Do you like to eat tasty and crunchy snacks with Cheetos brand? Although these snacks are available in both small kiosks and large supermarkets, from now on you can try to save money by making your own at home, you know! By doing so, you have the freedom to adjust the ingredients used to suit your body's needs, modify the taste, and experiment with different recipes and cooking methods until you find the Cheetos variant that best suits your taste buds. If you want a texture that really resembles the Cheetos in the package, the key is to deep fry the Cheetos in plenty of oil and use good quality cheese powder!
Ingredients
Cheetos
- 65 grams of wheat flour
- 85 grams of corn flour
- tsp. salt
- 120 ml of water
- 950 ml vegetable oil for frying
- 220 grams of powdered cheddar cheese seasoning
Cheese Curls
- 57 grams unsalted butter, cooled and diced
- 1 tsp. salt, divide into two
- tsp. garlic powder
- 125 grams of all-purpose flour
- 1½ tsp. cornstarch
- 65 grams of cheese, finely grated
- 2 tbsp. powdered cheddar cheese
- tsp. buttermilk powder
- tsp. cornstarch
Step
Part 1 of 3: Making Imitation Cheetos
Step 1. Heat the oil
Pour the oil into a large saucepan and heat it over low to medium heat. Place the candy thermometer on the side of the pan so that the tip touches the oil. Then, wait until the oil temperature reaches 175°C before using it for frying the dough.
Step 2. Fill the bag with powdered cheese
Pour the powdered cheese into a plastic clip bag and set aside for a while. Later, the Cheetos that have been fried and cooled will be put in a bag so that the entire surface is coated well with the cheese.
Step 3. Mix all dry ingredients
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, cornstarch, and salt. Stir in all dry ingredients until well combined and flour does not clump.
In this recipe, you can use plain cornstarch, finely ground cornstarch, or cornstarch. In general, cornstarch will make Cheetos a little gritty, while cornstarch will make Cheetos with a smoother texture
Step 4. Pour water into the dry ingredients to turn it into a dough
Pour water into the kettle until it reaches the maximum line and bring to a boil. After the water boils, let it sit for a while until the temperature cools down, then pour 120 ml of water that is still very hot into a measuring cup. Then, pour the water back into the bowl with the dry ingredients while continuing to stir so that the dough doesn't clump.
Keep stirring until the mixture is well mixed, has a soft texture, and does not clump
Step 5. Put the dough into a plastic triangle
Previously, attach a round and large syringe to the end of the plastic. Then, spoon the dough into the plastic. Once all the dough is in or the plastic is full, twist the end of the plastic to trap the dough inside.
If you don't have a plastic triangle, try using a clip-on plastic bag. To change the function of the plastic clip, cut the ends to form a hole with a diameter of about 1.5 cm, then insert the dough into it
Step 6. Spray the dough lengthwise into the hot oil
After the oil is hot and the dough is ready, immediately spray 5 cm of dough into the pan. When the dough has reached the desired size, you can cut it out with kitchen scissors.
Repeat the process until the pan is full. However, make sure the pan is not too full to keep the oil temperature stable! Don't worry, Cheetos can be fried in stages, really
Step 7. Fry the dough for four minutes or until the surface is golden brown
If the Cheetos aren't completely submerged in the oil, use a fork or chopsticks to flip them over to allow them to cook more evenly.
For a healthier version of Cheetos, try baking them in the oven instead of frying them for 15 to 18 minutes. In the seventh or ninth minute, flip the Cheetos to even out the doneness
Step 8. Drain excess oil
Take the cooked Cheetos with a slotted metal spoon, then transfer to a plate that has been lined with a few sheets of kitchen paper. Drain the excess oil on the Cheetos and let cool for one to two minutes.
After frying the first batch of dough, first return the oil to its initial temperature before frying the next batch of dough
Step 9. Coat the cooked Cheetos with the powdered cheese
Once the Cheetos have cooled and the oil has drained, immediately place them in a bag of powdered cheese. Remove as much air as possible from the bag, then seal the bag tightly. Shake the bag until the entire surface of the Cheetos is well coated with the powdered cheese.
Add a measure of cheese, if necessary, especially after using to coat a batch of dough
Step 10. Separate the Cheetos from the powdered cheese
Place the slotted basket over a large bowl and pour the contents of the bag into it. In this way, the Cheetos will be stuck to the surface of the basket while the excess powdered cheese falls to the bottom of the bowl.
Transfer the Cheetos to a serving dish or airtight container to increase their shelf life. Then, pour the excess powdered cheese back into the plastic clip bag
Step 11. Enjoy your delicious homemade Cheetos
After all the dough is fried, cooled, and covered with powdered cheese, enjoy it immediately. Leftover cheetos can be stored in an airtight container for several days.
