Homemade Fresh Cheese with Only 3 Ingredients

Name: Queso Casero (Homemade Fresh Cheese, 3 Ingredients)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 2 min
Total time: 27 min
Ingredients: 1 liter milk (ordinary pasteurised, not UHT: see the notes); 1 tablet of rennet (you will use a quarter of it per litre); Salt (to taste)

A litre of milk set with a quarter of a rennet tablet, drained and pressed into a round. Three ingredients, and the milk has to be ordinary pasteurised rather than long-life or it will not set.

Total: 27

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A litre of milk set with a quarter of a rennet tablet, drained and pressed into a round. Three ingredients, and the milk has to be the right kind.

The milk decides everything

This recipe has three ingredients and one of them is a trap the recipe never warns about.

Rennet works by making milk proteins clump into a curd. Ultra-pasteurised or UHT milk, the kind sold in cartons that keep for months unopened, has been heated so far that those proteins can no longer do it. Rennet added to UHT milk produces nothing at all: you wait, and it stays milk.

The Spanish recipe says leche en bolsa, bagged milk, because in Colombia that is the everyday pasteurised kind. The point is the pasteurisation, not the bag. Look for plain pasteurised milk, ideally whole.

Lukewarm, and off the heat

The first step warms the milk and then, crucially, takes it off the heat before the rennet goes in.

Rennet is an enzyme. It works best around body temperature and is destroyed by heat, so adding it to a pot still on the stove kills it before it can do anything.

Lukewarm means you can hold a clean finger in it comfortably. If you cannot, wait.

A quarter tablet, and how to know it has set

The list says one tablet and the second step says to use a quarter of it. The recipe's note resolves it: a quarter tablet per litre of milk. You buy one and it does four batches.

Then it sits undisturbed for about half an hour. Do not stir it, do not check it by swirling the pot: a curd that is forming will break if it is disturbed and will not come back together.

The test cheesemakers use is the clean break. Push a clean finger into the surface and lift. A set curd splits cleanly along the line, with clear whey filling the gap. An unset one leaves a milky smear on your finger and needs longer.

Draining and pressing

Into a strainer or a sieve, and how long you leave it there is the only decision left.

A short drain gives a soft, moist cheese close to a fresh ricotta. Longer, with the curd pressed down, gives something firmer that holds a shape and slices. Both are queso casero.

Then into a round and into the fridge, where it firms up further as it cools.

More basics

Cheese arepas — where fresh cheese goes.
Homemade buttermilk — the other three-minute dairy one.
Béchamel sauce — the other thing to know by heart.
Cheese bread — pandebono, with fresh cheese in it.

Homemade Cheese FAQ

What milk should I use?

Ordinary pasteurised milk. Long-life UHT milk will not set with rennet, because the heat treatment has changed its proteins beyond the point where they can form a curd. This is the single most common reason homemade cheese fails.

How much rennet?

A quarter of a tablet per litre of milk, which is what the recipe's own note says. More does not set it faster or firmer; it makes the curd tough and can leave a bitter taste.

How warm should the milk be?

Lukewarm, and off the heat before the rennet goes in. Rennet works around body temperature and is destroyed by heat. If it is too hot to hold a finger in comfortably, let it cool.

How long does it take to set?

Usually around half an hour. The test is a clean break: push a clean finger into the curd and it should split cleanly rather than leaving a milky smear.

How long do I drain it?

That decides what you get. A short drain gives a soft, wet cheese; longer and with more pressing gives something firmer you can slice.

How long does it keep?

A few days in the fridge. It is a fresh cheese with no ageing and no preservative.

Can I add salt later?

The recipe salts the milk before the rennet, which distributes it evenly. Salting the drained curd afterwards works too and gives a saltier surface.

📖 Recipe

Queso Casero (Homemade Fresh Cheese, 3 Ingredients)

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Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 2

Refrigeration: 20

Total Time: 27

Course: Drinks

Cuisine: Colombian

Keyword: homemade cheese

Servings: 4

Author: Angela Giraldo

Ingredients

▢ 1 liter milk (ordinary pasteurised, not UHT: see the notes)
▢ 1 tablet of rennet (you will use a quarter of it per litre)
▢ Salt (to taste)

Notas

Use ordinary pasteurised milk, not UHT. This is the single reason most homemade cheese fails and the recipe never mentions it. Long-life milk has been heated so far that its proteins can no longer form a curd, and rennet added to it produces nothing at all. In Colombia the recipe says leche en bolsa, bagged milk, because that is the everyday pasteurised kind; the point is the pasteurisation, not the bag. Lukewarm, not hot. Rennet works at around body temperature and is destroyed by heat, which is why the first step takes the pot off the stove before the tablet goes in. If the milk is too hot to hold a finger in comfortably, let it cool. A quarter of a tablet per litre, which the recipe's own note confirms. More does not set it faster or firmer: it makes the curd tough and can leave a bitter taste. How long you drain it decides what you get. A short drain gives a soft, wet cheese; longer and heavier pressing gives something firmer that slices. Either way it is a fresh cheese and it keeps only a few days.

Instructions

Warm the milk until it is lukewarm, add salt to taste and stir. Take it off the heat before adding the rennet.
Break the tablet into 4 equal parts and use only one quarter. Crush it and mix it into the milk.
Leave it undisturbed until the milk has set into a solid curd. It usually takes around half an hour, and it is ready when a clean finger pushed into it leaves a clean break rather than a milky smear. Then tip it into a strainer or a sieve and let the whey drain off.
Press the curd into a round and put it in the refrigerator.