- By Michelle Minnaar
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Brie cheese is a fabulous cheese that tastes delicious in so many meals. Here is more information on the cheese, as well as what you can use as a brie cheese substitute.
What is Brie?
Brie cheese is a soft ripened cheese made from cow's milk. It has a white rind and is pale yellow inside.
Is Brie a Soft Cheese?
Yes, brie is a very soft cheese. It has a crust around it that helps it keep its shape a little bit, but when it is melted it falls a bit and is lovely to bite into.
Where Does Brie Come From?
Brie cheese comes from France, and is named for the region that it comes from, Brie. Now though, it is produced in other countries around the world, but their varieties differ depending on where they are made.
What Pairs Well With Brie Cheese?
If you are eating brie cheese on its own, it pairs well with a nice burgundy wine or a red Bordeaux wine.
It’s also wonderful with pears and apples, and it tastes great in salad.
Brie Cheese Flavour and Texture
Brie cheese has a delicious buttery and creamy taste. It’s mild and easy to pair with a variety of foods, but it’s wonderful to eat on its own.
Popular Brie Uses
Some of the most popular brie cheese uses include:
- Baked brie - Brie cheese is absolutely divine when baked. It melts on the inside and its flavour pairs so well with honey, crackers, fruits, and wine.
- Cheese fondue - I'm also a sucker for brie in fondue. It’s so creamy and delicious.
- Cheeseboard - Sliced brie is great on a cheeseboard, but I also love to centre an entire board around a baked brie.
- Sandwiches - Brie cheese is perfect on sandwiches because it has such a universal flavour. It tastes great with a multitude of other foods. You can use it in wraps too!
My Favourite Brie Recipes
- - This lovely, fresh wrap is an easy way to get lots of nutrients from different food groups all in a tasty and easy-to-make snack.
- Brie Sandwich with chicken, pear and balsamic onions - Brie is often thought of as melted, but I love it sliced and on a sandwich. This tasty sandwich combines flavorful onions, fruits and veggies, and chicken for a sweet yet savoury meal.
Reasons to Substitute Brie Cheese
You may need to swap for brie cheese for a variety of reasons. It can get a little pricey and may not be available at your local grocery store.
Don’t worry though. It is very easy to substitute brie.
11 Brie Cheese Substitutes
When finding a brie cheese substitute, first determine what recipe you are making. If you are making something that requires melted cheese, make sure that you are picking a cheese with good melting properties.
If you are substituting for a sandwich or salad, or something else that requires slices of cheese, choose a cheese that has a flavour you like, or one that pairs well with the other ingredients in your dish.
Double cream is a soft and buttery cheese. A French cheese, it has cream added to the milk when it is produced. Brie cheese is actually a type of double cream, so if you see other cheeses that are double cream, they’re probably good substitutes.
Fontina cheese is another cow's milk cheese that hails from the Aosta Valley in Italy. It has a nutty and savoury flavour, and as other regions of the world have taken on its production, its texture has changed depending on where it is produced.
You’ll also notice that, depending on where it’s produced, this cheese will have more eyes than in other regions.
As fontina ages, it takes on a natural crust. And as it ages, it gets even nuttier. It has great melting properties and is easy to substitute for brie cheese in sandwiches and cheese boards. It tastes great with french bread and crackers, and can be used in fondue.
Chevre cheese, or goat cheese, is exactly what it sounds like: it’s cheese made from milk of a goat. However, not all goat cheese is made the same, so it is important you know a little bit about it, as well as a little bit about what you’re buying before you decide what to substitute with.
Chevre cheese has a tarter flavour than cheese made from a cow. It also has a different process to be made and lets raw milk curdle naturally. Once the milk is curdled, it’s strained and pressed.
As goat cheese ages, it changes in flavour and texture. It moves from soft to hard as it ages and takes on a stronger flavour and a more pungent smell.
Goat cheese makes a good brie cheese substitute for sandwiches and casseroles when it is young and soft. Its texture more closely mimics that of brie’s when it is younger.
As it ages and hardens, it becomes less like brie. If you are making a panini or a casserole, goat cheese is a great substitute for brie cheese.
Triple cream is a similar cheese type to double cream. It just means that even more cream was added to the milk during the production process.
Brillat Savarin is a popular type that looks quite similar to brie. It has a crust around it and can be consumed similarly to brie, making it a good substitute.
Camembert cheese is another French cheese made from unpasteurized cow's milk. A soft cheese, it is quite similar to brie in its taste and texture, and even its looks.
Like brie, camembert has a hard crust on the outside with a completely different texture on the inside. When heated and slightly cooled, it takes on its super gooey texture, and is soft and creamy.
It is a bit different than brie cheese, though, as it is more pungent and stronger in taste. It also melts a little bit differently and can be super runny when heated.
Camembert cheese can be used just like brie, though. You can bake it and serve it with foods to dip, like apple or pear slices. You can drizzle it in a sweetener and serve it with other fruits and nuts.
You can put camembert in salads and serve it with pasta or other protein, but it really shines on its own.
Fromage d’Affinois is another cow’s milk cheese that comes from France. It is quite similar to brie cheese, but it differs in its production a bit.
Fromage d’Affinois goes through an ultra filtration process in which all the water is removed. This makes it available in two weeks whereas brie takes eight weeks to make.
This cheese has a similar look to brie with a crust and a signature gooey texture that you know and love from brie cheese. Its taste is similar, except it doesn’t have quite as earthy flavour as brie cheese.
Fromage d’Affinois is another great cheese to eat baked and served with fruits, bread, and crackers.
Cantal jeune is a semi-hard cheese that is used in recipes like salad, soup, and gratin. It’s got a similar flavour to cheddar and becomes a little bit stronger with age.
Cantal cheese is made from milk that is raw and is not cooked, and because of this, it may be dangerous for certain people to eat.
If you are immunocompromised or serving cantal cheese to children or the elderly, consider using a different substitute for brie cheese. That being said, cantal cheese is still a decent substitute for brie in certain recipes and for certain people.
Mozzarella cheese is a very familiar cheese. It’s popular on pizza and sandwiches and is a great substitute for brie in certain recipes. It is a soft cheese with a smooth texture that you could even make at home.
Mozzarella comes from a variety of different milks, so if you have access to buffalo, cow, sheep, or goat milk you could make this cheese yourself.
Mozzarella and brie are not perfect substitutes because their taste is a little bit different, but for certain recipes where you’re just eating the cheese plain, Mozzarella does work.
Saint André cheese is a French cheese in the brie family. Because of this, it has a very similar taste, texture, and look, including the edible rind.
This pairs well with all the lovely foods and drinks you enjoy with brie, like a white savoie or fruits. It can be baked and eaten with breads and other dipping foods.
I really only included it in this list so that you are aware of its similarity to the other brie cheeses. If you are at the grocery store and see this, know that it is a type of brie cheese and that you can eat it just the same if you cannot find another brie cheese.
Coulommiers cheese is nearly indistinguishable from brie cheese on the outside. It has a hard crust and a soft texture on the inside. It is a deliciously creamy cheese just to eat on its own.
And because it’s so similar to brie, it can be treated the same as brie cheese. It can be baked or eaten raw, and can be paired with similar foods and drinks.
Explorateur cheese is another good cheese to have in place of brie. It’s French, made from cow's milk, and is triple cream.
It is quite close to brie cheese in many ways, and if you can get a hold of it, it’s a great option in its place.
Other Cheese Substitute Lists:
- 7 Monterey Jack Cheese Substitutes
- 9 Meunster Cheese Substitutes
- 14 Fontina Cheese Substitutes
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