How To Make Homemade Cheese Whiz

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Learn how to make homemade cheese whiz from scratch with only 6 ingredients! This is an easy spreadable cheese that can be made with raw or pasteurized milk.

Growing up I would peddle my bike each day down to my grandmas house. It was a short bike ride and I always knew as I tossed my bike on the gravel out front, that a snack would be waiting for me inside. Sometimes it was homemade bannock, or thick slices of homemade toast, yet other times, on grocery day especially, it would be white squishy wonder bread.

As a kid I wasn’t picky about whether it was wonder bread or homemade toast, that’s not what mattered, it was the topping that stole the show, and the toping was always Kraft cheese whiz. I don’t know if they have cheese whiz everywhere, but if you are not familiar with it, cheese whiz is basically a spreadable processed cheese.

I would be lying if I said that I don’t crave it to this day. The pull of childhood memories and processed food is powerful, but as a cheesemaker, I can’t bring myself to buy it. Luckily, Im a cheesemaker…..so I can make my own!

I was given this Cheese Whiz recipe by Melanie from @thisboymom_life a few years back and after making a few adaptations to suit our lifestyle I make this cheese whiz several times a month at least!

We spread it on sourdough toast (no wonder bread here!), dip chips in it, use it for fondue, eat it on bannock, Mac and Cheese, Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Cold or Hot!

Cheese whiz is our go too fresh cheese in this house!

Ingredients

As I said the ingredient list for this homemade version of cheese whiz is much friendlier than the store bought version.

• 1 gallon skim milk– I am often asked if it is ok to use whole milk. Yes it is, but I use skim because I skim the cream off of the milk and use the cream to make the butter for this recipe.
• 2 tsp citric acid– If you don’t have citric acid, or would rather not use it, you can substitute with 2 tbsp of white vinegar.
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese– You can also opt to use other types of cheese. We like everything from Swiss, to cheddar, to gouda as a replacement.
• 1/4 to 1 cup milk (reserved)

Tools you will need

• Kitchen Thermometer
• A saucepan that will hold 1 gallon of milk
• A fine mesh strainer
• Slotted spoon
• Measuring cups and spoons

How to make homemade cheese whiz

Heat 1 gallon skim milk to 140F

Dissolve citric acid in 1/4 cup Luke warm water.

Add diluted citric acid into milk, and stir well. The cheese will begin to separate. Let it sit for a few minutes. The majority of the separated cheese will rise to the top of the pot. At this point you should clearly see the separation of yellow whey and white cheese. If you do not see this separation, mix 1 tsp of citric acid in 1/4 cup Luke warm water and slowly add into your pot. Add only as much as you need to, to see the separation of whey from curds.

Once you have a clear separation. Use a slotted spoon to scoop the cheese into a fine mesh strainer. If there is any extra cheese left in the bottom of your pot, or you feel that there is a lot of waste in the whey, strain the whey through a cloth lined colander to remove all of the cheese. (Just an FYI though, it takes FOREVER, to strain the whey through a cloth lined colander, so try to scoop the majority of it). 

Discard the whey ( you can reserve it in the fridge for other uses like my caramel whey recipe).

Add your strained cheese back the pot.

Combine salt, butter and cheese into the pot. Over medium heat, melt and stir your cheese mixture until it becomes smooth (takes about 5 min). If you feel that your cheese whiz mixture is too thick, add some of the reserved milk. I often find that the consistency is adequate without it and I don’t need to add any.

Pour the mixture into a container and refrigerate. It will be liquid when it is warm, but will harden into a soft spreadable cheese as it cools.

We like to serve it warm for dipping and as a cheese spread when it is cold.

Tips;

• Essentially what you are doing with this recipe is making a ricotta type cheese and then melting it down with butter and aged cheese. This is a great way to make your aged cheeses go further, but still have the great taste that aging brings. Use this recipe to stretch your aged cheese further!
• Its important to dilute your citric acid in water before adding it into your pot. If you don’t dilute it, it will coagulate the first milk it comes in contact with and your cheese will not separate properly.
• I actually prefer to use older milk for this recipe. This is something I wouldn’t be caught dead saying when it comes to aged cheeses, but for this cheese whiz recipe it works great. Older raw milk (im talking older, but still tastes good) is already slightly acidic. Occasionally with fresh milk, I find that 2 tsp of citric acid is not enough to achieve separation, I end up having to add a little more in as I go, this problem never happens when you use older milk.

FAQs

This is a great beginner cheesemaking recipe, but like any cheese recipe it can occasionally give your troubles. The most common reason for troubles with this recipe is differences in the acidity of milk. Check out some of these frequently asked questions.

Why does my whey looks white?

When you scoop your cheese out of the pot into the strainer it should be a clear separation of yellow whey from cheese. If the whey still looks, “milky”, you will need to add a little more citric acid. Dilute the citric acid in Luke warm water and add it slowly until you see separation, it will happen almost instantly. The key is to only add as much as you need, this will prevent your cheese from tasting too sour.

Why is my cheese whiz grainy?

Grainy cheese whiz can be caused by several different things and can sometimes be fixed by blending your finished product in the blender. Unfortunately, sometimes the blender can’t even fix it, and you will have to live with your grainy cheese whiz, promising to make adjustments next time! As grainy cheese is caused by an acidity problem, you may never know what it was that caused it, but here are a few things to troubleshoot next time.

• Only add as much acid as you need. This especially comes into play when you are using older milk. Older milk will already be slightly acidic and by adding in too much citric acid you can push your cheese to go from a good melting acidity, to a not so good melting acidity.
• Only heat your milk to 140F. For this recipe, try not to heat your milk much over 140F. Be wary of large pots. If you have doubled this recipe or even tripled it, be aware that the bottom of your pot will be much hotter than the top.
• Be sure to dilute your citric acid. Acid starts separating proteins from whey as soon as it hits the milk. We need to dilute citric acid or else it causes clumps of over acidified proteins which will result in grainy bits.

Why is my cheese whiz not combining?

Just as above, this is an acidity issue that will need to be fixed next time you make cheese whiz. Try blending it in the blender to save this batch.

Why is my cheese whiz watery?

Next time try letting your curds drain in the strainer a little longer and omitting any of the reserved milk. If your cheese whiz is still warm, allow it to cool, you may be surprised how it hardens as it cools.

Can I freeze my homemade cheese whiz?

Yes, it freezes pretty well. You may notice a few ice crystals, but I often make a big batch and freeze some for later.

Can I use pasteurized milk to make this recipe?

You can use both pasteurized milk or raw milk to make this recipe.

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