Kid-Friendly Cheese Recipes (Plus Cheese Making Kits!)

by Paula Butler

Although some cheeses require complex instructions to make, many kinds of cheese don’t. In fact, ‘easy’ cheese – the kind that can be made in a few simple steps and use only a handful of ingredients – is perfect for family members of all ages to make, kids included.

Kids can make cheese too! 

You read that right. Kids cannot only make cheese; they can have fun doing it, too. However, before you give your child free reign of the kitchen, there are a few things that parents should know about our kid-approved cheese recipes and cheese making kits designed especially for kids.

For starters, some cheeses must be heated to temperatures higher than 80⁰F. For these recipes, we recommend that an adult is present to supervise when the liquid is heated in a microwave or on a stovetop so that no one gets burned.

Additionally, almost all cheese requires the use of unfamiliar chemicals. These are mainly a curdling component (rennet or citric acid) and sometimes calcium chloride. These ingredients are included in our cheese making kits and should be handled with care. 

Lastly, it’s important that kids properly sterilize their cooking equipment (pots, spoons, thermometer, etc.) and thoroughly wash their hands before they begin making cheese. We want the good bacteria to do its job without the cheese being contaminated by unwanted bacteria.

Kid-friendly cheese making kits

To make it even easier, we’ve put together a cheese making kit just for kids. It includes all the ingredients to turn nearly 25 gallons of milk into yummy cheese (butter, too!) using kid-approved recipes. There are special, easy-to-follow instructions (some that require adult supervision) and a list of color-coded ingredients, too.

All you’ll need is farm fresh raw or store bought pasteurized milk, a cooking thermometer, a stainless steel or enamel pot and a slotted spoon for the fun to begin.

Kid-approved cheese recipes

Our kid-friendly recipe book contains step-by-step instructions for six types of cheese (chevre, cottage cheese, cream cheese, mozzarella, ricotta, and ‘squeaky’ cheese curds) and two types of butter (American and European).

Here’s a sneak peek at one of the recipes in the booklet contained in our Kid’s Cheesemaking Kit:

Cream Cheese Recipe  

Ingredients:

• 3 cups whole milk (store bought pasteurized milk is fine)
• 3 cups heavy whipping cream (ultra-pasteurized is fine)
• ¼ cup buttermilk (not low-fat)
• ¼ tsp. calcium chloride, diluted into ¼ cup cold water
• 2 drops rennet, diluted into a 1/8 cup cold water

Directions:

1. Mix milk and cream in a large pot. Heat the mixture until it reaches 72°F. You can do this by submersing your pot in hot water or even using your microwave.
2. Stir in the buttermilk with a gentle up and down motion. 
3. Add the calcium chloride mixture, stir gently then, and rennet mixture and stir gently. Cover the pot. Store at room temperature to ripen the milk.
4. Allow to ripen undisturbed for 14-24 hours. The cheese at this stage should look like yogurt. Determine readiness by watching for small pools about 2-3 inches in size. You may also see the curd mass pull away slightly from the sides of the pot.
5. Place a drain bag into your colander. Pour the curds into the bag and let drain before hanging for 1 hour. Then tie up the cheesecloth or flour sack drain cloth so that any remaining liquid drains, approximately 10-12 hours.
6. Drain the newly formed cream cheese curds until they become solid. Transfer the cream cheese into a separate container and then mix until smooth and creamy. 

Enjoy!

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