• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Eat Like No One Else logo

  • ๐Ÿ  Home
  • โ„น๏ธ About
    • How to Eat Like No One Else
  • ๐ŸŽ„ Christmas
    • Christmas Breakfast
    • Christmas Cookies
    • Christmas Food Guides
    • Shopping for Christmas Dinner
  • ๐ŸŽ Shop for Gifts
  • ๐Ÿฝ๏ธ Recipes
  • โœ๏ธ Sign Up for Virtual Events
  • ๐Ÿšซ Reduce Food Waste
  • ๐Ÿ”จ Work With Us
  • ๐Ÿ“ Privacy Policy
  • Navigation Menu: Social Icons

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
menu icon
go to homepage
  • โ„น๏ธ About Us
  • ๐Ÿฝ๏ธ Recipes
  • ๐ŸŽ™๏ธ Podcast
  • ๐Ÿšซ Reduce Food Waste
  • ๐Ÿ›’ Best Grocery Stores
  • ๐ŸŽ Apples Reviews
  • ๐Ÿ”จ Work With Us
  • ๐Ÿ“ Privacy Policy
    • Instagram
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • โ„น๏ธ About Us
    • ๐Ÿฝ๏ธ Recipes
    • ๐ŸŽ™๏ธ Podcast
    • ๐Ÿšซ Reduce Food Waste
    • ๐Ÿ›’ Best Grocery Stores
    • ๐ŸŽ Apples Reviews
    • ๐Ÿ”จ Work With Us
    • ๐Ÿ“ Privacy Policy
    • Instagram
  • ร—

    Home ยป Cheese Types ยป What is Gouda Cheese? [How It's Made & Uses For It]

    What is Gouda Cheese? [How It's Made & Uses For It]

    Published: May 7, 2021 by Eric Samuelson

    Everything you wanted to know about this Dutch cheese. Learn how it's made, what it tastes like, and why young gouda is one of my favorite cheeses.

    We will talk about young vs. aged versions of this popular cheese as well.

    A red wax gouda cheese with a small triangle shaped wedge taken out of it, sitting on a wood cutting board with the words "What is Gouda Cheese" in a purple block at the bottom.

    This post includesย affiliateย links. This means that atย noย additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase. These are products and services I recommend because I use or trust them. Cookies will be used to track theย affiliateย links you click.

    This post is a part of my What is Cheese Series? featuring | Muenster | Brick | Gouda | Colby

    The wonderful world of cheese. It's a rather big world.

    You can spend a lifetime trying different types of cheese and a fun lifetime it would be. It's amazing what you can do by just starting with milk.

    My mission is to help you better understand some of them, so you can better know how to select them and use them.

    Today, we are looking at that favorite Dutch cheese, Gouda!

    Jump to:
    • ๐ŸŒ Origin
    • โ“ How is It Made?
    • ๐Ÿฅ› What Type of Milk
    • ๐Ÿ‘… What Does It Taste Like?
    • ๐Ÿ•ฏ๏ธ Black Wax vs. Red Wax
    • ๐Ÿ“… 1000 Day Gouda
    • ๐Ÿ What Is It Used For?
    • ๐Ÿ„ It Is Made with Raw Milk?
    • ๐Ÿ›’ Recommendations
    • ๐Ÿง€ More Cheese

    ๐ŸŒ Origin

    Like many cheeses (such as Colby), Gouda is named after it's place of origin, the city of Gouda in the Netherlands.

    This town has been a cheese center for quite a while. A weighing house, a place where one brings their cheese to be weighed, was built way back in 1668. This building has been restored and still stands to this day.

    Most of the cheese that is produced in Holland today is Gouda. If you can find Gouda labeled Noord-Hollandse Gouda, then you know you are getting Gouda from southern Holland.

    โ“ How is It Made?

    Gouda is made by a process of washing the curd. Here is what takes place:

    1. Some of the whey is drained
    2. It is replaced by warm water
    3. Then drained again
    4. More water is added
    5. Water is heated, which will help expel moisture from inside the curd
    6. The cheese is pressed for hours, even days (giving the cheese it's flat round shape)
    7. The cheese is aged on average from as little as 1 month up to 3 years.

    The purpose of washing the curd is to reduce the amount of lactose in the cheese. Lactose is the naturally occurring milk sugars.

    ๐Ÿฅ› What Type of Milk

    The majority of gouda cheese is made with cow's milk. But you can also find goat's milk versions as well. Some of the most stunning cheese in the cheese counter is the bright white goat milk gouda.

    Less often, but not impossible to find is a sheep's milk gouda. Murray's Cheese sells the highly rated Ewephoria Sheep Gouda.

    A plate with 3 different types of gouda cheese.

    ๐Ÿ‘… What Does It Taste Like?

    Never had Gouda before?

    Well it has a sort of sweet, slight fruity taste that increases with age. The cheese become harder and more brittle. It's a creamy cheese, a lot more so than cheddar. The best Goudas will also be the creamiest.

    Cheesemakers like to add spices to the milder young Goudas. Some popular choices are cumin and caraway. You can also find smoked Goudas at most supermarkets.

    Maple Leaf Red Wax Gouda on display at a grocery store. A sign on top of the cheese details all the info about it.

    ๐Ÿ•ฏ๏ธ Black Wax vs. Red Wax

    Red Wax = 6 months; Black Wax = 12-18 months

    Often you will see Gouda come in either a black wax or a red wax. These colors can be used as a guide. The red wax Gouda tends to be the younger Gouda, aged around 6 months or so.

