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The 8 Best Gorgonzola Substitutes For Your Recipes

Gorgonzola is a veined blue cheese that has been produced for centuries in Gorgonzola, a town near Milan, in Northern Italy. Gorgonzola is one of the most known and most loved cheeses, particularly appreciated by cheese lovers all over the world.

If you’re trying to make a recipe that calls for gorgonzola but you don’t have it on hand, or you couldn’t find it at the supermarket, here are the best gorgonzola substitutes for your recipes.

The best substitutes for gorgonzola

Gorgonzola cheese is the best known among the blue-veined Italian cheeses and gets its name from Gorgonzola, a town just outside of Milan, where it was originally made and it’s still produced nowadays.

Gorgonzola’s main characteristic is the blue veins that come from the molds released in the milk during the making process: as they age, they form the well-known greenish-blue streaks and spots.

You can easily find both mild and sharp versions of this uncooked cow’s milk cheese on the market, and they can both be very versatile in the kitchen.

Gorgonzola is usually served with mascarpone in a creamy sauce, with chopped hazelnuts, and can be enjoyed with fruit, vegetables, chocolate jams, honey, and mostarda. It also goes nicely with raw vegetables or as the main ingredient in a salad dressing.

It pairs well with cooked vegetables, like potatoes and zucchini, fresh fruits, like figs and apples, and even dried fruits. It’s also common to mix it with jams, mustards, and vegetable sauces.

Whatever ingredient you pair it with, remember that gorgonzola should be kept at room temperature for at least half-hour to one hour before eating, to make sure you’re enjoying the most of its unique gorgonzola taste.

Fresh gorgonzola can be stored in the refrigerator for 5-6 days, wrapped in plastic or aluminum foil, and in a sealed airtight container.

Gorgonzola is used in countless and various recipes, from polenta to risotto, so it’s really good to have an idea of which cheeses you could eventually use in its place. Here are the best gorgonzola substitutes we recommend!

1. Roquefort

The first gorgonzola substitute we’re going to talk about is Roquefort cheese, made from sheep’s milk and with a tangy taste that really resembles gorgonzola.

The original Roquefort comes from Southern France. You may find similar cheeses produced elsewhere in the world, but the only cheese that can bear the Roquefort name is the one aged in the natural Combalou caves of Roquefort-Sur-Soulzon, as stated by the European policy

This cheese is white, tangy, and slightly moist, with a very characteristic smell and flavor: the blue mold veins are the element that provides the sharp tang. Roquefort has no rind, but the exterior is edible.

Roquefort cheese is a little bit creamier than gorgonzola, but it can work as an amazing substitute because of the similar gorgonzola flavor, although the taste is a bit milder.

2. Bleu d’Auvergne

The second gorgonzola cheese substitute is Bleu d’Auvergne, another French cheese made from cow’s milk and characterized by blue mold veins just like gorgonzola.

Bleu d’Auvergne has a strong and pungent taste, slightly spicier than gorgonzola, but to a lesser extent than other blue cheeses. It’s salty, creamy, and moist, with a buttery taste.

Keep in mind that Bleu d’Auvergne reaches its peak taste when it’s fully matured, so if you want to replace the intensity of gorgonzola, you should really go for a longer-aged Bleu d’Auvergne.

Bleu d’Auvergne is used in a variety of different recipes, from salad dressing to pasta seasonings, and it can also be used as a piece of cheese for snacking or for cheese boards. It goes well with red wines and dark beers.

3. Gorgonzola dolce

Another really good gorgonzola alternative is actually another version of gorgonzola: gorgonzola dolce, which means “sweet gorgonzola” in Italian and is basically a milder version. Gorgonzola and gorgonzola dolce can be used almost interchangeably, because gorgonzola is also a good gorgonzola dolce substitute.

Gorgonzola dolce is a soft, buttery cheese made from pasteurized cow’s milk. It’s sweeter and not as intense as gorgonzola, so it can be an amazing option to replace regular gorgonzola if you don’t really enjoy its taste.

Gorgonzola dolce has a pale yellow color and a melty paste, with a wide distribution of blue and green veins. It must be aged for a minimum of 45 days to really develop its characteristics, and it has a slightly softer texture than gorgonzola.

