Fresh cheeses

Paneer, ricotta, quark, cottage cheese and queso fresco: unripened, mild and eaten within days.

Cubes: fresh cheese pressed in a block and cut. Paneer, feta and halloumi are often cubed for cooking.

Fresh cheeses are eaten within days of making, with no ripening at all. Milk is set with acid or rennet, the curd is drained, and what remains is soft, moist and mild. Paneer and chhena in India, quark and tvorog in Central and Eastern Europe, cottage cheese in Britain and North America, fromage frais in France and queso fresco across Latin America all belong here. They are the oldest and simplest cheeses, and the easiest to make at home.

How they are made

Fresh cheese starts with warm milk and something to curdle it. Paneer and chhena are set with heat and acid, usually lemon juice, vinegar or sour whey, so no rennet is needed, a point that matters to many vegetarian households. Quark and fromage frais are set slowly by lactic bacteria, sometimes helped by a drop of rennet. The curd is cut or ladled, drained in cloth or moulds, and sometimes pressed. Because nothing is aged, the cheese keeps the taste of the milk itself: sweet, clean and lightly sour.

Paneer, chhena and the Indian thread

India is one of the great fresh-cheese cultures of the world. Paneer is pressed into a firm block that holds its shape in curries such as palak paneer and on tandoor skewers. Chhena is the same kind of curd left unpressed and kneaded smooth, the base of Bengali and Odia sweets such as rasgulla, sandesh and chhena poda. Surti paneer from Gujarat is a softer buffalo-milk cheese set with rennet and kept in its whey, and the Parsi topli nu paneer, moulded in small baskets, is a wedding favourite.

Around the world

Every dairy culture has its own fresh cheese. Tvorog is the farmer's cheese of Russia and Ukraine, eaten with sour cream and fried into syrniki. Queso fresco and queso blanco are crumbled over beans and tacos in Mexico and Central America. Cottage cheese has loose, washed curds in a light dressing of cream. Ethiopian ayib is a crumbly cheese made from soured milk after the butter has been churned, served beside spicy stews. Ricotta, strictly a whey cheese, is eaten fresh in the same way.

Worth knowing

Paneer: Pressed, acid-set cheese of India, cooked in curries and grilled
Chhena: Unpressed curd kneaded smooth for the sweets of Bengal and Odisha
Quark: Lactic fresh cheese of Germany, spread on bread and baked into cheesecake
Cottage cheese: Loose, washed curds dressed with a little cream
Queso fresco: Salted, crumbly fresh cheese of Mexico and Central America
Tvorog: East European farmer's cheese for syrniki and Easter paskha
Surti paneer: Soft buffalo-milk cheese of Surat, kept in whey
Topli nu paneer: Parsi basket-moulded cheese served at weddings

Good to know

Keep fresh cheese covered in the fridge and use it within a few days of making or opening.
Shop-bought paneer softens if it sits in hot water for a few minutes before it goes into a curry.
Drain watery fresh cheese in a muslin-lined sieve before baking with it.
Freezing changes the texture: firm paneer copes better than soft curd.

Sources and further reading

About this page

Original text by the EveryCheese desk, written with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Customs are described as tradition, not as advice. If we have something wrong, tell us.

Fresh on EveryCheese

The cheeses written up so far, best known first.

🇨🇳 ChinaKefir cheese A tangy, creamy cheese set using kefir culture rather than rennet or acid.Mixed · Fresh · Tangy and lactic

🇦🇹 Austria and 1 moreTyrolean grey cheeseTiroler Graukäse A low-fat cow's milk acid-curd quark from the Tyrolean Alps with a moulded rind.Cow · Fresh · Tangy and lactic 🇺🇸 United States and 1 morePot cheese A soft, crumbly, unaged cow's-milk cheese popular in North America and Austria.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh

🇲🇽 MexicoPanela cheeseQueso panela A fresh, white Mexican cow's-milk cheese that holds its shape when fried.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh 🇨🇳 ChinaNguri A small, salty buffalo-milk cheese from Fujian served with rice congee.Buffalo · Fresh · Salty 🇻🇪 VenezuelaPalmitaqueso palmita A fresh, salty cow's milk cheese from Venezuela's Zulia state, made in large wooden vats.Cow · Fresh · Salty

🇮🇹 Italy and 5 moreRicotta A fresh Italian whey cheese made by reheating leftover proteins from other cheesemaking batches.Sheep · Fresh · Milky and fresh

🇬🇪 GeorgiaChkintiჭყინტი ყველი A fresh, hand-squeezed cow's milk cheese from Georgia's Imereti region.Cow · Fresh

🇲🇽 Mexico and 1 moreAsaderoqueso asadero A fresh Mexican cheese made from cow and goat milk that melts easily for grilling.Cow · Fresh · Savoury and brothy 🇮🇱 Israel and 1 moreGvina levanaגבינה לבנה A soft, unripened cow's-milk cheese spread on bread in Israel.Cow · Fresh · Tangy and lactic

🇹🇷 Turkey and 1 moreBasket cheesesepet peyniri A fresh, unsalted or lightly salted whey and curd cheese shaped in reed baskets from the Aegean coast.Goat · Fresh · Milky and fresh 🇺🇸 United StatesHoop cheese A simple fresh cow's milk cheese pressed in a wooden ring to remove wheyCow · Fresh · Milky and fresh

🇲🇹 MaltaĠbejna A small Maltese sheep's-milk cheese shaped in reed hurdles and sold fresh, dried, or peppered.Sheep · Fresh · Milky and fresh

🇮🇪 IrelandSt Tola Handmade goat's milk cheese from Inagh, County Clare, ranging from fresh logs to aged wheels.Goat · Fresh · Tangy and lactic 🇸🇪 Sweden and 1 moreMoose cheese A rare cheese made from moose milk, produced in Sweden and Russia.Other · Fresh 🇫🇮 FinlandRaejuusto A low-fat Finnish fresh cheese with a granular texture similar to cottage cheese.Cow · Fresh 🇪🇬 EgyptAreeshجبنة قريش A soft, crumbly Egyptian cheese made from skimmed buffalo or cow milk.Buffalo · Fresh · Tangy and lactic

🇮🇹 ItalyMascarpone A soft, unripened Italian cream cheese made by acid-set coagulation of heavy cream.Cow · Fresh

🇮🇳 India and 4 morePaneer A fresh, non-melting acid-set cheese made from cow or buffalo milk in South Asia.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh

🇩🇪 Germany and 5 moreQuarkTvorog A fresh, acid-set cow's milk cheese with a smooth texture and mild taste.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh

🇮🇹 ItalyBurrata A fresh Italian cheese with a solid mozzarella pouch filled with cream and stracciatella.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh

🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreCottage cheese A fresh, unaged curd cheese made from skimmed milk and dressed with cream.Cow · Fresh · Tangy and lactic

🇺🇸 United States and 3 moreCream cheese A soft, unripened cow's-milk cheese made with added cream and eaten fresh.Cow · Fresh · Buttery and creamy

🇸🇰 Slovakia and 5 moreBryndza A tangy, crumbly sheep's milk cheese from Central and Eastern Europe.Sheep · Fresh · Tangy and lactic

🇷🇺 Russia and 4 moreTvorogтворог A soft, white fermented cow's milk curd from Central and Eastern Europe.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh

🇫🇷 FranceBrocciu A fresh Corsican cheese made from sheep milk and whey, drained in rush baskets.Sheep · Fresh · Milky and fresh

🇮🇳 India and 2 moreKhoa A soft South Asian cheese made by simmering whole milk until thick and dry.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh

🇱🇻 LatviaJāņi cheeseJāņu siers A soft Latvian sour milk cheese flavoured with caraway seeds and eggs.Cow · Fresh · Salty

🇫🇮 Finland and 1 moreBread cheeseleipäjuusto A Finnish fresh cow's-milk cheese that squeaks when bitten and is traditionally baked or grilled.Cow · Fresh · Savoury and brothy

🇮🇹 Italy and 5 moreBuffalo mozzarellamozzarella di bufala A fresh, soft pasta filata cheese made from Italian Mediterranean buffalo milk.Buffalo · Fresh · Milky and fresh

🇷🇴 Romania and 4 moreUrdaurdă A fresh whey cheese from Southeast Europe and Hungary, made by boiling leftover milk liquid.Mixed · Fresh · Milky and fresh

🇳🇵 Nepal and 2 moreChhurpiछुर्पी A smoked yak and cow milk cheese from the Himalayas, available in soft or hard forms.Yak · Smoked · Tangy and lactic

🇨🇦 Canada and 1 moreCheese curds Fresh, squeaky pieces of cheddar-style curd eaten in North America.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh

🇮🇳 India and 1 moreChhenaଛେନ୍ନା / ছানা A fresh, acid-set cow or buffalo milk cheese from eastern India and Bangladesh.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh

🇩🇪 GermanyHarzer A low-fat German sour milk cheese from the Harz mountains, often spiced with caraway.Cow · Fresh · Tangy and lactic

🇬🇷 Greece and 1 moreMizithraμυζήθρα A fresh Greek whey cheese made from sheep or goat milk, eaten soft or dried for grating.Sheep · Fresh · Sweet and caramel

🇬🇷 Greece and 5 moreWhey cheese A dairy product made from the liquid remaining after curds are separated during cheesemaking.Mixed · Whey · Sweet and caramel

🇪🇸 SpainMató A fresh, unsalted Catalan cheese from sheep or goat milk, served with honey.Sheep · Fresh · Sweet and caramel

🇨🇾 CyprusAnariαναρή A fresh whey cheese from Cyprus made from sheep or goat milk.Sheep · Fresh · Salty

🇮🇹 Italy and 2 moreStracciatella A fresh Italian shredded curd cheese mixed with cream, made from cow or buffalo milk.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh

🇫🇷 FrancePetit suisse A fresh, creamy French cow's milk cheese from Normandy, often sold in small cups.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh

🇵🇱 Poland and 1 moreBundz A mild, fresh sheep's-milk cheese from the Polish and Ukrainian Carpathians.Sheep · Fresh

🇷🇺 Russia and 1 moreCircassian cheeseадыгейский сыр A fresh, basket-molded cow's milk cheese from the North Caucasus that holds its shape when heated.Cow · Fresh

🇫🇷 FranceFaisselle A fresh, very soft French cheese strained in a faisselle mold, made from cow, goat, or sheep milk.Cow · Fresh · Milky and fresh

🇫🇷 France and 2 moreFromage blanc A mild, acid-set fresh cheese from northern France and southern Belgium.Cow · Fresh · Sweet and caramel 🇬🇧 United KingdomCaboc A Scottish cream cheese made from double cream and rolled in toasted oatmeal.Cow · Fresh · Buttery and creamy

🇬🇷 GreeceAnthotyrosΑνθότυρος A traditional Greek whey cheese made from sheep or goat milk, available in fresh and dry forms.Sheep · Fresh · Sweet and caramel 🇵🇾 ParaguayParaguay cheesekesú Paraguái A soft, creamy cow's-milk cheese from the eastern wetlands of Paraguay.Cow · Fresh · Salty

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

Brocciu: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Tyrolean grey cheese: Jürgele, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Buffalo mozzarella: Luigi Versaggi, CC BY-SA 2.0, source
Paneer: Sonja Pauen - Stanhopea, CC BY 2.0 de, source
Chhurpi: Arijit Dasgupta, CC BY 2.0, source
Anthotyros: Giorgos ab1234, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Mizithra: grongar, CC BY 2.0, source
Ricotta: 8w9d, CC0, source
Circassian cheese: Tetk200, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Petit suisse: Chtfn, CC BY 2.5, source
Faisselle: Véronique PAGNIER, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Anari: Zlerman, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Mató: Eabayar, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Fromage blanc: Pancrat, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Whey cheese: Illustratedjc, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Mascarpone: Brodolò1, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Urda: Mngck, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Chkinti: Georgian Recipes at Georgia About, CC BY 3.0, source
Asadero: Megalibrarygirl, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Basket cheese: E4024, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Ġbejna: Chattacha, CC BY 3.0, source
St Tola: HighKing, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Tvorog: Loyna, CC BY-SA 2.5, source
Stracciatella: Florixc (original version) ; Off-shell (reprocessed version), CC0, source
Bread cheese: Teemu Rajala, CC BY 2.5, source
Quark: SKopp, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Bryndza: Kagor, GFDL, source
Cheese curds: Jonathunder, GFDL 1.2, source
Cottage cheese: F ASTILY (T ALK ), CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Cream cheese: Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0, source
Burrata: Popo le Chien, CC0, source
Harzer: Unknown author, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Khoa: Miansari66, Public domain, source
Chhena: Biswarup Ganguly, CC BY 3.0, source
Bundz: Silar, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Jāņi cheese: Xil, CC BY-SA 3.0, source
Panela cheese: Pyb, CC BY-SA 4.0, source