Homemade Velveeta Cheese

Don’t bother with over-processed, shelf-stable “cheese” – you can make your own easy homemade Velveeta cheese with just three ingredients!

If you dream of the nostalgic taste of Velveeta cheese but don’t love consuming a pasteurized cheese product, then this copy Velveeta recipe is for you. This homemade Velveeta recipe is incredibly easy to make and can mimic Velveeta cheese with just three ingredients: unflavored gelatin, powdered milk and shredded cheese. That’s it! It literally takes just minutes to throw together then just refrigerate it until it’s firm. Mine usually firms up very quickly, even as I’m spreading it in the pan before cooling.

What Is Velveeta?

Velveeta is a pasteurized cheese product that contains cheddar that is blended with a mixture of whey, milk proteins and emulsifying ingredients. This process is what gives Velveeta its distinctive melt, vivid orange hue, creaminess and flavor.

According to the FDA, Velveeta is not a “true” cheese because it does not contain more than half cheese. Similar to American cheese, that’s not real cheese either, the FDA classifies Velveeta as a “pasteurized process cheese product.”

Velveeta was invented in 1918 by Emil Frey of the Monroe Cheese Company and subsequently sold to Kraft in 1923. The original process for making Velveeta used cheddar, Colby, and Swiss, along with the emulsifiers.

Homemade Velveeta Ingredients

This recipe comes together with just 3-ingredients and in 10 minutes!

• Unflavored gelatin: The gelatin is the stabilizer that gives the cheese its molded shape. It can be found online or in the grocery store aisle with the Jell-O products.
• Powdered milk: Any milk powder should work; the non-fat dry milk powder is most common.
• Cheddar Cheese: A sharp cheddar is the closest cheese to the Velveeta flavor but you can use any cheese you like with this recipe.

(Scroll down to the bottom for the printable recipe card with exact measurements and recipe instructions.)

For comparison here are the Kraft Velveeta Original Cheese ingredients:

Velveeta Ingredients: Skim Milk, Milk, Canola Oil, Milk Protein Concentrate, Sodium Phosphate, Contains Less than 2% of Modified Food Starch, Whey Protein Concentrate, Maltodextrin, Whey, Salt, Calcium Phosphate, Lactic Acid, Sorbic Acid as a Preservative, Milkfat, Sodium Alginate, Sodium Citrate, Enzymes, Apocarotenal and Annatto (Color), Cheese Culture, Vitamin A Palmitate.

How To Make Velveeta

• Line a loaf pan (any pan will do, it will just be a different shape) with saran wrap.
• Put gelatin and powdered milk into a blender. Add boiling water and process immediately until smooth. Add cheese and continue blending until mixture is very smooth.
• Pour mixture into pan and smooth out with a spatula. Cover with more saran wrap then refrigerate until firm.
• Use in your favorite recipes that call for Velveeta!

Allow the mixture to cool completely before cutting.

Velveeta Cheese Substitutions

I typically use cheddar but I’ve also used a Mexican-blend cheese and Swiss, too, all with great results. I love that I can use any flavor of cheese that I may need for different recipes. Here are some more types of cheese to try.

• Smoked, Mild or Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• American Cheese
• Pepper Jack Cheese
• Colby Cheese
• Mexican-blend cheese
• Mozzarella
• Parmesan
• Gruyere
• Fontina

Make Ahead & Storing

This recipes keeps up to a month in the refrigerator so you can make it well in advance of any parties you may have coming up!

Velveeta Cheese Uses

Any recipe that calls for store bought Velveeta can be substituted with this Velveeta copycat recipe. Also, since you can use any type of cheese, it works well with other recipes as well. Here are few of my favorite.

• Mac n Cheese – Classic Kraft Velveeta Mac and Cheese can now be made with homemade Velveeta. Make it a bacon mac and cheese or seafood mac and cheese for extra deliciousness.
• Quesadillas – Make it a spicy jack quesadilla with pepper jack!
• Espinaca Dip – This recipe queso spinach dip is made with homemade Velveeta.
• Velveeta Sausage Dip – A classic football party dip made with homemade Velveeta.
• Chicken Velveeta Spaghetti – A simple dinner recipe using a box of spaghetti, this cheese recipe, chopped chicken, a can cream of chicken soup and Rotel.
• Pigs in Blanket – Use as a cheese dipper for pigs in a blanket.

Continue to Content

Homemade Velveeta Cheese

Yield: 12

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

This homemade Velveeta recipe is quick and easy with just three ingredients and a healthier version to the processed cheese version.

Print

Ingredients

• 1/4 ounce packet unflavored gelatin
• 6 tablespoons powdered milk
• 1 cup boiling water
• 1 pound 16 ounces shredded cheese

Instructions

1. Line a loaf pan (any pan will do, it will just be a different shape) with saran wrap.
2. Put gelatin and powdered milk into a blender. Add boiling water and process immediately until smooth. Add cheese and continue blending until mixture is very smooth.
3. Pour mixture into pan and smooth out with a spatula. Cover with more saran wrap then refrigerate until firm.
4. Use in your favorite recipes that call for Velveeta!

Notes

Allow the mixture to cool completely before cutting.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 12 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 162Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 38mgSodium: 261mgCarbohydrates: 2gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 10g

This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix.

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Kristy Bernardo

Kristy Bernardo is the recipe creator behind The Wicked Noodle. She's a five-time cookbook author, has taught cooking classes to both kids and adults, and has been creating recipes for nationwide brands since 2009. She learned most of her cooking skills from her mom and grandmother, then honed those skills at boot camp at the Culinary Institute of America.

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