This Instant Pot Homemade Cottage Cheese Recipe is so quick and easy. In under two hours, you will have delicious Homemade Cottage Cheese or Pot Cheese.
Instant Pot Homemade Cottage Cheese Recipe
Not only can your Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi or Pressure Cooker make wonderful Instant Pot Yogurt, but you can use them to make Homemade Instant Pot Cottage Cheese, Pot Cheese, Farmer Cheese and Indian Paneer as well!
Most of the major brand of Multi Cooker machines that have a yogurt button work in much of the same way.
As a kid, I hated cottage cheese. I was forced to eat cottage cheese because my parent(s) always had me on a diet.
I did, however, love pot cheese and farmer cheese, with Creamettes, sour cream and salt and pepper, which I was recently reminded. It’s a Jewish thing. In fact, I love it so much, I created a post with my beloved recipe. Check out my Pressure Cooker Lokshen Mit Kaese recipe and I bet you will love it too!
Cottage cheese was big in Weight Watcher circles and I followed Weight Watchers as a very young kid. As I got older, I actually started liking cottage cheese. In fact, one of my favorite Weight Watchers treat is a Weight Watchers “cheese danish” made with cottage cheese, cinnamon and a sugar substitute melted on top of toast.
Cast of Ingredients for Instant Pot Homemade Cottage Cheese Recipe
With a few ingredients, you will end up with about five cups of Instant Pot Cottage Cheese.
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What Type of Milk to Use?
That my friends is up to you. Low fat, full fat, non-fat, whichever you please.
Just keep in mind that the less fat in the milk, the less dense and creamy cottage cheese.
Is it Cost Effective to Make Your Own?
It depends on the type of milk you are using. You will get a lot of whey out of the cottage cheese when straining. Since the homemade cottage cheese is super fresh, you could compare the cost to what you would spend in an organic store, which sells fresh cottage cheese.
Pour the Milk into the Instant Pot
Is There a Low Carb Keto Option?
Yes, pretty much there is and it is simple. Substitute the milk with heavy cream
For a low carb and keto option, use heavy cream in place of milk.
Recipes Using Cottage Cheese
I love to eat a scoop of Instant Pot Homemade Cottage Cheese Recipe for breakfast, as a side dish to my Mexican Salsa Lime Chicken Omelet and my Pressure Cooker Spanish Tortilla and also on my Pressure Cooker One Pot Spaghetti Dinner.
Push Yogurt and then Adjust
Which Lid To Use When Making Homemade Cottage Cheese?
As Instant Pot Cottage Cheese is not made under pressure, like Instant Pot Yogurt, just a glass lid is needed.
Of course, you can use the lid that came with your pot.
The Boil Cycle is about 45 Minutes
It is easier for me to use the Instant Pot Glass Lid during the Boil Cycle, so that I can easily lift if off and Whisk the Milk.
Your Instant Pot will Beep after about 30-45 minutes, letting you know that it is ready and up to temperature.
Give the Milk a Whisking
If you Whisk the Milk a few times during the Boil Cycle, the Milk will come up to temperature quicker.
It will also prevent any milk from sticking on the bottom.
Take the Temperature
Because I am a perfectionist, I use a Digital Thermometer to take the temperature. It’s really not necessary, as exact temperature for this recipe is not key. 170-180 is fine.
There is a slight difference in getting up to 180, but really, not enough to worry, so if you feel like it, take the temp and get the milk up to 180.
By starting with a cool Cooking Pot AND Whisking during the boil cycle, I can get up to temp on the first try.
By the time I snapped this picture, the temp had already come down a bit, as I was trying a different set up and almost knocked the Instant Pot off the counter.
Slowly Pour in the Vinegar
How to Make Cottage Cheese in the Instant Pot or Pressure Cooker.
- The milk is warmed to about 180 degrees.
- Lemon juice or White Vinegar is carefully mixed into the milk.
- The curds will separate with the whey.
- Whey is drained from the curds and cream and salt is added.
Cover and let sit for a bit
Turn off your Instant Pot or GoWise Electric Pressure Cooker and cover the Cottage Cheese.
Leave the Cottage Cheese alone for at least 30 minutes.
Prepare your Strainer
I have several Cooking Pots, so, if I am planning on saving the Whey, I place my Strainer Basket into my extra Cooking Pot, so that I can catch the Whey.
The Whey from the Cottage Cheese will have vinegar in it, which essentially turns the Whey into a good substitute for “Buttermilk,” which is awesome!
