Goat Cheese Velveeta

by Jo Ann Bland
(Bardstown, Kentucky. USA)

Velveeta cheese (a particular brand of processed American cheese) is famously known for its smooth melting properties and use in dips and sauces. Now, thanks to Jo Ann, we can make our own smooth "Velveeta" from goat cheese! Below is the recipe that she developed herself. Hope you enjoy!

First, make lactic goat cheese. Lactic cheese requires at least 12 hours to make and 12 hours to drip. You can rush the drip time by occasionally pressing the cloth that contains the curds. The ingredients are as follows:

• 1 gallon plus 1 pint of raw goats milk


• 4 tablespoons mesophillic C1 mother culture


• 5 drops of liquid single strength rennet
  dissolved in 1/3 cup of non-chlorine water. I use distilled water.


• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda


• 1/2 teaspoon salt


• 1 tablespoon butter (NOT margarine)


• 20-25 drops annatto (optional)

Heat the milk slowly to 86 degrees. Turn off the heat and set the pot of milk aside. Add the mesophilic culture. Stir thoroughly.

Take 1 1/2 teaspoons of the well-dissolved rennet from the 1/3 cup mixture of rennet. Add the 1 1/2 teaspoons of rennet mixture to the milk at this time. Always stir the milk after adding rennet to prevent the milk from coagulating unevenly.

Put the lid on the pot and let it sit for 12 hours. This amount of time allows the cheese to become lactic.

After 12 hours or more, scoop the curds out and into a cloth-lined colander to drain for 10 to 20 minutes. Then, grab all 4 corners of the cloth holding the curds and hang to drip for 12 hours.

Note: The drier the curds, the firmer the cheese will set.

(Do not keep the whey for ricotta because the whey is too acidic. It does, however, work well for making sour dough bread.)

You are now ready to make velveeta. Place the cheese in a mixing bowl, add the baking soda and salt and beat with mixer. Let sit for 30 minutes. The cheese will have a fluffy texture. Taste the cheese for flavor. Cheese will have a very smooth texture.

Now, use a double boiler over medium heat. Add 1 tablespoon of butter. (Sorry--no goat butter.) Stir the cheese until the cheese begins to melt.

As cheese begins to soften, add annatto (optional), which is yellow cheese coloring. Don't let the cheese melt too long. Spoon the semi-soft cheese from the pan into a small square plastic container.

Now, place the container down into shallow hot water. I use the water from the double boiler. Water should not be very hot, but warm enough to soften the cheese within your plastic container. After cheese has settled in the container, use a large spoon and remove the butter and liquid that will be floating on top of the cheese.

Note: Decide what form you want to mold your cheese in, making sure it can be easily removed.

Place a small piece of plastic wrap on top of the cheese before placing the lid on the container. Allow the cheese to sit in the refrigerator for 4 hours or more. Let cheese sit out for about 5 minutes or more and remove.

Pour warm water over the bottom of the container to loosen the cheese.

I created this cheese recipe after several weeks to balance the ingredients to produce the most perfect Velveeta. I'm sure you will agree. I make a lot of aged cheese and have perfected them for excellent quality and taste.

Sorry, I have no pictures at this time because I am too busy making cheese.

Taste and Enjoy, Jo Ann Bland