Cheese Substitutes

Cheese substitutes: How to swap one great cheese for another

When cooking with cheese, there are inevitably times when a recipe calls for a cheese you don’t have. Maybe it’s an artisanal cheese you’ve never heard of or a cheddar that mysteriously disappeared from your fridge. Fortunately, you don’t have to abandon the dish or dash to the store. With a little knowledge of the best cheese substitutes, you can easily swap one cheese for another without sacrificing flavor or texture.

Wisconsin: Over 600 cheese substitutes

When it comes to cheese substitutes, Wisconsin has got you covered. Our cheesemakers produce over 600 varieties, styles, and flavors of award-winning cheese – everything from aged cheddar and parmesan to fresh cheeses like cream cheese and queso fresco to world favorites like gouda, havarti, muenster, swiss, and hundreds more. Whether you’re fresh out of feta, mascarpone, or colby-jack, there is definitely a Wisconsin cheese that’s ready to step in and save the day.

How to choose a cheese substitute

Cheeses are incredibly diverse in texture, flavor, and personality. Whether you need a cheese that melts perfectly or one that crumbles just right, knowing the properties of different cheeses is key to making smart swaps. Keep these properties in mind when you’re thinking about cheese substitutes.

Texture

Cheese can be broadly categorized as soft, semi-soft, semi-hard, or hard. The texture is mostly influenced by the amount of moisture in the cheese and the aging process. For example, fresh cheeses like mozzarella and ricotta have higher moisture levels, which makes them soft and smooth. As cheeses age, they lose moisture and develop firmer textures – think of hard cheeses like parmesan and aged cheddar. When deciding on cheese substitutes, look for an alternative with a similar texture. Soft cheeses like cream cheese should be replaced with another spreadable or soft cheese, while hard cheeses might be swapped for others that offer a similar consistency.

Flavor profile

Cheese offers an entire universe of flavor – from mild and milky to pungent and tangy. The type of milk used (cow, goat, sheep) and the aging process play significant roles in flavor development. Blue cheeses like roquefort have strong, sharp flavors, while cheeses like mozzarella are mild and creamy.

When looking for cheese substitutes, try to match the intensity of flavor. For instance, you might swap a mild cheese like havarti for mozzarella or provolone but avoid replacing a mild cheese like monterey jack with a bold cheese like brick that might overpower your dish.

Melting properties

Some cheeses melt into gooey goodness, while others faithfully retain their shape. The melting quality of cheese is determined by its moisture and fat content. High-moisture cheeses like monterey jack or mozzarella melt easily, while drier cheeses like feta or paneer don’t melt but may crumble or retain their shape when heated. For dishes requiring melty cheese, look for cheese substitutes with a similar moisture content to get that satisfying creamy melt.

Salt and tang

The saltiness of cheese plays a big role in balancing flavors. Feta, halloumi, and roquefort cheese are salty, while cheeses like mascarpone are mild and slightly sweet. When substituting, consider adjusting the salt level in your dish to keep the flavor in check.

The best cheese substitutes for common varieties

Here are suggestions for the best cheese substitutes for the varieties most commonly found in recipes.

• Asiago: Substitute with romano, parmesan, or pecorino romano. These hard, sharp cheeses are great for grating over pasta or adding flavor to baked dishes.
• Blue cheese: Substitute with gorgonzola, roquefort, or stilton. These pungent, crumbly cheeses pack a strong flavor punch, perfect for salads or dressings.
• Brick: Substitute with muenster, havarti, or fontina, which have a similar buttery flavor and melt well, or even with limburger if you want to ramp up the pungent flavors.
• Brie: Substitute with camembert or another bloomy rind cheese. These soft, creamy cheeses are perfect for cheese boards or baking.
• Burrata: Substitute with fresh mozzarella or ricotta. These soft, creamy cheeses work well in salads or as toppings for pizza.
• Butterkäse: Substitute with havarti or gouda, which share butterkäse’s soft, creamy texture and mild, buttery flavor. Alternately, try brick if you want a little more flavor punch.
• Cheddar: Substitute with colby, monterey jack, or gouda. Unless it’s an aged cheddar, all of these have a similar sharpness and melt easily.
• Colby: Substitute with mild cheddar or monterey jack. Both cheeses have a similar mild flavor and creamy texture, making them excellent for dishes like grilled cheese or casseroles.
• Cream cheese: Substitute with mascarpone or ricotta. Both have creamy textures but are less tangy than cream cheese. Ideal for desserts or spreads.
• Feta: Substitute with goat cheese, ricotta salata, or queso fresco. All offer similar crumbly textures with a tangy kick.
• Fontina: Substitute with gruyère or provolone. These cheeses offer a similarly rich, nutty flavor and good melting properties, ideal for Italian dishes, fondue, and sandwiches.
• Goat cheese (chevre): Substitute with feta or ricotta. Both cheeses have a tangy flavor and creamy texture. Feta is more crumbly, and ricotta is softer, but either of them are suitable for salads, spreads, and baking.
• Gouda: Substitute mild gouda with edam, havarti, colby, or cheddar. However, substitute an aged gouda with aged cheddar.
• Gruyère: Substitute with emmental or jarlsberg or any alpine-style cheese. These swiss-style cheeses have a similar nutty, sweet flavor and melt well, ideal for fondue, gratins, and french onion soup.
• Halloumi: Substitute with paneer, juusto, or queso blanco. Since halloumi is known for retaining its shape when grilled, these firm cheeses work well in similar dishes.
• Havarti: Substitute with butterkäse or monterey jack. These mild, creamy cheeses melt well and can replace havarti in sandwiches, grilled cheese, or melting dishes.
• Lacy swiss: Substitute with baby swiss or emmental. Both have the characteristic nutty, mild flavor of swiss cheese with a slightly firmer texture.
• Mascarpone: Substitute with 75% whipped cream cheese and 25% heavy cream.
• Monterey jack: Substitute with cheddar or colby. These mild, semi-soft cheeses melt well and can replace monterey jack in most recipes.
• Mozzarella: Substitute with provolone, queso oaxaca, or havarti. These are mild, stretchy cheeses with great melting properties, perfect for pizza and pasta.
• Muenster: Substitute with monterey jack or havarti. Both offer a mild flavor and smooth melting qualities similar to muenster, making them suitable for sandwiches and baked cheese.
• Paneer: Substitute with halloumi, juusto, or ricotta. Paneer doesn’t melt, so these substitutes work well in curries and grilled dishes.
• Parmesan: Substitute with pecorino romano or grana padano. These hard, aged cheeses share a salty, umami-packed flavor and are ideal for grating.
• Provolone: Substitute with mozzarella or fontina. These mild, melty cheeses are great for sandwiches and melting over dishes.
• Queso fresco: Substitute with queso blanco, feta, or ricotta salata. These crumbly, tangy cheeses are perfect for salads and Mexican dishes.
• Queso quesadilla: Substitute with monterey jack, brick, havarti, or queso oaxaca. All these cheeses have a mild, creamy flavor and melt easily, making them excellent replacements for queso quesadilla in Mexican dishes like quesadillas and enchiladas.
• Ricotta: Substitute with cottage cheese or mascarpone. These soft, mild cheeses can replace ricotta in dishes like lasagna or desserts.
• Roquefort: Substitute with gorgonzola or stilton. These blue cheeses have a strong, sharp flavor that matches roquefort’s intensity.
• Swiss: Substitute with emmental or fontina. These nutty-flavored cheeses melt well, making them great for sandwiches or fondues.