This Easy Homemade Cream Cheese recipe is budget-friendly and easy to make, made with only 3 ingredients. Learn how to make cream cheese at home; it is rich, flavorful and cheaper than store-bought ones.

This serves as one of the staple ingredients in cheesecake and cream cheese frosting that surely bring out their delicious tangy taste. But did you also know that in just three easy steps you can make your homemade cream cheese at home? You heard it right!

You can create yours without any additives or preservatives, and you can also save money by skipping its store-bought version. Also, check my Homemade Ricotta Cheese Recipe.

Jump to:

• Why Make Your Own Cream Cheese?
• Why You'll Love This Recipe
• Ingredients
• Variations
• How To make Homemade Cream Cheese?
• Tips for Success
• How Do You Make Flavored Cream Cheese?
• Tips For Making Flavored Cream Cheese
• How To Use Homemade Cream Cheese?
• Serving Suggestions
• Recipe FAQs
• Related Breakfast Recipes
• Recipe Card
• Comments

Why Make Your Own Cream Cheese?

You may now be wondering why it’s better to create your own cheese, right? This quick and easy recipe only needs three simple ingredients and a food processor. Plus, this also tastes better than the store-bought.

You may also adjust the measures of ingredients to customize its flavor and texture to suit your taste buds. Let’s get started and make homemade cream cheese for your picnic!

Why You'll Love This Recipe

This dish may seem to be difficult to create, but you will surely enjoy creating one with this recipe because of its easy process. Here are some of the reasons why this recipe is a must-try:

Healthier than commercial cheese: Since you will be the one to customize its ingredients, you will know exactly what’s in it. You can pick out only the high-quality ingredients and lessen or remove the additives and preservatives in the store-bought ones.

Can be customized to your own liking: This recipe can be an excellent starting point. You can experiment with it without sacrificing its delightful flavor if you wish to combine it with extra flavorings like herbs and spices. You can also adjust the proportion of each ingredient, depending on what’s delicious in your own taste.

It’s budget-friendly: If you are looking for a cheaper option than the ones you will find at stores, this recipe is the perfect choice! You will just need affordable raw ingredients like milk, salt, and lemon juice, and the best thing here is that they're just accessible in the market.

Creamier and more appetizing: This recipe has a fresh and creamier flavor that’s hard to beat by store-bought versions that have additives already.

Easy to make: You don’t need a lot of ingredients and kitchenware for this recipe. This will delight your family and friends given how quick and easy it is to prepare.

Use it to make a frosting. Cream cheese frosting is a rich and popular frosting for lots of desserts, such as White Chocolate and Raspberry Blondies, Chocolate Cherry Dump Cake, Chocolate Buttermilk Pie and Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake.

Ingredients

Cow’s milk: For a creamier and richer texture, full-fat milk will surely do its wonders. This base ingredient contains a high-fat content of whole milk to create a thick consistency.

Lemon juice: To curdle full-fat milk, lemon juice might help. Its acidity will separate the solids from the liquids and is a very important process to make this dish.

Salt: Salt helps to balance the tangy taste of the lemon juice giving the cheese a well-rounded flavor.

“See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.”

Variations

• To create a savory and herby flavor to your cream cheese, you may try to add garlic and herbs ideal for spreads and dip for veggies. This creates a little extra kick to the recipe.
• For a smoky and salty taste, add a smoked salmon perfect to spread with bagels.
• If you prefer this recipe to be used for cake and cupcake frostings, a honey, cinnamon, and vanilla extract can make the flavor cozier and bring out the natural sweetness of the cream cheese.
• You can use white vinegar instead of lemon juice.
• The fresh whey can be so good in making your breakfast smoothies.

How To make Homemade Cream Cheese?

One: Heat the milk in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, bring to a boil, then add the lemon juice, stir and turn off the heat. Set aside (Photo 1 & 2).

Two: The milk will curdle, and you will see curds forming in the milk; this is normal (Photo 3).

Three: Now, pour all the curdled milk through a cheesecloth and then squeeze to strain all the liquid whey (the yellow-ish liquid) (Photo 4 & 5 & 6).

Four: Put the strained curdled milk and salt into the food processor and blitz for 1-2 minutes until light and fluffy cream cheese forms (Photo 7 & 8).

Tips for Success

• Use fresh lemon juice only: Do not use commercialized lemon juice from cans or bottles as it may contain other substances that may affect or worsen the flavor of this dish. Use a freshly squeezed lemon juice for best results.
• Curdle the milk for at least 10 minutes: This will give you enough time to be able to separate the curds and whey excellently. But, if you prefer a stronger flavor, you can extend the curdle.
• Use a fine-mesh cheesecloth: This is to prevent the solids from escaping and to strain out all the liquid whey allowing a smoother and creamier texture.
• Adjust the salt to your preference: Gradually add salt and taste the cream cheese until it reaches the best taste for you. If needed, you can always put more.
• Personalize your flavor: You can try putting more herbs, species, and even honey to create a one-of-a-kind flavor and variation.

How Do You Make Flavored Cream Cheese?

Once you have prepared the cream cheese, you can add various flavors of your choice. Here are some of the ideas you may want to try:

Herb and Garlic: Add some fresh and tasty herbs such as parsley, cilantro, chives, and minced garlic. Make sure these are all finely chopped.

Sweet Honey: Mix well with a sufficient quantity of honey and vanilla.

Spicy Jalapeno: Looking to explore spicy cream cheese? Finely chop fresh jalapeno peppers and mix them in the base.

Berry or Fruit: For a more fruity flavor of the cream cheese, blend some fresh or frozen berries (such as strawberries, blueberries, or raspberries) or fruits (like pineapple or mango) until it becomes smooth.

Tips For Making Flavored Cream Cheese

• Thoroughly incorporate these additional flavorings into your cream cheese using a spatula or spoon for mixing. Make sure that they are evenly distributed to the base.
• Adjust the flavorings according to your desired taste.
• To blend the flavorings together, transfer the mixture to a clean container and refrigerate for a few hours.
• Serve as a spread, dip, or frosting for your family and friends!

How To Use Homemade Cream Cheese?

You can use this fresh cream cheese recipe in a variety of food serving ideas, such as:

Use it to make the best cream cheese frosting for cakes, cupcakes, and muffins such as Pumpkin Sheet Cake With Cream Cheese Frosting and Carrot Cake Cupcakes.

Spread on sandwiches, bagels, and even on bread such as Gyro Bread - Greek Pita Bread.

Top or inner filling for crepes and pancakes such as Fluffy Oat Milk Pancakes and Almond Milk Pancakes.

In making cheesecakes such as Biscoff Cheesecake Recipe, Oreo Cheesecake Bites and Philadelphia Pumpkin Cheesecake Recipe.

Dips for crackers and veggies (you can add herbs for a tangier experience!).

Serving Suggestions

Because of its incredibly versatile use, this recipe can be used for spreading and dips and even for a salad dressing base! You can unleash your creativity and add more toppings, such as herbs and fruits, to create extra flavor.

You may also add it to dips, such as Bagel Dip, Haydari or Lebanese Baba Ganoush.

Recipe FAQs

Related Breakfast Recipes

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