# Homemade Quesillo

A recipe for homemade quesillo using store-bought whole milk, resulting in a creamier cheese.

- Total time: 15 min
- Cuisine: Filipino
- Category: Drink
- Language: en

## Ingredients

- 1 gallon whole milk
- 0.5 cup white distilled vinegar
- 0.33 cup lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon butter
- salt

## Instructions

1. Heat a whole gallon of whole milk on the stove until very hot but not boiling, with steam coming out.
2. Slowly add 1/2 cup of white distilled vinegar and 1/3 cup of lemon juice to the hot milk, allowing the curds to separate from the whey. The liquid should be yellow.
3. Strain the curds using a large bowl, a strainer, and optionally a cheesecloth.
4. Squeeze out all the moisture from the curds, massaging them. Reserve the whey for later use.
5. Let the curds sit and drain for about 15 minutes.
6. Salt the queso fresco generously.
7. Add about a tablespoon of butter to a pan on medium heat.
8. Add the whole cheese curds to the pan and melt them, kneading them as they melt until they look ready.
9. Quickly form the queso by laying it out on a pan, ensuring pieces are not touching to prevent melting into each other.
10. Salt your hands and start rolling the queso.
11. Put the rolled queso in the fridge.

## Equipment

- stove
- large bowl
- strainer
- cheesecloth
- pan

## Tips

- The liquid should be yellow after adding vinegar and lemon juice, not white.
- Squeeze out all moisture from the curds.
- Don't throw away the whey; it can be used for protein caramel.
- Salt the queso generously for flavor.
- When melting the cheese curds, knead them like bread.
- Form the queso quickly before it cools too much.
- Salt your hands when rolling the queso for extra flavor.
- Store in the fridge after rolling.

## Source

- Original video: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1275021594538193/?mibextid=rS40aB7S9Ucbxw6v
- Recipe page: https://www.cliprecipe.com/recipe/f13603be-f152-40fa-81d3-7d529ac0e53f
- Extracted: 2026-03-17

Extracted from the video by Clip Recipe (https://www.cliprecipe.com). Quantities and steps are as stated or shown in the video. Site guide for agents: https://www.cliprecipe.com/llms.txt