DIY: Homemade Velveeta Cheese
When it comes to making things from scratch in the kitchen, I tend to toe a line that falls somewhere between making everything from scratch and picking up the occasional packaged/processed food for a special recipe. Since I don’t make it a habit, I don’t have much of an issue using those types of things on rare instances. Take Velveeta cheese, for instance. I don’t keep it in the house and I don’t make many things with it, but there’s no denying that any other type of cheese substitution just isn’t the same in recipes like chipped ham bbq sandwiches, slow cooker macaroni and cheese, and, my most recent favorite, slow cooker spicy beef queso dip.
Many of you have asked for possible substitutions when it comes to Velveeta, so when a high school friend of mine posted a link on Facebook of a homemade version, I knew immediately that I wanted to give it a try for you. I ended up settling on a different recipe, and I think you’re going to love the results!
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The process for making the homemade Velveeta is very similar to that for homemade American cheese, but the ingredients are slightly different and it’s even easier, in my opinion. The most important factor, of course, is how well does it compare to the real thing? I would venture to say that’s it’s nearly identical. The consistency is the same, the flavor is the same, and it melts the exact same way. Mission accomplished!
This recipe yielded about 22 ounces of finished cheese, so feel free to scale it up or down if you need it for a recipe that calls for a different amount. You can substitute this for any recipe that calls for Velveeta cheese… and I highly recommend the three I mentioned above :)
One year ago: Greek Lamb Gyros with Tzatziki Sauce
Three years ago: Sea Salt Caramels with Vanilla Bean
Four years ago: White Sicilian Pizza with Flaky, Pastry-Style Crust
Seven years ago: Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Homemade Velveeta Cheese
Ingredients
- ¼ ounce (7.09 g) packet unflavored gelatin
- 6 tablespoons dry milk powder
- 1 cup (250 ml) boiling water
- 16 ounces (453.59 g) mild cheddar cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Line a small loaf pan with plastic wrap, covering all sides and leaving excess to hang over the sides.
- Place the unflavored gelatin and dry milk powder in a blender or food processor (I used my blender). Pour the boiling water over top and immediately pulse to combine. Add the cheddar cheese and puree the mixture until smooth.
- Immediately pour and scrape the cheese mixture into the prepared loaf pan, smoothing it into an even layer with a spatula. Fold the excess plastic wrap over the cheese, pressing it against the surface of the cheese, ensuring that it is completely covered. Refrigerate for at least 12 hours, until set. The cheese will keep in the refrigerator, tightly wrapped in plastic wrap, for up to 1 month.
Notes
Did you make this recipe?
Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @thebrowneyedbaker on Instagram so I can see it!
This is awesome, Michelle! I love that you post all kinds of amazing recipes from fancy cakes to classic cookies to diy recipes like this. You’re blog is honestly my favorite and I turn to it for new recipes all the time.
Great recipe…I bought gelatin a while back for American cheese and I never got around to making it. I guess it will now be homemade Velveeta :D,and based what I have read on a Velveeta label, this is a more if not completely preservative free version of it. You are my new kitchen Guru!
“Thanks a bunch Michelle!!!”
Just finished making this. Not too sure about it yet. First thing i would recommend is use a food processor. I used a blender and wished i would have used my processor. Next, i wish the recipe would have said how many tsp/tbs of gelatin instead of oz. I jyst don’t want cheese jello. It is a pretty color tho and looks like Velveeta. Cross my fingers!
This looks so easy o.o I’m definitely making it and I shall be crowned Queen in my house. As soon as we get a new fridge.
Can I hug you right now?! Thanks so much for this recipe!
oh my goodness, I had NO IDEA you could make velveeta. This might be dangerous information to have….. Thanks so much for sharing!
I make almost everything at home from scratch as well. Cheese is one of the last things on the list. I rarely buy Velveeta because of this. I am SO excited to try this, we LOVE cheese and this would be great for so many things. THANK YOU!
This is awesome! I avoid a lot of mac & cheese recipes because I don’t want to eat velveeta too often (WHY does that cheese not need refrigeration in the store for months??), but I will definitely be giving this a try. I especially love that it will keep in the fridge for a month so that I don’t have to use it all up at once.
The Velveeta is definitely in the refrigerated section in my store, near the shredded cheeses. Maybe this is a recent change? I hardly ever buy it, so I’m not sure!
