14 Goat's Cheese Substitutes

One of the best goat cheese substitutes has to be cream cheese. They have a similar creamy and smooth texture, and can be used in similar recipes. Cream cheese has a mild flavor in comparison to goat cheese, but there is a way to alter the taste of cream cheese.

Add a bit of Greek yogurt to cream cheese to give the classic tanginess of goat cheese. It will also make the cream cheese softer and easier to use in recipes. Cream cheese works best as a goat cheese substitute in pasta dishes and spreads. 

Finding cream cheese is easy, and it is one of the more affordable cheeses on the market. 

To substitute goat cheese, feta is an amazing replacement. Feta cheese hails from Greece, and has a similar taste and texture to goat cheese. To use feta cheese as a goat cheese substitute, use a little less than the recipe calls for.

Feta cheese is generally saltier than goat cheese, so it’s best to use less feta in recipes. It also is a bit firmer than goat’s cheese, but it is still soft enough to be a good goat’s cheese substitute. 

For salads and Greek dishes that require goat’s cheese, feta can work perfectly.

Labneh is a type of yogurt cheese that comes from the Mediterranean region. Its texture is similar to goat cheese and a tangy flavor. Thanks to its creamy texture, labneh is best used as a substitute for goat cheese in dips and spreads.

It is not as good of a substitute in pasta dishes or baked goods.

Finding a healthy substitute for goat cheese may be difficult, but ricotta cheese is a great option. Thanks to its low-fat content, ricotta is an awesome healthy alternative to goat cheese. 

There are a few setbacks on using ricotta cheese as a goat cheese substitute. Ricotta has a mild taste and a looser texture. The best way to improve ricotta cheese is to add a bit of salt into it. It will make the flavor much closer to goat cheese. 

Ricotta cheese can be made from a variety of milks like cow milk, sheep milk or goat milk. So, with the addition of salt, the fresh cheese of ricotta can be close to goat’s cheese. Just be aware that it may have a bit more liquid than goat cheese.

This may sound like a strange substitute for goat cheese, but mascarpone cheese has a similar creamy texture. If all you need from goat cheese is its addition of texture in a recipe, then mascarpone is the best goat cheese substitute.

However, if you need a great substitute that gives the same flavor as goat cheese, then mascarpone may not be a good option. Mascarpone is a sweeter fresh cheese that is usually used in desserts and baked goods. 

For those that don’t like goat cheese’s strong flavors, mascarpone is the cheese alternative for you!

For those on a dairy-free diet, tofu is a fantastic substitute for goat cheese. It is best to use a medium-firm to firm tofu as a replacement, as the tofu will be closer in texture to crumbled goat cheese. The vegan replacement is great in texture, but not as much for its flavor.

To make tofu effectively replace goat cheese, there are a few things to do first. Gently squeeze the tofu to release some of the water in the tofu. Mix the drained tofu with salt and nutritional yeast to make its flavor closer to goat cheese. 

You can also add in other spices and herbs to change up the tofu’s flavors to make it fit whatever recipe you need.

One of the best goat cheese substitutes on the market is blue cheese. It may not be as light in texture as goat cheese, but it is just as crumbly. Blue cheese can be made from goat’s milk, sheep’s milk, or cow’s milk. Any of these blue cheese varieties can work as a substitute for goat cheese.

To replace goat cheese with blue cheese, it is best to go with fresh blue cheese. Aged blue cheese grows stronger in flavor and texture as time goes on, so it’s best to stick with fresh cheese. 

Use blue cheese as a substitute in savory meals as it is saltier than goat cheese.

Cottage cheese is a great substitute for goat cheese, but it requires a bit of work. In flavor, cottage cheese has a slightly salty taste akin to fresh goat’s cheese. It can be used in both savory and sweet recipes that require goat’s milk cheese. 

Unfortunately, cottage cheese is not as close to goat cheese when it comes to texture. The best way to use cottage cheese as a substitute for goat cheese is to place it in a blender or food processor and blend it. 

Blend until it gets creamy, then put it in the fridge for some time to settle for it to reach the desired texture. 

This step will make cottage cheese a much better replacement. It’s one of the best goat’s cheese substitutes in dessert recipes and savory recipes. 

You may not have heard of fromage blanc before, but it is an amazing substitute for goat cheese. Its texture is like cream cheese, so it is a bit creamier in texture, but fromage blanc is close to goat cheese in taste. 

Fromage blanc is usually made from cow’s milk, which gives it a mild but tart flavor. It is a better replacement for recipes calling for fresh goat milk cheese. It is best to use fromage blanc as a substitute in recipes where goat cheese isn’t the star of the show, because it is milder in flavor.

The French cheese also has a higher fat content, so you may want to use less fromage blanc in the recipe.

Yogurt as a substitute for goat cheese? It sounds strange, but greek yogurt is an awesome replacement for goat’s cheese. When making greek yogurt, most of the whey is taken out so it is lower in lactose and has a thicker consistency.

Plain, full-fat greek yogurt is what you should use to replace goat’s cheese. Do not use regular plain yogurt instead. Greek yogurt has a firmer texture and more tangy taste, so it’s a great and healthy way to replace goat’s cheese. 

It doesn’t have the same texture as goat’s cheese, so greek yogurt should be used more in smooth and creamy recipes over crumbly cheese recipes. You can always add a squeeze of lemon juice to the yogurt to make its flavor stronger.

Parmesan is an accessible goat’s cheese alternative that is close to goat’s cheese in taste. It is made from cow’s milk and aged, which gives parmesan cheese its signature strong flavor. 

The texture is different, as Parmesan cheese is much harder than goat’s cheese. But, it can be sprinkled or sliced over pasta dishes and baked goods. It will melt and taste similar to goat’s cheese. 

Using parmesan cheese as a goat’s cheese substitute will provide any dish a lovely saltiness with a hint of nuttiness. It is mostly used as a goat’s cheese substitute in savory meals, but you can use it in a dessert. It will add a nice tang that will bring out the dessert’s sweetness.

Emmental cheese is a popular cow’s milk cheese that is commonly used in sandwiches or with fruits. It has a yellow-ish color, and is filled with holes. A bite of emmental tastes a bit sour, but it has a mild flavor compared to goat’s cheese.

Though emmental differs from goat cheese in flavor, its creamy taste and texture make emmental one of the better goat’s cheese substitutes.

Thanks to emmental’s mild taste, it can be used as a replacement for goat’s cheese in numerous recipes. It is best to use in savory dishes or with bread.

Hailing from Spain, Manchego cheese comes from sheep’s milk. It is a harder cheese than goat’s cheese, but it has a slightly sweet flavor akin to fresh goat’s cheese. Manchego may be different in texture to goat’s cheese, but it is used in similar recipes. 

Use manchego cheese instead of goat’s cheese as a table cheese. It goes well with a drizzle of honey or a sweet marmalade. It fits many different flavor profiles, and is quite a versatile cheese. 

To use manchego as a substitute for goat cheese, keep it as is for a cheese board, or grate it into a hot dish.

Not to be confused with Brie, Camembert is a good substitute for goat’s cheese. The soft cheese is much creamier than goat’s cheese, but it has a similar milky and tangy taste. The rind of camembert is completely fine to eat, and adds a lot of flavor to the dish. 

To get the best results of using camembert as a goat’s cheese substitute, it is best to go with a young camembert. As camembert ages, its flavors get stronger and it won’t taste as much like goat’s cheese.

Enjoy camembert as a substitute as a spread with crackers, or on a cheese board with fruits. Bake the camembert for a lovely and smooth spread that will make for a delicious goat’s cheese alternative.