Increasing protein levels of milk influences rate of whey expulsion during cheesemaking and buffering capacity of curd, which in turn influences moisture and pH of cheese. Our objective was to develop manufacturing procedures for making Cheddar cheese using milk containing 4 to 9% protein. Pasteurized milk was ultrafiltered to ~3.5× concentration then diluted with permeate to required protein levels. A time-standardized make procedure was prepared based on ~4 to 12 kg of milk such that each mini-vat contained ~400 g of casein. Acidification was by adding ~0.5% of a pH-controlled bulk starter. The milk was renneted and before cutting, 1.5 kg of permeate was overlaid upon the curd to minimize curd breakage upon stirring and facilitate curd syneresis. The pH and moisture of curd was monitored during cheesemaking and in the final cheese. Whey expulsion decreased as protein concentration increased such that curd made from 9% protein milk was lower (P < 0.05) in moisture than curd made from 4% protein milk after cooking and before draining. After cheddaring, milling and salting there was slight but not statistically significant differences in curd moisture. The final cheeses made using higher protein concentrations were about 1% lower in moisture than those made at the lower concentrations (R² = 0.55). Even though culture was standardized to protein concentration, this did not completely compensate for increased buffering capacity of the curd and there was less pH drop during cheesemaking as protein level increased: with differences of 0.1 units before draining and 0.2 units before pressing, such that the pH after 1 d increased from pH 4.9 to pH 5.1 for cheese made from 4% and 9% protein milk, respectively. During 30 d of storage, the pH of the cheese increased ~0.2 units. In conclusion, provided the starter activity added is increased to match the protein concentration, and permeate is added to help float the curd upon cutting, Cheddar cheese can be manufactured within moisture and pH targets with milk containing up to 9% protein.