Part 2 of 3: Making Baked Cheese Curls
Step 1. Process the butter and seasonings
In a bowl attached to a seated mixer, combine butter, garlic powder and tsp. (3 grams) sea salt. Then, beat the dough on low to medium speed for 2 minutes, or until the texture of the dough is light and fluffy.
Don't have a sit-down mixer? Stir all the ingredients in the bowl manually using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula
Step 2. Make the cheese curl dough
Place the flour, cornstarch, and grated cheese in a bowl of butter. Then, turn on the mixer on the lowest speed to process all ingredients for 2 minutes. Turn off the mixer once the dough looks well combined, solid, and not lumpy.
The ideal type of cheese to use in this recipe is Monterey Jack, white cheddar, or another cheese with a firm texture
Step 3. Cool the dough
Place the dough on a flat surface, such as on a kitchen table. Then, knead and round the dough, then wrap the dough tightly with plastic wrap. Transfer the tightly wrapped dough to a plastic clip bag, then press down on the empty space to release any excess air in the bag. Seal the bag tightly and place in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
Cooling the dough will also rest the flour. As a result, the dough will be easier to shape afterwards
Step 4. Preheat the oven
15 minutes before the dough is cooled, set the oven to 175°C to heat it up. While waiting for the oven to heat up, line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mat.
Step 5. Shape the dough into a spiral
Remove the bag containing the dough from the refrigerator. Then, remove the cheese curl dough from the bag and open the plastic wrap. After that, take a dough ball with a diameter of about 5 cm, then roll it until the shape changes lengthwise, about 5 cm long, with a thickness of 1.5 cm. After that, shape the dough into a spiral like a snail house, and transfer it to the baking sheet you have prepared.
The dough can be placed close together, but make sure the sides don't touch each other
Step 6. Bake cheese curls
Once the dough is ready and the oven has reached the right temperature, place the baking sheet in it. Then, bake the cheese curls for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the surface is golden brown and no longer shiny.
Step 7. Cool the cooked cheese curls
Once the cheese curls are cooked, immediately transfer them to a wire rack to cool for 30 minutes to an hour. Remember, cheese curls should be at room temperature when coated with powdered cheese.
Step 8. Make the cheese seasoning to coat the cheese curls
In a small bowl, combine powdered cheese, powdered buttermilk, cornstarch and tsp. remaining salt. Then, mix all the ingredients together until they are well mixed and there are no lumps. Transfer the spices to a plastic clip bag afterwards.
If you want, you can also process all the ingredients in a food processor for 15 seconds
Step 9. Coat the cooled surface of the cheese curls with powdered cheese
Place some of the cooled cheese curls in a bag with powdered cheese. Close the bag tightly and shake gently until the entire surface of the cheese curl is covered by the cheese. Then, use a slotted spoon to remove the cheese-covered cheese curls from the bag.
Repeat the same process for all the remaining cheese curls
Step 10. Serve the cheese curls and store the rest well
Once your homemade cheese curls are well coated with powdered cheese, it means the snack is ready to be enjoyed. Serve the cheese curls immediately for best flavor, and store the rest in an airtight container for up to one week.
Part 3 of 3: Varying Ingredients
Step 1. Create a vegan-friendly Cheetos variant
For those of you who don't eat dairy products because they follow a vegan diet, try replacing the powdered cheese in the recipe with nutritional yeast. In addition to vegans, this Cheetos variant is also suitable for those of you who are lactose intolerant. To make vegan powdered cheese, simply process all of the following ingredients in a food processor:
- 125 grams of cashews
- 45 grams of nutritional yeast
- 25 grams of oat flour
- 30 grams tapioca flour
- 1 tbsp. (5 grams) paprika
- 1 tbsp. (15 grams) sugar
- 2 tsp. (4 grams) mustard powder
- 2 tsp. (10 grams) sea salt
- 2 tsp. (6 grams) onion powder
Step 2. Create a gluten-free variant of Cheetos
For those of you who have celiac disease, avoiding gluten consumption is something that must be done to maintain a healthy body. Fortunately, the palate of Cheetos fans who are reluctant or unable to eat gluten can still be satisfied by making Cheetos gluten-free. The method? Replace wheat flour with one of the following types of flour in equal proportions:
- Very fine textured brown rice flour
- Sorghum flour
- Potato flour
Step 3. Modify the Cheetos recipe
In fact, Cheetos have a variety of flavors which of course, you can imitate and/or modify by adding 1 to 2 tsp. your favorite spice or herb into the recipe. Some flavoring ideas worth trying:
- Jalapeo powder for making cheese and jalapeo. flavored Cheetos
- Chili powder to make spicy cheese Cheetos
- Tomato powder and oregano to make pizza-flavored Cheetos
- Chipotle and ranch powder for making chipotle flavored Cheetos and ranch sauce
