All About Oaxaca Cheese: How to Use Queso Oaxaca

Queso Oaxaca is a stringy, cow's milk melting cheese from the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. Known as quesillo in Oaxaca, queso de Oaxaca looks like a ball of white string cheese (not unlike mozzarella cheese).

Oaxaca cheese has a creamy and mild flavor, and it melts easily, making it an ideal stuffing for quesadillas, enchiladas, and poblano peppers. It can also be shredded and used as a garnish on top of soups, tostadas, tacos, and beans. Oaxaca cheese’s buttery flavor is perfect for chile rellenos and other flavorful dishes.

Queso Oaxaca is part of the pasta filata (“spun paste”), or stretched-curd, family of cheeses.

1. 1. During the cheese-making process, add rennet to milk to separate the curds from the whey.
2. 2. Submerge the curd in hot water or whey, which softens the curds.
3. 3. In this softened state, the curds can be stretched and kneaded to create the desired stringy texture.

Since Oaxaca cheese does not have a rind, it's typically rolled into a ball, like yarn, and sold in a rope.

Oaxaca Cheese can be found in many Latin American grocery stores, but if you can't find it, the best substitute for queso Oaxaca is another stretched-curd cheese.

1. 1. Mozzarella is a readily-available Italian cheese that can act as a substitute for Oaxaca cheese. Use a variety of mozzarella labeled as “low moisture” which more closely resembles queso Oaxaca.
2. 2. Queso asadero is a stringy Mexican cheese from the state of Chihuahua. While queso asadero is very similar to queso Oaxaca, asadero is slightly drier.
   
3. 3. Armenian-style string cheese (aka braided cheese, which is also produced in Turkey, Lebanon, and Syria) is another great substitute for Oaxaca cheese.
4. 4. If you can’t find another string-style cheese, look for a semi-soft cheese that melts well, such as queso panela, cheddar curds, or un-aged Monterey jack.

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