Copycat Recipe: Homemade Velveeta Cheese (2024)

FAQs

What are the original ingredients in Velveeta cheese? ›

The original process for making Velveeta involved blending tiny bits of various cheeses, including cheddar, Colby and Swiss, along with an emulsifier. Today, the process is different in that instead of starting with bits of cheese, it is made from pasteurized milk, along with whey, emulsifiers and salt.

The reason Velveeta melts so readily into a puddle of uniform-seeming goo is that it includes sodium alginate, an emulsifying salt that's extracted from brown algae.

Whether you're using sharp cheddar cheese, mild, or any other type, cheddar is a good replacement for regular Velveeta. You'll also find that shredded cheddar cheese is a wonderful replacement for shredded Velveeta. Cheddar typically has an orange or yellow color, just like Velveeta, and is very versatile.

Heat the cheese using the low setting for a total of 30 minutes, then open the lid and stir the partially melted cubes. Stirring the cheese at this time helps promote even melting. You should not need to add butter or milk to the Velveeta when you use this method.

The name Velveeta was intended to connote a "velvety smooth" product. On February 14, 1923, Frey incorporated a separate Velveeta company independent from the Monroe Cheese Co. In 1926, the Monroe Cheese company closed down and one year later Velveeta was sold to Kraft.

The best substitute for Velveeta is another processed cheese product, such as American cheese or Cheez Whiz. Since Velveeta isn't actually cheese, substituting in real cheese will not guarantee the same results — part of Velveeta's processed charm is its fluid texture and ability to melt easily.

Since 2002, Velveeta has been labeled as a "pasteurized prepared cheese product." What does that even mean? Because of the ingredients and the way it is prepared, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not consider it real cheese.

No, there's no plastic. But there are emulsifiers that bind the cheese's components tightly and do not lose their hold with a sudden increase in temperature. They do, however, let go with prolonged heating at a lower temperature. There is nothing devilish here, just some clever chemistry.

The History Chanel. If you've ever tasted what's known as “government cheese,” you won't soon forget it. Its flavor was described as somewhere between Velveeta and American cheese and smacked of humiliation or gratitude for the people who couldn't afford not to eat it.

If you want to find a healthy replacement for Velveeta cheese, try using pureed butternut squash or sweet potato. Both of these substitutes are naturally sweet and provide a creamy texture without the added fat and calories.

What cheese melts as good as Velveeta? ›

Evaporated milk makes for a smoother tasting Velveeta Cheese Dip. It sounds a bit strange, but it's a huge difference-maker, especially when it comes to the pace at which the dip hardens. If you don't have evaporated milk, you can sub in fresh milk or even water.

Velveeta and similar products owe their uniquely smooth and creamy texture to a class of chemicals known as melting salts, a class that includes sodium citrate.

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), ...

Here's why. In 2002, FDA warned Kraft that it was “misbranding” Kraft Singles and Velveeta cheese spread as a “food” even though the “product does not conform to the definition and standard.” Kraft now claims Velveeta is a pasteurized recipe cheese product.

By the defining standards of the FDA, it's instead classified as a "pasteurized process cheese product." This is a 2002 re-classification from its former grouping amongst items considered "cheese spreads." Earlier still, at its very beginning in 1918, it actually was a genuine cheese, albeit one made from scraps of ...

From the Package

CHEDDAR CHEESE (PASTEURIZED MILK, CHEESE CULTURE, SALT, ENZYMES), WHEY, MILK PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, MILKFAT, WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, SODIUM PHOSPHATE, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF CALCIUM PHOSPHATE, SALT, SODIUM ALGINATE, LACTIC ACID, SORBIC ACID AS A PRESERVATIVE, APOCAROTENAL (COLOR), ANNATTO (COLOR).