PRESERVE: Homemade Paneer Cheese
- Paneer Cheese Ingredients
- Kitchen Equipment Needed
- How to Make Paneer Cheese
- How to Store your Homemade Paneer
- Homemade Paneer Cheese (Panir)
If you’ve wanted to experiment with making your own cheese but were afraid to try, homemade paneer cheese (also spelled “panir”) is one of the easiest recipes to start with. You can use regular whole milk from your grocery store, and don’t need any specialty ingredients or equipment to make it.
If you have a pot, a strainer, some cheesecloth, and either lemon juice or citric acid, and can boil water, you can make this fresh cheese at home!
Paneer is a fresh, semi-firm cheese that does not melt. It is delicious in vegetarian curries like palak paneer (spinach and cheese curry), saag paneer (mixed greens and cheese curry), or muttar paneer (green peas and cheese curry). It’s also used in candies, pastries, and other desserts, or can be eaten plain as a snack.
Paneer Cheese Ingredients
Milk:
Use whole milk (5% milkfat) for best results. If you can find it, 6% whole milk is even better for this cheese!
We’re bringing the milk to a boil, so you can use raw or pasteurized milk (as the cheese is pasteurized as part of the cheesemaking process).
Acid:
You can use either fresh or bottled lemon juice, or food-grade citric acid granules dissolved in water.
Kitchen Equipment Needed
stockpot:
For a one-gallon batch of paneer cheese, you’ll need a non-reactive pot that will hold at least 6 quarts. You need a pot that has room to boil the milk without it boiling over.
This cheese uses an acidic ingredient as a coagulant to set the curd, so you’ll want to use a stainless steel, enamel-coated, or otherwise non-reactive pan (not un-coated aluminum).
The best pots for cheesemaking have thick, scorch-resistant bottoms, though you can make cheese in a thinner pot if you are diligent about stirring and moderating the heat to prevent scorching.
spoon:
Any heat-resistant, long-handled spoon will do (I prefer stainless steel because it is non-reactive and easy to sanitize).
strainer or colander:
You’ll need a strainer or colander, preferably made from stainless steel or another heat-resistant material (though plastic will work if that’s what you have). If you have cheese molds, you can use these instead if you like!
cheesecloth:
You’ll need cheesecloth or butter muslin to line your colander or cheese mold. You can also use a clean piece of woven cotton fabric (like a flour-sack towel).
Most cheesecloth is too flimsy to reuse, but if you use butter muslin or a towel, after you make your cheese, wash the cloth right away. I rinse mine well with hot water, spraying off any bits of curd. You can also rinse it with several changes of clean water. If feel like you need to use soap, only use unscented washing soda or soap, and rinse until absolutely no traces of soap remain.
Boil the cloth to sanitize it, then hang it up to dry, and you can reuse the same muslin for a long time (I make cheese somewhat infrequently and have been using the same muslin for years).
Make sure it’s completely dry before you put it away, and don’t let it sit around soaked in whey or it might mold. If that happens, you’ll need to throw it out!
thermometer (optional):
For this cheese, you bring the milk to a boil, so you don’t need precise temperature control like with many other cheese recipes. But, if you have a cheesemaking or other food thermometer, it can’t hurt to use it to keep an eye on the progress of your milk as you heat it!
weight:
If you want a firm, slice-able paneer cheese, you’ll need something that is about 5 lbs to add weight and press the cheese. You should make sure that it is food-safe to contact your cheese (or use a plate or plastic wrap to separate the cheese from the weight).
I used a #10 can of tomatoes, but you can also use a small dumbbell or several smaller cans stacked on a ceramic plate or stainless dish. Or, save the milk jug, wash it, and refill it with water (or the cooled whey from the cheese)! A gallon of water weighs 8 lbs, so fill it most of the way (or use all of the whey).
How to Make Paneer Cheese
prepare coagulant:
- Dissolve the citric acid in a cup or less of warm water. If you are using lemon juice, squeeze and strain the lemon juice for fresh lemons, or measure out the bottled juice.
heat and stir the milk:
- Pour the milk into your large stockpot.
- Bring up to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently in the beginning and almost constantly as it is about to boil so that it doesn’t scorch.
- If you have a cheesemaking or other thermometer, keep an eye on the temperature. Boiling is 212F, and you want to get to a gently boil before adding the coagulant.
- It will take a long time to get up to about 180F, but pay even closer attention after that so that your milk doesn’t boil over or scorch.
add acid:
- Reduce the heat under your cheesemaking pot to low.
- Pour in the citric acid or lemon juice, drizzling it over the top of the milk while gently stirring for up to a minute, until the curd begins to separate from the whey.
