The present invention produces processed cheese by producing natural cheese (N) via the belowmentioned acidification step, curdling step, and dehydrating step, and uses the obtained natural cheese (N) as at least 5 mass% of a starting material cheese. The acidification step is a step for obtaining acidified milk having a pH of 5.8-6.4 by acidifying milk by adding an acidic component to milk in a manner so as to result in the acidified milk pH the curdling step is a step for obtaining curds by curdling by adding a milk curdling enzyme to the acidified milk without adding a Lactobacillus starter and the dehydrating step is a step for obtaining natural cheese (N) by draining the whey from the curds, and contains an enzyme inactivation step for inactivating the milk curdling enzyme by heating the curds to at least 55°C while warming at a warming speed of no greater than 1°C/minute.
