There’s nothing quite as unique and delightful as creamy, sweet mizithra cheese. This unique Greek cheese is used in tons of recipes ranging from pastas to pizzas and more. But what if you run out of mizithra cheese or can’t find any in the first place?
In that case, don’t worry – there are plenty of mizithra cheese substitutes to use in your recipe.
What is Mizithra Cheese?
This cheese, also just called mizithra, is a special type of Greek whey cheese. In some cases, it may be mixed with milk-whey cheese made with sheep and/or goat milk. Depending on what you need it for, mizithra cheese can be used fresh or salt-dried for grating into recipes.
This favorite Greek cheese (and many other popular Greek cheeses) is loved by many—and for good reason. It allows for a wide, fresh variety of recipes, you can find it with less whey, and it boasts an unforgettable sweet-and-salty flavor that is sure to highlight your favorite recipes and dishes.
Just watch out for the strong aroma, as it's not for everyone. Although mizithra can be found throughout Greece and at international groceries/markets, mizithra cheese is primarily made on Crete: a small island in Greece. This soft and snow-white cheese is very creamy, moist, and perfect for a wide variety of recipes.
Where Can I Find Mizithra?
Fortunately, if you're looking to buy mizithra cheese, you can find it easily online. However, your local supermarket may also have mizithra available to buy in-person, although it's not generally sold in all locations.
Check the dairy section of your grocery store or the foreign foods section, as it could be in either area.
In some cases, you can find mizithra at health food stores. But if you can't get your hands on any, you might want to consider a good substitute instead. Romano is a good choice for this.
Another great choice is mascarpone. This slightly sweet Italian cheese features a soft texture. But it also has a creamy, spreadable texture. As such, it makes a fine alternative to mizithra.
A Versatile Cheese
Its sweet flavor means that it’s oftentimes enjoyed as a dessert cheese, particularly when paired with other classical dessert ingredients like honey. Some recipes call for mizithra to be used as a table cheese or as a cheese in baking, salads, and cheese pies.
Mizithra cheese can be enjoyed salted and grated, after which is frequently used as a topper on dishes like pizzas. There are many savory dishes that can benefit from fresh mizithra cheese. You can even find mizithra in certain baked desserts, such as Greek cheesecake. Check out the savory cheesecake for inspiration!
Unique Flavor
The cheese gives the dessert a slightly sour taste. It also features a similar texture to other aged cheeses, and its silky texture makes it ideal for a wide variety of dishes, from vegetable dishes with meat sauce to thickening sauces and pasta dishes. It also goes great with fresh yogurt.
For such a versatile cheese, fresh or aged mizithra certainly gives you a lot to work with. You can also sprinkle it like Parmesan cheese in fresh form over a whole host of recipes and dishes. Try it with a Mexican dish to enhance the flavoring and give your dish an extra kick.
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8 Mizithra Cheese Substitutes
If you’re not able to find quality, authentic mizithra cheese at your local supermarket or online, don’t worry. Here is a list of Mizithra cheese substitutes you can likely use for your recipe.
First up is nutritional food yeast, which is oftentimes sold as a pale yellow color powder or flakes. Nutritional yeast is frequently used by vegans to substitute dairy ingredients in classic and popular dish recipes.
Importantly, nutritional yeast is a low-fat ingredient but still high in vitamins and proteins. It offers a stellar cheesy and creamy flavor reminiscent of fresh myzithra in more ways than one.
This is perhaps the best choice for vegans or vegetarians who want to make a recipe with mizithra but don’t want to compromise on your diet.
You're still getting the rich taste but with the same acidity or lower. It's a fresh product that is sure to serve you well in your recipes.
Where can you go wrong with Parmesan? Parmesan is a naturally hard cheese frequently used in cooking (practically no one eats Parmesan plain). This pale yellow cheese is a perfect topper for spaghetti, but it’s also used in salads, pizzas, and any cheese-heavy recipes.
You can find this cheese in block form or in the crumbly texture variety. It boasts a generally light aroma and goes well with tomato dishes.
Get quality Parmesan from your supermarket, and it will mimic the taste and texture of aged mizithra pretty well, even though it won’t be quite as creamy. Parmesan is also a little saltier than mizithra on average.
Cojita cheese hails from Mexico. It’s made from cow’s milk and is typically sold in big round blocks. However, your supermarket may also have it already grated. As you may guess, cojita is frequently used for tacos, soups, and salads.
Note that it’s not very salty, but it still has a strong flavor. In this way, it’s also very like mizithra (at least in its fresh, pre-dried form).
Don't forget feta cheese! This white-colored cheese is another native Greek invention. As a brined cheese, it is made by combining goat and sheep's milk. It's also naturally very salty. Therefore, it's more similar to dried mizithra than fresh mizithra. But you can still use it in baked dishes, on top of pasta, and in salads.
To truly mimic the texture of mizithra, try to mash up your feta cheese beforehand so it is a little less crumbly and grainy than usual.
Kefalotyri is a salty, hard, and yellow cheese originating in Greece and Cyprus. Typically, this cheese is found in grated form over meat dishes or pasta. Therefore, it’s really only a substitute for mizithra if you are planning to grate your mizithra in the first place.
Pecorino Romano cheese is also salty and hard, but it’s made from sheep’s milk just like mizithra. You’ll typically find Pecorino Romano in grated form, so it’s ideal for mimicking the taste and texture of grated mizithra cheese.
Perhaps more importantly, you shouldn’t have any trouble finding this cheese due to its widespread availability. Thus, this could work as your substitute cheese in a pinch if you need something quick and simple.
Ricotta salata cheese is a whey cheese from Italy. It’s white in color and it tastes a little sweet. This makes it a perfect substitute for fresh mizithra, especially if you are having trouble finding the real thing.
However, you can also find ricotta salata in salted form. In this way, it can mimic both of the commonly used variations of mizithra cheese and serve well as a substitute no matter what your recipe calls for.
Last but not least is mascarpone cheese. This Italian cheese is created by coagulating citric or acetic acid with cream. The resulting cheese has a very soft, sweet texture, so it’s a perfect “spreading” cheese on bagels, toast, and in similar dishes.
If you need sweet, spreadable mizithra, consider mascarpone as a replacement.
Recipes to Use Mizithra Cheese
Mizithra cheeses are used in a wide variety of delicious and dazzling recipes, including but not limited to:
- Spaghetti
- Pizza
- Dessert pies
- Bacon-wrapped dates
- Roasted spaghetti squash
- Nachos and tacos
- Mac n’ Cheese
As you search for mizithra recipes, keep an eye out for the Old Spaghetti Factory recipe. The Old Spaghetti Factory offers a delectable mizithra spaghetti dish. It boasts tasty pasta sauces and mizithra and browned butter.
And if you search online, you can find a similar recipe that uses Romano in place of mizithra. If you're craving the unique salty taste of mizithra, you might want to add extra salt. But you can also make the dish with unsalted butter if you're trying to keep an eye on your salt intake.
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