How to Make Goat Cheese

Co-authored by Ollie George Cigliano

Last Updated: November 25, 2022 References

Goat cheese features a soft consistency similar to that of cream cheese. You can make goat cheese at home from goat's milk. You will need a cheesecloth, which you can purchase at a department store. It takes some time to make goat cheese, but when you're done you'll have a great snack.

Ingredients

1 quart of goat milk
The juice from 2 lemons
1 ounce of vinegar
½ teaspoon of salt
Your choice of dried herbs

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Heating and Flavoring Your Milk

1
Place your milk over medium heat. Measure your milk into a saucepan. Place it on the stove over medium heat.^{[1]
X
Research source}
2
Heat the milk until 180 degrees Fahrenheit (87 degrees Celsius). Stir the milk frequently to make sure it heats evenly throughout. You need a thermometer to measure the milk's heat.

Advertisement
3
Add the vinegar and lemon juice. Pour the vinegar and lemon juice into the milk. Use a spoon to stir the mixture together a couple of times. The ingredients should be just combined.

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Cultivating Your Cheese

1
Line a colander with a cheesecloth. Take a colander big enough to contain your milk mixture. Line it with cheesecloth so cheesecloth covers all the sides of the container.^{[2]
X
Research source}
2
Pour your milk into the cloth. Remove the heated milk from the stove and pour it into the colander, right on top of the cheesecloth. Go slowly to avoid spilling the milk.
3
Add salt. Once the milk mixture is in the cheesecloth, sprinkle on some salt. Take small tastes as you go. Keep adding little bits of salt at a time until you reach your desired taste.
4
Hang your cheesecloth for an hour. Take all the ends of the cheese cloth and tie them together. Then, tie the ends of the cheesecloth around the sink's faucet. Let the cloth hang for an hour on the faucet. This will help the mixture solidify.
5
Add your herbs. After an hour, remove the cheesecloth from the sink. Open the cloth and sprinkle on your chosen herbs. Mix them into the cheese.
- For example, you could add thyme and rosemary.
6
Refrigerate the cheese. Your cheese will still be slightly runny. Place the goat cheese in the refrigerator wrapped in wax paper. Let it sit until it forms a thick, spreadable mixture.
- How long it takes your cheese to set depends on the precise temperature of you refrigerator.
- Cheese is alive and breathing, so never store it in tightly wrapped plastic wrap like they do in the "cheese coffin" at American specialty cheese shops.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Serving and Storing Your Cheese

1
Add goat cheese to pizza. If you make pizza at home, mix some goat cheese in with your mozzarella. Goat cheese pairs well with tomato sauce and will add some extra flavor to your pizza.^{[3]
X
Research source}
2
Use goat cheese as a spread for bread. If you want a quick snack, spread some goat cheese over a piece of bread. To sweeten up your snack, drizzle honey over your goat cheese.^{[4]
X
Research source}
- A great snack for parties can be pieces of bread spread with goat cheese and honey.
3
Use goat cheese as a topping for meat. Meats like pork and chicken can be topped with goat cheese after you cook your meat. This can add some extra flavor and texture to your dish. If you want to spruce up something like regular pork chops, top them with goat cheese.^{[5]
X
Research source}
4
Store goat cheese properly. Goat cheese needs some humidity to stay fresh. Wrap goat cheese in wax paper and then place it in a drawer in your fridge. This will help it stay fresh longer.^{[6]
X
Research source}
- Try to store your cheese in the "warmest" spot in the fridge. You can also use a big bin to house all of your cheeses.
5
Discard goat cheese when it gets bad. Goat cheese generally lasts around two weeks in the fridge. If you're not sure if your goat cheese is still fresh, scrape a little off the top. If you notice bright yellow mold, you should throw out the goat cheese.^{[7]
X
Research source}