Chipotle is known for its delicious Mexican cuisine. The restaurant takes pride in its unique ingredients like the Chipotle spice. Another ingredient that makes Chipotle meals unique is cheese.
Cheese is an important ingredient in Chipotle’s burritos, Queso Blanco dip, tacos, quesadillas, and the bowls.
If you are going to remake any of Chipotle’s recipes at home, you must know what ingredients the restaurant uses.
So, what kind of cheese gives Chipotle burritos, quesadillas, and tacos their unique flavor? Read this article to find out how you can prepare Chipotle-style burritos, tacos, quesadillas, or bowls at home.
About Chipotle
Chipotle, also known as Mexican Grill, is an American chain of fast-food restaurants that serves traditional Mexican cuisine. The restaurant boasts fresh, made-to-order meals made from fresh ingredients.
Chipotle has been around since July 1993 and currently has its headquarters in California. The restaurant primarily serves the United States and has locations in other countries like Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, and France.
If you want to know why people love eating at Chipotle, you need to visit for yourself. The restaurant has a lot of unique flavors, serves large portions, and has a friendly staff.
Some of the specialties include tacos, quesadillas, lifestyle & burrito bowls, burritos, and salads.
What cheese does Chipotle use?
Chipotle uses Monterey Jack and cheddar (white or traditional) for all its meals that require cheese.
Chipotle’s cheese pair is an excellent one. They both melt well and each balances the other. Moreover, the restaurant uses each cheese in a specific ratio (only known to Chipotle).
Here’s something to know about these two types of cheese:
Monterey Jack
Monterey Jack is an American semi-hard cheese made from cow’s milk. It is popular with Tex-Mex cuisine because it of its great melting properties, mild flavor, and ability to blend well with other seasonings and cheese.
It is a pale-yellow buttery cheese with high fat and moisture content (why it melts wonderfully).
You can snack on the cheese alone or with crackers. You can also slice or melt Monterey Jack with Colby or cheddar (as Chipotle does)
Monterey Jack originates from California and not Monterey as the name implies. Its production follows the Monterey process, which involves pasteurizing milk and using rennet to create curds.
Cheddar
Cheddar is an English hard cheese made from cow’s milk. The taste and flavor of cheddar cheese vary with age; the longer it ages, the sharper and saltier it gets.
Chipotle uses both white and traditional cheddar. Traditional cheddar is regular cheddar, while white cheddar is traditional cheddar without the coloring (anatto).
Cheddar has a sharp taste which makes it a great addition to any cheeseboard.
In addition, you can add cheddar cheese to a bowl of fruits, mashed potatoes, nachos, soups, sauces, omelets, sandwiches, and of course pizza.
What does Chipotle cheese taste like?
Chipotle cheese is a blend of two types of cheese, and each contributes to the overall taste. Both types of cheese have a balanced sweet, salty, and creamy taste.
Monterey Jack brings its mildly sweet taste, and white cheddar contributes its salty taste to create a sharp, tangy, and creamy blend.
Is Chipotle cheese pasteurized?
Yes, it is. Chipotle makes sure the milk is pasteurized before the cheesemaking process. The restaurant puts a lot of measures in place to ensure the safety of customers.
What cheese does Chipotle use in the bowls?
Chipotle bowls contain a mixture of pre-shredded Monterey Jack and white cheddar in a ratio that balances the cheesy cheddar with mild Monterey Jack.
Chipotle bowls also contain rice, beans (pinto or black), fajita vegetables, avocado slices, chicken, spices, onions, peppers, guacamole, salsa, Queso Blanco, and sour cream.
What cheese does Chipotle use in the quesadillas?
While Chipotle uses a lot of white cheddar, the quesadillas are an exception. The restaurant uses traditional cheddar cheese instead and mixes it with Monterey Jack.
Chipotle replaces white cheddar with the traditional variety because the latter is better for the golden color the quesadillas should have.
Still, the restaurant successfully maintains a balanced creamy and cheesy flavor in a very hearty quesadilla.
The delicious quesadillas also contain chipotle peppers, fresh tomatoes, red onion, garlic, honey, scallions, cilantro, olive oil, flour tortillas, and salt.
What cheese does Chipotle use in the burritos and tacos?
Chipotle mixes Monterey Jack and white cheddar for its tacos and burritos. Like with other recipes, the shredded cheeses are mixed in a specific ratio to give a balanced creamy and cheesy meal.
Other ingredients in the tacos and burritos are chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, chicken, garlic, onion, olive oil, salt, radishes, cilantro, avocado slices, and tortillas.
What cheese does Chipotle use in the Queso Blanco?
Chipotle uses Monterey Jack and white cheddar for its delicious Queso Blanco dip. The cheddar is responsible for the rich, cheese flavor while Monterey Jack gives the creamy texture.
Other ingredients in the dip include chipotle pepper powder, poblano pepper, serrano pepper, cumin, unsalted butter, fresh tomato, garlic, cornstarch, and salt.
If you have all these ingredients, you can make homemade Chipotle-style Queso Blanco dip for chips.
How many calories are in Chipotle cheese?
Chipotle cheese contains 110 calories per 28g serving. It also contains 8g of fat, 6g of protein, 1g of carbohydrates, 30mg of cholesterol, 190mg of sodium, and 200mg of calcium.
Does Chipotle shred its cheese?
No, it does not. Chipotle once shredded its cheese in-house, but not anymore. The restaurant currently buys pre-shredded cheese from suppliers of shredded cheese.
The manufacturers deliver the cheese, and Chipotle mixes them following a specific ratio.
Does Chipotle mix its cheese by itself?
Yes, it does. Chipotle prepares, grates, and mixes its cheese. The restaurant uses a specific ratio, which is not known to the public, to create its custom cheese blend.
But the shredding and mixing are done off-site to allow the restaurant to do thorough bacteria testing and ensure the safety of its meals.
Does Chipotle cheese melt well?
Yes, it does. The two types of cheese – Monterey Jack and white cheddar – melt perfectly to make cheesy and flavorful meals.
FAQs
Is Chipotle cheese real?
Yes, it is. Chipotle uses milk to make their version of Monterey Jack and white cheddar. However, the restaurant makes theirs without preservatives.
Is Chipotle cheese gluten-free?
Yes, it is. Chipotle has a lot of gluten-free items, which include the cheese blend.
Is Chipotle cheese dairy-free?
No, it is not. Chipotle’s cheese blend contains dairy. You can eat dairy-free at Chipotle if you build your entree with vegan options.
Can you buy Chipotle cheese in stores?
Chipotle’s custom-made cheese blend of Monterey Jack and white cheddar is specially prepared in-house.
But you can replicate Chipotle’s flavor at home with store-bought Monterey Jack and white cheddar. Shred and mix the cheese yourself.
Conclusion
The Chipotle recipe has unique ingredients, but they are items you have at home. Chipotle uses white cheddar and Monterey Jack for all its recipes that require cheese.
To create Chipotle’s flavor, get these two types of cheese, shred them, and add them to your recipe. Moreover, the restaurant picks this pair because they melt perfectly and enhance the flavor of your meal.
Chipotle specifically makes its custom cheese blend which is not available in stores. However, you can buy Monterey Jack and white cheddar from your local grocery store, grate, and mix it yourself.
Thanks for reading.
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