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Our German Quark Recipe Produces Delicious Creamy Quark!
Searching for an easy quark recipe that actually works? You’re not alone!
German quark – a dairy product that can be made from buttermilk and normal milk – is a type of cheese that is deliciously creamy and so versatile!
Whether you eat quark on its own, with fruit, or use it in another recipe, it’s always a good time to have German quark handy in the fridge!
Did we mention we have a delicious recipe for a German-style cheesecake made with quark?
To be honest, quark is something that Eric had no idea existed until we lived in Europe.
Lisa ate quark growing up in Germany. She would often enjoy it with freshly cut fruit as a snack, with boiled potatoes for dinner, and of course in German-style cheesecake.
Eric was always confused by quark. Is it cheese? Is it cottage cheese? Is it sour cream? Turns out, it’s none of these dairy products. Quark is a product of its own merit.
It wasn’t until we went to bakeries in Germany and bought Quarkbällchen (a type of deep-fried donut ball made with quark and sugar) that he was convinced quark was something special.
If you’re Canadian, think of a slightly bigger Timbit from Tim Hortons – just fluffier. That’s Quarkbällchen. So good.
Needless to say, quark is a pretty essential dairy product and ingredient in German cooking and baking.
Unfortunately it is not readily available outside of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Thankfully, it is quite easy to make your own quark at home!
Quark Recipe Tips
If you’re wondering how to make quark with buttermilk, keep on reading! That’s how we made ours and it couldn’t have been easier.
- All you need is buttermilk and another milk that is of any fat content (we used 2%) and that is non-hom*ogenized. Pasteurized milk is fine.
- When making quark at home, one of the biggest thing to remember is to have patience.
- The curdling process happens with just the right amount of heat and just the right amount of ingredients proportioned correctly. Ours took longer than 24 hours because our home is not usually that warm. If you live in a warmer climate or you usually have quite a warm home, it might go faster.
- Another consideration is to have clean equipment all throughout the process.
- Also, be sure the dish towel you use doesn’t have any lint or doesn’t give off any “fuzzies” or tiny “threads” because these will get into the quark and that’s sort of gross.
How to Make German Quark – Step-by-Step
If you’re keen to make your own quark at home, you can check out the Quark recipe card at the bottom of this post.
For those of you who are visual learners and want to see the steps laid out, you can follow the process photos below. This way, you can compare your quark to see if you’re on the right track!
First pour the milk into a medium/large pot and slowly heat it on the stove to approximately 86 degrees Fahrenheit. Stir it occasionally.
Whisk in the buttermilk and remove the pot from the heat.
Put the lid on with a slight crack and place the pot in a warm place in your home for 24-36 hours.
During this time the milk should thicken noticeably. After 24 hours your milk might look no different than at the beginning – but don’t give up.
Within a few more hours, it could thicken quite a bit. That’s why we’d recommend giving it at least 36 hours if your milk is not yet thick after 24 hours.
This is what the thickened milk should like before you continue with the next step.
Place a strainer over a large bowl.
Then plae a clean dishtowel into the strainer.
Now carefully pour the thickened milk into the dishtowel.
Loosely tie the ends of the dishtowel together (e.g. with an elastic band) to protect the quark from dust.
You should notice the clear liquid drip out of the dishtowel through the strainer into the bowl.
Let the quark sit like this for approximately 1.5 hours. During this time you might have to empty the liquid in your bowl a few times depending on how big it is.
After the time is up, give the dishtowel with the quark a good squeeze to get rid of some of the last excess moisture.
Just for reference, this is how much liquid the quark lost during the 1.5 hour rest time and the squeeze.
Open up the dishtowel and check the moisture content. If it is too soft for your liking, squeeze it some more.
If it is already to dry, you can add some of the liquid you captured back in. When you are happy with the consistency, scoop out the quark with a spoon.
Store the quark in an airtight container with a lid in the fridge until you need it. Consume it within 4-5 days. We hope you enjoy our quark cheese recipe!
German Quark
This recipe for German Quark is easy to follow. With just two common ingredients, you can make creamy quark right at home. German quark can be enjoyed on its own, with fruit, or used as an ingredient in another recipe – like German-style Cheesecake!
4.75 from 12 votes
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Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
Additional Time: 1 day day
Total Time: 1 day day 20 minutes minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 8 cups milk, not hom*ogenized!
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
Instructions
Add the milk to a medium-large pot with a lid and slowly heat it on the stove to around 86 degrees Fahrenheit. Whisk in the buttermilk and remove the pot from the stove.
Put on the lid, leaving it slightly cracked, and place the pot in a warm place in your home for 24-36 hours. Don’t move the pot again. During this time the milk should thicken noticeably. Depending on the milk you used and the temperature in your home, the milk might have already thickened after 24 hours – or it might take slightly longer. In our case (our place is never that warm) it usually takes closer to 36 hours.
Once the milk mixture has thickened, place a strainer over a bowl and place a clean dishtowel into the strainer.
Now pour the thickened milk into the dishtowel and loosely tie the ends of the dishtowel together. You can use an elastic band for this, for example. The clear liquid should drip out of the dishtowel into the bowl. Let it sit like this for around 1.5 hours. If you want your quark to be "drier" you can even let it sit for longer. Depending on the size of your catchment bowl, you may have to empty the liquid every once in a while.
Once most of the water has strained away, give the quark in the dishtowel a squeeze before removing it from the dishtowel. Scoop out the quark with a spoon. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge until you need it. Consume it within 4-5 days.
Notes
- This recipe makes approximately 2 cups of quark – perfect for a German-style Cheesecake.
- Depending on the fat content you want your quark to have, you can use 1.5%, 2%, or 3.25% milk. Just make sure that the milk is not hom*ogenized. Pasteurized milk is fine.
- If the quark gets too dry as you have it sit in the dishtowel, you could add back a little bit of liquid to give it the consistency you want.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 276kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 10g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 43mg | Sodium: 327mg | Sugar: 1g
This nutritional information has been estimated by an online nutrition calculator. It should only be seen as a rough calculation and not a replacement for professional dietary advice.
Cuisine German
Author Recipes From Europe
