How to make raw, enzyme and probiotic-rich liquid whey to use as a starter culture for all your home fermentation needs.
Do you know how to make whey from yogurt, kefir or raw milk?
A by-product of this simple technique is healthy homemade cream cheese that is loaded with enzymes and probiotics.
The recipe below describes how with visual instructions via video demonstration!
Making homemade baby formula? I recommend using this โquick wheyโ no straining method as the fastest and easiest approach.
How to Make Whey the REAL Way
Making real, liquid, nutrient rich, unadulterated whey in your own kitchen is a MUST step for any traditional cook to learn.
Without whey in its whole, liquid form, many other traditional recipes cannot even be attempted. ย You cannot buy whey from the store except in a denatured, unhealthy, powdered whey form. It is worth your time to learn what I show you in the video below.
Other video lessons on this blog show you how to use this whole food form of whey to make many delicious, healthful recipes for your family. ย Whey as made in the video demo below will keep up to 6 months in the refrigerator in a sealed mason jar.
If you absolutely have no access to farm fresh milk to make whole, unadulterated, enzyme rich whey, then you can use plain, organic yogurt brand from the store instead. Here are tips on how to spot the best yogurt brands.
The process is basically exactly the same thing as shown in the video.
You wonโt get nearly as much whey using yogurt as clabbered, farm fresh milk, but at least you can get enough to get you started.
Wonderful Whey and REAL Cream Cheese
The raw, enzyme-rich cream cheese I make in the recipe video below is fantastic on a sprouted or sourdough bagel for breakfast. Donโt buy the Ezekiel sprouted muffins as they contain soy. This low-carb bagel recipe is another great one to try.
If you prefer to buy, these sourdough bagels are available for shipping freshly made to your door.
To make, just take your cream cheese left over from making liquid whey and add a few strawberries and a dash of dark maple syrup to taste. Mix together by pulsing a few times in your food processor. This wonderful, fresh, REAL strawberry cream cheese will last one to two weeks in the refrigerator. ย Another wonderful use for this healthy raw cheese is to make an easyย no bake cheesecake.
No access to raw milk where you live? No problem. Check out this recipe plus video on how to separate whey from yogurtย purchased from the store.
Cloudy Whey vs Clear Whey
No matter whether your whey turns out cloudy or clear, it is safe and fine to use in all your favorite recipes. This article explains why sometimesย whey is cloudy compared to its usual golden color.
Raw Whey Recipe
How to separate raw, liquid whey from clabbered milk. The process also creates probiotic rich cream cheese.
Ingredients
- 1 quart raw milk preferably grassfed
- 1 large glass bowl
- 1 large rubber band
- 1 white dishtowel
Instructions
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Allow the raw milk to sit on the counter for 1-3 days at room temperature.ย
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When the milk separates into curds and whey (transforms into clabbered milk) you are ready to proceed. Note that the fresher the raw milk and the colder the temperature of your house, the longer it will take the raw milk to clabber.
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Line a clean, large glass bowl with a clean, white dishtowel that isnโt too thick. Cheesecloth will also work, but the holes in the mesh must be very small, else the milk curds will pass through.
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Gently pour the clabbered milk into the middle of the dish towel. Gather up the ends and fasten with a rubber band. Attach to a knob on an upper cabinet in your kitchen as shown in the picture.
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Let the raw whey drip into the bowl underneath. This process will continue for an hour or two.
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After the dripping stops, gently take down the hanging bag and place it into a clean bowl. Scrape out the raw cream cheese that is inside the bag, put in a container with a lid and refrigerate.
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Pour the liquid whey from the dripping bowl into a glass mason jar, afix the lid and refrigerate.ย
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Refrigerated, raw cream cheese will be good to eat for about a week. Raw whey will last several months refrigerated.
Recipe Video
How to Useย Whey in Recipes
How to Make Ricottaย Three Ways (plus Video How-to)
Perfect Probiotic Cottage Cheese
Cheese Making: ย Common Problems and Solutions
I have been making cream cheese/whey from raw milk for years. The last two batches of whey are turning out the consistency of egg whites (not a nice smooth liquid). Ideas? Thank you~!
Check the source of your raw milk…
Thank you. It’s the same raw milk I’ve been using for years…I know the farmer well and trust them completely. If it smells ok; keep using?
I have tried this twice and both times my “cream cheese” comes out curdy and kind of rubbery. Why don’t I get nice creamy cheese like yours?
Can you make whey from whole organic grass milk?
Not if it’s pasteurized.
I’ve noticed that obviously Sara doesn’t have time to answer most of the questions and most of them are similar to my experience over the last couple years:
How long to “clabber” and why does mine have a nasty smell/taste of the cream cheese.
(I’ve also varied my time for making Milk Kefir… i cut my time here in Hawaii down to 12 hours or it separates too much or gets too sour)
I’m making whey again and I know I read somewhere that you were supposed to let your milk fully separate and it can take days.
I think Sarahs is the best but its taking longer to clabber, and I hope its not a wasted effort …
because I assume there may be factors that can sabotage the “right” way (whey). ๐
i have been a fan a long time.
Have any of you ever tried making whey from the “7 stars farm” yogurt brand, in a pinch? I know this is a recommended brand, but wondering if it will affect baby’s digestion of the formula?
Hi Sarah, Thanks for making all these videos. Much easier to follow than just a written description.
I have a question about the raw milk. I’m getting raw Jersey milk that is almost half cream. When you say use raw milk do you mean raw whole milk with the cream intact or is raw milk the milk that is left after you skim the cream?
Hi Sarah,
2 questions: first is the whey and cream cheese supposed to have a sour taste? I haven’t tried adding the strawberries and maple syrup so will give that a try but is there anything I can do to not have the whey taste so sour? Should I have not left the milk out to clabber for so long?
2nd – I did leave the cream cheese to drip really long and the texture is really, really firm. Is it still considered cream cheese and can I use it as such or more like a paneer cheese or something?
Yes to the first question and yes to the second as well. The longer you let it drip, the firmer the cream cheese becomes due to reduced moisture content.
I make raw goats milk kefir several times each week for my family. Can I use the ‘whey’ from that process?
Yes, absolutely!
Why does my cream cheese taste like bitter vomit? Also my whey tastes pretty bitter. Its also pretty cloudy. I used a fine strainer bag for it but its appearance is milky.