10 Taleggio Cheese Substitutes (We Recommend Number 7)

Because it isn’t a very mainstream cheese around the world, you may find yourself looking for taleggio cheese substitutes when whipping up a recipe.

The alternative is searching high and low for a cheese that isn’t readily available and when you find it, paying more than you would for other cheeses. 

Picking an Alternatives for Taleggio Cheese is easy when you use this list of 7 popular choices. These cheeses blend well into any recipe or situation that calls for the cheese.

Almost all of these options have the same thing in common, they melt like taleggio.

10 Substitutes for Taleggio cheese

Gruyere Cheese

The taste of gruyere can vary widely based on the age of the cheese. Regardless, it tends to offer a slightly sweet and nutty flavor.

While it is not similar in taste to taleggio, it functions the same when cooking.

For instance, it is a very easily melted cheese. In fact, when melted in recipes, the end result is always extra creamy.

Gruyere is a type of Swiss cheese but has significantly fewer eyes than traditional Swiss cheeses. In addition to being a great melting cheese, it is frequently enjoyed in slices on sandwiches. 

Brie Cheese

Traditionally made from cow’s milk, brie is a creamy cheese that originated in France.

Taleggio is a lot like brie in that it is also made from cow’s milk, it is semi-soft, and has a pungent smell with a mild taste.

Because of their close similarities, brie makes a great Substitute for Taleggio Cheese.

Brie can come in different flavors depending on the ingredients used to make it. It can be spread on crackers or toast, baked in the oven, placed on a cheese board, or even used to make grilled cheese sandwiches.

Bel Paese Cheese

If you find the taste of taleggio overpowering, then bel paese may be the alternative for you.

Originating from Italy, this semi-soft cheese offers diners a mild flavor that can be compared to mozzarella. The two kinds of cheese have the same melting properties. 

Bel paese is an excellent choice for a pizza topping, dessert cheese, casserole ingredient, soup ingredient, and sandwich cheese.

It pairs well with wine. It’s made in sizes ranging from small discs to large wheels and is pale yellow. The cheese is hard to spread but easy to slice.

Fontina Cheese

Another great Substitute for Taleggio Cheese is fontina cheese.

Fontina is an Italian washed-rind cheese that is excellent for melting. It is similar to taleggio in that it offers a pungent aroma with a tangy flavor.

There are only small differences between the two, including that fontina has small holes and a slightly rougher texture. 

Fontina goes well in risotto, chowder, fondue, and gratin. This cheese can range from semi-soft to hard in texture and has a milk fat content of around 45%. Most of the time fontina is made without any additives, making it gluten-free. 

Limburger Cheese

If you love the pungent smell of taleggio cheese, look no further than Limburger cheese.

Limburger has such a strong smell that many find it offensive but for those who love a powerful smelling cheese, this is sure to be the one.

It is crumbly and firmer in its early stages and starts to become softer and saltier a few weeks later.

The main difference between the two kinds of cheese is that Limburger has a taste to match its smell, unlike taleggio. Limburger’s flavor is predominantly spicy and a bit aromatic with undertones of sweetness.

Urgelia Cheese

Urgelia has a mild, buttery flavor. It features a moist orange-brown rind and small irregular holes. It is a washed rind cheese that features an excellent creamy texture.

Urgelia is also a pressed cheese that comes from pasteurized whole milk. It is slightly salty due to the bringing during the aging process. 

The inside of the cheese is ivory to straw-colored and has many small holes throughout. It holds its shape well when grilling or baking. Like taleggio, it’s great for melting. This cheese pairs well with fruit, beer, and wine, and also melts nicely over vegetables. 

Robiola Cheese

Robiola is an Italian cheese from the same family as taleggio.

It’s much yellower but shares the same tangy flavor as taleggio, making it an excellent Substitute for Taleggio Cheese.

Typically made from cow’s milk, it can also be made from goat or sheep’s milk. This cheese comes in several varieties that range in color from straw-yellow to milky-white.

The taste and appearance of the cheese will vary based on where it was produced. Robiola is often served as a table cheese and can be cooked into risotto or specialty spaghetti dishes.

Havarti Cheese

Danish cream cheese is derived from cow’s milk and is semi-soft. It is another one of the excellent Taleggio cheese substitutes used for melting, grilling, or slicing.

Havarti is made as rennet is introduced to the milk to create curdling. These curds are gently formed into molds of cheese, which are allowed to dry as they mature.

It has no rind and a smooth, bright surface with yellow or cream hues. Tiny, intermittent openings are often referred to as “eyes.” With a scent similar to butter, some sharper varieties are denser. As it ages, it develops a saltier flavor similar to hazelnut.

Pont- l’Eveque cheese

Pont-l’Eveque is perhaps the most ideal of the Taleggio cheese substitutes. It is a popular cheese from France and has a rather pungent smell. This cheese has a smooth texture; the center is creamy, soft, and pale yellow.

Made from cow’s milk, this is an unpressed cheese. It is normally a square shape, approximately 3.9 inches and 1.2 inches tall, weighing around 14 ounces.

Pont-l’Eveque is a creamy cheese with a slightly yellow tint, delicate texture, and pungent odor. It is an uncooked cheese with a washed rind surrounding it with a soft brownish-orange coloring.

Gorgonzola Dolce Cheese

In Italian, the name dolce means “sweet” although this is an Italian cheese, it has popularity worldwide. Gorgonzola dolce makes another excellent Taleggio cheese substitute. It is made from cows’ milk, giving it a sweet taste.

This cheese is an Italian, buttery, and soft blue cheese. It first was derided in a small town near Milan called Lombardy during the 12th century.

Gorgonzola dolce is an extremely soft and pale cheese with blue veins speckled throughout it. Gorgonzola cheese has a taste comparable to that of torte gaudenzio and dolce verde cheeses.

LEARN MORE: 8 Substitute for Gouda Cheese

Conclusion

Taleggio cheese is a washed rind cheese with a strong aroma, thin crust, and fruity tang. When it’s not available or you just feel like a different kind of cheese, there are a plethora of taleggio cheese substitutes available to choose from.

Whether you want a cheese with a strong aroma or one that has a flavorful punch, there’s something for everyone.

Nearly all of the substitutes we found have the same melting properties and can be used for the same types of foods as taleggio. While the taste may not be perfectly replicated, the consistency will be almost identical.