Looking for an alternative to Blue Cheese? You’re in the right place! Keep reading for my favourite simple Blue Cheese substitutes both dairy-free (below) and ideas containing dairy.
What is Blue Cheese?
Blue Cheese includes any cheese made with blue Penicillium moulds. The most famous blue cheeses are the French Roquefort and the Italian Gorgonzola. They range in texture from creamy to drier and crumblier like cheddar. And the flavour can be subtle or quite sharp and intense.
The Best Blue Cheese Substitutes – Dairy
1. Goats Cheese
Fresh goats cheese is tangier but lacks the distinctive ‘blue’ flavour of blue cheese. The creamy texture and freshness will work well pretty much everywhere you’d normally use blue cheese.
2. Cream Cheese
Similar to goats cheese but even less tangy and milder in flavour cream cheese will work fine to replace blue cheese Especially in dishes where there are a lot of other strong flavours.
3. Feta
The texture of feta is dryer and more crumbly than most blue cheese. The flavour is saltier and not as complex but I often use feta when I don’t have any blue cheese in the fridge. Just be mindful of the salt and be prepared to use less seasoning in your dish.
4. Persian Feta
Persian feta is generally marinated in oil and has a lovely tangy flavour and creamy texture that is a good match. You will be equally happy to have it scattered on your salad.
Milder and creamier and way less flavoursome, cottage cheese will be better than nothing to replace your hunks of blue cheese.
6. Ricotta
Will work in a similar way to cottage cheese without the bumpy bits.
7. Halloumi
The texture of halloumi is significantly harder and more crumbly. Plus the flavour is way more salty but it will provide a similar substance and cheesy goodness.
8. Parmesan
Shaved parmesan has a stronger more savoury cheesey flavour profile to blue cheese. The colour is more yellow and the texture much harder and dryer but it will add similar bursts of flavour and umami.
9. Greek Yoghurt
Yoghurt of course is more liquid so won’t work in all areas but can provide an alternative source of tangy, creamy goodness.
10. Labneh
This creamy ‘cheese’ made from yoghurt isn’t as firm as blue cheese but it adds a lovely tang anywhere you’d normally use blue cheese.
For texture and big flavour hit roast walnuts will take your dish in a different direction but it won’t be lacking in flavour or crunch. Other nuts like almonds, pinenuts, pistachios, macadamias or cashews will all work in a similar manner.
2. Olives
If you’re looking for a salty, briny burst of flavour, a handful of olives is the second best dairy-free and vegan alternative to blue cheese.
3. Hummus
This is a bit of an unusual idea but adding a big dollop of creamy hummus can add the tang and substance you’d otherwise get from blue cheese.
4. Avocado
Chunks of avo will add creamy goodness and substance to your dish. For an even closer match add in a squeeze of lemon or lime.
5. Babaganoush
Works in a similar way to hummus.
6. Sun Dried Tomatoes
A similar idea to olives, sun dried tomatoes are bursting with flavour and will add a little sweetness to your dish instead of a salt hit.
7. Capers
Work in a similar way to olives. Salted capers will be the best choice although capers in vinegar are better than nothing.
How to Store Blue Cheese
Blue cheese in sealed packages can be stored for months in the refrigerator. I generally ignore the best before date and eat it even weeks after it is out of date. As long as it still smells pleasantly blue cheesey.
Once opened I store blue cheese in glass jars or sealed plastic bags. Because the Penicillium roqueforti mould likes to spread to other cheese, I store blue cheeses separately to other cheese.
It can be frozen although there’s generally no need because it lasts so long in the fridge.
Blue Cheese Goes with…
Dates & Blue Cheese
Celery & Blue Cheese
Eggs & Blue Cheese
Parsley & Blue Cheese
Sage & Blue Cheese
Proscuitto & Blue Cheese
Balsamic & Blue Cheese
Walnuts & Blue Cheese
More Ingredient Substitutes
Butter
Cream
Crème Fraîche
Double Cream
Greek Yoghurt
Goats Cheese
Feta Cheese
Halloumi Cheese
Parmesan Cheese
Pecorino Substitutes
Sour Cream
Yoghurt
Also see see the Simple Ingredients Substitutes Index.