I love to use the substitute “Buttermilk Whey” in my Banana Bread recipes and in my Country Sourdough recipe.
It is also good to use in my Instant Pot Dutch Oven Crusty Bread recipe.
Pour the Cottage Cheese into Strainer Basket
If you want to make Farmer Cheese out of this recipe, line your basket with Butter Muslin, so that you can squeeze out all the liquid.
Keep squeezing until you get out every drop. Wrap it in plastic wrap and you can shape the Farmer Cheese.
YARKOR Tofu Press, Paneer Press, Farmer Cheese Press
Or check out this Yakor Tofu Press and easily drain the liquid. You can also use it for making Paneer, which is Indian cheese!
Cut it into cubes and you have an easy recipe for Indian paneer!
That’s it for the Farmer Cheese, Indian Paneer and tofu!
Rinse the Strainer of Cottage Cheese under Cool Water
Using a light stream of cold water and a Spatula, carefully move around the Curds, so that the Vinegar will be removed.
For Pot Cheese – drain the liquid, but don’t squeeze it out. That’s it. Stop here. You have Pot Cheese!!
Use Pot Cheese for my Pressure Cooker Creamettes and Pot Cheese recipe.
Mix Salt in the Cream
Add the Salt in to the cup with the Cream and give it a good Whisk. If you want to keep your Cottage Cheese lower in fat/calories, you can use Half & Half, if you like.
Milk actually works too, but the result will not be creamy.
Pour Cream into Cottage Cheese
Gently incorporate the Salt/Cream mixture into the Cottage Cheese, making sure not to break the Curds up too much.
For a smaller Curd, break them up more.
Instant Pot Homemade Cottage Cheese
What a difference this Instant Pot Homemade Cottage Cheese Recipe is from store bought.
It tastes so fresh and delicious.
Try it on top of my Pressure Cooker Spaghetti Squash and Meat Sauce, for a very healthy meal.
Kitchen Equipment and Essentials
- Instant Pot DUO 6 Quart
- GoWise 8 Quart Pressure Cooker
- Amco Advanced Performance 18/10 Stainless Steel Measuring Spoons
- Rösle Stainless Steel Flat Whisk– a MUST have, probably my most used utensil
- di Oro Living Silicone Spatulas Set
- Porcelain & Bamboo Salt Box with Spoon
- Salbree Steamer Basket
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Here is the handy printable recipe:
Instant Pot Homemade Cottage Cheese Recipe
Print Pin Save RateIngredients
- 1 Gallon Whole Milk or Heavy Cream 2% or 1%
- 2/3 cup Distilled Vinegar or Lemon Juice
- 1 teaspoon Sea Salt
- 1/2 cup Heavy Cream or Half & Half more as needed
Recommended Products
Instructions
- Pour milk into Instant Pot cooking pot and cover with Glass Lid or Black IP Lid.
- Push the Yogurt button and then the Adjust button. The display should read "Boil."
- During the Boil cycle, remove the lid and whisk the milk a couple of times during the cycle.
- When Beep sounds, remove lid and take temperature.. Anywhere from 170-180 degrees is fine.
- Slowly pour in the lemon juice or vinegar and gently move around the milk. It will begin to look curdled.
- Turn off the Instant Pot. Cover the milk with the Glass Lid and let sit for at least 30 minutes.
- Add salt to the cream and whisk. Set aside.
- Pour the Cottage Cheese into a Strainer Basket lined with butter muslin, sitting inside of a Cooking Pot or other device to drain.
- Remove Strainer Basket to sink and run a slow stream of cool water over the Strainer Basket to remove excess Vinegar.
- Place Cottage Cheese into bowl.
- Gently pour in the cream with the salt and incorporate.
- Refrigerate and enjoy.
Farmer Cheese and Indian Paneer
- Follow the exact same instructions for Cottage Cheese, but don't add any cream or salt.
- Instead of placing the cottage cheese into a bowl after draining out the liquid, gather the ends of the butter muslin and twist. Squeeze out as much liquid with your hands as you can. The cheese will form into a ball.
- Shape the cheese into a block.
- Place block of cheese into Tofu/Paneer Press and lock into position.
- Let sit in the refrigerator for at least one hour, so that more of the moisture will be removed.
- The farmer cheese/paneer can then be cut into pieces.
Notes
Nutrition
PIN this Instant Pot Homemade Cottage Cheese!
Instant Pot Homemade Cottage Cheese
Hello,
I am on a Ketogenic diet and also have a very picky 3 year old ; however , she does like cottage cheese.
