5 Ingredients or Fewer

Homemade Goat Cheese

by:
December 12, 2012
4.3
3 Ratings
Homemade Goat Cheese
Photo by Stephanie Schamban
  • Makes 1 log
Author Notes

One of my main goals as a cheesemaker is telling everyone how lovely and healthy and versatile goat cheese is. But there's one more secret-it's super easy to make for yourself! I learned how to make it from an artisan with decades under her belt, but you can perfect your own technique with some practice in your kitchen! Whether you make your own, you use Belle Chevre or any other goat cheese, I want you to enjoy and feel at home with this beautiful cheese! —Tasia Malakasis

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 gallon goat milk
  • 2 teaspoons citric acid, rounded
  • 2 teaspoons salt (or to taste)
Directions
  1. Mix the citric acid with 1/2 cup of water. In a heavy-bottomed, nonreactive pot, combine the goat milk and citric acid to 185 degrees over medium heat, stirring continuously.
  2. Once it reaches this temperature, turn off the heat and allow to sit for 15 minutes.
  3. Lay out a towel or several layers of cheesecloth in a bowl. Pour in the milk mixture. The curds simply resemble curdled milk at this point.
  4. Tie the ends of the towel together so it becomes a bag. Hang it on a wooden spoon and let the bag hang free. The whey should strain for at least two hours, but for best results you can leave half a day. This makes forming easier and results in a denser cheese.
  5. Before taking the cheese out of the cloth, squeeze the cloth to extract more liquid from the cheese. Transfer the cheese from the cloth to a bowl and season it with cheese salt to taste. To shape into a log, simply place on a clean smooth surface and begin to roll out gently, like a playdoh snake.
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  • Tasia Malakasis
    Tasia Malakasis
  • winegirlnc
    winegirlnc
  • Alina Haitu
    Alina Haitu
  • Goatgirl
    Goatgirl
Tasia Malakasis
I started out in the software marketing world, but left my old life behind in 2005 to become a cheesemaker. Belle Chevre, my artisan cheese company based in Elkmont, Alabama, was founded in 1989, and continues to be the country's most playful (and delicious) artisan goat cheese creamery. We sell our goat cheeses, which range from classic to daring (honey-laced fromage blanc) in stores nationwide as well as on our website, http://bellechevre.com. I love my job, but when I do stop working I love to entertain, take walks, and play with my three babies: two gigantic dogs and a nine-year-old son.

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10 Reviews

Goatgirl
Goatgirl May 24, 2021
This did not work. I have made goat cheese with Vinegar and with Lemon juice. Those methods worked great. I thought I would give the citric acid a try and it waisted a gallon of my goat milk. Such a bummer
 
ColoradoCook
ColoradoCook January 10, 2013
Thanks so much for the recipe! A couple of questions since this didn't quite turn out as I expected. The texture was very creamy despite having left it to hang for over 6 hours. Perhaps it could be the fact that I left it in the fridge? Will try room temp next time. Second, it lacked the "tang" that is so distinctive of chèvre, and tasted more like a goat cream cheese. It was still delicious and we ended up adding lemon zest and using it in salad and on toast with honey. Yum, but would like to try again. Any tips or ideas on where I may have gone wrong?
 
Tasia M.
Tasia M. December 20, 2012
The whey is a great substitute in many recipes, such as you suggest: smoothies, even for cooking grains...and it's very healthy!
 
mjdelcas
mjdelcas December 19, 2012
Is the whey good for anything? Smoothies etc? I've used cows milk whey for smoothies, but not sure about goat whey flavor.
 
winegirlnc
winegirlnc December 17, 2012
The article that features this recipe says "However, if you are without [citric acid] at home, you can also use the juice of one lemon."
 
Elizabeth
Elizabeth December 17, 2012
I've been having difficulty finding citric acid - is lemon juice an appropriate substitute? If so, how much? Thanks so much! I can't wait to make this cheese!
 
Tasia M.
Tasia M. December 14, 2012
Room temp is perfect!
 
winegirlnc
winegirlnc December 14, 2012
Should it be at room temperature while it's hanging, or should it be in the refrigerator?
 
Tasia M.
Tasia M. December 12, 2012
Alina-
Whatever goat milk you use in this recipe, you will get cheese. That said, I find the best cheese results from using fresh, happy, full-fat goats' milk. Le me know if you have any more questions!
 
Alina H.
Alina H. December 12, 2012
Thank you very much for the recipe, I do cook everything from scratch, prefer homemade over store products, and this recipe will be so handy to have.... I do have a question: does it make a difference the % of fat in milk? Thanks:d