The Homemade Spreadable Cheese is a very easy light recipe made starting from yogurt, whether Greek, plain natural or even kefir, and it is perfect to spread on bread and ideal for preparing all kinds of appetizers.
When yogurt is drained for a long time to release all its whey, it becomes almost a true creamy cheese that can be used in many sweet and savory recipes.
To make this homemade spreadable cheese, you can use any unsweetened plain yogurt, low-fat or whole, or even lactose-free, but since it needs to be drained and that takes time, Greek yogurt, which is already thick, will take less time. Also, the flavor of the yogurt affects the taste of the cheese, so using a whole plain yogurt will make the final product tastier. Otherwise it may be a bit tart or too strong, for example if you use a yogurt made with Kefir Grains.
Finally, note that starting from 1 kg (about 2.2 lbs) of Greek yogurt you obtain roughly 500 g (about 1.1 lbs) of spreadable cheese, while starting from plain yogurt, which contains more water, the yield drops to around 300 g (about 0.7 lbs).

Let’s go to the kitchen now — our homemade spreadable cheese awaits — but before that I remind you that if you want to stay updated on all my other recipes, you can follow my Facebook page and my Instagram profile.
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Difficulty: Very easy
Cost: Very inexpensive
Rest time: 8 Hours
Preparation time: 10 Minutes
Cooking methods: No-cook
Cuisine: Italian
Seasonality: All seasons

Ingredients to make Homemade spreadable cheese with yogurt

2.2 lbs plain natural yogurt (or kefir)
to taste salt

Tools

Cheesecloth
Bowl

Preparation of the homemade spreadable cheese

For this recipe you can start from any type of plain natural yogurt — you can use Greek yogurt (the yield will be higher since it is already thick), classic plain yogurt, or even, as I do, kefir yogurt.

To drain the yogurt, use a white cotton cloth or several layers of cheesecloth folded several times.

Whether you made the yogurt yourself or bought it, take a large bowl and place a colander over it. Rinse the cloth you will use to drain the yogurt, spread it over the colander and pour the yogurt onto it.
Let it drain overnight in the refrigerator so the whey can collect in the bowl, but make sure it does not overflow. I remind you that using plastic or glass containers is recommended for draining yogurt, since yogurt is very acidic and contact with metals may not be ideal.
Once the yogurt has been drained to a firm ricotta-like consistency, collect it in a bowl, season with salt to taste and mix well until you obtain a smooth, lump-free mixture.