Got a recipe that calls for cheddar cheese and you want to try something else? Or you are just wanting to give something new a try and you are already a cheddar lover? Let us show you what makes the best substitute or alternative. All the options will work as a 1:1 substitute.
We all know and love cheddar cheese. The beauty of it is that is comes in a taste for everyone from mild to medium to sharp to extremely sharp to painfully sharp. I think that is why it has such mass appeal.
However, maybe you are looking to try something different. Or maybe you are going to make something cheddar right now but you don't have enough for your recipe? What else could you use? Let us show you some other cheese types that have the potential to be a good substitute.
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♻️ Substitutions
There are many cheeses that are close to cheddar but not quite cheddar along with several that are suitable stand-ins. Sorry I didn't put American cheese on this list, only real cheeses featured here!
- Colby
- Co-Jack
- Double Gloucester
- Pinconning
- Red Leicester
- Dubliner
- Cheddar Style cheese (like Edun)
- Different ages of Gouda
- Cabot Catamount Hills
Cheddar has it's origin in England, so no surprise there are several English cheeses that are similar like Double Gloucester and Red Leicster. Not far away in Ireland, you get Dubliner cheese (made by Kerrygold) with a cheddar like flavor with notes of Parmesan.
You will find a lot of cheddar like cheese made in the US like Catamount Hills from Cabot and Red Barn Edun cheese.
Pinconning cheese is made in Pinconning, Michigan only a couple hours from where I grew up. It's more modeled after a Colby that can be aged well. It comes in all different ages just like cheddar.
Depending on your perfrences you can find an aged Gouda that fits your taste buds.
RELATED - What's the Difference Between Colby and Cheddar?
🧀 What Cheese is Most Similar
I would say Colby is extremely similar if we are talking about a mild cheddar. Sometimes it can be hard to even tell the difference, usually when it's a poor quality Colby.
For a sharper cheddar I think Red Leicester is one of the most similar.
🙋 What About Mozzarella?
I don't really think Mozzarella is a good replacement for cheddar as the flavor isn't strong enough. However you could do something like a grilled cheese with Mozzarella if you want because it will melt well. It will not work well in mac & cheese, far too weak in flavor to stand out in a cheese sauce.
❔ What About Parmesan?
Parmesan has enough flavor to sub in for cheddar, however it certainly doesn't melt like cheddar does, so it's not a good choice if you are looking to melt your cheese. But it would be fine on a cheese board where it's dry, nutty flavor is welcomed.
🍽️ Mac & Cheese
Cheddar is the go-to cheese for mac & cheese. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't swap it out sometimes, or swap some of it out. I often like to keep some cheddar but mix in some other cheese as well. This is great if you are making homemade mac & cheese but are short on cheddar but have some other cheese hanging around.
Here are some cheeses I would consider mixing it.
- Gouda
- Swiss or Baby swiss
- Gruyere
- Muenster
- Monterrey Jack
- Fontina
- Havarti
If it's a milder cheese, I would want to pair it with a sharper cheddar. A 50/50 mix of extra sharp cheddar and Muenster is delicious. The cheddar brings the flavor, while the Muenster brings the creaminess. Gouda and cheddar make a great pair for mac & cheese as well.
🥣 Soup
If you are making soup and are short on cheddar, you might look to Swiss, Fontina, or Gruyere to fill in the gap. Whenever adding cheese to a soup you want it to be finely grated or shredded. Then take time to slowly stir it in so that you don't end up with a clumps of cheese.
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