How to Make Grain-Free Cheese (Raw Milk + Vinegar Recipe)
Looking for a clean, grain-free cheese recipe alternative to commercial cheese? Here’s my honest, from-scratch method for making homemade cheese using raw milk and vinegar.
Why I Started Making Grain-Free Cheese
Cheese. It’s something I’ve loved for as long as I can remember. Give me a cheese board for my birthday and I’ll practically do a flick-flack. (Okay, not literally—but emotionally? Absolutely.)
When my son and I went grain-free, cheese had to change. Commercial cheddar started disagreeing with us—those mysterious oils and additives didn’t sit well, and truthfully, I wasn’t sure what I was feeding my family anymore.
So, like most things in this from-scratch life, I decided to make it myself.
Grain-Free Cheese Ingredients
You can scale this up or down. Here’s what I use:
- 2.5L raw milk (unpasteurised)
- ¾ cup vinegar (adjust if needed)
- Just under 2 tbsp salt
I buy my vinegar and salt from The Tanner Mill
If your milk doesn’t separate during heating, add a little more vinegar. You’ll know it’s working when you see greenish-yellow whey separating from the curds.
How to Make the Cheese
- Pour the milk and vinegar into a pot. Heat over high heat.
- Stir occasionally as it heats. Watch for the moment the curds separate from the whey.
- Once fully separated, switch off the heat.
- Line a fine-mesh sieve with a cheesecloth (or not, if you like a bit of texture). Place it over a dish to collect the whey.
- Pour the curds and whey into the sieve. Gently press to remove excess liquid.
- Press the curds flat by hand and sprinkle ⅓ of the salt. Fold over. Repeat this twice more with the remaining salt.
- Transfer to a container, press down, and leave overnight.
- The next day, invert the container onto a plate.
- Let the cheese rest on the counter for 24 hours.
- Then move it to the fridge, uncovered. It’ll firm up and improve over two days.
Covering it in the fridge may cause mould—let it breathe.
This cheese recipe might not win awards at a dairy fair, but it’s real, grain-free, and surprisingly simple. And once you’ve gone a few weeks without processed cheese, you’ll start to appreciate just how flavourful homemade can be.
More than that, it’s empowering. It’s one more thing you can make yourself, on your own terms. And why not wash cheese and crackers down with some homemade granadilla cordial?
How to Make Grain-Free Cheese at Home (Raw Milk + Vinegar Recipe)
Looking for a grain-free, homemade cheese alternative? This simple recipe uses just raw milk, vinegar, and salt to create a real-food cheese with no additives or mystery oils. Follow my honest, from-scratch method to make your own cheese at home—nourishing, empowering, and perfect for a low-tox lifestyle.
Ingredients
- 2.5L raw milk (unpasteurised)
- ¾ cup vinegar (adjust if needed)
- Just under 2 tbsp salt
- If your milk doesn’t separate during heating, add a little more vinegar. You’ll know it’s working when you see greenish-yellow whey separating from the curds.
Instructions
- Pour the milk and vinegar into a pot. Heat over high heat.
- Stir occasionally as it heats. Watch for the moment the curds separate from the whey.
- Once fully separated, switch off the heat.
- Line a fine-mesh sieve with a cheesecloth (or not, if you like a bit of texture). Place it over a dish to collect the whey.
- Pour the curds and whey into the sieve. Gently press to remove excess liquid.
- Press the curds flat by hand and sprinkle ⅓ of the salt. Fold over. Repeat this twice more with the remaining salt.
- Transfer to a container, press down, and leave overnight.
- The next day, invert the container onto a plate.
- Let the cheese rest on the counter for 24 hours.
- Then move it to the fridge, uncovered. It’ll firm up and improve over two days. Covering it in the fridge may cause mould—let it breathe.
Notes
This cheese recipe might not win awards at a dairy fair, but it’s real, grain-free, and surprisingly simple. And once you’ve gone a few weeks without processed cheese, you’ll start to appreciate just how flavourful homemade can be.