Oh no no, it is definitely in the mac n cheese aisle in my store and not refrigerated, which is why I hardly buy it either – it freaks me out thinking about what kind of preservatives they put in there. I’d much rather make my own from refrigerated no-mystery-ingredients cheddar cheese, thankyouverymuch.
I have never seen Velveeta in the refrigerated section where I live either. Except the individually wrapped slices of Velveeta–like American cheese slices. It does not need refrigeration until it has been opened.
Some stores put it in the refrigerated section (Target) just to keep it with the other cheese products. No, Velveeta does not NEED to be refrigerated before opening. I am grateful for a substitute
Thanks for the easy sounding recipe! Can you add jalapenos or other peppers/chiles to this to make a hot version?
Absolutely!
I feel like I inadvertently made something like homemade velveeta recently. I made nacho cheese dip from scratch but when I refrigerate it, it thickens to a consistency like velveeta where it can be sliced, although not as neatly. I’d love to try this to purposely make homemade velveet haha.
Awesome! Just made this and have it setting up in the fridge. Used soy milk powder and a lactose free cheddar for my husband. Can’t wait to see how it turns out! Thank you for another great recipe!
did you try this with the soy milk powder? was it sucssessful? I am also lactose intollerant! Thanks!
did this turn out okay? my nephew has severe peanut allergies and lived on mac and cheese, now he became lactose intolerant. i have been playing with different cheeses but it never comes the same as with the velveeta. how did it come with the soy powder. i would love to make this for him. right now he lives on plain bagels and pasta salad :(
Late to the party, but…..
I was very allergic to dairy for most of my initial years, so my commiseration for your son — and for you in having to find ways to satisfy those cheese cravings. The thing is, if his allergy is actually to lactose, remember that aged cheeses typically contain little or no lactose (so little the amount can’t be measured). Unless he has an epi-pen type allergy — as in, an actual anaphylactic reaction to lactose — he can probably tolerate aged cheeses. Here’s the basic info: The whey, the liquid is the part that contains most of the lactose. The less whey (liquid) in the cheese, the less the lactose. Then, as the cheese ages, the lactose that’s left gradually turns into lactic acid. For your son? See if he’ll accept a combo of aged cheddar, and colby. Or monterey jack, swiss, and cheddar. Add a bit of parmesan or my personal favorite, Romano, for a better bite.
I hate to
say, but there are also cheeses made with fake dairy: Almond “milk” (it contains rice), rice “milk,” yogurt (supposedly melts better), and soy (yuk). So you do have some options to try. Good luck to you both!
LOVE THIS! Okay I need to try.
Is there a substitute for the gelatin for vegetarians?
Thanks!
Hi Holly, I am not aware of one; the gelatin is what help to firm up the cheese.
Agar agar might work!
I tried the agar powder and it worked! i used 3 teaspoons for this recipe.
Thanks. My son is a vegetarian and I wondered if it would work with agar agar.
WOW…this looks great. I’m already thinking of trying alternative cheeses (after I try the original suggestion). Pepper Jack for the kick of it, maybe a mozzarella blend for easy cheesy italian dishes, omg….my brain hurts now! :p Thanks for sharing!!!
Brilliant!
Can I use low fat cheese, say 2%, to do this recipe?
Hi Melissa, Yes, I think that would be fine, but do not use pre shredded cheese.
WOW! I never dreamed I could make my own Velveeta! This is amazing. I’m suddenly craving some mac and cheese. :) Pinning!!
You said that you can use the non fat powdered milk is this velveeta recipe, so can you use it also to make your american cheese.
Hi Judy, That recipe is a little different and America’s Test Kitchen specifically states that you can’t use nonfat dry milk powder.
I’m assuming you can’t use the already shredded cheddar you can buy ,but that you have to shred the cheddar? If so, is the 16oz pre-shredded weight?
Hi Lynne, I would not use pre shredded cheddar, as it is coated with a caking agent to prevent clumping, which hinders how well it melts. Yes, 16 ounces is pre-shredded, although it should weigh the same after since you’re not changing it in any way!
If you shred 16 oz of cheese, it will still weigh 16 oz.
I have a 5 year old. 16 ounces of solid cheese is actually 14 ounces that get into the food. Shredding it, that turns into 10 ounces in the food, some on the floor, and some that is mysteriously gone.
I’m super impressed with the sounds of this recipe and how easy it looks to make our own ‘velveeta’. I’m definitely going to be trying this soon!!! Thank you so much for posting such wonderful recipes :)
Thanks so much for this recipe! We don’t get Velveeta in the UK and I’ve often Googled substitutes and found that there aren’t really any, so I’ll definitely be making your homemade version!
