I’ve talked a lot about fermented foods and drinks lately, from my favorite water kefir, to homemade sauerkraut. Lately, I’ve been enjoying trying things like fermented condiments, salsas, and more.

Most of these recipes use whey to speed the lacto-fermentation process and for a long time, I avoided these recipes because I simply didn’t have and didn’t know how to make whey.

A friend and lacto-fermenting veteran shared an easy way to make whey, and I couldn’t believe I hadn’t started doing this sooner! The best part is, you can make whey at home in any kitchen with ingredients available at any grocery store.

how to make homemade whey and cream cheese from yogurt at home

Whey and Cream Cheese Recipe

How to make whey for fermenting vegetables and other foods and get probiotic cream cheese!

Prep Time 5

Total Time 1 5

Calories 4kcal

Author Katie Wells

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Servings

Ingredients

32 oz full fat organic plain yogurt
cheesecloth or thin dish towel

Instructions

Pour the desired amount of yogurt into a cheesecloth or thin towel.
Pull the ends of the towel up and secure with string or a rubber band.
Tie the towel with yogurt in it to a cabinet handle and position a medium size bowl underneath.
Leave it alone overnight to drip. The dripping liquid is whey.
In the morning, if the dripping has stopped, pour the whey in the bowl into a glass jar and store in the refrigerator for up to six months.
The yogurt left in the towel is actually cream cheese now. Put it in its own container and use as you would store-bought cream cheese.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts

Whey and Cream Cheese Recipe

Amount Per Serving (1 TBSP)

Calories 4

% Daily Value*

Sodium 7mg0%

Carbohydrates 0.8g0%

Sugar 0.8g1%

Protein 0.1g0%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Notes

Make sure the towel is thin, as it will absorb too much of the whey if it is a very absorbent towel.
Use the whey for homemade salsas, sauerkraut, fermented veggies or pickles and more.

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Have you made whey before? If so, what is your favorite recipe using it? Share below!

About Katie Wells

Katie Wells, CTNC, MCHC, Founder of Wellness Mama and Co-founder of Wellnesse, has a background in research, journalism, and nutrition. As a mom of six, she turned to research and took health into her own hands to find answers to her health problems. WellnessMama.com is the culmination of her thousands of hours of research and all posts are medically reviewed and verified by the Wellness Mama research team. Katie is also the author of the bestselling books The Wellness Mama Cookbook and The Wellness Mama 5-Step Lifestyle Detox.

Comments

158 responses to “How to Make Whey & Cream Cheese”

christi

July 14, 2014

Mine has a few yogurt drops too, its not completely clear, this is my first attempt…. But it should be ok..? i hope so, been putting this off WAY too long… lol

Reply
Cassie

June 27, 2014

We have a bit of a pest problem that we are trying to resolve so i can’t leave anything sitting out all night. Can i still do this in the fridge or do i need to rig up an airtight container so the bugs don’t get in?

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1. Wellness Mama
  
  June 27, 2014
  
  You could do it in the fridge if you wanted, but your sour cream will be more Greek yogurt since it won’t get “sour”.
  
  Reply
Kim

June 8, 2014

My whey has some drops of yogurt in it. Should I filter it again before I store it? I thought whey should look more like water than milk .

Reply
1. Katie – Wellness Mama
  
  June 9, 2014
  
  As long as it is somewhat clear it should be fine
  
  Reply
Eli

May 22, 2014

And by the way, do you think that I can make the whey from store-bought milk kefir? I think that it might have more beneficial bacteria than yogurt.

Reply
1. Billie
  
  August 24, 2014
  
  Yes, I think you can. Tho I’ve never bought commercial milk kefir, I’m thinking you will get a lot of whey vs cream cheese.
  I make my own milk kefir, and I use 1/2&1/2, and get a thin yogurt consistency. Every so often I drain it to make “cream cheese”, and also get whey.
  
  Reply
Anderson

May 8, 2014

I am allergic to whey so I have been doing this to make cream cheese for years. I use an unbleached coffee filter in a colander and set it over a bowl to catch the liquid. I use plain organic yogurt without the tapioca, just milk and cultures. I leave it uncovered I the fridge for a few days so it dries out really well. Otherwise it will still “leak” whey out after a few days but you can just pour it off the top. To make really good cream cheese I add salt just like you would for making cheese. You can add dried herbs to some of it for a cheesy taste or sometimes I make a powder out of dried strawberries and mix it in for a fruity taste, I find the longer you let it drain the nicer the cream cheese will be. Sorry I don’t know about the whey since I can’t eat it. That is how I found out about making the cream cheese was because I was in search of foods I could eat without it. Almost everything packaged has whey in it as a protein source so I had to make things myself. Good luck on your fermenting. Blessings………………..D

Reply
Cornel

April 14, 2014

Hi, have you tried making kefir yogurt with the milk kefir plant? This is the only yogurt I eat now as you make it with organic milk, so there are no preservatives, additives, colorants, etc in it and contains all the probiotics you talk about. I also drain it with a cloth to get the whey on the one side and cottage cheese on the other side 🙂

Reply
Dee

March 31, 2014

Was just thinking that using a new knee high might work instead of cheese cloth. Thoughts?

