Farmer cheese, also called farmer's cheese, is a type of soft white cheese which is made all over the world. Goats, sheep, and cattle all provide milk for farmer cheese, which may also be made from the milk of more exotic animals like yaks. Many grocers and dairies sell the unaged white cheese, which is suitable for a wide range of uses. Since the cheese is quick and easy to make, it has been traditionally associated with farmers, who originally made it for home consumption only.

To make farmer cheese, cheesemakers curdle cheese and then pack the curds tightly in cheesecloth to squeeze the whey out. The cheesecloth wrapped curds are allowed to sit for a day or so, and then they are usually ready to eat. The result is a dense cheese which can be cut or crumbled into an assortment of foods, and some versions of farmer cheese are also made to be sliced. Typically, the cheese is molded into a log for sale, since logs of cheese are convenient and easy to handle.

The base of farmer cheese is really cottage cheese, but the whey is pressed out of the curds instead of being retained. As a result, farmer cheese has the mild flavor associated with cottage cheese, but it is firm and dry, not watery at all. It may also develop a slightly tangy flavor, especially if yogurt or buttermilk are added to the milk while it is curdled. A farmer cheese has spreadable curds, rather than spoonable ones like fresh cottage cheese.

Chevre is one example of farmer cheese. Technically, chevre refers to any cheese made from goat milk, although most people associate chevre particularly with soft, spreadable cheeses. Many cream cheeses are also in the farmer cheese family, especially when they are not heavily processed. Because the cheese has a simple, mild flavor, it complements a range of foods.

Some people use farmer cheese in place of ricotta, a dairy product made with the whey leftover from cheesemaking. It can also be crumbled onto salads, spread on bread, and used as a filling in foods like ravioli. Many producers also mix flavoring such as dill, chives, and herbs into farmer cheese, to make it more interesting. These flavors can also be blended into plain farmer cheese at home, with a little bit of milk or cream to smooth out the cheese as the flavorings are worked in. The lightly pressed cheese should be used within a few days of purchase, since it has not been heavily cured and it has a short shelf life.