    While the black wax Gouda is an aged version, usually aged from 12-18 months.

    When gouda is young it has a buttery flavor. As it ages it dried out and the flavor of a nutty flavor (Parmesan is an example of a nutty cheese)

    Emporium Selection 1,000 Day Aged Gouda Cheese in plastic wrap being held up at the grocery store.

    ๐Ÿ“… 1000 Day Gouda

    Sometimes you will see a gouda labelled as a 1000 Day Gouda. I have seen it at ALDI in the past, especially around the holiday season. This gouda has been aged for over 2 ยฝ years! If you want a nutty, sharp flavor this is one to try out.

    The texture of the cheese will be more crumbly and not good for melting. It's best eaten paired with fruit like apples or pears. It's also good crumbled up on top of a salad.

    Trader Joe's sells a 1000 day one year round.

    ๐Ÿ What Is It Used For?

    Gouda is a great melting cheese. I like to combine some with cheddar for mac & cheese. It works well on any cheese board. I sampled some recently along with some relatively mild cheeses and it went really well. I also have heard that it works well in cheese soups.

    Smoked gouda is great for sandwiches, mashed potatoes, and most certainly burgers.

    Gouda can be used to make grilled cheese sandwiches.

    RELATED - Does Gouda Cheese Melt?

    ๐Ÿ„ It Is Made with Raw Milk?

    Most of the cheese that you find in the US isn't made with raw milk. In order for it to be sold as a raw milk cheese it has to be aged for 60 days.

    You may be able to find some gouda that is made with raw milk, most of the time it's harder to find. Here is a list of cheese makers that do a raw milk gouda.

    • Edelweiss Creamery
    • Marieke
    • Milky Way Farm
    • Bunker Hill Cheese (I have had this one, it's pretty sharp)

    If you know any others make sure to let us know in the comments below.

    Beemster Graskaas gouda cheese in front of a white foam board.
    Grasskaas is a type of gouda that is made from spring milk from very happy cows.

    ๐Ÿ›’ Recommendations

    You may be asking what the best gouda is? Well that depends on your taste. Let me offer up a list of my favorites and then some more details about them

    • Beemster Graskass
    • Youngsters First Milk
    • Jeffs Select
    • Eichtens
    • Kerrygold Blarney Castle

    On the top of the list is Beemster Graskass. This Gouda comes directly from Northern Holland. The unique thing about this cheese is the milk that is used for it. The milk is from the first milking of the spring, when the cows are released to graze the fields for the first time since before winter. This produces a cheese that is extremely creamy and delicious. I used 4 ounces of this cheese along with 4 oz of sharp cheddar to make the best macaroni & cheese I have ever made.

    Also look for the similar Youngsters First Milk gouda.

    Another top gouda that I recently tried is Jeffs Select Gouda. It has a bold, salty taste that I also enjoyed melting over some noodles.

    Wedges of Eichten's Hidden Acres Dutch Gouda in it's packaging on top of a white board.

    One of my favorite finds at the St. Paul Farmer's Market in Minnesota was the delicious gouda made by Eichtens. I loved it so much that I ordered some in 2020 when I was stuck in my house, so now it's forever tied to that time period in my mind.

    Kerrygold's Blarney Castle cheese is a gouda style cheese that you should check out if you are a fan of a mild gouda.

    ๐Ÿง€ More Cheese

    Learn more about these types of cheese:

    • Colby (vs. Cheddar)
    • Muenster
    • Panela
    • Skellig
    • Blarney Castle
    • Dubliner
    • Brick
    • Pinconning
    « Which is Better - Sous Vide vs. Grilled Steak
    Cooking with Olive Oil vs. Vegetable Oil »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. christie

      October 08, 2015 at 8:14 pm

      my husband loves gouda cheese... particularly smoked gouda. BUT, we've never been able to get it to melt! even baked in jalapenos, the cheese just stays in a solid piece. is the melt-ability dependant on how long it has been aged?

    2. Eric Samuelson

      October 09, 2015 at 5:38 am

      I haven't had any problems melting gouda. What type of gouda are you using and how are you trying to melt it?

    3. frances

      February 11, 2016 at 2:01 am

      I recently found a place here in california but it seemed to have buttery taste to it and it is now my favorite I also got the smoked as well and it is just as delicious

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    Nice to Meet You,

    Hi! I'm Eric : Father of 4, living just south of Ann Arbor, MI. I'm a reformed picky eater finding a new way to not conform. Eating what's in season is my jam (I also make it!)

    โ˜˜๏ธ Instant Pot Corned Beef Recipe

    Categories

    Top Posts & Pages

    Episode 100 - How to Cook Sausage in a Hotel Room
    Episode 099 - Best Fish to Buy at ALDI
    Vacuum Packed Corned Beef Shelf Life
    Episode 096 - Why Is It "Corned" Beef?

    Recent Posts

    • Episode 100 - How to Cook Sausage in a Hotel Room
    • Episode 099 - Best Fish to Buy at ALDI
    • Vacuum Packed Corned Beef Shelf Life
    • Episode 096 - Why Is It "Corned" Beef?
    • ALDI Corned Beef Price & Meal Plan

    Reduce Food Waste in Your House

    Copyright © 2023 Eat Like No One Else on the Foodie Pro Theme