Homemade Veggie Cream Cheese (Completely from Scratch!)
Author: Cooking for Keeps
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 1.5 cups
Ingredients
3 cups whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp. buttermilk
2 drops liquid vegetable rennet (Mine was double strength, so I used two, if you buy one that is normal strength, use two drops)
1 tsp. salt, divided
1½ Tbsp. minced red pepper
1½ Tbsp. minced green pepper
1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh dill
1½ Tbsp. minced green onion
3 Tbsp. minced carrot
½ tsp. onion powder
2 small garlic cloves, grated
Instructions
Add milk, water, buttermilk and ½ teaspoon salt to a large dutch oven or pot. Stir to combine. Turn the heat on low and slowly bring the temperature up to 75 degrees. If you go over, it's fine, just make sure you stay under 80. I like to transfer it to bowl, because a pot tends to store heat.
Mix 2 tablespoons of water with rennet drops. Add to milk mixture and use a wooden spoon to stir. Cover with a kitchen towel and place in a warm place that's about 75-80 degrees, let it sit for 12 hours. The top should look like loose yogurt, if it's not that consistency, let it sit another hour. If you keep your house around 70 like I do, just put it in the warmest spot in the house, and let it sit for 14 hours.
Once the mixture has set out, place a cheesecloth in a strainer set over a large bowl. Pour the mixture slowly into the cheese cloth. Gather the ends up and tie them together. Tie the cheese cloth up somewhere it can hang, please see photo above. Let the mixture drip for 12 hours. If it still hasn't set, let it drip another hour or until all of the liquid is gone.
Transfer the cream cheese to a stand mixer fit with the paddle attachement and add the remaining ingredients. Mix low until combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper.