• About
  • Contact Me

Little Green Cheese

Cheese making at home with Gavin Webber the Cheeseman

  • Home
  • Blog
  • Cheese eBook
  • Podcast
  • Videos
  • Cheese Making Kits
  • Courses
  • Support Me!
  • Live!
You are here: Home / Recipes / Making Havarti Cheese

Making Havarti Cheese

17/06/2016 By Gavin Webber 14 Comments

Havarti is a popular Danish cheese that has a mild paste and flexible texture, making it the perfect cheese for people who haven’t developed a taste for strong-tasting cheese.  So lets start making Havarti cheese!

It is a washed curd cheese which reduces acid development and it can sometimes form eyes during maturation.

Havarti

Makes about 1.2 kg (2.6 lbs)

Ingredients

  • 10 L (10 qts) Full Cream Milk
  • 1/8th Teaspoon (Dash) Mesophilic Culture (Aromatic)
  • 2.5 ml (½ tspn) Calcium Chloride diluted in ¼ cup non-chlorinated water
  • 2.5 ml (½ tspn) Liquid Rennet (190-200 IMCU) diluted in ¼ cup non-chlorinated water
  • 50 gm (just under ¼ cup) cheese salt
  • Cheese Wax (optional)

Equipment

  • Loose weave cheesecloth
  • 165mm Cheese Basket with follower
  • Cheese Press
  • Ripening Box
  • Stirring Spoon
  • Ladle
  • Curd Knife
  • Sieve

Method

  1. Sanitise all of your equipment.
  2. Heat milk to 32°C/90°F.  Turn off heat.
  3. Sprinkle Aromatic Mesophilic starter culture over surface of milk and allow to rehydrate for a few minutes.  Stir culture through milk using an up and down motion for 1 minute.  Cover and allow to ripen for 30 minutes, maintaining the target temperature.
  4. Add Calcium Chloride and mix thoroughly.
  5. Add Rennet solution and stir for 1 minute.  Cover and allow to set for 50 minutes.
  6. Check for a clean break.  If necessary, wait another 5 minutes then test again.
  7. Cut the curd into 1.25 cm/ ½ inch cubes.  Gently stir for 10 minutes.  Allow to rest for 5 minutes.
  8. Using a sieve and ladle, remove about 4.5 litres of whey, down to the level of the curd.  Gently stir the curd for a few minutes to break up the curd mass.
  9. Replace the whey with an equal amount of water heated to 77°C/170°F.  The overall temperature should reduce to 38°C/100°F.  If the temperature is too high, add some cool water to adjust.  If the curd has matted together, break it up with your clean hands.
  10. Add the cheese salt to the pot, stir thoroughly.  Stir for 30 minutes at 38°C/100°F to prevent the curds from matting.
  11. Allow the curds to settle for 10 minutes.  They should mat into one big mass.
  12. Pour the curds and whey into a cheesecloth lined colander.  Break up curds into chunks to release some more whey.
  13. Line your mould with cheesecloth and fill with curds.
  14. Fold one corner of the cheesecloth over the mould and top with a follower.  Press at 5kg (11lbs) for 20 minutes.
  15. Remove from press and mould, turn the cheese, redress, and press at 13kg (30lbs) for 8 hours.
  16. Remove cheese from press, unwrap and place on a cheese mat in a ripening box.  Cover and ripen at 12°C/54°F @ 90% humidity for 4 weeks.
  17. Turn cheese daily for first week, draining any whey that collects in the bottom.  Turn every second day for the next three weeks.  If mould starts to grow, then wipe with a cloth dipped in brine and gently remove the growth.
  18. The cheese tends to flatten a little over the ripening period as it is so moist.  This is fine and perfectly okay.
  19. Wax the cheese in 2 to 3 coats of cheese wax and ripen for a further 2 weeks at 12°C/54°F @ 90% humidity. Eat and enjoy!
Havarti Cheese
Havarti Cheese after 4 weeks ripening.

Havarti is delicious and smooth, with a light creamy texture.  Delicious for young palates or people who haven’t developed the taste for stronger hard cheeses.

I hope you enjoyed making Havarti cheese.  For other cheese making video tutorials, check out my cheese making YouTube Channel, cheeseman.tv

Will this article help someone you know? If so help them out by sharing now!

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

Related

Filed Under: Recipes, Taste Test, Video Tutorial

← Brine for Cheese Making LGC 049 – Goat’s Milk →

About Gavin Webber

Gavin Webber is passionate about home cheese making. He loves to make cheese in his spare time and shares the techniques, videos, podcasts, and recipes with his fellow curd nerds!

Learn more about him here and connect with him on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+.

Comments

  1. Emma says

    04/10/2021 at 12:58

    Hiya Gavin
    I followed this recipe in the weekend and since I have realised that there is no brine used post pressing. Many other recipes use brine…do you mean explaining the difference here? 🙂
    Thanks so much!
    Emma

    Reply
    • Gavin Webber says

      05/10/2021 at 08:08

      Yes, in this recipe the salt is added to the curds and whey. This helps expel more whey before draining which doesn’t happen if this cheese is brined. Many curd nerds have used this recipe successfully and find the cheese creamy and smooth. Gavin

      Reply
  2. Melissa Just says

    28/07/2021 at 07:47

    Thanks for the lesson Gavin! I gave it a go, and the cheese tastes OK. However, how do you age it that long without it forming a hard rind? I kept mine consistently at 54F degrees and between 87-92% humidity but it got unexpectedly hard/dry around all the exposed edges. That doesn’t seem very Havarti-like.

    Reply
    • Gavin Webber says

      28/07/2021 at 19:05

      Hi Melissa, I think I only naturally aged it for 2 weeks then I waxed it.

      Reply
  3. Michelle says

    17/01/2020 at 20:13

    Hi Gavin I made havarti cheese using your recipe and it looked great but it had an awful smell and taste. There was no bad mould growing on it and I had it maturing in a container with a lid in my wine fridge for 2 weeks, then in cheese wax for 4 weeks at 10°c. It started getting smelly in the container so I wiped it with a vinegar solution but it kept stinking.
    Do you have any ideas where I might have gone wrong? Thanks!

    Reply
  4. Gary T Rawson says

    31/05/2019 at 16:55

    Hi , when scolding the curds is this with tap water or bottled ?

    Reply
    • Gavin Webber says

      04/06/2019 at 09:23

      You can use tap water at this stage.

      Reply
  5. Susan Yarbrough says

    30/08/2018 at 04:51

    Cool! Thanks for the quick reply! 🙂

    Reply
  6. Susan Yarbrough says

    29/08/2018 at 14:49

    Hi Gavin! My daughters and I made Havarti cheese today from your recipe. We’re really looking forward to seeing how it will turn out! I have a question: How do you know what your poundage is when using a cheese press like yours?

    Reply
    • Gavin Webber says

      29/08/2018 at 15:21

      Hi Susan, the spring is the press is a compression spring which takes 50lbs of pressure to close it. So I use a bit of guestimation during pressing, i.e. if the spring is half closed then it is 12kg or 26lbs of pressure and if fully closed 22.5kg or 50lbs of pressure.

      Reply
  7. Megan Woodland says

    06/07/2016 at 22:20

    Hi Gavin,
    Many thanks for your excellent videos on cheese making. I’ve watched and tried a few with some success. My query is, do I need to use calcium chloride if I am using raw milk? Many recipes include it, but as I only use raw milk I am unsure if it is necessary and does it make a difference to the final product?

    Reply
    • Gavin Webber says

      06/07/2016 at 22:28

      Hi Megan. You won’t need to add it to raw cows milk. If using raw goat’s milk, I would recommend that you do use it.

      Reply
      • Megan woodland says

        06/07/2016 at 22:32

        Thanks Gavin, does it affect the cheese if you put the calcium in raw milk?

        Reply
        • Gavin Webber says

          06/07/2016 at 22:37

          No, not at all

          Reply

Leave a comment for the Cheese Maker! Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Follow Us via Social

FacebooktwitterpinterestrssyoutubeinstagramFacebooktwitterpinterestrssyoutubeinstagram

Cheese Making Kits

Cheeseman.tv Merchandise

Cheeseman.tv Merchandise
Cool Cheesy T-shirts, sweatshirts, mugs, stickers, and more
0:00
54:12
  • LGC097 - Interview with Tutu Saad Artisan Cheesemaker Bangladesh
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts

Archives

Tags

Aging Blue Brine Caerphilly Camembert Cheese Cave Cheese Press Colby Cream Cheese Curd Cutter Curds Drunken Cow eBook Emmentaler Equipment Farmhouse Cheddar Feta Gavin Halloumi Jarlsberg Kits Monterey Jack Mould Ripened Cheese Moulds Mozzarella Parmesan Parmigiano Reggiano Podcast Queso Fresco Raw Milk Rennet Ricotta Romano Romano Pepato Salt Sanitisation Starter Cultures Stilton Storage Technique Tzafatit Video Tutorial Waxing Whey Ricotta Workshops

Subscribe to Cheese Podcast

Apple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsAndroidby EmailRSS

Subscribe to Cheeseman.TV

Podcast Reviews

  • Love it. Keep it up!
    February 12, 2022 by Corknip from Denmark

    Excellent podcast. Started the home making adventure last month and have been catching up on all the past episodes and YouTube videos. it is a gold mine of shared knowledge. Thank you!

  • So funny!!!!
    June 15, 2020 by purple quaqamale from United States

    Little green cheese is so funny

  • Great podcasts
    June 14, 2020 by Chrissy Curd Nurd from Australia

    I’ve just started cheese making at home,Gavin ‘s podcasts are so informative. I also watch his you tube tutorials. Thanks for your great work!!

  • An excellent guide to artisan cheese!
    January 14, 2020 by N.K.13 from Australia

    I recently became aware of Gavin’s lovely YouTube channel and podcast and it’s been incredible. His competence and comprehensive explanations leave you craving more. Much like a good cheese! Cheers Gavin!

  • Perfect for Cheesemakers of all levels!
    December 3, 2018 by Viki Leeasa from Thailand

    I love that this podcast does not just have helpful tips and tricks on cheese making, but also stories and news from the cheese world, as well as nice little anecdotes from the host. A big fan from Thailand!

  • If you think you want to make cheese, listen to this!
    November 30, 2018 by paulsaw from United States

    Gavin Webber’s Little Green Cheese is By Far the best podcast I have ever heard! A truly informative and quality production!

  • Great program
    October 9, 2018 by p37dg9q14 from United States

    Very informative and enjoyable podcast. I started at episode 1 and currently listening to 25. I’ll be giving cheesemaking a go in the next week. Mike J from Oceanside CA

  • Great podcast
    September 13, 2018 by nicole_elias from Australia

    I have a long commute to and from work and have worked my way through the back catalogue of these podcasts. Enjoyed every one of them and hope for many more to come. Thanks Gavin! Keep up the great work. Cheers, Nicole

  • Excellent!
    September 3, 2018 by emeldridge from United States

    Looking to take up cheesemaking sometime soon and this channel has provided all the information necessary to get started!

  • Great Resource!
    August 28, 2018 by olivestones from United States

    I have been learning to make cheese for the past year. Gavin's podcast and video series has been a tremendous resource for me. His love for the cheese-making craft is evident in the amount of research he will perform in order to answer a listener's cheese question. All thumbs up for the amount of time and energy he puts into his quality podcast! ...And he cracks me up with his attempts at pronunciation!

Little Green Workshops

Copyright © 2023 · Gavin Webber