How to make yogurt cheese

Yogurt cheese is not really cheese at all, but yogurt thickened to a soft, cream cheese–like consistency. It’s a delicious, unique product — full of protein, calcium, and vitamins — that’s often used as a lower-calorie alternative to cream cheese or sour cream: Yogurt cheese picks up the flavors of the ingredients it’s mixed with and makes a wonderful dip, spread, or pie and parfait filling.

To make yogurt cheese, simply line a colander or sieve with approximately eight layers of cheesecloth. Set the colander over a bowl, and scoop the yogurt into the cheesecloth. Make sure the whey dripping off is relatively thin and clear. If it’s thick and white, you are losing too much “curd” and do not have sufficient layers of cheesecloth.

Allow one cup of yogurt for every one-third cup of yogurt cheese called for in a recipe; half to two thirds of the yogurt will be lost in the “cheesemaking” process, depending on how long you drain the yogurt.

Let the yogurt drain anywhere from 1 to 12 hours, depending on the desired thickness of the cheese; the longer it drains, the thicker the resulting “cheese” will be. Refrigerate the yogurt while it’s draining, and store the finished product in the refrigerator, where it will keep for about a week. To reuse the cheesecloth, simply rinse it out and hang it up to dry.

Though most of my recipes using yogurt cheese call for plain yogurt, you may use any flavored yogurt, as long as it contains no fruit. If you use a cream-topped yogurt, mix in the cream before making the cheese — otherwise the creamy layer can become a barrier next to the cheesecloth and prevent the whey from dripping through. Don’t discard the whey! It contains valuable nutrients, and you can use it as a substitute for milk or water in many bread, muffin, or cake recipes.

When making a dip or spread with yogurt cheese, fold other ingredients in gently. Avoid vigorous beating and mixing, and never put yogurt cheese in a food processor.