When it comes to Emmental cheese substitutes, I have plenty of options, from Swiss versions to cheese from other continents. That your nearby delicatessen has gone out of stock or your search on Amazon comes up empty will no longer stop you from having a great experience.
In this article, I’ll tell you about some of the best alternatives to Emmental cheese, depending on your needs. If you want to expand your choices, keep reading to find the best alternatives to the Swiss delicacy.
Emmental Cheese – The Delicacy From The Swiss Mountains
Emmental cheese is a type of Swiss cheese made from cow’s milk with a semi-hard texture. It originated from the Emme river valley and is now produced only in some designated regions.
Usually, you must find authentic Emmental in deli stores or fine cheese shops. However, since this cheese is widely loved, you can go to grocery stores or supermarkets to buy great Emmental cheese products. Shopping at online retailers is also a good idea.
This type of dense, pale yellow cheese is a combination of mild and nutty flavors with no acidity. Last but not least, Emmental is also famous for its small signature holes known as eyes.
With a delightfully intricate flavor and perfect melting properties, Emmental is used in various melted recipes, such as fondue and gratin. You will also love raw Emmental pairing with fruits or wine.
Let’s take a closer look at the exciting story of Emmental cheese.
Popular Alternatives For Emmental Cheese You Should Know
Since different cheeses can bring different tastes and characteristics, choosing a suitable alternative that fits your cooking purpose can be challenging.
The table below will show you the popular Emmental substitutes, along with the detailed characteristics of each type and their alternate use.
Substitutes For Emmental In Terms Of Flavor
The key characteristic of Emmental cheese is its distinct flavor. Due to the aging process and high-quality control requirements, Emmental has a signature mild, nutty, and slightly sweet taste. Here are a few candidates for Emmental substitutes in terms of flavor.
1. Comte Cheese
Comte and Emmental share the root: semi-hard cheese made from cow’s milk in mountainous regions. If you place the two cheese wheels side by side, it will be difficult to distinguish each other without cutting.
Many people say Comte has a mild profile similar to Emmental. However, the taste of Comte is more complex than Emmental. It has wide notes of fruity, hazelnuts, butter, and cream flavor with a slightly sweet taste.
When the Comte is matured, the nutty flavor is strengthened. Therefore, it is a good alternative cheese to Emmental in terms of flavor. You can use this raw milk cheese variety to replace Emmental with a ratio of 1:1.
This famous type of French cheese has meticulous requirements for the ingredients and environment in which it is made. Understandably, it is more expensive than many ordinary cheese varieties.
Still wondering about the Comte’s taste? Let’s find out about its flavor profile here.
2. Havarti Cheese
Havarti cheese, a semi-soft cheese made from cow’s milk, was born by a Danish farmer. Many people may not have heard of Havarti, but it is the most well-known Danish cheese and has an interesting backstory.
Even though this cheese has a softer texture, Havarti can be used instead of Emmental in cooked and uncooked recipes. On the first bite of Havarti, you might taste a flavor that is mild, buttery, and sweet, similar to the flavor of Emmental.
However, young Havarti tastes creamy and mild, while the aging process adds a distinct nuttiness reminiscent of hazelnuts. Therefore, using matured Havarti as an alternative Emmental is more suitable.
Due to the similarity in terms of flavor, you can substitute Emmental with Havarti cheese at the same amount.
What Cheese Has The Excellent Melt Ability As Emmental?
Good melting cheese will turn to a smooth and stringy texture when it is heated. Many factors influence cheese’s melting ability, such as fat content, moisture, age, and acidity.
Emmental is famous for its ease of melting. However, there are numerous other types of cheese with similarly flawless melting capabilities.
3. Gruyere Cheese
Emmental and Gruyere share many similarities. Both types of cheese have semi-firm cheese, originated from Switzerland, and are the pinnacles of Swiss cheese. They are made from cow’s milk and have the same pale yellow color.
The flavor of Gruyere changes the same way Emmental cheese does. Young Gruyere tastes creamy and nutty, while the old version has an added earthy tone.
