Homemade Farmer’s Cheese (Tvorog) – Easy and Healthy

Homemade Farmer’s Cheese (or so called “tvorog”) is super easy to make and oh! so delicious. Farmer’s cheese is a cultured soft cheese, that is high in protein and packed with probiotics. Enjoy on its own as a snack, spread on a toast, or use in different recipes!

Farmer’s cheese has a rich, slightly tangy flavor. It can be used to make a farmer’s cheesecake, cheese blintzes (sweet cheese crepes), syrniki (Russian pancakes) and so much more.

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What is Farmer’s Cheese

Farmer’s cheese (also known, as tvorog, farmers’ cheese and farmer cheese) is a fresh cheese, similar in texture to ricotta. It is basically a pressed cottage cheese. Farmer’s cheese is made by fermenting milk, slowly heating it up, and then straining all the liquid.

Farmer’s cheese (or tvorog) is very popular in Slavic countries and Poland. It can be used in so many dishes. Here’s a few examples:

Recipes with Farmer’s Cheese

• farmer’s cheesecake
• chocolate glazed syrnik
• cheese blintzes (sweet crepes)
• syrniki (Russian pancakes)
• farmer’s cheese donuts (recipe from momsdish.com) or her sweet cheese cookies
• lasagna
• farmer’s cheese blueberry crumb cake (recipe from olgainthekitchen.com)
• braided Easter bread (recipe from natashaskitchen.com)
• in place of cream cheese on bread
• in smoothies
• added to a charcuterie board
• waffles
• no-bake cheesecake bites

I could go on and on with how many different dishes you can make with farmer’s cheese. Follow me on Instagram for more fun and healthy recipes, including lots of recipes with tvorog.

Also, homemade farmer’s cheese tastes absolutely delicious with a spoonful of sour cream or greek yogurt, topped with fresh berries. It makes a healthy, high protein snack or breakfast.

Why make Homemade Farmer’s Cheese

Recently, I’ve been seeing more and more American stores starting to carry farmer’s cheese. You can also find two of my favorite brands on Amazon (click and click), if you’d like to save some time and not make your own cheese.

However, I prefer the taste and quality of Homemade Farmer’s Cheese so much better! When making tvorog at home, you’re fully in control of all the ingredients. The cheese comes out very mild in flavor and super fresh. You can also make it more or less dry, depending on the recipe you’ll be using it for.

My recipe is super easy and doesn’t require much hands-on time. And it is much more cost effective than a store bought tvorog, so why not give it a try?

How to make Farmer’s Cheese at home

Making tvorog at home is so much easier than you might think!

My recipe requires only 3 ingredients, that you probably already have in your fridge: milk, kefir (or buttermilk), and sour cream.

Depending on the specific brands of your ingredients, you’ll get slightly different results. So I recommend experimenting and finding the ones you like the most. If you can, try using organic ingredients, but it’s not necessary. Here’s my favorite choices:

• whole milk from Walmart house brand (Great Value)
• 1% Kefir from LifeWay Kefir (click) or higher fat percentage milk kefir
• full fat sour cream (you want the only ingredients to be cream and live cultures, no corn starch or weird additives)

Easy Steps to making Farmer’s Cheese:

1. Mix your ingredients in a large pot.
2. Cover with a lid and let sit on the counter for 24-48 hours, depending on the temperature in your kitchen. The warmer it is, the faster the fermentation process goes. You want the mixture to get thick and similar in consistency to a plain yogurt. Try it and see how you like the flavor. The longer you let it sit, the more acidic it will get. Do NOT mix!
3. Heat up the mixture on the stove on the lowest setting for 30-40 minutes, or until the cheese starts to separate from the whey. The whey will look yellow-greenish and the cheese curds will be white. Stir occasionally if you like small curds, or don’t stir at all if you prefer large curds. Do NOT let the mixture come to a boil!
4. Turn the heat off, as soon as the whey separates from the cheese curds. Cover with a lid and let sit for 10-15 minutes.
5. Place two layers of cheesecloth over a mesh colander. Set the colander over a large bowl and pour the cheese mixture over. Keep the leftover whey to use in different recipes (click).
6. Tie a knot with your cheesecloth and squeeze out all the excess liquid. You could also leave it hanging over a bowl overnight.
7. Use farmer’s cheese in your favorite recipes or refrigerate in an airtight container.

The leftover Whey:

Whey is that yellowish liquid, left from making cheese. It can be refrigerated for up to a few months and used in various recipes. You could also freeze it for even longer.

According to some resources, liquid whey also has many micronutrients, including potassium, calcium, phosphorous and zinc. It also provides digestive enzymes, milk proteins and peptides. Click here to learn more.

So what can we make with the Leftover Whey?

• substitute whey in baking recipes (pancakes, waffles, breads) that call for water, milk, or buttermilk
• use in smoothies
• soak grains
• make pizza dough (recipe)
• use in marinades
• whey sourdough bread (recipe)

More Recipes to Try

Oats Omelette – sweet or savory, healthy breakfast idea

Healthy Spinach Pancakes – kids’ favorite

Baked Zucchini Fries – perfect side dish