This gluten free cheese powder is so easy to make, yet so hard to find! You can use it on popcorn, homemade potato chips and many of your savory gluten-free recipes! Stay tuned for recipes using this cheddar cheese powder!
I have been wanting to squeeze in creating a gluten-free potato chip recipe that has a chili flavor, when recently I saw a recipe for a raw gluten-free potato chip on another gluten-free blog. I gave my old dehydrator away some time ago, and now that I soak all of my nuts and seeds, I need to pick up a new one. Therefore, I could not make the recipe I found on my blog, but needed to create my own. My desire was to create a recipe that had a strong chili flavor and was low-sodium. Then I thought, “I love cheese on my chili! Why not figure out how to make chili cheese potato chips, without all of the artificial, chemical filled ingredients!
The real trick was how to make my own gluten free cheese powder without a dehydrator. My research showed that manufacturers melt the cheese, mix with water and then spray it out and wait for it to dry. Using a dehydrator, someone mentioned that the fat separates from the cheese and you need to pat the oil off with paper towels. Another mentioned nothing about blotting the oil away. I was wishing I still had my screens from the old dehydrator!
I tried adding a bit of water to the cheddar cheese and spreading it on a large mesh strainer, but I just couldn’t spread it out thin enough and was taking to long to dry. I ended up dehydrating it on a plate. How easy is that?
An easy cheese powder recipe without any chemicals and just one ingredient, cheese.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
Directions
- Place cheese on a dinner plate and distribute as evenly as possible.
- Allow to sit on the counter, uncovered, for several days (about 4-5), patting the oil off with clean paper towels. You'll need to toss the cheese a few times and pat the oil off in several places. You can speed up this process by using a dehydrator, if you have one.
- Once the cheese is brittle and breaks so that you can hear it snap the cheese is dry enough.
- Run the dried cheese through a coffee grinder or small food processor. You'll end up with less than half the amount of cheese you started with, about 1/2 cup or so.
- Store any unused portions in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
I also found some natural cheddar cheese powder at my favorite online store Nuts Online; and another labeled gluten-free on Amazon made by AlpineAire. I still need to check on whether they are free of gluten cross-contamination.
UPDATE: I contacted Nutsonline and they stated because the product is not certified gluten-free it may have some cross-contamination issues. They cannot be certain either way. AlpineAire stated that the manufacturer states their product is gluten-free, but the cross-contamination issue remains because testing results have varied. Therefore, it looks like this recipe is the way to go!
UPDATE 1/24/12: Cabot makes a gluten free cheese powder that contains no dangerous yellow food dies. All of their products are gluten free!
I think I’m probably asking the same question the other Wanda asked but I’m going to word it a bit differently. When drying it to make the cheese powder did you leave it at room temperature or on the counter?
Yes, Wanda. I left it on a plate on the counter. I’ll clarify that above. Thanks for bringing it to my attention.
Carla
Does the cheese sit at room temperature or in the fridge. The recipe doesn’t say.
I would treat it as you would grated Parmesan cheese. Most people refrigerate it. I still have mine sitting out on the counter and it is fine, though. Cheese contains so much salt that it acts as a preservative.