What Is Canned Cheese and How Is It Made? | Shelf-Stable Spray

Canned cheese is a pasteurized, shelf-stable processed cheese spread sold in a pressurized aerosol can.

For the full breakdown, see our best Canned Cheese guide.

When someone asks about canned cheese, they almost always mean the sprayable cheese in an aerosol can — the kind that comes out as a ribbon and lands on a cracker without needing a knife. It is not the same as cheese you would find in the dairy aisle, and it is not something you can make at home with a pressure cooker. The distinction matters for both safety and expectations.

Most Americans know this product by one name: Easy Cheese. The Mondelez-owned brand dominates the category, and its label tells you almost everything about what you are actually eating.

What Is Spray Cheese Made Of?

Spray cheese is a processed cheese product built around whey, canola oil, and milk protein concentrate, with cheddar cheese and milk added for flavor. The ingredient panel reads less like a dairy product and more like a food-engineered emulsion, because that is precisely what it is.

A typical Easy Cheese label lists:

• Whey and milk protein concentrate as the protein base
• Canola oil and milkfat for texture
• Cheese culture and enzymes for the cheesy taste
• Sodium citrate and sodium phosphate as emulsifiers
• Lactic acid and acetic acid for tang and preservation
• Sorbic acid as a preservative
• Color additives for that familiar orange look

The result is a shelf-stable product that does not need refrigeration before opening.

Why Can’t You Can Cheese At Home?

Home canning cheese is not safe, and the reason comes down to acidity and bacteria. Cheese is a low-acid food, which means it can support the growth of Clostridium botulinum — the bacteria that causes botulism — if it is not processed correctly.

University of California agriculture experts are blunt on this point: pressure canning, water-bath canning, and atmospheric steam canning are all unsuitable for dairy products. The guidance specifically calls out the practice of placing cheese cubes in jars and processing them as unsafe. Even hard cheese presents a problem, because canning adds available water to the cheese, and that extra moisture can make a previously safe hard cheese a breeding ground for bacteria.

This is why the commercial product exists in the first place. Spray cheese is not “canned” in the traditional sense — it is manufactured under controlled conditions, pasteurized, and sealed in a pressurized can that is designed never to be punctured or exposed to heat.

How Long Does Canned Cheese Last?

The aerosol can keeps the product sterile and pressurized until you puncture it with the nozzle for the first time.

Once opened, the math changes. The can is no longer sealed, so the product behaves more like a traditional dairy spread — it needs refrigeration, and it will spoil. The pressurized can also means you should never expose it to heat, puncture it, or attempt to recycle it with regular metal cans while it still holds pressure.

The contrast with real cheese is worth noting. USDA Foods cheese — the commodity cheese distributed through food assistance programs — is real cheese, not a processed spray product. It is not shelf-stable, must be refrigerated at or below 41 °F, and should not be frozen because freezing damages its quality. Spray cheese trades that fragility for a long pantry life, which is exactly why it became a staple of American snack culture.

FAQs

Is canned cheese real cheese?

Spray cheese is a processed cheese product, not real cheese in the traditional sense. It starts with cheese culture and enzymes, but it also contains whey, canola oil, emulsifiers, and preservatives that push it into a different category. The USDA includes processed cheeses like this in its broader cheese food category, but the label “cheese product” tells you it is formulated rather than aged.

Does spray cheese need to be refrigerated?

No, but only before opening. The can is shelf-stable until you puncture it, and the label says it requires no refrigeration in that unopened state. Once opened, the seal is broken and the product is exposed to air, so it should go in the fridge.

Why can’t I pressure-can cheese at home?

Cheese is a low-acid dairy food, and low-acid foods can support Clostridium botulinum growth when improperly processed. University of California extension experts state plainly that no home canning method — pressure, water-bath, or atmospheric steam — is safe for dairy. Canning also adds moisture to cheese, which can make even hard cheese unsafe.