Best Substitutes For Farmer’s Cheese

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Have a recipe that calls for farmer’s cheese? If you’re like me, you don’t normally have farmer’s cheese on hand. But that dish has to be made! So, if you can’t find it in your local grocery store, what can you use in its place? Let’s find out.

What Is Farmer’s Cheese?

Made from cow’s, goat’s or sheep’s milk, farmer’s cheese is a pressed form of cottage cheese. It has a mild, tangy flavor and spreadable texture. While it’s easily crumbled, it can be cut into chunks and pan-fried. With its low dairy content, it’s a good option for lactose-sensitive people.

Farmer’s cheese, like many of our substitutes, is acid set (milk curdled with an acid). Since acid set cheeses don’t melt, they’re best used as fillings, toppings or blended with other ingredients for casseroles or cold sauces. Farmer’s cheese is also tasty on its own served with fruit, jams or honey or mixed with herbs.

Ricotta

Ricotta is a fresh acid set cheese that is creamy, light and readily available. While it doesn’t have the crumbly texture, its mild, slightly sweet taste and low salt content make it an excellent substitute for farmer’s cheese in cooked dishes or dips where a crumbly texture isn’t necessary.

Goat Cheese

There are various types of goat cheeses but as a substitute for farmer’s cheese, choose a fresh version that will have a milder, though still tangy, flavor and creamier texture good for baked dishes. Like farmer’s cheese, it has a low lactose content plus it’s also lower in fat.

Feta Cheese

Soft and crumbly, feta cheese has a saltier, more robust flavor than farmer’s cheese. Use feta cheese when you want a stronger cheese flavor in your dish or as a topping.

Cottage Cheese


Creamy cottage cheese’s mild flavor and soft texture makes it a good substitute for farmer’s cheese in baked goods, dips or sauces. The dry version, if you can find it, can be used as crumbled topping.

Paneer

A commonly-used Indian cheese, paneer is a fresh cheese made from curdled milk and natural acids like lemon juice. It has a mild, slightly salty-sweet taste with a spongy yet firm texture that’s easily sliced. Paneer has very little salt so you may need to add some to your dish.

Queso Blanco

An unaged Mexican cheese, Queso Blanco has the crumbly yet firm and smooth texture of farmer’s cheese. Unlike acid-set cheeses, it melts. Use Queso Blanco to put a new spin on your recipes that call for farmer’s cheese.

American Neufchatel

American Neufchatel is similar to cream cheese in texture but is traditionally housed in a rind. It has a mild taste plus it’s lower in fat than farmers cheese making it a good option for weight watchers. It doesn’t crumble but it does melt so use Neufchatel in cooked dishes.

Ready for More Substitutes?

Here at Cook Gem, you can find plenty of other exciting food substitutes to use in your recipes and dishes.


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