The 11 Best Farm Cheese Substitutes

You may need to replace farm cheese with another dairy product for different reasons. Whether you don’t have it right now or just don’t like it, you can find an alternative to this variety of cheese for almost any recipe.

What are the best substitutes for farm cheese?  The best substitutes are soft, unripened cheese varieties such as ricotta, goat cheese, paneer, American Neufchatel, Queso Blanco, quark, cream cheese, dry curd, feta, Havarti and the Manouri. You can also substitute store-bought farmer’s cheese for your homemade version. 

In this article, we will talk about the 11 best substitutes for country cheese. You will also learn how to make farm cheese at home in case none of these options work for you.

What is farm cheese?

Farmer’s cheese is a variety of soft, unripened cheese made from cow’s, sheep’s or goat’s milk. Often described as pressed cottage cheese, it is made by adding bacteria to milk to coagulate and acidify it. 

As for the taste, the peasant cheese is soft and not salty . This variety of cheese also has spicy notes. Texture -wise, farmer’s cheese is crumbly yet soft and spreadable. 

How is it used

Peasant cheese is very popular in European countries. However, those who start eating it in other parts of the world, including the US, fall in love with the mild flavor and versatility of this cheese.

As for the uses of farmer’s cheese, they range from the easy to the complicated. You can eat this cheese as is with chopped herbs for added flavor. Or, you can make more advanced dishes with farmer’s cheese.

Here are some popular uses for this variety of soft cheese:

• Creamy filling for pierogis 
• salad topping 
• Creamy cheesecakes and other desserts 
• pasta filling
• Curries and other Indian dishes 
• It is eaten alone, with fruits, honey, jam and other dressings.
• Dips and sauces when mixed with yogurt or mayonnaise

The 11 Best Farm Cheese Substitutes

If a recipe calls for farmhouse cheese and you don’t have it at home, or you don’t want to use farmhouse cheese for other reasons, choose one of the following substitutes.

1. Ricotta

Ricotta is a popular variety of Italian cheese that is often used as a substitute for other cheeses and dairy products.

This fresh cheese is light and creamy. Some varieties of fresh cheese, such as peasant cheese, are made with the curd. Ricotta, on the other hand, is made from the whey left over from cow’s or sheep’s milk.

Ricotta cheese has a mild flavor and a low salt content. This makes it perfect for both sweet and savory dishes. This cheese is very popular in pasta dishes.

However, you can also use it to make pancakes, tarts, cheesecakes, and other desserts. You can easily turn your ricotta cheese into a delicious creamy sauce.

2. Goat cheese

Goat cheese has a crumbly texture and a very mild flavor that makes it a great substitute for farmhouse cheese. Goat cheese is made from curdled milk.

Some kind of acidic ingredient or rennet is added to the milk to make goat cheese.

Goat cheese is a great cheese option for those trying to avoid cow’s milk and dairy products that are high in lactose.

As there are different types of goat cheese, from fresh to mature, we recommend finding the most suitable to use instead of farm cheese.

Fresh goat cheese is definitely a better choice if you are going to use it as a substitute for farm cheese.

As cheese ages, it becomes harder and its flavor intensifies. Fresh goat cheese is the best option to replace farm cheese in terms of texture and flavor.

Use goat cheese to top salads, pizzas, and pasta dishes. It’s also great on sandwiches and dips.

3. Bread

Paneer is a popular Indian cheese. It is made by curdling milk with the help of a natural acid such as lemon juice. Paneer is not cured and is a variety of soft cheese that does not melt.

The taste of paneer is quite mild and milky, which is usually the case with all varieties of fresh cheese. The texture of the paneer can be described as fluffy, firm and creamy at the same time.

Unlike farmer cheese, paneer does not fall apart. Thanks to its firmness, you can cut the paneer into blocks.

Paneer is a good source of protein. This cheese that does not melt can be fried and eaten with different garnishes.

Paneer cheese is not as salty as other varieties of cheese. Some people even describe its flavor as sweet-sour, with a hint of nuttiness. Thanks to its neutral taste, this Indian cheese can replace farmhouse cheese in various recipes.

4. American Neufchatel

If you live in the US, American Neufchatel is another variety of cheese that you can use in place of farmhouse cheese.

American Neufchatel resembles cream cheese in texture, although it is smoother than cream cheese due to its high moisture content . This variety of spreadable cheese is also characterized by its low fat content.

You can use Neufchatel Americano in pasta dishes. It’s also good for sauces and glazes.

5. White Cheese

Queso Blanco, which means “white cheese” in Spanish, is a variety of creamy cheese with a mild flavor. This Mexican cheese is very easy to make. You only need one acidic ingredient to coagulate the milk and make the Queso Blanco.

Since many use lemon juice to make Queso Blanco, it is possible that the cheese has hints of lemon. 

Queso Blanco has a mild, milky flavor and is only slightly salty. As for the texture, it is firm and crumbly. This cheese does not melt, but softens. That is why people often use Queso Blanco for grilling and frying.

But you can also use the White Cheese for other culinary tasks. You can eat White Cheese with fresh fruits.

Also, you can use it to cover salads and soups. Queso Blanco sauces are also quite common. In the US, Queso Blanco is used by many to make cheesecakes.

6.Quark

The Quark may not be as popular as some of the products on this list. However, it’s worth a try if you’re looking for a farmer’s cheese substitute that’s also healthy.

What is the quark? It is a dairy product made from milk. Manufacturers add lactic acid to start the coagulation process and separate the solids from the liquid.

