Goat cheese (or chevre cheese) is super simple to make at home, not to mention ridiculously cost-effective. Using just 3 ingredients, you can whip up a batch of customizable homemade goat’s cheese ready to impress your family and friends!

Out of all the DIYs I’ve done over the last few years, I think cheese-making is one of the ones that has truly revolutionized my spending habits. I honestly barely ever buy cheese at a store now because it’s so easy to make batches at home that I can flavor how I want, know exactly what went into them, and this homemade goat’s cheese (french chèvre – which translates to goat) is no different.

Plus, the process for making homemade cheese is FAR simpler than you may be imagining if you’re a complete newbie. This creamy goat cheese uses a ‘coagulation’ method, which means that we combine the goat’s milk with heat and acid. This then breaks down the milk into curds and whey. The curds are what we collect and drain to become our cheese – it’s as simple as that!

There’s honestly no specialty equipment you even need for this method – other than cheesecloth and a thermometer (which I honestly suggest you get anyway – because they are SUCH a handy kitchen gadget for anyone wanting to make their own DIYs and even ice cream, etc.).

Why try this recipe

It also tends to be easier on the stomach than cow’s milk/cheese, thus many people who have issues with cow’s milk/cheese can eat goat’s cheese.

On top of that, this homemade cheese uses just three ingredients and tastes absolutely delicious!

Ingredients you need and variations

• Fresh goats milk: It’s best to use full-fat goats milk (I used pasteurized goat milk), avoiding anything ultra-pasteurized, as it won’t curdle the same way. You can use raw goats milk if you’re able to source some.
• Citric acid and water: This is what I decided to use as my curdling agent because I have it in my kitchen after lots of DIY-ing. However, if you’re new to cheesemaking and want options that you probably already have in the house (like lemon juice, and vinegar), then check out the FAQ section for more information.
• Cheese salt (kosher salt): This is a non-iodized salt perfect for cheese as the lack of iodine means that it won’t inhibit the needed cultures/bacteria within the cheese. You can use sea salt as well, but only add after the cheese had curdled and drained.

Optional ingredient add-ins

I love to make plain goat’s cheese, and then adapt smaller portions to individual meals/uses. However, you can also flavor the entire batch. Here are a few options:

• You can make a herbed goat cheese using dried herbs such as chives, thyme, rosemary, etc. Add at the same time as adding milk to distribute evenly throughout the cheese.
• You could also cover the goats’ cheese in fresh herbs, once molded. I like to use chives or dill. You can also use dried herbs and spice blends such as tarragon, za’atar, basil, etc.
• When making logs/disks, you could also cover them in chopped nuts (raw or toasted).
• For a sweet variation, drizzle with honey and, optionally, some cinnamon.

Step by step instructions

Step 1. Prepare the Citric acid

Start by dissolving the citric acid in the water. There’s no need to heat the mixture.

Step 2. Heat The Goats milk

Pour the milk into a large saucepan and add the dissolved citric acid. Heat over medium heat gently, until you reach 85ºC/185ºF.* Then remove from heat.

*This method will differ if using lemon juice/vinegar. In that case, you only add the acid once the milk has reached this temperature and you’ve turned the heat off.

Step 3. Leave the milk to curdle

Set the milk aside and allow to rest, covered (with a lid or tea towel), for 10 minutes.

Goats milk doesn’t curdle in the same way that cows milk does, as the curds can be fairly small and less ‘formed’, unlike when making ricotta. This means the mixture can still look fairly liquid after 10 minutes.

Step 4. Drain the cheese

Place cheesecloth inside a sieve and pour the milk into the cheesecloth and allow to drain for around an hour.

You can leave the sieve over a large bowl and collect the leftover whey to use in other recipes. Alternatively, you can bundle up the cheesecloth and hang it from the faucet, to drain.

Step 5. Flavor and mold it

Add your salt to the drained cheese and mix well. Now it’s time to form the cheese. You can place it in a mold or roll it into a log.

To easily roll into a log, place it over a piece of beeswax wrap, plastic wrap, or wax paper and use it to roll into a log. Twist/fold in the ends to secure the cheese parcel.

Move to the fridge to chill and ‘set’. Your homemade goat cheese is ready to use!

How to serve

There are tons (and tons and tons) of ways to serve and consume goats cheese. SO much so that I couldn’t possibly hope to list them all here. However, here are some of my top picks.

• Spread over toast (whole wheat or multigrain), bagels, or even croissants.
• Serve as part of a cheese platter, with crackers and this easy homemade fig jam.
• Crumble over/into salads – like this beet salad recipe, simple quinoa salad, or blackberry spinach salad.
• Mix into pasta sauces – like this Vegetarian One-Pot Pasta bake, including within lasagne.
• Make a pizza and top with goat cheese.
• Use on baked potatoes (including sweet potatoes).
• Marinate in olive oil and herbs.
• A goat cheese and caramelized onion tart.

Let me know in the comments what your favorite goat cheese recipes are.

FAQs and tips

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If you give this recipe a go, then let me know your thoughts in the comments. Also, feel free to tag me in your recreations @AlphaFoodie.