Homemade cheese is utterly delicious and fun to make. Fresh cheese, like Mexican Panela, is a great place to start. With just a few simple ingredients you can make a batch of this creamy, tangy, soft cheese to snack on, grill, make tacos with or fill enchiladas.
Recipe first posted on October 6, 2021. Last updated with a new video on July 6, 2023.
Several years ago—okay 20 years ago— I had the opportunity to visit Paula Lambert and tour her Mozzarella Company headquarters in Dallas.
I’ve always loved to see how things are made. The inner-workings from raw materials to finished product. Mr. Rogers factory tours were always my favorite part of the show.
Anyway, watching all the milk turn to cheese at the Mozzarella Company was an experience I’ll never forget and spawned my love for cheesemaking. Since that first visit, I have made it a habit of seeking out cheesemakers and seeing how they make their cheeses and I always walk away learning something new.
It also gave me the confidence to try it at home. After all, you only need milk, acid, and heat to make cheese. Let’s get to work!
what is Panela cheese?

First of all, I want to clear up any confusion. There is also a type of raw sugar called Panela and that is a totally different thing than what we are talking about here. That Panela is cane sugar.
The Panela we are talking about is queso panela, a Mexican cheese that is a farmer cheese, or fresh cheese. In Mexico there are several types of fresh cheeses. You may be familiar with queso fresco or queso blanco. These are both very similar to Panela.
The difference with Panela is that it is typically made with low-fat or non-fat milk which gives it a firmer texture and cleaner, milky flavor. It is high in calcium and low in fat, making it an excellent source of protein.
Panela cheese won’t melt when you heat it which makes it excellent for grilling, like Halloumi. I also like to sauté it with salsa and use that as a filling for tacos or enchiladas.
equipment

Before we jump into the technique, let’s go over the equipment you’ll need to make your cheese.
- Unscented bleach. This is for making a sanitizing solution. Very important not to introduce any rogue bacteria into the cheese.
- 2 large stainless steel stock pots with lids. One will be used for the sanitizing solution, the other large pot will be used to heat the milk.
- Stainless steel ladle. All the utensils used to make the cheese should be stainless steel or glass so they can be properly sanitized.
- Stainless steel whisk
- Stainless steel slotted spoon
- Instant read thermometer
- Colander
- Several layers of cheesecloth. You could also use muslin or even an old bedsheet.
- Ring-shaped molds, palm leaf cheese mold, palm leaf basket (like what is used to hold tortillas), sour cream containers with the bottoms cut off, or any other plastic ½-pint containers for molding the cheese.
- Large glass or metal bowl
Ingredients

The lovely thing about cheese is it only requires a few ingredients. That being said, what you choose to use can make a big difference in the finished product. Let’s take a closer look:
- Milk. To make traditional Panela, use a low-fat or skim milk. This will give it the firm, chewy texture you will get from a store bought Panela cheese. This recipe will work with raw milk, organic milk, or pasteurized milk. You can even try it with goat milk, but that’s not traditional. The only milk that won’t work is ultrapasturized.
- Nonfat Greek Yogurt. We add the yogurt to create cultures or good bacteria that was killed during pasteurization.
- Some kind of acid. I have had the most success with white distilled vinegar. It has the mildest flavor and let’s the soft milk flavor shine through. You can also try this recipe with lemon juice.
- Kosher salt. The salt is here for flavor. You can also add other flavorings with the salt like black pepper, fresh herbs, dried herbs, or spices.
how to make this recipe
step one
The first step is to prepare a sanitizing solution of very diluted bleach water that you will use to sanitize all the utensils and equipment to avoid bacterial cross-contamination.
Then create the cultures or good bacteria which adds flavor by combining the milk and yogurt and letting it sit at room temperature for 4 hours.
Next warm the milk mixture to 185°F, stirring gently along the bottom of the pot so the milk doesn’t scald.

step two
Now add the vinegar and stir until the cheese curds start to form. Now you have curds and whey, aka cottage cheese. Stirring the curds will help them come together quicker.


step three
Pour the curds into the colander, letting the whey drip through. Some recipes call for cutting the curd with a knife, but I don’t think that’s necessary.


step four
Transfer the cheese to a large bowl, sprinkle with salt and mix well with your hands. You could also add other flavorings at this point.

step five
Press the curds into the mold and pack tightly. Cover with plastic wrap and top with a heavy plate or a plate and a weight of some sort like a food can to weigh down the cheese and compact it tightly. Refrigerate at least several hours, best overnight.


step six
Remove cheese from the mold, slice and enjoy!
How to use your homemade Panela

