There are a number of veggie cheeses available in grocery stores right now, but they frequently include a lot of ingredients and are rather pricey. Making your own plant-based cottage cheese is simple and only takes two basic ingredients: vegetable milk and lemon juice to curdle it.
Serving: a cottage cheese wheel
Ingredients
- 35 oz soy milk
- 4 tbs lemon juice
- 1 small pinch of fine salt
- 1 large strainer
- 1 tightly woven cotton cloth
- 1 cheese strainer or a mold
Directions
Step 1
Pour all the milk into a suitable pan. Turn on the stove and heat the milk to 180°F (about when it starts to steam).
Step 2
Turn off the heat and immediately add the entire amount of lemon juice. Allow the mixture to curdle for about 15 minutes after slowly stirring it. In the meantime, prepare a tall container in which to insert a strainer covered with the cotton cloth.
Step 3
Fill the cotton cloth with all the curd, and then let it drain there for roughly two hours. Add the salt once all the liquid (whey) has been released, stir thoroughly, and then transfer the mixture to a cheese strainer, a mold, or directly into a container.
Pro tips
- This cottage cheese will keep in the refrigerator for up to a week in a sealed container.
- You can eat it plain, or use it for filling cannoli, tortellini and ravioli instead of ricotta cheese.
- Lemon juice can be substituted with apple cider vinegar in an equal amount.
- Whey is a fantastic source of protein! When making stock, soups, or smoothies, you can substitute some of the water with whey.
