Processed cheese (prepared cheese or cheese product or plastic cheese or cheese singles) is a food product made by mixing and heating natural cheeses with other unfermented dairy ingredients, emulsifiers, food colourings, salt or whey. Processed cheese exists in many textures, flavours and colours.

Processed cheese accounts for a large section of cheese sales since they have a longer shelf life than most other cheeses and are less expensive. Compared to natural cheese, processed cheeses retain their texture and do not separate when melted plus preserve the original taste.

In the UK, processed cheese is also available in wrapped slices, referred as 'singles'

In the USA it is referred as pasteurized process cheese or pasteurized process cheese food or pasteurized process cheese spread depending upon the ingredients.