- Panela is wonderful on a Mexican-Inspired cheese board.
- Cover the bottom of a baking dish with your favorite salsa and lay the Panela cheese on top. Cook under the broiler until the cheese is golden and bubbly then serve with chips as an appetizer or spoon into warm tortillas for tacos.
- Crumble over salads.
- Use as a filling for enchiladas.
- Top your plate of chilaquiles with slices of Panela.
More cheesy Mexican recipes to try!
- Authentic Chile Relleno Recipe
- Deep Dish Black Bean Enchilada Casserole
- Calabacitas {Cheesy Mexican Zucchini}
- Mexican Potato Soup with Melty Cheese
- Instant Pot Pork Chili Verde with Cheese
- Sweet Potato Nachos with Smoked Cheddar Cheese
- Pickled Jalapeños Stuffed with Goat Cheese
How Will You Use Panela In Your Next Meal?
Make a batch and use it in your favorite dishes, there’s nothing like homemade cheese. Let me know when you make them by snapping a pic and tagging me on Instagram @holajalapeno and #holajalapeno so I can see or leave me a comment below (don’t forget to leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating)! Also, sign up for my weekly newsletter, lots of good stuff there too!

Homemade Panela Cheese Recipe
Recipe adapted from The Cheese Lover's Cookbook by Paula Lambert
Ingredients
- 1/2 gallon (8 cups) Low-Fat or Skim, Raw or Pasteurized Milk
- ½ cup nonfat Greek yogurt with acidophilus cultures
- 2-4 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Prepare a sanitizing solution. In one of the stock pots, combine 1 gallon of water with 1 tablespoon unscented bleach. You will use this to sanitize all pots, utensils, and anything else that comes in contact with the milk or cheese to avoid bacterial cross contamination.
- Prepare the other stock pot. Ladle 3 or 4 ladles of the sanitizing solution into the other stock pot and swish it around to coat all surfaces. Pour the solution back into the sanitizing pot.
- Create the cultures. Pour the milk into the pot, add the yogurt and stir with a sanitized whisk. Cover the pot and let sit at room temperature for 4 hours.
Warm the mixture. Remove the lid and place over medium heat. Heat the milk, stirring occasionally with a sanitized spoon so it doesn’t scald on the bottom. Sanitize a thermometer and check the temperature. It needs to come to 185°F. This will take between 10-15 minutes. - Add the vinegar. Remove the pot from the heat and slowly drizzle in the vinegar, stirring constantly, adding only enough to coagulate the curds. You will see them start to form, leaving a yellowish whey behind. You may not need to add all the vinegar. Cover the pot and let it sit for 10 minutes.
- Prepare the colander. While the curds are forming, rinse a colander with the sanitizing solution and dip several layers of cheesecloth into the solution, squeezing out the excess. Line the colander with the cloth and set the colander in the sink.
Drain the cheese. Pour the curds into the colander, letting the whey drip through. Drain for 10 minutes. - Prepare the molds. Dip whatever you are using to mold the cheese (see equipment list in post for options) into the sanitizing solution and set on a plate wrapped with plastic wrap.
- Season the cheese. Wash your hands and dip them into the sanitizing solution. Transfer the cheese to a sanitized large bowl, sprinkle with salt and mix well with your hands. You could also add other flavorings at this point like fresh herbs, chiles, or spices. Taste and add more salt if needed.
- Press cheese. Press the curds into the mold and pack tightly. Cover with plastic wrap and top with a heavy plate or a plate and a weight of some sort like a food can to weigh down the cheese and compact it tightly. Refrigerate at least several hours, best overnight.
- Enjoy! Remove cheese from the mold, slice and enjoy! You can eat as is, cook on the griddle, then slice into tacos, of cube and saute with your favorite salsa and serve over rice. Use within 1 week.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 77Total Fat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 0gCholesterol: 7mgSodium: 221mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 0gSugar: 9gProtein: 6g
Resources
If you loved this post, check out these resources I drew inspiration from to help me write it and develop this Panela cheese recipe:
- The Cheese Lover’s Cookbook and Guide by Paula Lambert
- The New England Cheesemaking Supply Company
- How To Make Fresh Mexican Cheese by Mexico In My Kitchen
- Sign up for our Cheesemaking Workshop on October 17th!
In support of this small business, ¡Hola! Jalapeño earns revenue in a few different ways. Several sponsored posts are published each month. I also earn an affiliate commission on the sales of products I link to— there are a few of those links in this post. I only feature items I genuinely love and personally use on a regular basis. This commission is an arrangement between the retailer and ¡Hola! Jalapeño (readers never pay more for products). This income allow me to run the site. Thank you for reading!
I made the Panela yesterday, it’s delicious. Thanks for the recipe.
My grandmother had a grocery store in Tijuana, Mexico and we got bottled milk delivered daily and I would always want to taste the cream that formed in the top. That was back in the 50’s.
We had Panela delivered also and was in the shape of an oval basket, the cheese had the weave markings and I remember it being very soft at first then it would firm up as days went by, but it always sold out. I had a wonder youth and was introduced to lots of good food too.
Hi Lupe! What a wonderful story. My great-grandparents owned a grocery store too! I’m so happy you liked the panela. There’s nothing like fresh cheese. 🙂