Easy DIY Dairy Products
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DIY dairy products are so easy to make, and the results are delicious. You can save lots of money with these healthy recipes.
After being diagnosed with a dairy sensitivity several years ago, I became aware of just how much I was overdoing it with cheese, yogurt, butter, and other cow’s milk products. Dairy products are complicated to digest, and by eating a lot of them I was putting a strain on my body. I stopped eating dairy altogether for about two years, and now I can enjoy it once in a while without any problems.
As a result of this change, when I do eat dairy I like to make sure it’s high quality. If I’m going to indulge, I want it to be worth it. I’ve learned how to make several dairy products from scratch at home, and the quality is so much better than what you find in a package at the store. If you’ve never tried homemade ice cream, yogurt, or ricotta cheese, you don’t know what you’re missing!
Easy DIY Dairy Products
Ice Cream
The rich flavor of homemade ice cream is one of life’s great treats. If you’re going to eat ice cream, this is the way to do it. I have a vanilla version and a pumpkin pie version.
Yogurt
Homemade Greek yogurt is very easy to make, even without a yogurt maker. I love that I can use the yogurt for other things too, like a topping for baked potatoes, homemade ranch dressing, or homemade French onion dip.
Ricotta
Ricotta couldn’t be easier to make. You just heat up some milk, add a little lemon juice, and you’re done. It tastes amazing, and it’s a great way to jazz up a simple pasta dinner.
Ghee
Ghee is a shelf-stable form of butter that consists of pure butter fat. It lacks the casein that I’m sensitive to, so I’m able to enjoy this form of butter without any problems. I put ghee on popcorn, bake with it, and make waffles with it. It’s as simple as melting butter a little longer than usual and then straining out the milk solids.
Special Tools
I use two special tools for these homemade dairy products. To strain the yogurt, ricotta, and ghee, I use butter muslin. It’s finer than regular cheesecloth so it does a better job of straining. It’s also machine washable, so I can use it over and over. And to make ice cream, I use my KitchenAid ice cream attachment. This is a special freezer bowl and paddle that churns the ice cream into the most delicious treat.
What other dairy products do you make at home? I’d love some new inspiration!
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I make dairy kefir.
If you don’t have buttermilk on hand, you can drain the yogurt and use the whey in place of buttermilk. The buttermilk adds necessary acid to the recipe. The yogurt whey will do the same thing. Or you can simply add yogurt.
I also replace buttermilk in recipes with dairy kefir.
Great suggestions! My yogurt recipe yields a lot of whey, and I’m always looking for ways to use it. I’ll have to try some whey (buttermilk) pancakes this weekend.
I’ve been wanting to make paneer cheese–just because it seems like I can handle it. You’ve given me even more to try!!
I’m off to tweet this and follow you on twitter, too! Have a lovely day!!
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Thanks, Kris! I’d like to try paneer cheese too. I think it’s the same process as ricotta, but with a longer strain time.
I’ve been wanting to make yogurt for quite awhile. Maybe I will get around to it some day! 🙂
It’s so easy, Jenni! Give it a try.
I need to try and make ricotta–every time I buy some at the store I am disappointed with the taste (unless I’m loading it up in a lasagna, like you’ll see later this week LOL).
If you get a chance, head over to Kitchen Parade. Alanna posted a recipe for homemade buttermilk that I use every chance I get. And with all the soaked oatmeal muffins I make for my kids, I use a lot of buttermilk.
Thanks!
Thanks for the tip, Kirsten! I’ll check out that homemade buttermilk recipe. I usually just use regular (or non-dairy) milk when a recipe calls for buttermilk. Does buttermilk make a big difference in recipes?
When I eat dairy, I prefer homemade as well. My gut doesn’t like all the thickeners and emulsifiers added to dairy now. And it just tastes so much cleaner too! 🙂
I agree, Sarah. Homemade dairy tastes and feels so much better.