Besides, Gruyere shares the same melting ability as Emmental, resulting in a similar nutty flavor. For this reason, Gruyere can replace Emmental in making the famous Swiss dish – fondue. Therefore, you can replace Emmental with Gruyere cheese with a ratio of 1:1.
Let’s use Gruyere for your authentic Swiss fondue.
4. Fontina Cheese
Fontina is a semi-hard cow’s milk cheese from the Aosta Valley (Northern Italy) with a beige rind outside and pale gold inside. Fontina also has holes, but in a smaller size compared to Emmental.
Fotina has a high-fat content of 40% fat for 100g serving (1), causing a creamy and sweet flavor and a good melting capacity in cooking. Therefore, Fontina can be replaced with Emmental in melted dishes.
However, the texture and flavor of Fontina can become harder and stronger when it ripens, leading to less melting than the young version. As a result, if you want to substitute Fontina for Emmental, choose a young Fontina that melts better.
One part of Fontina cheese can be used in place of one part of Emmental cheese. It can go into any dish you desire, from pasta and pizza to crackers or soups.
5. Provolone Cheese
Provolone is an Italian cheese made from cattle milk. It is semi-hard cheese and has a buttery, sharp, and slightly spicy taste. The Provolone flavor can be developed to sharpen when the cheese is aged.
Provolone is the best cheese for melting, mainly used in Italian delis. Therefore, you can use Provolone to replace Emmental in melted dishes such as grilled cheese sandwiches for a good “cheese pull.”
However, the taste of Provolone is not too unique, similar to neutrally flavored cheeses. If you want to have a bit of a nutty note as Emmental, choose the matured Provolone version to have a better result. A ratio of 1:1 is recommended to replace Emmental with Provolone.
Emmental Cheese Is Not The Only One With “Eyes”
The signature holes, or “eyes”, of Emmental cheese result from the presence of bacteria in the production process. When bacteria consume the curd, they release carbon dioxide, which is trapped inside during the fermentation and creates holes.
If you want to buy cheese with holes like Emmental, you have a lot of choices. The following cheeses are made the same way as Emmental and taste just as delicious.
6. Maasdam Cheese
Maasdam is an Emmental-like Dutch cheese made from cow’s milk but is aged for less time than the original Emmental. Maasdam cheese has a texture that is somewhere between soft and hard. It tastes sweet and nutty, with hints of fruit.
Like Emmental, the cheese’s carbon dioxide pockets form Maasdam cheese’s eyes. However, the eyes of Maasdam are somehow larger than Emmental.
Maasdam is a good choice if you want cheese slices with holes to decorate your food table. Although it looks the same as high-quality Swiss cheese, its prices are more reasonable.
7. American Swiss Cheese
American Swiss Cheese can be seen as an imitation of Emmental cheese, which has a milder flavor and lighter price. Since it is made from pasteurized or skim milk, this cheese is less tasty than real Emmental.
As a result, American Swiss cheese is only added to fast food, like pizzas and sandwiches, while Swiss cheese is used for more flavor dishes, such as fondue and cheeseburgers.
Despite the differences in flavor, American Swiss Cheese and Emmental have the same appearance. Both have a yellow color with holes throughout the flesh. But some American Swiss cheese can come with holes.
8. Jarlsberg Cheese
Jarlsberg is another type of Emmental made in Norway. Jarlsberg and Emmental share many similarities in the taste, texture, color, and even the history of their names. This nutty cheese with a wonderful melting ability is a famous export from Norway.
Both types of cheese are made from cow’s milk with an entirely yellow color and mild flavor. However, Jarlsberg tastes milder and slightly sweet, while Emmental has a rich flavor and is tangy when it ages.
The bacteria in Jarlsberg is propionic acid bacteria, which is similar to Emmental. Therefore Jarlsberg also has signature holes, and if you want to try cheese similar to Emmental, this utterly nutty cheese is a good option.
The wide range of similarities allows Jarlsberg to be in place of Emmental at a ratio of 1:1.
