Farmers Cheese (Paneer)
on Jun 13, 2025
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“I made homemade cheese today!” sounds like something out of a homesteader fantasy 👩🌾. But it’s something you are going to say after you make this easy homemade farmers cheese (paneer). If you haven’t made homemade cheese before, let this be your gateway. All you need is 3 ingredients—milk, vinegar, and salt—to make this delicious, salty, crumbly cheese. I grew up helping my grandmother prepare cheeses, and I can’t wait to help you bring some of that old-world magic into your kitchen 🪄.
Why You’ll Love Farmers Cheese (Paneer)
Fresh farmers cheese is so versatile: crumbled on salads 🥗, served in thin slices drizzled with honey, or cooked in curries. The taste is incredible, but the real joy is knowing you made it from scratch. Don’t be intimidated—this recipe only requires about 10 minutes of hands-on cooking. You will want to have a block of this cheese in your fridge at all times 💯.
Ingredients
The best foods from scratch are often simplest, requiring just a few humble ingredients. This farmers cheese (paneer) recipe is no exception.
- Milk: Milk is the base of this cheese, so seek out the best quality you can find. Local milk from a farmers market is ideal. The fresher and less processed, the better. I use a grass-fed, whole milk 🥛. This recipe will not work with milk alternatives.
- Vinegar: Distilled white vinegar helps the curds form nicely. Don’t worry, there’s no residual sour flavor at the end of this process! You could also use lemon juice 🍋 or apple cider vinegar in a pinch.
- Salt: You control your own sodium levels and what kind of salt you use. It’s that simple.
Nonna’s Tip 🍳
If you don’t have a cheese mold, wrap the cheese in a cheesecloth and sandwich it between two plates. Place something heavy (like canned food or a cast-iron skillet) on the top plate to weight it down.
Farmers Cheese Variations and Substitutions
- Instead of white vinegar you can also use other acids, such as lemon juice or apple cider vinegar 🍋.
- In addition to salt, you can add spices or herbs, such as black pepper, red chili flakes, and roughly chopped rosemary and thyme leaves 🌶️.
- If you press the cheese into a thin block (about 1.5 to 2.5 inches thick), and then cut it into cubes, you have paneer, which can be used in curries or pan-fried and tucked into sandwiches or served atop salads.
Best Served With
- I love to serve this farmers cheese (paneer) crumbled atop a simple salad, such as on Maroulosalata 🥗.
- Use this cheese just as you would feta cheese: Baked Feta Eggs, Sauteed Broccoli with Feta, Feta Cheese Olives, and more 🧀
- Cube up the cheese and use it in your favorite curry, such as Palak Paneer or Paneer Tikka Masala 🇮🇳
- Cut thin slices, drizzle with hot honey, and enjoy 🍯.
Tools to Make Farmers Cheese (Paneer)
- Large Pot: You’ll need a pot that can acomodate 1 gallon of milk. A heavy bottomed pot will prevent scorching 🫕.
- Cheesecloth: This lightweight, loosely woven cotton fabric is used in kitchens to drain liquids, from making Greek yogurt, labneh, and more. You can also use a thin cotton tea towel.
- Meat thermometer: A digital or analog meat thermometer will quickly read the temperature of a bubbling pot of milk, allowing you to reach the perfect temperature to achieve the right consistency for the cheese.
- Cheese molds: Cheese molds help form the cheese into a classic cheese wheel shape 🧀. They are completely optional. In their place, cheesecloth can be used and the cheese can be pressed between two plates, with the top one weighed down with canned food or a heavy pan.
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Farmers Cheese (Paneer)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 gallon grass-fed whole milk
- ¾ cup white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Instructions
- Pour the milk in a big pot and heat as you stir every seconds until the milk reaches 180F. Use a thermometer.
- Remove from the heat and add in the white vinegar. Gently stir for 30 seconds. You should see the milk solids start to separate from the whey.
- Let it sit covered for at least 30 min. I left mine for 60 minutes so that it was room temp.
- Strain over a fine mesh sieve lined in cheesecloth and let drain over a bowl for 30 min. The liquid that drains off is whey—tips below on how to use it.
- After 30 min you can rinse the curds with cold water (squeezing out the excess) or leave as is if you want it more creamy. I didn't rinse mine, but this part I'll leave up to you.
- Stir in the salt. Transfer the mixture to a cheese mold. If you don't have a cheese mold, place the mixture back into the cheesecloth, and wrap up tightly (you can use your hands to guide the mixture into a round or square shape). Place the cheesecloth bundle on a plate and place another plate on top. Then place a heavy object, such as canned food or a cast-iron pan, on top of the top plate to weigh it down.
- Leave the cheese in the mold (or in the cheesecloth, under a weighted plate) in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours and up to overnight. The longer the cheese sits in the mold or under the weighted plate, the firmer it will become.
- Once the cheese has firmed up to your desired consistency, remove it from the mold or cheesecloth and enjoy in slices, cubes, or crumbles. Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Notes
- Shape it: farmers cheese (paneer) is very moldable, meaning you can shape it anyway you like. Got a star-shaped mold ⭐️? Go for it! Want to pack it into a rectangle, circle, or oval? Do it!
- Salt: You can use as much or as little salt as you like. How to know how much to use? Taste as you go. Add a bit of salt, mix it in, and take a small bite.
- Seasonings: When adding salt, you can also add other spices and seasonings, such as black pepper, red chili flakes, chopped fresh rosemary or thyme.
- Save the whey! It’s protein-packed—use it in:
- 🧀 Homemade ricotta
- 🍞 Bread dough
- 🍲 Soups and stews
- 🍹 Smoothies
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Common Questions
Farmers cheese (paneer) is drier and firmer than ricotta or cottage cheese. It’s firm enough to be sliced or crumbled. The creamier the milk you cook with, the creamier the cheese.
Remove the cheese from the cheese mold or cheesecloth, and store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. I prefer storing in a glass container, which doesn’t absorb odor, the way plastic can.
Certainly, you can add any spices you like or roughly chopped fresh or dried herbs. The addition of fresh herbs may shorten the shelf life of the cheese by a day or so. Check for any off-smell or mold before consuming.
I have not tested this recipe with non-dairy milk. Please use full fat milk for the best flavor and texture.
Low fat and ultra-pasteurized milk (including ultra-high temperature pasteurized milk) do not have enough fat content to produce a curdle. Also, it could be the result of not adding enough acid (lemon juice or vinegar) to the milk.
You’ll have about 3 cups of cheese mixture to place into molds.
This recipe was simple, fun, and turned out delicious! The cheese was fresh, creamy, and way easier to make than I expected! Definitely try this for yourself!