CheeseXML 1.00
Easy queso fresco
Ingredients
| Whole milk, not ultra-pasteurized | 1 gal |
| Fresh lemon juice | 0.67 cup |
| Non-iodized cheese salt | 1 tsp |
Process
| # | Steps | Plan | Facts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heat the milk to 78 °C Heat the vat to the culture temperature published for this make. | Heat · Milk preparation · Temperature: 78 °C (74–82 °C) | |
| 2 | Add culture Sprinkle the starter, rehydrate, then rest at temperature. | Step code · Ripening · Temperature: 78 °C (74–82 °C) · Time: 10 min | |
| 3 | Add acid Stir in the acid and wait until the whey clears. | Step code · Coagulation · Temperature: 78 °C (74–82 °C) · Until: Clear whey · Addition: Amount: 0.67 cup | |
| 4 | Ladle the curd Ladle uncut curd into the hoops. | Step code · Cutting | |
| 5 | Draw whey and hoop Draw whey to the grain and fill the hoop. | Drain · Draining · Flips: Turn: After: 5 min; Turn: After: 15 min | |
| 6 | Salt Salt the curd or the wheel. | Salt · Salting |
Easy queso fresco
Fresh cheese · Difficulty: 1
Batch scale
Scale factor:
Description
Jennifer Latham's Serious Eats queso fresco: 1 gallon whole milk heated to 165–180 °F, lemon juice or white vinegar added a tablespoon at a time until curds separate, drained and salted.
Recipe details
- Style
- Fresh cheese
- Country
- Mexico
- PDO
- No
- Schema version
- 1.00
- Type
- Home recipe
- Vegetarian
- Yes
- Created
- 2026-09-09
- License
- CC-BY-4.0
- Author
- CheeseXML 1.00 reference set
- Units
- US
- Milk
- Cow milk, Pasteurized, Not homogenized
- Milk volume
- 1 gal
- Expected yield
- 1 lb
- Yield ratio
- 0.119826 ratio
- Active time
- 30 min
- Total time
- 3 h
- Scale
- For milk volume: 1 gal
Ingredients
- Whole milk, not ultra-pasteurized — 1 gal
Role: Base milk · Kind: Whole milk
- Fresh lemon juice — 0.67 cup
Role: Acid · Kind: Acid Lemon
- Non-iodized cheese salt — 1 tsp (Details: Salt: Salting in curd; Iodized: No)
Role: Salt · Kind: Salt
Equipment
- Heavy-bottomed pot
- Dairy thermometer
- Slotted ladle
- Butter muslin / cheesecloth
- Colander
- Slotted spoon
Process
Heat the milk to 78 °C
Heat · Milk preparation
Heat the vat to the culture temperature published for this make.
Temperature: 78 °C (74–82 °C)
Add culture
Step code · Ripening
Sprinkle the starter, rehydrate, then rest at temperature.
Temperature: 78 °C (74–82 °C) · Time: 10 min
Add acid
Step code · Coagulation
Stir in the acid and wait until the whey clears.
Temperature: 78 °C (74–82 °C) · Until: Clear whey · Addition: Amount: 0.67 cup
Ladle the curd
Step code · Cutting
Ladle uncut curd into the hoops.
Draw whey and hoop
Drain · Draining
Draw whey to the grain and fill the hoop.
Flips: Turn: After: 5 min; Turn: After: 15 min
Salt
Salt · Salting
Salt the curd or the wheel.
Storage
Temperature: 4 °C; Shelf life: 7 d
Allergens
Allergen: Milk
Safety
Use milk that is not ultra-pasteurized. Pasteurize unknown raw milk. Sanitize equipment.
Source
Title: Easy Queso Fresco Recipe; Creator: Jennifer Latham / Serious Eats; Year: 2014; URL: https://www.seriouseats.com/queso-fresco-easy-cheese-recipe
Tags
Tag: For beginners; Tag: Ready the same day; Tag: Acid and heat; Tag: Vegetarian