- If the whey is still very milky and opaque, keep heating the mixture, or add a bit more lemon or citric acid mixture, until you get a clear separation.
let curds rest:
- Remove the pot from the heat and cover it.
- Let the curds and whey rest for about 10-15 minutes.
- The curds will settle and clump together a bit.
strain the curds:
- Line your colander, strainer, or cheese mold with a large square of clean butter muslin or cheesecloth.
- Place it over another pot or heat-resistant pan to catch the whey, and gently ladle the curds from the pot into the cheesecloth in the colander.
- The whey will drain out leaving the curds.
rinse the curds:
- Once you have strained all the whey, gather the corners of the cheesecloth and rinse the curds with cold, fresh running water.
- This will rinse out a lot of the coagulant (either lemon or citric acid) so that your cheese is more neutrally flavored and not tangy.
hang or press the paneer:
- Either gather the corners and hang the cheese to drain for a relatively soft cheese, or press the cheese with a 5 lb weight for 2-3 hours for a firm paneer.
- You can improvise a press by placing a saucer on top of the cheesecloth bundle, and then adding a small weight (like canned goods, or a milk jug filled with water or the strained whey).
How to Store your Homemade Paneer
Unwrap the cheese and store it in an airtight container in the fridge. Your homemade paneer cheese is ready to use or eat right away, or you can refrigerate it for up to two weeks.
What Can I do with the Whey?
Don’t pour out the whey! Make sure that you chill or freeze the whey promptly if you are saving it for other recipes. Once it has cooled, you can store it in sanitized glass jars, or even wash and re-use the milk carton if you’re going to use it quickly. Discard any way that smells off, or that begins to bubble, has mold, or other signs of spoilage.
Whey is great for baking – try it instead of water in your next batch of pizza dough or bread, or use it in soups and smoothies to add flavor and protein. Remember that this whey will be somewhat acidic, so you shouldn’t use it in cream soups with dairy as it might cause them to curdle!
You can freeze it in ice cube trays for smoothies, or portion it out into convenient sizes for the recipes you like to use. Freeze any whey you won’t be using within a few days. The faster you chill the whey after draining, the longer the shelf-life will be. I measure mine out into pint or quart plastic containers, so I can thaw just what I need for a recipe.
If you have chickens or pigs, it’s a great nutritional boost if you have more whey than you can use in the kitchen. Add it to their feed as a treat. Your dog might also enjoy some on his or her kibble, but introduce it slowly and in moderation so you don’t upset their tummies!
Because this fresh cheese is coagulated with heat and acid, it doesn’t have probiotic cultures. This won’t affect its usefulness for baking or cooking, but it won’t work to jump-start homemade ferments like sauerkraut or other lacto-fermented vegetables.
Homemade Paneer Cheese (Panir)
Equipment
- colander or wire mesh strainer
- butter muslin or cheesecloth
Ingredients
- 1 gallon whole milk
- 2 tsp citric acid (dissolved in 1 cup hot water) (substitute 8 tablespoons lemon juice for the citric acid + water)
Instructions
- Dissolve the citric acid in a cup or less of warm water. If you are using lemon juice, squeeze and strain the lemon juice for fresh lemons, or measure out the bottled juice.
- Pour the milk into a large stockpot. Bring up to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently in the beginning and almost constantly as it is about to boil so that it doesn't scorch.
- Reduce the heat to low. Pour in the citric acid or lemon juice, drizzling it over the top of the milk while gently stirring for up to a minute, until the curd begins to separate from the whey.
- If the whey is still very milky and opaque, keep heating the mixture, or add a bit more lemon or citric acid mixture, until you get a clear separation.
- Remove the pot from the heat, cover it, and let it rest for about 10-15 minutes. The curds will settle and clump together a bit.
- Line your colander, strainer, or cheese mold with a large square of clean butter muslin or cheesecloth. Place it over another pot or heat-resistant pan to catch the whey, and gently ladle the curds from the pot into the colander. The whey will drain out leaving the curds.
- Once you have strained all the whey, gather the corners of the cheesecloth and rinse the curds with cold, fresh running water. This will rinse out a lot of the coagulant (either lemon or citric acid) so that your cheese is more neutrally flavored and not tangy.
- Either gather the corners and hang the cheese to drain for a relatively soft cheese, or press the cheese with a 5 lb weight for 2-3 hours for a firm paneer. You can improvise a press by placing a saucer on top of the cheesecloth bundle, and then adding a small weight (like canned goods, or a milk jug filled with water or the strained whey).
- Unwrap the cheese and store it in an airtight container in the fridge. Chill or freeze the whey if you are saving it for other recipes. The cheese is ready to use right away, or you can refrigerate it for up to two weeks.