Gorgonzola dolce can be used to flavor all kinds of pasta dishes and risotto, and it’s also used in the production of sauces and creams. It goes well with red and white wines, especially if aged.

4. Goat cheese

If you’re looking for a gorgonzola replacement but you don’t really like the intensity of its flavor, goat cheese can be an amazing idea: it goes well with many foods, and its creaminess can replicate gorgonzola perfectly in many dishes.

Goat cheese is quite versatile: you can use it crumbled on salads, you can use it to spice up a sandwich or a pasta dish, and you can even use it on a cheese board since it pairs well with pretty much anything you partner it with.

Another really good benefit of using goat cheese is that it has a lower fat content, so it’s perfect if you’re trying to eat healthily.

5. Stilton cheese

Stilton is another cheese like gorgonzola, and probably one of your best choices when looking for something close to the original.

Stilton is an English cheese with a beautiful interior streaked with blue mold. The texture is crumbly and soft, the taste is intense and rich, with creamy and nutty notes, and a salty and tangy finish that makes it pretty similar to gorgonzola.

Keep in mind that there’s a difference between blue Stilton, which is much more similar to gorgonzola in taste, and white Stilton, which is creamier and a bit milder.

Another thing to keep in mind is that young Stilton has a slightly acidic flavor, while aged Stilton becomes softer and creamier, and can easily be used instead of gorgonzola in almost any recipes you might need.

Stilton cheese can be used in pasta dishes, salads, and risottos, but it can also be used in desserts, mixed with honey, walnuts, and fresh fruits like apples.

6. Danish blue

One more cheese similar to gorgonzola is Danish blue, also known as Danablu, which belongs to the same family of blue cheeses and is also made from cow’s milk.

The taste of Danish blue is sharp and salty since it contains 25-30% salt, and it’s pretty close to the flavor of gorgonzola. Danish blue is also a really good source of protein and calcium.

Using Danish blue as a gorgonzola substitute will allow you to reach an extraordinarily creamy consistency in soups or pasta dishes, and this cheese also pairs really well with beef, veal, or pork.

7. Fourme d’Ambert

Another amazing substitution for gorgonzola cheese is Fourme d’Ambert, one of France’s oldest cheeses that belongs to the same blue cheese family as gorgonzola.

Fourme d’Ambert is made from raw cow’s milk and has a distinct narrow and cylindrical shape. It’s inoculated with the same fungus used to make Roquefort, Stilton, and gorgonzola, and then aged for at least 28 days.

The cheese’s interior is creamy white and marked with blue veining, and the texture is creamy and open. Fourme d’Ambert has a smooth and balanced flavor, with notes of butter and cream, and it’s overall a good replacement for gorgonzola.

It’s typically paired with wine, especially when honey is added, but it can also be eaten as a snack with bread and fruit or crumbled on top of salads.

8. Shropshire blue

One last great substitute for gorgonzola cheese is Shropshire blue, a cow’s milk cheese made in the United Kingdom, whose blue veins come from the same fungus used to produce Stilton, Danish blue, and Roquefort.

Shropshire blue is made from pasteurized cow’s milk and vegetable rennet, and its orange color comes from the addition of annatto, a completely natural food coloring that is also used for cheddar.

The texture is soft and the taste is sharp and strong, with a tangy aroma and a sour note that makes it really similar to gorgonzola.

You can use it in salads, in pasta dishes, and even in risotto: the only thing you have to keep in mind is that the color is obviously pretty different from gorgonzola, so if that’s a deal-breaker for you, you should pick something else.

How to choose a gorgonzola substitute

All the alternatives we talked about work amazingly well as substitutes for gorgonzola, so choose the best option based on your needs but also on your personal taste.

You can easily divide the substitutes into two main categories: those with a similar taste and flavor, and those with a milder taste.

If you’re looking for a replacement for gorgonzola cheese with a pretty similar flavor, your best choices are Roquefort, Bleu d’Auvergne, Stilton cheese, Danish blue, and Fourme d’Ambert.

If you’re looking for a substitute because you don’t enjoy the taste and you want something milder, your best choices are gorgonzola dolce or goat cheese.

Shropshire blue is an amazing substitute if you’re looking for a similar taste, but keep in mind that the color is very different from gorgonzola.

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Passionate chef, in love with everything related to food and cooking it to perfection!
Michael Cook
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