Ready to Make Easy Quark (a German Cream Cheese) at Home? It’s surprisingly simple, and you’ll be amazed at the delicious, protein-packed results you can use in so many ways.
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What is Quark?
So, what exactly is quark? It’s a delicious, soft cheese with a tangy flavor, straight from German kitchens. Think of it like a less rich cousin to cream cheese, with a wonderfully fresh taste and slightly grainy texture. We can make it with whole or skimmed milk, which is great because it means you can use your cream for other purposes, like butter. This is often a healthier option and is high in protein.
How to use Quark?
Quark easily replaces both cream cheese and sour cream in everyday cooking. Use it to add a creamy tang to casseroles, tacos, and baked potatoes. Blend it into smoothies for a protein boost, or use it to make a lighter cheesecake. Quark is a great way to add protein to so many meals.
Equipment Needed to Make Quark at Home
Muslin or Tea Towels: I prefer muslin or clean tea towels over cheesecloth, as most cheesecloth is too porous for effective straining. Be sure to clean them well before use.
Bowl and Strainer: Needed to hold the muslin and catch the whey.
Digital Thermometer: Essential for accurately heating the milk. However, for a time-saving tip, if you have warm, freshly filtered milk, you can skip the heating step.
Specialty Ingredients:
To make this recipe you will need the following specialty ingredients. Rennet, which coagulates the milk, and a mesophilic starter culture, a bacteria that aids in the curdling process. Pasteurized milk will also require liquid calcium chloride to replace the calcium lost during the pasteurization process. I am still working on a version of this recipe that uses clabbered milk, and will update this post when I have a consistent recipe.
Let’s Make Easy Quark (a German Cream Cheese) at Home!
The process to make quark is so easy. While the recipe requires some time, it’s mostly just sitting and doesn’t require lots of hands on work.
Step 1:
Pour the milk (Raw or Pasteurized) into a heavy-bottomed pot and bring to 80-90 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a digital thermometer to accurately check the temperature. If using warm, fresh milk, you can bypass heating.
Step 2:
Once the milk has come to temperature, add your mesophilic starter culture by sprinkling it on top of the milk. Wait 5 minutes, then gently stir the culture into the milk. If you have leftover whey from a previous batch, you can use that instead of the starter culture. When using pasteurized milk, after stirring in the culture, take ¼ cup of cold, non-chlorinated water and add the calcium chloride to it. Mix together and then pour into the milk. Gently stir to incorporate. Non-chlorinated water is used to prevent the chlorine from killing the cultures.
Step 3:
Next, get ¼ cup cold water. Add your rennet to the water and stir. Pour the rennet mixture into the milk mixture. Gently stir, for approximately 15-30 seconds. Put the lid on the pot or jar.
Step 4:
Leave the milk on the counter or within the oven for 12-24 hours, or until the milk has set and the curds have separated from the whey. If the house is cold or drafty, I will turn the oven light on and put the pot of milk in the oven overnight.
Step 5:
After the milk has pulled away from the side of the pan, and a clear, yellowish whey has formed, the quark is ready to be strained. To do this, I pour off the whey (save whey for cooking, caramel, and smoothies!) then cut the quark curds into 1” cubes. After that, I transfer the quark to my wet tea towel or muslin piece and tie the diagonal corners. I hang this from the cupboard knobs for around 3-4 hours, ensuring the bag is suspended over a bowl or sink to catch any remaining whey.
Step 6:
After the quark has strained, move the quark to an airtight storage container. Add 1 teaspoon of salt for every gallon of milk and stir well. Then store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Glass or plastic containers are both suitable.
Tips for Making Quark at Home
Don’t be intimidated by this recipe. Quark is very forgiving. At times, I’ll forget my quark is hanging from the cabinet and when I get around to it, the quark is dryer than I’d like. When that happens, it’s easy to get it back to a better consistency by simply adding a splash of milk and stirring the quark until it’s how I want it.
For the longevity of your starter culture, store it in the freezer between uses. Also, using the whey will help keep your costs down so you do not have to continually purchase freeze dried starter cultures.
Give Quark a Try
Make easy quark (a German Cream Cheese) at home! It may not be common in American homes, but it should be. The versatility of this cheese is unmatched. You’ll be making this regularly, and best of all, you’ll know exactly what ingredients are in it! Once you see how easy it is, you’ll wonder why you didn’t try this sooner!
Quark (German Cream Cheese)
Equipment
- 1 muslin (24"x24")
- 1 Digital Thermometer
- 1 bowl
- 1 strainer
Ingredients
- 1 Gallon Whole Raw Milk Or Use Pasteurized
- ⅛ tsp mesophilic culture or ¼ cup backsplash whey
- ¼ tsp liquid rennet
- ¼ tsp liquid calcium chloride Only if using pasteurized milk
- 1 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Pour the milk into a heavy-bottomed pot and bring to 80-90 degrees Fahrenheit. Use a digital thermometer to accurately check the temperature. If using warm, fresh milk, you can bypass heating.
- Once the milk has come to temperature, add your mesophilic starter culture by sprinkling it on top of the milk. Wait 5 minutes, then gently stir the culture into the milk. If you have leftover whey from a previous batch, you can use that instead of the starter culture. When using pasteurized milk, after stirring in the culture, take ¼ cup of cold, non-chlorinated water and add the calcium chloride to it. Mix together and then pour into the milk. Gently stir to incorporate. Non-chlorinated water is used to prevent the chlorine from killing the cultures.
- Next, get ¼ cup cold water. Add your rennet to the water and stir. Pour the rennet mixture into the milk mixture. Gently stir, for approximately 15-30 seconds. Put the lid on the pot or jar.
- Leave the milk on the counter or within the oven for 12-24 hours, or until the milk has set and the curds have separated from the whey. If the house is cold or drafty, I will turn the oven light on and put the pot of milk in the oven overnight.
- After the milk has pulled away from the side of the pan, and a clear, yellowish whey has formed, the quark is ready to be strained. To do this, I pour off the whey (save whey for cooking, caramel, and smoothies!) then cut the quark curds into 1” cubes. After that, I transfer the quark to my wet tea towel or muslin piece and tie the diagonal corners. I hang this from the cupboard knobs for around 3-4 hours, ensuring the bag is suspended over a bowl or sink to catch any remaining whey.
- After the quark has strained, move the quark to an airtight storage container. Add 1 teaspoon of salt for every gallon of milk and stir well. Then store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Glass or plastic containers are both suitable.
Notes
8 responses to “Make Easy Quark (a German Cream Cheese) at Home”
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In Germany we used Quark daily in so many ways and one of my biggest regrets after moving to America 40 years ago, was the lack of Quark. I finally found it in a health food store and it was very expensive and didn’t taste very fresh. So I started to make my own. I still use it in place of cream cheese all the time. It makes the best cheese cake too! I agree that Quark should be more common and is under appreciated here. It’s awesome that you are sharing this recipe here and I hope that more people will come to love it.
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I have never heard of this, but it looks yummy and fairly easy to make. Will have to try it soon!
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