Yogurt Cheese is simply yogurt that has been strained through cheesecloth or some kind of filter in order to remove the whey. You are then left with a soft cream cheese like consistency.
This is one of the easiest things in the world to make. It only requires a couple of steps and no cooking whatsoever. You can’t get any simpler than that.
Yogurt Cheese is packed with essential nutrients like protein, calcium, and probiotics. It can be used as a healthy alternative to sour cream or cream cheese. You can use it to make dips, spreads, and I’ve read that some people even use it to make cake frosting (haven’t tried that one yet myself). It takes on the flavors of whatever you add to it.
To make this you will need a bowl, fine mesh sieve, a couple of coffee filters, or two layers of cheesecloth. I don’t keep cheesecloth on hand, so I just use coffee filters. Make sure that the bowl is deep enough so that the fine mesh sieve doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl (otherwise the liquid that drains off will be touching the yogurt).
Place the fine mesh sieve with the coffee filters or cheese cloth into the bowl or container. Add 2 cups of yogurt. I used low-fat, but you can use non-fat if you choose.
Cover it with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge. The longer you let it drain, the thicker it will be. If you are looking for a soft cream cheese consistency, then let it sit overnight. Allowing it to drain for 24 hours will yield an even thicker, drier consistency. I let mine drain overnight. I don’t know if you can see from the picture, but about a cup of liquid has drained off from the yogurt. Two cups of yogurt yields about a cup of yogurt cheese.
Discard the liquid and place the yogurt cheese into a bowl or container.
