Goat cheese, also known as Chèvre, is one of the oldest types of cheese, dating back to Ancient Greece. This cheese is made by separating the curds from raw goat milk and pressing it numerous times. Although this cheese is popular, several goat cheese substitute options can serve in its place.
Goat cheese is popular in Norway, Italy, France, and Belgium and is well-known worldwide. This cheese is sweet with a soft, creamy texture and tanginess in its aged variants. However, its harsh taste and high cost stop it from becoming a truly global food since many people can’t stand it.
This article will cover all the alternatives that make a good substitute for goat cheese and when to use them.
Contents
What Is Goat Cheese?
Goat cheese or Chèvre (from its French heritage) is a traditional cheese made from goat’s milk. This cheese has little moisture, with a unique earthy and tangy taste that some people love.
Fresh goat cheese is soft with a savory flavor like cottage cheese. However, aged goat cheese has a strong flavor, like aged cow’s milk cheese. So, this cheese can either be crumbly like feta or hard like sliceable cheese.
Many also use this cheese for their charcuterie boards, salads, dips, and toppings for several dishes. You can also use it for a unique burst of flavor on your pizza or with apples, sausages, and caramelized onions.
Goat cheese offers few calories, making it a healthy source of vitamin B, phosphorus, probiotics, and saturated fats.
Goat Cheese Substitute
This list contains many substitutes that’ll do for people that can’t get their hands on goat cheese. These substitutes provide the same tanginess and health benefits as goat cheese.
1. Cream Cheese
Cream cheese is the goat cheese substitute when you need that creamy feel in your dish. This white cheese has a sweet and sour taste but without the unique tang of goat cheese. You can include plain yogurt in your dish to mimic that tanginess.
Even though it is a bit fatty, cream cheese works well as a dessert ingredient or a simple spread for bread. You can also use it to replace goat cheese when you’re making creamy pasta or stuffed dates.
2. Blue Cheese
Like goat cheese, blue cheese is also one of the oldest types of cheese. Blue cheese can be made from cow, goat, or sheep milk. Its defining characteristic is the blue-green spots around the cheese which form due to the penicillium culture used to make it.
Blue cheese can also be hard or crumbly, depending on your taste. It has a strong flavor and odor that’s reminiscent of goat cheese. Fresh blue cheese is best when replacing goat cheese, and it’s perfect for serving with crackers, wine, and fruit.
3. Ricotta Cheese
Ricotta cheese is one of the options to consider when you want the exact taste of goat cheese, not something similar. The only drawback to this alternative is that its texture is more solid than goat cheese. It is made from either goat, cow, sheep, or even water buffalo milk.
This Italian cheese is one of the best options for a spreadable goat cheese substitute. Ricotta cheese is suitable for baked dishes or eating straight from the fridge. You can also add this cheese to pizzas or use it in cheesecake and pasta recipes.
4. Feta
Feta is the goat cheese substitute to go for when you’re making salads. Originating from Greece, feta is a salty, tangy, crumbly cheese that’s made from sheep or goat milk. It’s like goat cheese but without all the gaminess that characterizes it.
This goat cheese substitute is low-fat, low-carb, and also filled with protein, just like goat cheese. You can use this cheese to make dips like spinach and artichoke dip and as an ingredient in your pastries. It can also make a good substitute for avocado and goat cheese pizzas.
5. Tofu
Lactose-intolerant people and vegans can’t eat goat cheese because it comes from an animal. Tofu, however, is a goat cheese substitute that’ll do for anyone that wants a crumbly, low-cholesterol, dairy-free option.
Tofu is made from bean curd (coagulated soy milk). It undergoes a similar process to goat cheese to form the required texture. The beauty of tofu is that it’s an excellent absorber of flavors and seasonings. This makes it a suitable goat cheese alternative for baking and sautéing.
Conclusion
It doesn’t matter what you want to use your goat cheese for. The alternatives on this list will offer excellent results. Any goat cheese substitute on this list will work well with salads, pizzas, pasta, and baked goods.