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 DUO Plus, a Mealthy MultiPot, GoWise Multi Cookersor a stand alone Pressure Cooker make wonderful Homemade Yogurt, but they can also make Homemade Cottage Cheese or Pot Cheese, as well!
Both Multi Cooker machines, work the same way for this recipe.
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, 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 posted my Pressure Cooker Lokshen Mit Kaese recipe!
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.
Mixed with cinnamon and fake sugar broiled on top of toast, you have yourself a Weight Watchers Cheese Danish.
Cast of Ingredients for Instant Pot Homemade Cottage Cheese Recipe
With a few ingredients, you will end up with about five cups of Cottage Cheese. Is it cost effective to make your own? It depends.
For a low carb and keto option, use heavy cream in place of milk.
Are you using organic milk or regular milk? Do you want the freshest Cottage Cheese possible, with no preservatives? Do you eat Cottage Cheese regularly? If so, this recipe is for you.
Fresh Cottage Cheese will last less than a week in the refrigerator, so keep that in mind.
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.
Pour the Milk into the Instant Pot
Pour the Milk into the Instant Pot or GoWise Multi Cookers cooking pot and cover with a Glass Lid or the cover that came with your Pressure Cooker.
We are not cooking under pressure, so it does not matter what you use to cover the pot.
Push Yogurt and then Adjust
Push the button that says Yogurt and you will see 8:00. Then hit your Adjust button and you will see the word “Boil” start to flash.
That is the correct setting. The flashing will stop in a second.
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.
Cut it into cubes and you have Paneer!
That’s it for the Farmer Cheese! Now, continuing on with the Instant Pot Homemade Cottage Cheese Recipe.
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
- Alpha Armour Salt Box with Spoon
- Salbree Steamer Basket
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Here is the handy printable recipe:
Instant Pot Homemade Cottage Cheese Recipe
Instant Pot Homemade Cottage Cheese Recipe
Print Pin 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
- 1 RSVP Strainer
Equipment
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 together. Set aside.
- Pour the Cottage Cheese into a Strainer Basket, sitting inside of a Cooking Pot or other device to catch the Whey. 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. Pour Salt/Cream into bowl and gently incorporate.
- Refrigerate and enjoy.
Pot Cheese
- Follow the exact same instructions for Cottage Cheese, but don't add any cream or salt, after draining out the liquid.
Notes
Nutrition
PIN this Instant Pot Homemade Cottage Cheese!
Instant Pot Homemade Cottage Cheese
How much cottage cheese will 1 gallon of milk produce? Thank you. 🙂
Hello, could I make this with 2% milk? The recipe calls for whole milk, and I don’t usually buy that. I remember my mom using milk from our cows, but I think she used a cream separator, and there was no cream in it at all.
Also, do you think it would work with milk that has been frozen?
Yes, that is fine. Jill
How would I make this in an instant pot without the yogurt button. I have a 6 qt duo lux.
You can dispense with the lemon juice/vinegar if you use a few drops of liquid rennet to coagulate the milk, that way you don’t have to rinse the curds afterwards.
this is all new for me I will try it, wish me luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So, if we are using the ultrapasteurized milk like Fairlife, is ANY heat in necessary?
Would love to try this but i do not have yogurt button on my IP. What button will boil please and for how long? Thanks in advance Jill. Excited to try your cottage cheese recipe 💕
I assume you could just do it on the stove.
My first attempt produced a ricotta cheese texture. By watching videos I think I stirred to long after adding the vinegar and I didn’t cover the pot as it cooled down. I’m trying this batch starting with half and half. This may have been a mistake as well. I refuse to give up. Next time I’m going to a dairy near me and buy milk and cream from them. Just wanted to perfect it before I bought the expensive stuff.
The curds will be rather small as for a proper cottage cheese you would need rennet. Jill
Thanks for the recipe! I made it today and it is delicious. A question about Nutritional Information… How can the calories from fat be more than the total calories per serving? I’m confused.
Thanks again!
Made it tonight… such a perfect recipe. I didn’t get the temperature to 180 so I switched to saute mode for few minutes and let it simmer and as soon as I got the temperature correct, I switched back to boil mode.
Thank you, Kirti. So glad this worked out so well for you. Jill
Holy Moly!!! Is the calorie count and carb count correct. That’s about a ears worth for me!!! There must be some mistake???
It calculated a gallon of milk before the straining. Jill
Thank you so much for the wonderful recipes!
You are so welcome, Donna. Thank you for using them. Jill
Is that really the calories per serving I don’t think anyone could afford that
Would it work to double the recipe? I have an 8 qt IP. Cheese is really expensive where we live, in China. I’d love to not have to make it so often.
Thanks Jill!
If it fits, it will work. Jill
Would this work with almond milk?
I’ve not tried this with almond, but, probably not. Jill
Hello. If I wanted to use rennet for bigger curds how would I do that? i Live in Japan and good cheese is extremely expensive so I’m trying to learn how to make them at home!
It is a different process with rennet, but it would yield bigger curds. Jill
I made this tonite, but my curds are really tiny. I dont know what i did wrong?
I dont have an instant pot. Can I make this in an electric pressure cooker without yogurt or boil button
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.