Queso Frito is another easy and tasty way of eating cheese. It is soft and chewy on the inside and very crispy on the outside. Serve it with a guava sauce to create the perfect balance between sweet and salty.
This Fried Cheese Recipe is one of those recipes that you’ll want to keep on making all the time to snack on or as a party food.
Queso Frito
The name Queso Frito is the Spanish translation for fried cheese. Every culture in the world has a fried cheese recipe. In Latin Cuisine, fried cheese is very popular. But in this recipe, I will show you the way that is eaten in the Caribbean.
In the Dominican Republic queso frito is cut into strips and pan-fried with a little bit of oil (like the image on the bottom left). Usually served for breakfast with their tres golpes which is when they serve mangu, fried eggs, fried salami, and fried cheese. It is truly delicious!
In Puerto Rico we like our queso frito cut into smaller pieces and deep fried until crunchy (like the image on the top right side). They are little cheese bites. Most of the time you will have this as an appetizer. But most of the time this will be just part of a platter of mini Puerto Rican fried foods.
Sometimes this platter brings carne frita (fried pork) or chicharron de pollo (fried crispy chicken) or both. It also can bring tostones, arañitas, sorrulitos de maiz, alcapurrias and pastelillos.
Ingredients for Queso Frito
1. Queso de Freir- For this recipe, it is best to use queso de freir to get the best texture. It comes in many sizes and many brands like Tropical, Goya, or El Latino. The brand is not really important as long as it says cheese for frying. Don’t get confused with other white cheeses like queso fresco or queso blanco.
2. Oil- In this recipe, I use vegetable oil but you can use the oil you usually use for deep frying.
How To Make Queso Frito
1. The cheese will usually come with a small amount of water. So in the first steps, we must pat dry our cheese. What drying the cheese does is help it to get more crispy by removing the moisture. You will also avoid getting your oil to splatter out all over by adding that extra water to the hot oil.
2. Cut your cheese into small cubes that are about 1 inch thick. This is the perfect bite size so they can get nice and crispy.
3. Finally, all you have to do is deep fry the cheese for 2 minutes or until you see a nice golden color. The most important part is to constantly stir the cheese so it won’t stick together.
Useful Tips
Make sure you move your cheese around while frying. This is to prevent them from sticking together and to make sure they have an even color.
After you make your fried cheese, it is a good idea to keep any leftovers in a warm oven. This will help keep the cheese warm.
What is The Best Type of Cheese for Frying?
The best type of cheese you can use for frying is one that has a high melting point. Which means that they need more heat to melt. But it also depends on how you are frying the cheese. If you are only pan frying then any high melt point cheese like halloumi or even mozzarella. But if you are deep frying, you better stick strictly to frying cheese only.
Do You Have to Freeze Cheese Before Frying?
You do not need to freeze cheese before frying if you use a high melting point cheese like frying cheese. A low melting point cheese or a cheese that melts fast then it must be frozen and most likely breaded too to help it keep its shape.
What to Serve With?
Great sauces to go with fried cheese a cilantro sauce, a mayoketchup sauce, or an aioli. A good cocktail like a passion fruit mojito would be perfect too.
Storing and Reheating?
After you make the queso frito it’s suggested to serve it and enjoy it right away. If not possible, the best way to keep the queso warm is in the oven. Preheat your oven for 10 minutes at 200° F and then turn it off. Any leftover cheese you can store in the warm oven with the light on. Keep only for 20 minutes maximum.
Queso Frito
Ingredients
- 16 ounces queso de freir (cheese for frying)
- 2 cups oil
Instructions
- Pat dry the cheese. Cut the cheese into 1 inch cubes.
- In a large pot over medium-high heat add your oil. Fry the cheese for 2 minutes or until they are golden brown. After the first minute has past, make sure to turn them over for a uniform color. Make sure to stir the cheese around to avoid it from sticking.
- Remove the cheese from the oil onto a plate with a paper towel to absorb all the excess oil. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
NUTRITION
Did you like this Queso Frito Recipe? Looking for more finger foods? Here are a few!
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Hi! I’m Stephenie and I love to make food and share it with everyone. I make everyday recipes that are easy to follow and most importantly delicious! I hope that my recipes inspire you to cook.
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