Can’t wait to try it! I substitute a cheese sauce for Velveeta in a Hot Chicken Noodle Casserole that I grew up eating, so this will be great to try. Thank You!
Does it matter that the dry milk powder is non fat? I never found whole milk powder to use to make the American Cheese you posted a while back. So I’m hoping I can use the non fat kind in this recipe!
By the way, please pardon my obsession with phrases, but it’s “toe the line”, not “tow”. Thank you for letting me get that off my chest! :-D
Hi Lori, I used non-fat milk dry milk powder, you don’t need to use whole milk in this recipe. Thanks for the correction :)
Can it be non-instant milk powder?
Hi Michele, I believe it needs to be instant.
Lori, you should watch Anne Curzan’s TED talk on what makes a word/its usage “real” There is no “right” phrase, phrasing and words actually take their cue from how the people in society use them today- regardless of their origins. It’s quite common to see “tow the line” in use in articles and news stories these and that does not mean this is an error – it merely means the accepted usage is changing.
Tow the line? Where will you tow it, and what will be attached to it?
Let’s tow Illiteracy. Let’s tow it to an alternate universe where writers know how to spell.
Yes, it isn’t ‘tow the line’ but then again… who cares? English, like every language, is a living organism that moves and changes with time. Most people write in common vernacular on these posts anyhow, unless you want everyone to always write everything in completely formal English. Things we say today weren’t correct 500 years ago and they probably won’t be correct in another 500 years. Instead of correcting a complete stranger (which is rude and pretentious according to Emily Post and many others), how about we just try not to repeat their egregious errors (if they are indeed so egregious)? ((By the way, egregious is a great example of living language. Today it means shockingly bad but the original meaning was shockingly good)) Instead of pressing someone to speak correctly, why not just move forward and get over yourself? My grammar isn’t perfect, and I’m sure several of you will want to pick apart what I’m saying and correct me as well. Go ahead, just know that I will never see what you write because once I copy this delicious recipe I am never going to revisit this particular post. But do feel free to show off your superior intellect and wit. I’m sure everyone is waiting with bated breath on your next correction.
Awesome, Katie!
Grammar is important.
Katie,
I agree, it’s not that important, but can’t help notice the Irony of you having the need to correct Michele M while she corrects the author Michelle. LOL
Good point, Kathy! We shouldn’t get hung up on people using the write words. It’s always better to except the use of any word at all so that nobody feels bad about getting something wrong, and really, who needs to learn anything anyway? Let’s all just pancake whatever beach we dogfood.
Minyassa:
OMG…ROTFLMAO!!! Love it!!
Who knew there were so many linguistics majors interested in Velvetta? ;)
I can’t tell if you’re being ironic spelling Velveeta wrong or not. :)
In any case, the OP was rather polite in her correction and I appreciated it. I was never sure and I’m always glad to know the right spelling, pronunciation or usage of a word or phrase. In this age where nobody knows whether to say their, there or they’re, it should matter. Knowledge is good!
Knowledge is better than good – it’s essential! Why people take offense when someone wants to help them have more knowledge…is totally beyond me.
You are quite correct. I DO care about spelling and grammar and it is refreshing to see someone else who does too.
Simple oversight (or lack of knowledge). The correct usage is “toe the line”. Example (think ‘military’ for a good mental visual) —> ” SEE THIS? :::pointing to line on the ground or floor::: THIS IS THE LINE – YOU WILL NOT CROSS IT! Get your toes on the line and stay there!” <— Hence, "toe the line" typically means to first have a solid rule, then admonishing others/self not to cross it or deviate from it.
I’m wondering about a provolone since I have that right now.
Thanks for trying this recipe out for us!
Thanks for sharing. I am going to make this soon and keep
it in the fridge. With ThAnksgiving coming, it will come in handy for my broccoli casserole and Mac n cheese for my son and his buddy from college.
Wow. I can never feel good buying Velveeta, so this is a great alternative! Queso dip, here I come!
Amazing Michelle…. What haven’t you made? You make Everything!
I needed to know this recipe. We love cheesy dishes at home, but I personally dislike Velveeta because of its saltiness. Thanks for sharing this.
It sounds as if this would avoid the excessive saltiness of Velveeta.
Awesome! I will make this tomorrow! Love the homemade cheese so much better than the processed stuff. Super yum! Can’t wait to make some awesome queso with it! Thanks for sharing!