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!
I have made this twice now and both times it comes out fine and makes great grilled cheeses sandwiches but whenever I try to melt it (like for mac n cheese) it turns into a gloppy, stringy mess. Any ideas on how to melt it and get Velveetta type texture?? I tried melting it in the milk and butter which worked great, but as soon as I added the hot noodles it clumped up again :(
hi.. just wanted to let you know I think another site has taken your photos and recipe and is posting them as their own… here’s the link http://www.cookin-at-home.com/2015/05/homemade-velveeta-cheese.html
I saw it on Fb… looks suspicious ;o)
Hi Emily, Thanks for the heads up :)
This looks so fabulous! Does it freeze well?
Hi Patrick, Believe it or not, I’ve never attempted to freeze cheese! I’m not sure how well this would freeze.
I’ll give it a try and report back!
Do you mahe your own cheddar cheese ? If so how.
Hi Roxanne, I have not tried making my own cheddar cheese.
I have unflavored beef gelatin which tends to have a… beefyish flavor to it. will that work, or does it need to be the knox brand? and 7g = .25oz, still, right?
thanks for your time! this is amazing!
Hi Tibby, If you don’t mind your cheese having a beefyish flavor, then you could use it. If not, then I would go with the Knox unflavored gelatin. And yes, 7 grams = 0.25 ounces.
Hi, Can this recipe be done without the milk powder? Could I use something else? Its expensive around here and I’m looking to cut the overall cost.
HI Crystal, Unfortunately not, the milk powder is an essential ingredient.
Hello,
Thanks, first of all! Can’t wait to try! Wondering tho, will Nutri bullet work as well as a blender? My blender died n I don’t have a food processor!!
Thanks,
Donna Schnaath
Hi Donna, I’m not familiar with the Nutri bullet… I’m not sure how it would do with this recipe, but you could always try!
Wonderful! I use Velveeta as a guilty pleasure ( SALT!!). Now, I can have my Velveeta, and no salt ,preservatives, tons of other chemicals, you get the idea! Thanks!
Hi Michelle,
I made this yesterday for the second time. The first time I used sharp cheddar and generic dry milk. It melted well for the grilled cheeses that I made. Yesterday I made it with mild cheddar and Bob’s Red Mill dry milk(http://www.bobsredmill.com/non-fat-dry-milk-powder.html) and it looked fine, but separated terribly when I microwaved it. Any thoughts?
Hi Rebecca, That’s weird, I’m not sure what would cause that to happen! I used King Arthur Flour dry milk powder, but I don’t think the brand should make a difference.
Yikes it won’t let me edit. Anyway a cup is 8 fluid oz or 240 mL. My brain is mixing up pounds to ounces and Tablespoons in a cup (hence the 16 oz mistake).
Hi there,
Thanks so much for sharing , we can’t
Find this is Singapore either. Please advise how much water is in the 1
Cup? Sorry I’m not too fimiliar with baking measurement .. Thanks in advance!
The 1 cup of water is 8 fluid ounces
Never ever ever ever ever use “cup” as a measurement unless ALL ingredients are measured in cups. The cup is NOT an exact measurement, it’s a method to define proportions of ingredients when all you have is one arbitrary measurement device.
I have a colleague from the US and he was telling me he craved so kind of nachos with a cheese dip but he could not find Velveeta in the Netherlands. As I did not have cheddar I made a mix of goat cheese, mozzarella and some gouda. I was amazed with the texture and used some leftover as a cheesedip. It is now in the fridge but it gives me a bunch of ideas!!! Thank you for sharing
If I am going to use this in a recipe in which I am going to be melting the “velvetta” , do I need to refrigerate it first and then melt it or can I just use it in its already warm melted state?
Hi Marcie, I’ve never tried it before it set up, so I couldn’t say for sure how it would turn out.
I did just that! My yellow velveeta went to the frig to set, but I made a white cheese velveeta which I poured directly into the crock pot with the meat and spices. Worked great!
I was really excited to make this because velveeta is so expensive! I made sure to pure it really well and it looked like velveeta, but when I tried melting it, it remained stringy and gritty if that’s even possible. It looked like all the liquid came out of it and the cheese turned to glop. Did anyone else have this problem or have tips to make it work?
