This may be the easiest cheese you’ll ever make. It’s also a terrific addition to a sandwich and tastes great on crackers. You can also use in place of cream cheese in no-bake recipes. It’s just a really yummy, simple cheese that takes almost no effort to make. But you will need a little patience.

For the most basic yogurt cheese, you only need one ingredient: Greek yogurt. You will need a few tools to turn the yogurt into cheese. First, you need a fine-mesh sieve and a bowl large enough for the sieve to sit down inside it while leaving at least an inch of space between the bottom of the sieve and the bottom of the bowl. You’ll also need a simple paper coffee filter or a double layer of cheesecloth.

Both ways work very well. I prefer to use a coffee filter for a few reasons. First, we drink a lot of coffee at Weird Sisters Kitchen, so I always have coffee filters on hand. Second, I buy unbleached paper filters because they don’t affect the coffee’s flavor the way bleached filters can. The unbleached filters won’t leach unwanted flavor into the yogurt cheese either. Anything bleached, including cheesecloth, can. Third, paper filters are disposable and can be composted. That means when I’m done with them, I just toss them into the bin. No muss, no fuss makes the kitchen witch happy.

I use a four-cup measuring cup to catch the whey that drains off the yogurt. It fits my sieve reasonably well and leaves plenty of room at the bottom. But the kind of bowl you use is unimportant. What matters is that you have enough space for the whey to drain from the cheese without swamping it. There may be more moisture in the yogurt than you realize. If the sieve becomes submerged in the whey, the yogurt won’t drain properly, and it won’t become cheese. Err on the side of caution and use a bigger bowl.

This recipe only calls for one cup of yogurt, which makes about 2/3 cup cheese. This cheese will keep in the refrigerator for about a week. So, I make it in small batches to ensure it gets eaten before it can go bad. I hate waste. You can double the recipe or use the whole 32-ounce container if you’d like and if you have a sieve and bowl large enough to accommodate that much yogurt. For the 32-ounce version, you might want to use a double layer of cheesecloth unless you have access to commercial coffee filters.

The yogurt will start draining immediately, so I recommend placing the sieve into your bowl before you start spooning in the yogurt. Once you’ve added the yogurt, wrap the yogurt and the sieve with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator. It really is that simple.

Now comes the hard part: waiting for the yogurt to drain. And you must be patient. The more patient you are, the “cheesier” your cheese will be. That’s because the longer you allow the yogurt to drain, the firmer the cheese will get. Twelve hours is the minimum to get something resembling cheese. Twenty-four to forty-eight hours is ideal. Waiting a full day or two yields a cheese that is still soft enough to spread but dense enough to feel like cheese.

After 24 hours, about 1/3 cup of whey water has drained off, leaving about 2/3 cup cheese. The longer you leave the yogurt to drain, the denser your cheese will be. But it will still be soft cheese. That’s because it isn’t aged, so it will never become hard or semi-hard.

This cheese was made by placing the yogurt in the refrigerator and allowing the moisture to seep away passively, meaning all I did was let it sit in the fridge for 24 hours. You can speed up the process a little by adding some weight. Place a can on top of the plastic wrap to weigh it down. By adding continuous pressure to the cheese, the moisture is forced out more quickly. It’s a good trick if you don’t have 24 hours or more to wait. I suggest using something like a 12.5 oz. can of chicken. The wide can will cover more area, and 12.5 oz. is plenty of weight to help squeeze out the moisture and small enough not to damage your sieve.

When the cheese is ready, transfer it to a bowl and use as desired. For savory uses, I recommend adding a little salt. Use the fresh cheese as a spread for sandwiches, or serve it on crostini with herbs and grape tomatoes or olives. One of my favorites is to smear it on fresh bread with a generous shake of everything bagel seasoning.

Homemade Greek Yogurt Cheese

Course: Basics, Breakfast, Entertaining, Healthy, SnacksCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Prep time

minutes

Refrigeration Time

minutes

Did you know you could make your own cheese with just one ingredient? This simple, homemade cheese takes a little patience, but almost no effort to make. The result is a tasty, creamy cheese that works in both savory and sweet dishes. It might replace your favorite schmear.

Ingredients

1 cup plain Greek yogurt (nonfat is fine)
¾ teaspoon extra virgin olive oil (optional)
1/8 teaspoon finely ground sea salt (optional)

Directions

Place a mesh sieve over a large measuring cup or bowl. The sieve should sit down into the bowl with at least an inch of clearance at the bottom.
Place a single coffee filter (or two layers of cheesecloth) into the sieve.
Spoon 1 cup of Greek yogurt into the coffee filter.
Cover the sieve and yogurt with plastic wrap.
Place in refrigerator for at least 12 hours to allow the whey to separate from the cheese. For firmer cheese, refrigerate 24 hours up to three days.
Move cheese from the sieve and filter to a clean bowl. Discard the whey or save it (in the refrigerator) to use in place of milk in a different recipe.
Stir in the salt and olive oil (if using). Your cheese is ready to use.

Notes

The finished cheese will have a texture somewhere between mascarpone and goat cheese, depending on how long you let it drain in the refrigerator. Dryer cheese = firmer cheese.
The longer you leave the yogurt to drain in the refrigerator, the firmer your cheese will be.
Feel free to mix in some flavor enhancers with the salt. Suggestions include fresh herbs like chives, rosemary, or dill, or try chopped sundried tomatoes, chopped dried cranberries, or a spoonful of your favorite jam.