When the whey is separated from the curd, the curd is collected and turned into a fresh dairy product: quark.

Taste-wise, quark looks like a cross between yogurt and cottage cheese . It is not sweet or sour, but creamy and smooth.

The quark’s texture is thick and only slightly grainy . You can make the quark very smooth by passing it through a fine mesh.

Quark is a healthy, low-fat alternative to many dairy products, as it contains no salt or sugar. It is also made without rennet, which makes it suitable for vegetarians.

You can use quark as a spread on toast and also in various sweet and savory recipes.

7. Creamy cottage cheese

Creamy cottage cheese is essentially cottage cheese with curds. If you add 4 to 8 percent cream to the cottage cheese, you’ll get creamy cottage cheese, which is a great substitute for farmhouse cheese.

The taste of this fresh dairy product is mild. You may also feel slight sour notes, as the curdling process is done with the help of vinegar or other acidic ingredients.

Texture-wise, you can probably guess that creamy cottage cheese is creamier and smoother than farmhouse cheese.

Due to its texture and relatively mild flavor, creamy cottage cheese is a good substitute for farmhouse cheese in certain recipes. It works especially well in desserts and sauces.

8. Dry cottage cheese

Dry cottage cheese, as you might guess from its name, is the dry variety of cottage cheese. It is not creamy, but rather grainy, and works best as a substitute for drier varieties of farmer’s cheese.

The flavor of dry cottage cheese is mild and very similar to that of farmhouse cheese . This makes it a great substitute for farmhouse cheese in all recipes where the texture of the dairy product is not the most important thing.

If you are lactose intolerant, dry cottage cheese is one of the best options. Thanks to the technique used to make dry cottage cheese, it hardly contains lactose.

You can find dry cottage cheese in both supermarkets and farmers’ markets. But we recommend going to farmers’ markets for dry cottage cheese, as you’re more likely to find fresh, flavorful cottage cheese there.

Dry cottage cheese is good for baking and a low-fat version of any recipe that calls for farmhouse cheese.

9. Feta

Feta cheese is a very popular and beloved variety of Greek cheese. Feta is a brine-curdled cheese made from sheep’s or goat’s milk, or a mixture of both. This cheese is aged from 4 to 6 weeks before it is fully developed.

The feta is soft and has a slightly crumbly texture. It may seem to some people that its taste is sharper and saltier than that of peasant cheese. However, feta is still a good substitute for a number of culinary tasks.

You can use feta as a dressing for salads and pasta dishes. It can go in sandwiches and wraps and even in cakes.

10.Havarti

Havarti may not be the most popular cottage cheese, but it’s certainly a good alternative to farmhouse cheese if it’s available where you live.

Havarti is a variety of Danish cheese. It is made by coagulating milk with the help of rennet. Once the curd is separated and drained, it is pressed into the molds where the Havarti cheese is aged.

Therefore, the texture of Havarti cheese is different from that of peasant cheese. It is semi-soft, can be sliced, and has an elastic texture. As for the taste, the Havarti is quite mild. It can go in salads and sandwiches.

11.Manouri

Manouri is another variety of Greek cheese made from sheep’s or goat’s milk. In fact, the Manouri is made with the whey drained from the production of feta cheese.

The salt content of Manouri cheese is not very high. Manouri is less salty than feta, but creamier, as manufacturers use cream in the production of Manouri cheese.

Manouri works very well as a salad or pasta topping. It is also good for making desserts, including cheesecake. You can also eat the Manouri as is, with dried fruit and honey.

DIY Farm Cheese

If none of the farmhouse cheese substitutes listed above work for you, your best bet is to make your own. Homemade country cheese is the best alternative to commercially made country cheese.

Luckily, making farmhouse cheese at home is easy and doesn’t require a lot of time or effort. This is how you do it.

1. Gather the ingredients . To make farmhouse cheese at home, you’ll need pasteurized whole milk, white vinegar, salt, fresh dill, or chives.
2. Pour a half gallon of pasteurized milk into a pot and turn the heat to low . Stir the milk occasionally until it starts to boil. You want to keep the heat on the stove low, as high heat will scorch the milk in the bottom of the pot, especially if it’s not one with a heavy bottom.
3. As soon as you see small bubbles form on the surface, turn off the heat. This occurs when the temperature of the milk is 190°F.
4. Slowly add ¼ cup of white vinegar to the milk . Stir the milk as you do. Adding the vinegar to the milk will immediately form a curd in it.
5. Stop stirring the milk and let it sit for 15 minutes. 
6. Optionally, add finely chopped dill or chives to the mixture.
7. Drain the mixture with a cheesecloth or towel and a strainer . The whey, which is the liquid that separates during the cheese-making process, will drain off, leaving the curd.
8. Wrap the cheesecloth or towel you are using around the drained curds. Wring the cloth to wring out any remaining water. 
9. Loosen the curd and add salt. 
10. Use the same towel to shape the cheese . Leaving the cheese wrapped in the cheesecloth for an hour will give it a satisfying round shape.

Can farmer cheese be substituted for cream cheese?

Cream cheese is different from farmhouse cheese in texture and flavor.

Cream cheese has a smooth and creamy texture, unlike the crumbly nature of farmhouse cheese. As for flavor, cream cheese lacks the acidity of farmhouse cheese. 

But despite these differences, the two varieties of cheese are interchangeable for certain culinary tasks, such as making desserts. For example, you can make a cheesecake using both cream cheese and farmhouse cheese.