Other Emmental Cheese Substitutes You Should Know
If you haven’t found one substitute that fills your need, don’t worry. In this section, I will share some basic cheeses that you can find in your fridge. Of course, they are good enough to replace Emmental on your dishes.
9. Cheddar
Cheddar is among the most popular cheeses in the US due to its long history and flexibility. You can have raw cheddar with fruits or wine or pair cheddar in a wide range of recipes.
Aged cheddar is outstanding in its sharp and tangy taste, which is similar to aged Emmental. However, its melting ability is the main reason to replace Emmental with cheddar.
You can replace Emmental with cheddar in some melting recipes, such as pasta and lasagne. Just use a similar volume of cheddar for each part of Emmental.
Let’s learn how a renowned cheddar cheese brand is made in Vermont.
10. Gouda
Gouda has a dense texture with aromatic flavors, making it a fantastic alternative option for Emmental in terms of flavor and meltability. The recommended substitution ratio is 1:1.
This is a famous semi-hard Dutch cheese variety whose taste changes depending on age. While young Gouda has a mild, sweet, and nutty flavor, matured Gouda is more intense. That is quite similar to the Emmental taste.
Gouda may be a good option for your fondue, along with Gruyere and Emmental. It is also good to replace Emmental with Gouda for mac and cheese, eat raw Gouda as a snack, or pair it with fruit and crackers.
Let’s discover the interesting story of Gouda cheese.
11. Grevé Cheese
Grevé is a semi-hard cheese made from cow’s milk from Sweden. This cheese is similar to Emmental from taste to the appearance of endemic holes.
Grevé cheese has a pale yellow near to white color compared to Emmental. However, the taste of sweet and nutty Grevé is nearly the same as young Emmental. When the cheese is aged, this flavor becomes intense.
Grevé cheese can also melt beautifully. Usually, it is used to spread on bread, crackers, or salad. But when using it for cooking, it melts well for your dish, such as quiche Lorraine.
Grevé cheese is one of the best Scandinavian cheese varieties.
12. Edam Cheese
Similar to Gouda, Edam is a Dutch cheese with a bit drier texture. This is a semi-hard cheese that is made from cow’s milk and has a creamy flavor with a nutty note. You can immediately recognize the cheese by its attractive red coat.
Edam’s sweet and nutty flavor can replace Emmental in most dishes, such as salads, pasta, casseroles, or soups. Otherwise, Edam is also nice to enjoy alone.
Another reason for Edam to be the favored Emmental substitute is its availability. Since Edam has a long shelf life, you can store it for up to 7 months if properly stored.
13. Raclette Cheese
Raclette cheese is another substitute for Emmental cheese. Its name means “to scrape” in French, following the way it is served. You can find this Alpine Swiss cheese in some specialty stores for European products.
Raclette has fairly aromatic that will turn pungent during the aging process. When you melt the cheese, it tastes salty and slightly sweet, like nuts.
This cheese also has a sufficiently good melting ability to replace Emmental. Usually, you will see Raclette is served by scraping cheese directly on the food, like meat or bread. To replace Emmental with Raclette, you can use a ratio of 1:1.
FAQs
The world of cheese is plentiful, and it is hard to describe every detail in terms of each type’s flavor, texture, and color in one article. Therefore, keep reading for the frequently asked questions that can help you choose a suitable cheese to replace Emmental.
Finding Emmental Substitutes Is Easier Than You Think!
Since there are many substitutes for Emmental cheese, you do not have to worry if your Emmental runs out. Finding a substitute that matches the right flavor and texture is easier than you think. If there is a slight difference, it is always good to try new things, isn’t it?
If you find this article helpful, please share it with your friends and family. As always, I welcome any opinions in the comment section. So, let’s share all your thoughts and tips related to Emmental and its substitutes!
References
- Cheese, fontina Cheese, fontina nutrition facts and analysis
- MA;, J.Y.B.D.M.A.A.D. Sensory and chemical properties of gouda cheese, Journal of dairy science. US National Library of Medicine.
