Best Cheese for Tacos: 7 Types of Cheese for Tacos

In Mexican cuisine, cheese is not a common ingredient for tacos. Traditionally, Mexican tacos feature cilantro, raw onion, and salsa toppings. Some Mexican restaurants, particularly wen it comes to Tex-Mex cuisine, include cheese in tacos recipes in a few different ways:

• Topping: You can use a crumbly cheese, such as queso fresco or queso añejo, or creamy cheese, like crema, as a topping or garnish for tacos.
• Melty layer: You can place cheese on top of the flour tortilla as it is grilling. When the tortilla is crispy and the cheese melts, add the meat and veggies to the cheese, then fold it in half to create a crispy, cheesy treat. A mild cheese that melts easily, such as queso asadero, queso de Oaxaca, or queso menonita, is best for this application.
• Cheese taco shells: Melt cheddar cheese on a baking sheet until it forms a disk, then shape it into a hard taco shell shape. You can also use a Mexican cheese blend to make cheese taco shells.

Whether you want to top tacos with a crumbly cheese or melty cheese, consider the following types of Mexican cheese:

1. 1. Queso fresco: Queso fresco is, literally, fresh cheese. Queso fresco is soft, moist, and crumbly, like feta or ricotta, making it perfect for sprinkling over antojitos (little snacks or appetizers), beans, and tacos. It’s a whole milk cheese and can vary in saltiness. Queso fresco is often sold wrapped in a banana leaf or corn husk. Queso blanco (white cheese) is a popular type of queso fresco for Mexican dishes. This cheese made from cow’s milk melts easily.
2. 2. Queso añejo: Queso añejo (old cheese) is aged queso fresco with a harder, drier texture and is often sold pre-grated, like Parmesan. Queso añejo is usually served crumbled on top of enchiladas.
3. 3. Cotija: This is an aged cheese, named for the town of Cotija in the state of Michoacán. Cotija cheese has a strong salty flavor, making it an ideal topping for beans, salads, antojitos, elote, and tacos. At room temperature or colder, it is dry and crumbly, but it will soften slightly when warmed.
4. 4. Queso de Oaxaca: Queso de Oaxaca known as quesillo in Oaxaca, looks like a ball of white string cheese (not unlike mozzarella). It’s creamy and mildly flavored, and it melts easily, making it an ideal stuffing for quesadillas, burritos, or chiles rellenos. Oaxaca cheese can also be turned into shredded cheese and used as a garnish on top of soups, tostadas, beans, and tacos.
5. 5. Crema: Crema is a naturally-sourced, thickened cream that’s like a combination of American sour cream and French crème fraîche. Typically used as a garnish after cooking, crema adds a rich and tangy bite to soups, vegetables, and tacos.
6. 6. Chihuahua cheese: Chihuahua cheese from the state of Chihuahua is also known as queso menonita since it was first produced by Mennonite farmers. With a flavor similar to mild cheddar cheese or Monterey Jack cheese, this cheese can be used as a filling for tamales and chiles rellenos. You can also put this cheese on top of tacos as a garnish or melt it into a quesadilla.
7. 7. Queso asadero: Queso asadero is a melting cheese with a mild flavor from the state of Chihuahua. Asadero cheese is similar to queso Oaxaca. You can melt it into quesadillas or put on top of tacos as a garnish.

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