Instant Pot Raw Cheddar Cheese

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Make fresh, homemade raw cheddar cheese in the instant pot with minimal tools and ingredients. An easy way to make raw cheese.

Making instant pot raw cheddar cheese was actually the first cheese recipe I ever learned to make. Making cheese in the instant pot is a little easier than on the stove and this is how I nailed it the first time!

Making cheddar cheese is is actually less intimating than you think it is and there are several benefits to making homemade cheese. One is that you can experiment with different flavors and discover your family's favorites. You also have more control over the process and the quality of ingredients used to make the cheese. Another reason why people like to make their own cheese is if they have a lot of leftover milk (if you have a family cow, for example) and need to use it up.

Actually, the main reason I like to make my own cheese is because 1. It's fun and 2. It allows me to make raw cheeses. Raw cheese is hard to come by where I live. Many of the cheeses labeled "raw" are not truly raw but instead lightly pasteurized. The true raw cheeses that I have access to are either expensive or frequently sold out. So I will make raw cheese here and there when I have the time.

If you are wondering by this point, "why would you want to consume raw cheese?" I have a whole post about that here.

Why Make Cheese in the Instant Pot?

I like to make cheese in the instant pot because it gives me greater temperature control and the temperature is easier to maintain. When you make cheese on the stove top, you sometimes need specific pans like a double boiler and a thermometer. Also, the burner temperature has to regularly be monitored and adjusted.

With the instant pot, you can use the sous vide setting to get the pot to gradually warm to the exact temperature you want (which is great for raw dairy because it reduces the risk of accidental pasteurization) and not have to fuss with it.

The only downside of using the instant pot is that you can only make smaller batches at a time. My instant pot comfortably can hold 1 gallon of milk but not the 2-4 gallons that you typically see in cheesemaking recipes.

Tips for Making Raw Cheddar Cheese

One thing to note before starting this recipe is that it will take 5-6 hours to make and will require you to pop in the kitchen regularly. For most of this recipe, you will complete a step and then leave the pot alone for 30-60 minutes. So I like to plan to do this recipe when I am going to be home for most of the day and don't have any major commitments.

How To Make a Homemade Cheese Press

If you want a hard cheese but don't have a cheese press, you can make one yourself! It won't get you the same results as a regular cheese press (you will see curd around the outside but it will be solid on the inside), but it will give you a hard wheel of cheese.

You will need a cooling rack overtop of a baking sheet or pan on the bottom to catch dripping whey. On top of that, you will place a colander lined with cheese cloth. Next, there is a flat pan or plate that fits inside the colander with three cans on top. On top, you want something heavy like a weight or heavy books to press the cheese. It isn't perfect, but it works if you don't need a perfect wheel of cheese.

Cheesemaking Tools

Without any extra equipment (see below), you can easily make raw cheddar cheese curds in 5-6 hours.

• instant pot
• colander
• slotted spoon
• long knife
• 1 small and 1 medium bowl
• Cheese press (optional)
• Cheese wax (optional)

Ingredients

1 gallon raw milk

½ packet mesophilic culture

⅛ tsp rennet

How To Make Instant Pot Raw Cheddar Cheese

Pour the raw milk into the instant pot. Press the Sous Vide button and set the temperature to 86℉. Set the time to 4 or more hours. Make sure to keep the pot covered in between steps.

Once the pot reaches 86℉ (there will be a single quiet beep when it does this), sprinkle half of the culture onto the milk and stir well. Let the pot sit for 45-60 minutes.

In a separate small bowl, dissolve the rennet in a ⅛ cup of water.

After 45-60 minutes, pour the dissolved rennet into the milk and stir well. Let this sit for 30-45 minutes.

The curds will be ready to be cut when the curd forms a clean break. This is when the curd is solid and separated from the whey.

Once the curds are cut into a grid pattern, cover the pot and press cancel. Press the sous vide button again and set the temperature to 102 ℉ (time should be set to 2+ hours).

Let the pot warm up. Then, once its reached 102°, let it sit for another 30 minutes. Stir the curds occasionally throughout this time.

After 30 minutes, the curds will have sunk towards the bottom of the pot. Scoop them into a colander/strainer and sit the colander overtop of the pot of whey. The whey should not be touching the colander, but instead be steaming the curds.

Leave the pot of whey at 102℉, cover the pot, and let it sit for 60 minutes. During this time, flip the curds over a couple times.

Then remove the curds and cut them into strips. The strips should resemble the size of a thick cut French fry (at least a centimeter thick).

Toss the curds in a bowl with salt until the curd is thoroughly coated. You can now eat the fresh curd or press and age the cheese to get a traditional cheddar.

For Pressed/Aged Cheese:

If you have a cheese press, you will use that next. You can also make a homemade press if you don't own a cheese press. See above on how to create one.

Line the inside of the mold or colander with cheesecloth then fill the cheesecloth with the curd. Press the cheese for 12 hours flipping it halfway through.

After 12 hours, remove the cheese from the mold/colander and let the cheese dry out for 4-6 hours flipping it halfway through.

You can now eat the cheese fresh or age it in the fridge for 1-2 weeks. The cheese can be aged for several months or more if covered in cheese wax. Enjoy!

If you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a star rating and a comment below. Share what you made and tag me on Instagram @keepingitholistic! For more scratch-made recipes and natural living tips, subscribe to my newsletter and follow me on YouTube and Instagram!

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