How To Make Perfect Queso Fresco - Analida's Ethnic Spoon

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Making perfect queso fresco cheese is easier than you think. You don't need special equipment or hard to obtain ingredients. You need milk, vinegar, and salt. That's it? Yup, that's it! Well, you will need cheesecloth, but that's not really an ingredient. You will also need a good digital thermometer for accurate reading. So, let's make some queso fresco!

Jump to:

• What is queso fresco?
• Cheesemaking is another hobby
• Visual steps to make homemade queso fresco:
• Ways to use queso fresco:
• Ingredients notes and equipment
• Frequently asked questions
• 📖 Recipe

What is queso fresco?

Queso fresco is a one of many popular Mexican cheeses made from whole milk. It is considered a fresh cheese since it is not and aged cheese and is ready to eat right after you make it. It is soft, moist and crumbly so it works great as a topping for tacos, nachos or sprinkling on salads and soups. It is similar to other types of white cheese like farmer's cheese or paneer from India.

Before I go on, I need to clarify something: queso fresco is curdled with acid, like lemon juice, lime juice or vinegar. Queso fresco will have a slight tangy flavor. Queso blanco, a similar cheese is curdled with rennet, an animal enzyme that you can usually find in the baking aisle of the grocery store. There are also some vegetarian rennet products, but I don't have any experience with them.

Cheesemaking is another hobby

I've tried making ricotta, and goat cheese. The process for making queso fresco is similar, and again, most of the time you will not need special ingredients. Mozzarella cheese and burrata are next on my list. Being Latin American, I really had to try my hand at making queso fresco because you can use it in so many different ways. I like to spread it on baguette and top it with a bit of fig jam. Do you like nachos? Queso fresco is a mild cheese and perfect over tortilla chips to balance a spicy salsa like sour cream does.

The origins of cheese-making go back to approximately the 5th millennium BC, and is attributed to pastoral societies. Terracotta vats with what appear to be draining holes have been found at excavation sites. There is also evidence of cheese-making from drawings found in Egyptians tombs. By the time of the Roman Empire cheese-making was already an established art.

Visual steps to make homemade queso fresco:

• Step 1: Place the half gallon of whole milk or raw milk in a large pot on medium heat. While the milk is heating place a colander over a large bowl and line colander with cheese cloth.
• Step 2: Heat the milk to 170° F, remove from the heat and then add the vinegars to the milk and stir it a couple times. Let it sit for 30-45 minutes.

• Step 3: Cut the curds with a knife.
• Step 4: Using a slotted spoon remove the curds and add to the cheesecloth in the colander. Stir the salt into the curds once all the curds are in the cloth.

• Step 5: After all the curds are in the colander gather the edges of the cheesecloth and form a ball and tie it off with butcher's twine or some twist ties.
• Step 6: Hang the cheesecloth over your sink faucet and allow to drip for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes you can form a ball from the curds, remove from the cloth. Press the curds into a flat disc and set it in the colander and allow to drip for another 30 minutes. Once it stops dripping you can place in a sealed container in the refrigerator until ready to use. Enjoy your fresh soft cheese!

Ways to use queso fresco:

• Tostadas: Add some refried beans to a crispy tortilla along with tomato, onion, pork carnitas, avocado and top with your favorite salsa or pico de gallo and queso fresco.
• Taco Tuesday: Add your favorite taco fillings and add some queso fresco too! It is hard to beat homemade queso in a taco. Make some fresh queso for cinco de Mayo
• Enchiladas: Bake your enchiladas and add the queso fresco before serving. Queso fresco is a crumbly cheese and can work as a topping for just about any Mexican cuisine.
• Arepas - Similar to tortillas, these are corn griddle cakes from Venezuela that are stuffed with stewed meat, herbs, cheese, plantains..really the choice is yours!
• Jibarito - A Puerto-Rican inspired dish that actually hails from Chicago. Two planks of fried plantain make the "bread" for this sandwich.
• Elote - A Mexican grilled corn on the cob topped with cheese, spicy mayo, and herbs. You can also use cotija cheese but you can swap since you have a fresh queso fresco recipe.
• Soups: You can add some as a topping to your favorite Mexican restaurant style soups like chicken tortilla soup.

