Queso frito (Dominican fried cheese) is quite a treat in itself, and an important component of Los Tres Golpes, the traditional Dominican breakfast meal. Find out just how easy it is to fry cheese and make this special treat that we love so much.
Why we ❤️ it
Los Tres Golpes: Queso frito (fried cheese), Mangú with red onions, fried eggs, and fried Dominican salami is the quintessential Dominican breakfast, and what, in an ideal world, Dominicans would probably choose most days for breakfast.
Yes, even the cheese is fried. And it's a food of the gods.
What is queso frito?
Queso frito just means "fried cheese" in Spanish, but in the Dominican Republic it specifically refers to this type of fried cheese made with "queso de freír" which is an essential component of the traditional Dominican breakfast.
What's queso de freír?
For this recipe you need a good queso de freír, or Dominican queso blanco.
Queso de freír or queso blanco is a salty Dominican cheese with a very high melting point that is almost always served fried. Queso blanco is a favorite of those on a low carb diet.
Substitutions
If you cannot find queso de freír cheese where you live, try to find halloumi (without mint!), the taste and texture are very similar, and I can attest that it works just fine.
Fried cheese (queso frito)
Tips for great fried cheese
A good "queso de freir" will keep its shape when deep fried, but as some times it is not necessarily the case we present you here a simple trick to make it a successful experience.
If the first slice melts instead of frying into a golden color, dip the remaining slices with corn starch and shake off the excess. If it fries without problem, this step is not necessary.
How long you fry the cheese depends entirely on your own taste. Some prefer it a light golden color and lightly "melty", some prefer it fried to crispiness and a darker color. Go with what you prefer.
Serving suggestions
Aside from he traditional serving suggestions from the first paragraph, this fried cheese goes great with our Puré de auyama (pumpking mash), and Puré de yautía (malanga mash). A cup of café con leche (Dominican latte) goes great with your breakfast, or any of our hot breakfast drinks.
About our recipe
This simple 2-ingredient recipe is an integral part of our breakfast tradition, and as easy to make as it sounds. Do you have any tips for great fried cheese? Share it in the comments!
Recipe
[Recipe + Video] Queso Frito (Fried Cheese)
Ingredients
- 1 pound queso de freir, [0.23 kg]
- ⅓ cup oil for frying
Instructions
Cut the cheese into 12 slices (2" x 3", ¼" thick, approx). Pat dry the cheese with a paper towel to minimize splatters.
Heat the oil over medium-high heat[350 ºF or 175 ºC] in a medium pan, and fry the cheese on one side until it turns golden brown (fry one slice first to see if it fries well, see notes if it doesn't). Turn and repeat. Do not add many slices at the same time as the oil must remain very hot to prevent the cheese from staying in the oil for too long.
Tips and Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is calculated automatically based on ingredients listed. Please consult your doctor if you need precise nutritional information.
FAQs
Queso blanco or halloumi are perfect for frying as they have a very high melting point and will turn crispy when fried long enough.
You need oil with a high smoke point, typically soy, corn or peanut oil. If you no dot consume vegetable oils, ghee works well too.
For this recipe the cheese is fried in small batches in hot oil until it turns crispy and golden.
Published Mar 21, 2002, and last revised
I live in Ga, so I can not find Dominican cheese? What other types of cheese can I use and what types of Salami as well? Thanks Josie
I discovered queso de freier at a DR coffee shop near City College in New York City many years ago. Unbelievably good!!! Fortunately the basic cheese can be found in any food shop in Spanish Harlem, and many other areas in NYC.
Wanted to share that I followed your recipe and this was delicious!! Thanks for making it available for my first time trying this dish.
Loved the history on the mangu and heavy breakfast. Now my children will understand why they eat dinner leftovers for breakfast is in their Dominican genes. Their friends are always shocked to see them do that.