I am going to try this with powdered goat milk, goat milk cheddar cheese, and Great Lakes Gelatine, for my grandchildren. I can’t wait to make them grilled cheese, Cajun Mac and cheese, cheesy potato soup, and other favorites that use Velveeta. Thank you, Cari
I’ve just discovered your blog (not sure where I’ve been). I now live in SE Asia & a friend found a can of Ro-tel tomatoes for 5x the cost of normal. We got very excited when I found this recipe as we were going to have cheese dip. Wasted no time making this. Luckily, I tasted the cheese before opening the tomatoes. Apparently they put sugar in the milk powder because it was extremely sweet cheese. Sigh. Now I’m on the hunt for non-sweetened milk which may prove impossible. Sigh again.
all french citizen Thank You for that receipe as we do not find Velveeta in France. My famous Chile con queso must always wait the way back home of some travellers that went to the US and did not forget to bring some for me !!!
Hi Bachelorette!
Can you please kindly tell me what you used to replace the dry milk powder? I cannot seem to find it here in France. Many thanks!
When i use this recipe can I use it while it is hot or do you have to refridgerate?
Hi LaTrecia, You need to let it set in the refrigerator first before using.
Velveeta cheese loaf is almost a whooping 7.00 a pound at Krogers in Houston Texas.
Thanks for the recipe
I seriously love this! I refuse to buy Velveeta as well, but there’s no denying that creamy texture just makes some dishes. Thoughts on using sharp cheddar? I just hardly even use anything other than sharp, but I’m wondering if it will set up equally since it’s a harder and more aged cheddar….. (then again, maybe using less expensive cheddar for Velveeta would make more sense anyway.)
Hi Christina, I think sharp cheddar would work just fine!
Hi, like to check the gelatin used is those for making jello? Should it be in powder form or sheet? Thanks.
Hi Michelle, I’ve only used it in powder form, never sheets.
I made it using pepper jack cheese! Very tasty on burgers! So many endless possibilities! Thanks for the recipe!
This looks so good, and when I made it, it seemed to turn out fine. It firmed up just like velveeta, but with tiny chunks still of cheddar. I made it from a block of mild cheddar cheese. However, when I tried to melt it in the microwave, it broke down into stringy chunks. What went wrong?
Hi Christine, If it still had tiny chunks of cheddar, it may not have been processed well enough. Not sure about the stringy chunks – we’ve used this on grilled cheese sandwiches and in dips, and didn’t have that happen.
This is jello fake cheese. Why would you take cheese and then turn it into something gross? This is terrible.
What is “fake jello cheese”? Never heard of that. Apparently you don’t like Velveeta and that’s ok – to each his own. I’m assuming you didn’t try to make it so I’m not sure how you know it’s gross. In future, if you don’t have something nice to say, maybe you shouldn’t say anything at all. Just a thought…
I gotta give this a try. Especially after I picked up Velbeeta today to buy & couldn’t pronounce most of the ingredients.
I chopped jalapeños in it! Effn awesome! So much cheaper too!
Um, I’m not American and I’m looking at a recipe for cheese that needs gelatine… What on earth is this Velveeta??
Velveeta is a block of cheese product that can be sliced or cubed and melts into this creamy, salty, tangy cheese sauce that is great for grilled cheese sandwiches, cheese dip, Mac n cheese etc.
It is definelty an American thing. It is a version of “American Cheese” but can’t be legally called cheese, so it’s called a cheese product. It is very soft, but can be sliced and it is used for grilled cheese sandwiches, sauces and yes, Nachos! It melts like nothing else and because it is so popular, it has risen in price. When I lived in Norway, I stuffed my suitcase with the product, because it doesn’t need to be refrigerated until opened and Norway doesn’t allow it because it has artificial colors. So it isn’t the best thing to eat, but it is an indulgence we can’t seem to live without!
This looks great and saves money besides. Velveeta is not cheap in the stores.
Is the milk powder the same thing as the instant powdered milk stuff that you mix with water to make milk, or something different? I’d like to make this and try it in a mac & cheese recipe I have
Hi Debbie, Yes, it’s just dry milk powder that’s usually found in the baking aisle of most supermarkets.