Cream Cheese
Cream cheese is a rich, versatile keto staple. Use it to enrich yogurt, make keto cheesecake, or pair it with celery, cucumbers, eggs, or smoked salmon. Store-bought cream cheese gets expensive fast at high intake levels, so here is a simple homemade cultured cream cheese recipe for a 1 gallon (3.8 l) batch!
Ingredients
- 7½ pints (3.5 l) heavy cream
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) live cultured cream cheese starter (I use Green Valley Creamery)
- 3 tbsp (45 g) salt, or roughly a generous handful (I use pink Himalayan + optional potassium salt)
Equipment
- 1 clean and sanitized gallon glass jar with lid
- Mixing bowl
- Spoon or whisk
- Oven or warm fermentation space (~100°F / 38°C)
Instructions
In a bowl, mix 1 tbsp of the starter culture with a small amount of heavy cream. Stir until mostly smooth and evenly distributed.
Add salt into the clean glass jar first.
Pour in heavy cream until the jar is about half full, then mix well to dissolve the salt evenly.
Add the starter culture mixture only after the salt is diluted. This helps avoid stressing or killing the microbes.
Add the remaining heavy cream until the jar is nearly full.
Mix thoroughly, making sure everything is evenly combined.
Close the jar with a clean, sanitized lid. Cleanliness matters here—contamination risk increases with long fermentation.
Place the jar in an oven set around 100°F (or a warm fermentation setup).
Ferment for ~2 days, or longer if you want a stronger, tangier flavor.
Once done, move the jar to the fridge and chill before eating.
Notes
- Different starter cultures may produce slightly different flavors and textures.
- Longer fermentation increases sourness.
- High fat, salt, acidity, and active cultures give this a surprisingly long refrigerated shelf life when handled cleanly.
Total Nutrition Information
- Protein: 200g
- Fat: 1600g