Reply
1. Michele
  
  May 31, 2014
  
  I personally wouldn’t want my food running through plastic. I use old flour sack towels as I don’t like working with cheese cloth that much.
  
  Reply
Han

March 28, 2014

Hello,

i’ve made whey months ago, and i haven’t finished using it.I stored it in a glass jar in the fridge. Today, i looked at the lid, and there is a lot of blue,white mold growing. I wonder why, it scared me so much. it is only on the lid.Should I continue on using the whey? I smelled it and it doesn/t seem to have a big yogourt smell, as i used to get when the last time i opened it though.Should I continue to use it? I dont understand why though. Should i discard the lid or wash it?
i dont know what to do. Please HELP!

Reply
1. Katie – Wellness Mama
  
  March 29, 2014
  
  I wouldn’t use it personally…
  
  Reply
Sherry

March 22, 2014

To make straining easier I use an old white pillowcase that is only washed with dish liquid, that or a cut up white tshirt. I started using these when I didn’t like the cheesecloth. I just dampen them a little first.

Reply
Sadie

February 25, 2014

I have some straining right now from homemade yogurt! Yum 🙂

Reply
Ninu

February 25, 2014

Hi,

Can you use goat yogurt to make the whey?

Thanks

Ninu

Reply
Amy

February 19, 2014

My significant other LOVES cream cheese, but I try to limit how much we buy because, well, have you read the label. Yikes! Finally, I can make some that I feel good about feeding him. And bonus, we get a nice whey to make fermented foods. Thanks Katie!

Reply
Uni

February 16, 2014

Curious since all I have in my fridge is some old buttermilk. Is it possible to make whey and cream cheese with buttermilk?

Reply
1. Lori McIntyre
  
  July 17, 2018
  
  Yes, from what I read on website don’t waste the crumbs.
  
  Reply
Jhyana

February 6, 2014

We make our whey from raw milk. Simply leave a glass jar of raw milk on the counter, at room temperature, for a day or two until the solid separates from the liquid. Then proceed with the drip drying process. The solids are cream cheese, the liquid is the whey!

Reply
1. Tricia
  
  May 16, 2014
  
  That sounds so easy and good! I just don’t know where to get raw milk.
  
  Reply
Doski

February 3, 2014

I tried this technique yesterday as I needed some fresh whey culture to ferment some mango chutney. I let it go about eight or nine hours using cheese cloth and then refrigerated what was left over night. I started with about 1.5 cups of fresh, jersey-cow, full-fat yogurt from a local farm; I only needed a 1/4 cup of whey but got about three times that so I have some saved for the next ferment.

What was left is really like cream cheese. It’s not quite as thick as store-bought but I actually like it better. I mixed some with raw honey and then stirred in some left-over mango chunks and almonds for my breakfast and it is absolutely delicious.

I’m sold on this technique. Now I’ll always have fresh soft probiotic cream cheese and never run out of starter culture for my vegetable and fruit ferments.

Reply
Dwyer

January 6, 2014

my whey is cloudy. very watery but white & cloudy. is this ok?

Reply
Claire Guzanova

December 12, 2013

Can you use sour cream instead of yoghurt?

Reply
1. Katie – Wellness Mama
  
  December 15, 2013
  
  No
  
  Reply
Kay

November 1, 2013

This didn’t work for me at all! 🙁 I tried cheesecloth and then I tried butter muslin for a finer cloth and both times all the yogurt just went right through the cloth. I am using raw milk yogurt from a co-op is that a problem? Thanks.

Reply
1. Michele
  
  May 31, 2014
  
  I use clean flour sack cloth; I’ve found it them easier to work with than cheese cloth. My guess is that the raw milk yogurt is a lot runnier than store bought yogurt is; I know mine was when I used to make it.
  
  Reply
Lesue Tindell

October 14, 2013

I see the whey lasts for about 6 months. About how long does the cream cheese last? Or would it be about the same date that’s on the package of yogurt? I see this question below but no answer. I’ve made the whey a few times now and love the lemonade made with it! Just wondering how long the cream cheese will be good for?

Reply
Danielle Honan

October 7, 2013

ive made this a few times and for some reason my whey keeps molding… i am using a really good organic plain yogurt and after a week it molds. Any suggestions?

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1. Kay
  
  February 8, 2015
  
  I freeze mine in a baggie inside of a tight fitting container. When you are ready to use it, thaw in the fridge for a day then it is ready for use. I do the same with extra lemon juice. I took some frozen on vacation with us, and by the time we got to our destination (driving), it was thawed out in the cooler. Added 1/4 cup sugar and let it sit out for a day.
  
  Reply
2. Jennifer
  
  August 1, 2015
  
  The whey should last months……something is wrong; is it kept in the fridge?
  
  Reply