Blue cheese is particularly assertive, so you will want to substitute it with another strong tasting cheese. Feta will work well in many recipes; the texture is similar and it is fairly pungent. See our collection of Cheese Recipes for ideas on using a variety of cheeses.
Blue cheese is particularly assertive, so you will want to substitute it with another strong tasting cheese. Feta will work well in many recipes; the texture is similar and it is fairly pungent. See our collection of Cheese Recipes for ideas on using a variety of cheeses.
Chris presses the cheese to inhibit blue mold growth, and what develops is earthy and Cheddary in texture, with a sharpness that one would expect from this combination. We like to think of it as “Blue Cheese Light”, and it's a real crowd pleaser.
The Maytag Blue Cheese is so creamy and delicious, like no other. It's not cheap, but worth every dime if you can find it. If you can't find it, you can substitute Danish Blue Cheese, or your personal favorite.
A soft or creamy blue cheese can be made by adding cream to the curd as the cheese is made. Soft blue cheese is typically a younger cheese that is not aged for long. In contrast, a crumbly blue cheese is aged for a longer period of time to reduce the moisture content and create a denser, more crumbly curd.
David Gremmels, president of Rogue Creamery, says the piquancy can be overwhelming. “I also find that most people are turned off by the acidity, metallic notes, and off-putting texture created by hom*ogenization and standardization in commodity blue cheeses,” says Gremmels, who has helped steer the company since 2002.
Blue cheese and Gorgonzola share a lot of cross-over appeal, as they can both be used in a variety of the same recipes. Blue cheese is more often eaten on its own, but both can be melted down or crumbled over food to add a delicious punch of flavor to them.
Gorgonzola typically has a softer and creamier texture and flavor than other blue cheeses. It has a buttery and slightly sweet taste with tangy undertones. It is often spreadable and crumbles easily. The texture can vary based on the aging process and the specific cheese-making techniques used.
Fresh goats cheese is tangier but lacks the distinctive 'blue' flavour of gorgonzola. However, the creamy texture and freshness will work well pretty much everywhere you'd normally use gorgonzola.
Our cheesemakers add Penicillium Roqueforti spores to the completed product to give our Maytag Blue Cheese its distinctive green veining. The cheese is then aged in caves located in the hills of Maytag Dairy Farm, where it is exposed to cool temperatures with high levels of humidity.
Ranch dressing is a buttermilk and mayonnaise-based dip, always smooth and creamy, and are perfect to cool down hot wings or even provide a flavor balance to sweet wings.
Cambozola (Germany): As its name — a portmanteau of Camembert and Gorgonzola — suggests, this uber-creamy cheese with a fuzzy, bloomy rind features only a few blue veins, making it one of the mildest cow's-milk blue cheeses on the market. Aged for only eight to 12 weeks, it's sometimes marketed as blue brie.
Creamy blue cheese is made by adding cream to the curd to create a smoother, more luxurious texture. Creamy blue cheeses tend to be less aged, preserving their high moisture content. Crumbly blue cheeses have less butterfat and are aged longer, resulting in less moisture and a denser curd.
The best way to tell if your blue cheese has spoiled is to smell it. Fresh blue cheese has a strong scent, but it changes as it starts to go bad. Give the cheese a sniff, and if it has an ammonia-like smell, it is probably spoiled. It's a good idea to give blue cheese a smell when you've just brought it home.
What gives blue cheese its flavor? Blue cheese's distinct and often earthy flavor comes from the intentionally introduced fungi, Penicillium roqueforti. This mold breaks down some of the fat within the cheese, turning it into different compounds that change the flavor and aroma of the cheese.
Rennet is added to coagulate the milk and the curds are cut to release the whey. As the curds are formed into wheels, a blue cheese mold (Penicillium roqueforti) is added to the cheese before it is left to age for 60 to 90 days.
Fresh goats cheese is tangier but lacks the distinctive 'blue' flavour of gorgonzola. However, the creamy texture and freshness will work well pretty much everywhere you'd normally use gorgonzola.
It's the mold. The blue veins in these types of cheese are created by mold. You're probably wondering why it's ok to eat blue cheese when you've always been taught to throw away moldy food. The mold present in blue cheese isn't bad for you.
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