I was wondering would it be better to use 3.8% milk or heavy cream ? What would be the taste difference? Thank you
Recipe works very well. Basically no-fail. The cottage cheese is delicious. I live eating a bowl right before I put the cheese in storage containers when it’s still warm.
Can you do this with Fairlife milk? This would eliminatie the boil process?
I am lactose intolerant and make yogurt with Fairlife milk. Could I use Lactaid milk with equal success for both yogurt & cottage cheese?
Yes, Ann. Jill
May I ask how much this makes? What size is each serving? The recipe states: Servings: 3 servings Calories: 4512kcal. That means each serving is over 1,000 calories, that doesn’t make sense. I Googled it and calories is the same as a kcal. Most cottage cheese has around 100 calories per 1/2 cup, even regular non-fat.
Hi! My cottage cheese consistancy is more like ricotta cheese, there weren’t really any curds. I only left the milk with the lemon juice in the pot for 30 mins. Do toy think leaving it in there longer would produce the curds? Thank you and Happy New Year!!
I have no yogurt Setting in my IP. Can I do it without it?
My Godmother used to make Luchen Kugel for us all the time! It was one of my favorite meals. She used cooked wavy noodles (similar to the yolk free kind), a carton of cottage cheese, a carton of sour cream (she used the IMO brand), two eggs, a stick of butter and salt and pepper. Then she baked it for about an hour. I would eat that hot or cold! Now I’m the only one on my house that likes it so I rarely make it. Thanks for bringing up such a wonderful memory of unsweetened kugel.
Hi Tina. It’s great when food triggers such wonderful memories. Jill
Wow! Your mention of unsweetened kugel made me think of the macaroni and milk I used to make. I saw it served at a childhood friend’s house – just macaroni served with milk and lots of black pepper. I don’t know if the pasta was cooked in the milk or not, but as an adult I remembered that dish and began making it for my daughter and me. I’m pretty much a low-carber now, but if I were to make it again I’d use heavy cream and add plenty of butter to it. Shoot, it makes me hungry for it right now. Maybe I should get some Dreamfields’ macaroni and make me some.
I just made this withorganiz reduced fat milk and heavy cream. It tastes amazing! I just wish the curds were bigger
Hi! So I’ve been able to make this with Lactaid. My question is mine comes out kind of yellow-y and I don’t get that classic chunky cottage cheese; it looks more like farmer cheese, but not as firm. What am I doing wrong? It’s it the milk? It’s fine for a smoothie but not really eaten in and of itself. Thanks.
Hi! So I’ve been able to make this with Lactaid. My question is mine comes out kind of yellow-y and I don’t get that classic chunky cottage cheese; it looks more like farmer cheese, but not as firm. What am I doing wrong? It’s it the milk? It’s fine for a smoothie but not really eaten in and of itself. Thanks.
What is the nutritional value of your cottage cheese recipe?
Hi, I tried to make this last night. I tried 1/2 a recipe and got nothing. I don’t understand…used whole milk etc. Any idea why the milk did nothing?
Hi Kristine. I wish I was there to have seen what you did. I suggest trying again and double checking the recipe. Jill
It states Servings: 1 Quart….does that mean it makes I quart? If not, how much does it make?
What is Pot Cheese? Also, how do I make ricotta cheese from your cottage cheese recipe. Thanks Jill. Love your website!
Thanks, Wanda. Jill
WHAT ABOUT LACTAID FREE? HAS ANYONE TRIED THIS?
Gary, Lactaid works! Jill
Hi Jill. This sounds amazing. Do you have any suggestions to make half of the recipe? Also any thoughts on doing this dairy free with Lactaid (which I have used for IP yogurt)? Thank you!
Fine to do make half and Lactaid is fine to use. Jill
Just tried the pot cheese on toast, with cinnamon and splenda—and the top browned in the toaster. Yum—thanks for that tip in the text of the recipe!! It was delicious and will be a regular treat in my house.
Glad you enjoyed it, Karyn. That is from weight watchers days back in the 70’s. Jill
This is fantastic—even my husband who is not a huge fan of cottage cheese, said its so fresh and tasty that he loves it. We saved half to use as pot cheese, because he is looking forward to making noodle kugle
tomorrow!!
Noodle Kugel with fresh cheese will be fantastic. Jill
I wonder if this would work with Fair Life ultra-filtered 2% milk, because that would be pretty much the greatest thing ever! <3
Yes, it would work. Jill