and I don't want to misinform. Perhaps it was due to the different probiotics in each. @Trevalius Guyus might be able to chime in on this, but I'm not certain that he eats dairy.

 

@Yvonne Smith To follow up on to my prior post regarding the different anti-carcinogenic benefits of the two yogurts, the website you gave me a link for says this:

So when you strain off the whey, you lose some of the probiotics, thus reducing (but not eliminating) the cancer-preventative benefit of the yogurt.

She accurately points out that regular yogurt is cheaper, but as I said, you lose half the volume when you strain it...but you know you're getting real Greek Yogurt and not regular yogurt that's been thickened (Greek Style Yogurt.)

I find it interesting she says to let the strained yogurt "ripen" for a week in the fridge to make cream cheese. I put it back in the original container and ate it up until the original expiry date. How 'bout that.

 

A while back, my daughter, Robin, got a new yogurt maker and she gave me her old one, and I really like it. It makes about a quart of yogurt at a time, rather than the little cups that many yogurt makers have.
Robin liked to take a cup to work with her for lunch, so she bought one that makes the little jars of yogurt, but I like having the whole quart in once container.
Besides just eating the yogurt, I use it for making ranch dressing, and sometimes instead of sour cream, as a topping for a potato or a taco salad. I also use it when making the roti flatbread; so I really like having a quart jar of yogurt in the fridge.
This machine is variable as to how long it runs, so you can decide how thick and how much or little sourness you like in your yogurt.
It also has a cooling function, so if it finishes when you are asleep, or just not there , it cools the yogurt until you do take it out of the container and refrigerate it.

 

Man, I could use another appliance! I cook with yogurt off & on, but usually only if the recipe specifically calls for it. I don't often use it as a substitute. That's nice to be able to make bulk and not tiny hospital cups.

I bet if I asked around, I could get some non-pasteurized whole fresh milk out here...that would make some good yogurt...uh, in theory (never know who's listening in.)