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    Home » Cheese » What is Queso Panela Cheese Best For (with Taco Recipe)

    What is Queso Panela Cheese Best For (with Taco Recipe)

    Published: May 4, 2020 · Modified: Jan 21, 2025 by Eric Samuelson

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Learn what this Mexican cheese is and why you want to have some in your refrigerator. Also a simple recipe for Panela Fried Cheese Tacos, great for a meatless taco.

    📋 What's New In This Post (1/21/25) - New photos, added additional cooking tips for the fried cheese tacos and add green or red taco sauce as a suggestion to add to the tacos. Also shared what ingredients you should look for when buying Panela.

    What is Panela cheese good for

    A Mexican Cheese You Can Fry!

    We are a cheese loving family, always on the lookout for a new cheese to try.

    We have tipped our toes into the world of Mexican cheese a little, but I thought it was as good of time as any to get fully submerged into the cheeses from Mexico.

    I have seen Queso Panela cheese at the store several times. It's usually hanging out with the Queso Fresco and the Cotija cheese. Probably some tortillas and crema nearby as well.

    Let's take a deep dive into what Panela cheese is and how to best use it in your kitchen. In this post I will explain

    • What Panela Cheese Is
    • If It Melts
    • What Are the Best Ways to Use It

    And at the very end you will get a recipe for how to make tacos with it. Who doesn't love that!

    This post includes affiliate links. This means that, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. These are products and services I recommend because I use or trust them. Cookies will be used to track the affiliate links you click.

    Jump to:
    • A Mexican Cheese You Can Fry!
    • 🙋 What is Panela?
    • 🥪 Does it Melt?
    • 🌮 What is it Used For?
    • ♻️ Substitutes
    • 🛒 Where to Buy
    • 👀 Watch the Ingredient List
    • 🧀 More on Cheese
    • Panela Fried Cheese Tacos
    Panela cheese sliced up on a white plate.

    🙋 What is Panela?

    Panela is a mild, white fresh cheese. It is not aged before being sold.

    It crumbles like Queso Fresco but not as much. It's texture might best be described as a extra firm Ricotta.

    Traditionally Panela cheese was molded in baskets, which is why you will hear it called basket cheese in some places. Panela you find in the store today comes in a round shape.

    It doesn't have a different name in English, so there isn't an American equivalent. The most similar cheese to Panela is probably Paneer cheese from India.

    You can find both whole milk Panela and part skim milk Panela. Either will work for any way you can to use it. I prefer the higher fat Panela as it's more creamy.

    🥪 Does it Melt?

    The first question I have about a cheese is, "how does it taste?" The second question is, "does it melt?", or better yet, "is it a good melting cheese?" In the case of Panela, the answer is nope.

    However....

    Panela cheese being fried in a cast iron skillet

    🌮 What is it Used For?

    Since it doesn't melt and hold its shape well, it can actually be pan fried. That's right, you can toss it right into a pan, get it brown and it will still be in it's same shape. How sweet is that!?

    This cheese offers many advantages such as

    • It absorbs flavors well
    • Eaten as an appetizer (pan fried, add seasonings)
    • Can be used in a sandwich like a Mexican Torta
    • Crumble to go on top of a salad or in a taco
    • Use it as a meat substitute in tacos
    • Can be baked in the oven and served with chips (another appetizer option!)
    • It's not expensive (a 10oz round cost me $3.89)
    Panela cheese tacos with onions, orange bell peppers, and green taco sauce on a soft taco flour tortilla

    A simple way to use is frying it up and serving it with some veggies (like peppers and onions) into of a soft taco tortilla (See recipe below). If you are wondering what the texture of the cheese is liked when I cooked it reminded me of some types of fish. Not in that it's flaky, but a firm softness. You may be able to trick yourself that you are eating unbattered fish tacos!

    Top Cooking Tip - Don't turn over the cheese until it releases from the pan without having to completely pry it off.

    ♻️ Substitutes

    Just can't find Panela or have a recipe that calls for it and you want to use something else ? Paneer cheese will work but I think that is harder to find in most places.

    If you are just crumbling it up you can use Queso fresco or even feta.

    🛒 Where to Buy

    This cheese should be easy to find in any Mexican grocery store and in many supermarket chains too. I found mine at Kroger.

    Check out these stores:

    • Walmart
    • Kroger
    • Sam's Club
    • Jungle Jim's International Market
    • some Costco stores
    • HEB
    • Vons
    • Wegman's
    • Winco Foods

    👀 Watch the Ingredient List

    It's important that when you are shopping for Panela cheese that you read the whole ingredient list. All you should see on it is milk, salt, and enzymes. You don't want to buy any that has an ingredient list like this that I was stunned to find:

    The back of a package of Panela cheese with a very long ingredient list.

    I couldn't believe how many things were in that "cheese". Cheese should be very straightforward with nothing in it that you can't easily pronounce.

    🧀 More on Cheese

    Want to learn more about cheese including my recommendation for the best cheese for pizza? Read through the posts below.

    • What's the Difference - Cheddar vs. Colby
    • What is Muenster Cheese?
    • Different Types of Manchego and Mahon
    • Where to Buy Squeaky Cheese Curds
    • What is Butterkase Cheese Best For?
    Panela cheese tacos with onions, orange bell peppers, and green taco sauce on a soft taco flour tortilla

    Panela Fried Cheese Tacos

    Use Panela cheese as a meat substitue in this delicious soft tacos, with peppers and onions
    4.76 from 25 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Mexican
    Keyword: taco
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4 soft tacos
    Author: Eric Samuelson

    Ingredients

    • 10 ounces Panela cheese
    • 1 medium yellow or sweet onion sliced
    • 2 bell peppers (combo of any color) cut into strips
    • 2 tbsp cooking oil your choice
    • kosher salt to taste
    • pepper flakes to taste
    • 4 flour tortillas soft taco size
    • green or red taco sauce to taste

    Instructions

    Prep the Ingredients

    • Slice the peppers into strips
    • Slice the onions in strips.
    • Slice the Panela into strips

    Cooking

    • Place a pan or skillet over medium heat with a 2 tsp of oil.
    • Place the Panela in the, cook until it has browned on one side, then flip. It should only take a couple minutes.
    • Remove the cheese. Add the onions to the pan, cook until soften.
    • Add in the peppers, cook until soften.
    • Add the Panela cheese back in to the pan for a minute to heat back up and you are ready to serve.

    Assembly

    • Evenly distribute the ingredients onto soft taco sized flour tortillas.
    • Season with salt and pepper flakes to taste

    Notes

    Make sure you have plenty of oil the pan. The cheese should release when it's done one side. If you try to pry it off too early it will stick really bad to the pan. Also watch your heat closely to make you are browning the cheese, not burning it. It may take some trial and error to get it just right. 
    Tried this recipe?Mention @eatlikenooneelse or tag #eatlikenooneelse

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Alex @ CheeseOrigin.com

      September 10, 2023 at 1:54 am

      5 stars
      An informative piece that perfectly highlights the versatility of Panela cheese. The suggestions for frying and serving it with vegetables in a soft taco, or using it as a substitute for queso fresco or feta, are spot-on. This article is a must-read for anyone looking to explore the diverse culinary applications of this unique Mexican cheese.

      Alex,
      https://cheeseorigin.com/

    2. Eric Samuelson

      September 10, 2023 at 9:05 am

      Thanks Alex!

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    Hi! I'm Eric : Father of 4, living just south of Ann Arbor, MI. I'm a reformed picky eater finding a new way to not conform. Eating what's in season is my jam (I also make it!)

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