Ingredients notes and equipment

• Whole cow's milk or raw cow's milk: This full fat milk will give the best results. If you have access to goat milk you can try a similar recipe for goat cheese.
• Vinegar: This recipe calls for white distilled vinegar and apple cider vinegar. This is the key ingredient for acid-set cheese or acid coagulated cheeses. Other types of acid-set cheese are cottage cheese, quark or cream cheese. You can read more about these types of cheeses at the University of Guelph.
• Salt: Use cheese salt or a non-iodized salt like Kosher salt.
• Dutch oven or pasta pot: Heat the milk in a large pot and I prefer one with a heavy bottom to give very even heat distribution.
• Digital thermometer: You want to be sure to get the milk to exactly 170°F while stirring.
• Cheesecloth and colander: Line your colander with the cheesecloth to allow the whey to drain off while gather your curds. A slotted spoon work well to scoop them up.

Frequently asked questions

How long can I store queso fresco?

I typically recommend eating the queso fresco within a week, making sure to keep it refrigerated and properly sealed in an airtight container.

Can I rinse the curds before draining?

Yes, you can gently rinse the curds in the cheesecloth and it will remove some of the tangy flavor of the acid used to coagulate the milk. I like a slightly salty and tangy cheese.

How can I make the queso fresco softer or more spreadable?

You can add a small amount of heavy cream to the cheese to get the desired creaminess. You only need a small amount so add a teaspoon at time and mash it into the cheese.

Can I melt queso fresco for queso dip?

Queso fresco is not a melting cheese. It will get soft but stay a bit chunky. Many Mexican kitchens make queso dip from white American or Monterey Jack cheese, milk and some chilis.

Finally, please give this a try. Without a doubt you will find that making queso fresco is super easy and very rewarding. And, don't forget to share with your friends.

📖 Recipe

How to Make Perfect Queso Fresco

Analida Braeger Want to make queso fresco at home? Here is an easy recipe to make this homemade cheese that is a popular topping for tacos, nachos, enchiladas and tostadas. Many Latin foods use this ingredient and it is so easy. 4.86 from 28 votes Print Recipe Rate this Recipe Prep Time 10 minutes minsCook Time 15 minutes minsTotal Time 25 minutes mins Course CheeseCuisine Latin American Servings 8 servingsCalories 148 kcal

Ingredients 1x2x3x

• ½ gal whole milk
• ⅔ cup vinegar white, distilled
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 ½ teaspoon Kosher salt

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Instructions

• Place a cheese cloth lined colander over a large bowl of pasta pot.
• On medium heat bring milk to 170°F, stirring constantly to avoid uneven heating.
• When the milk reaches the desired temperature, remove from heat and add vinegar types. Stir a couple of times, then allow it to sit untouched on the stove top for about 30-45 minutes.
• Using a knife start breaking up the curds gently then start transferring to a colander using a slotted spoon.
• Allow the curds to sit untouched for about 30 minutes so they can drain properly. Add salt and stir lightly.
• Next, gather the edges of the cheesecloth and tie with kitchen twine or a twist tie. Hang from your sink faucet, and allow it to drip for about 30 minutes.
• Remove from the cloth and using your hands gently mold the cheese into a flat disc, about 1" tall.
• Return to the colander and let it sit this way for about 30 minutes.
• Transfer cheese to a bowl, and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Notes

Ingredient notes and equipment:

• Whole cow's milk or raw cow's milk: This full fat milk will give the best results. If you have access to goat milk you can try a similar recipe for goat cheese.
• Vinegar: This recipe calls for white distilled vinegar and apple cider vinegar. This is the key ingredient for acid-set cheese or acid coagulated cheeses. Other types of acid-set cheese are cottage cheese, quark or cream cheese. 
• Salt: Use cheese salt or a non-iodized salt like Kosher salt.
• Dutch oven or pasta pot: Heat the milk in a large pot and I prefer one with a heavy bottom to give very even heat distribution.
• Digital thermometer: You want to be sure to get the milk to exactly 170°F while stirring.
• Cheesecloth and colander: Line your colander with the cheesecloth to allow the whey to drain off while gather your curds. A slotted spoon work well to scoop them up.

Frequently asked questions: How long can I store queso fresco? I typically recommend eating the queso fresco within a week, making sure to keep it refrigerated and properly sealed in an airtight container. Can I rinse the curds before draining? Yes, you can gently rinse the curds in the cheesecloth and it will remove some of the tangy flavor of the acid used to coagulate the milk. I like a slightly salty and tangy cheese. How can I make the queso fresco softer or more spreadable? You can add a small amount of heavy cream to the cheese to get the desired creaminess. You only need a small amount so add a teaspoon at time and mash it into the cheese.

Nutrition

Calories: 148kcalCarbohydrates: 11gProtein: 7gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 23mgSodium: 538mgPotassium: 312mgSugar: 11gVitamin A: 385IUCalcium: 269mgIron: 0.1mg Keyword cheese making, fresco, homemade, Mexican, Mexican cheese, queso Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!