Kitchn Love Letters

The $5 Beloved European Grocery Find I Always Keep in My Fridge (It’s 10x Better Than Cottage Cheese)

Lizzy Briskin
Lizzy Briskin
Lizzy is a trained chef, food writer, and recipe developer for print and digital outlets including Insider, Real Simple, and the Chicago Tribune. She has a culinary degree from Cambridge School of Culinary Arts and a BA from Amherst College. She lives in New York City, where she…read more
published Sep 9, 2024
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9/6/17 A refrigerator shelf selling dairy products made from milk(Cheese) in the supermarket at Katong Market Place, 112 Katong, Singapore
Credit: Minoru K/Shutterstock

Not to brag, but I’m an OG cottage cheese girl. Before it was cool and trendy, I was scooping the tangy white curds into my bowl in the college dining hall and piling it with an assortment of cereals. While I’m no longer in my undergrad days of unlimited Cheerios and Frosted Mini Wheats, I still like to keep a container of cottage cheese in the fridge. 

That was until I met Lifeway Farmer Cheese. This denser, tangier alternative has become my new go-to dairy for quick breakfasts and baking projects. If you haven’t tried farmer cheese yet, trust me this is a cultured dairy product that even a cottage cheese skeptic can get behind. 

Credit: Lizzy Briskin

What’s So Great About Farmer Cheese?

Farmer cheese is a traditional Eastern European dairy product made similarly to ricotta, by adding acid to milk. It’s a staple in Poland, Ukraine, and other Slavic cuisines. Until a few years ago, I could only reliably find farmer cheese at a small local Eastern European grocery store, but these days, I buy Lifeway farmer cheese at Whole Foods, and I regularly see it at other mainstream shops. 

Credit: Lizzy Briskin

Farmer cheese tastes and looks like a cross between cottage cheese and ricotta. It has a curdled texture that’s dryer and more spreadable than spoonable. Some farmer cheeses are fresh and more mild tasting; others have a tangier, almost sour flavor that results from fermentation with live probiotics.

Credit: Lizzy Briskin

What’s the Best Way to Use Farmer Cheese?

Farmer cheese is often sweetened and used as a filling in Eastern European sweets like pierogies, blintzes, and baked treats. But if you’re like me, those items aren’t on your typical weekly menu. There are plenty of other ways to make this dairy product shine. 

I love farmer cheese for breakfast. Each serving has 13 grams of protein, so it’s pretty filling, and I like to smear a generous glob of the spread on a slice of toasted sourdough. If I’m in a sweet mood, I’ll garnish my toast with sliced berries or stone fruit and a drizzle of tahini or honey (plus some flaky salt). For savory, I’ll add a fried egg, hot sauce, and fresh herbs. 

Farmer cheese is amazingly versatile. I’ve used it as a replacement for cream cheese on a bagel, added it to a smoothie to thicken things up, stirred it into pancake and waffle batter, and even topped a homemade pizza in a pinch. It’s less rich than ricotta, but melts similarly. 

Buy: Lifeway Farmer Cheese, $4.99 (on sale!) for 16 ounces at Instacart

What are your favorite breakfast staples? Tell us about it in the comments below.