Consider what is vital for your intended application when looking for asiago substitutes. For example, is cheese the major component or is it only for flavor? Is the texture necessary, or does it have to melt?

Something with comparable properties might be a decent Asiago cheese alternative. Grana Padano, Gruyere, Parmesan, Manchego, and Romano Pecorino are the five greatest high-quality Asiago cheese replacements. These cheeses may be found in your grocery store’s speciality cheese area.

What is Asiago Cheese?

Asiago is a medium to hard cow’s milk cheese. Asiago cheese, like Champagne, must come from a certain location. Asiago cheese is made in the Asiago Plateau, an alpine territory in Italy’s Trentino and Veneto regions.

Cheese that is true to a particular location is protected by the DOP mark, which stands for Protected Designation of Origin. The DOP establishes criteria to standardize a cheese so that it cannot be reproduced and safeguards regional features, such as the kind of natural grass or cow that gives the cheese its distinct taste.

The texture and taste of Asiago cheese are determined by whether it is fresh or aged. Asiago Pressato is the youngest kind of Asiago cheese, manufactured entirely of whole milk. It has a soft, delicate taste and a pleasant buttery scent.

It has the appearance of a soft cheese, such as brie, but it is not as creamy and has occasional holes. Because of its texture, fresh Asiago may be melted, making it an excellent option for grilled sandwiches, pizza, or blending into a pasta sauce.

Asiago dAllevo is an aged Asiago prepared with semi-skim milk. The cheese grows harder and more crumbly as it matures. The most matured Asiago Stravecchio will have the most powerful taste, characterized as nutty, peppery, yeasty, and somewhat bitter.

The salt content is considerable and continues to rise with age. It has a scent that is akin to dried fruit. Because it does not melt, aged Asiago cheese is often grated over salads or pasta dishes to enhance flavor.

5 Recommended Asiago Cheese Substitute

The 5 most common cheese like asiago cheese:

• Grana Padano
• Parmigiano Reggiano
• Manchego Cheese
• Gruyere
• Pecorino Romano

Grana Padano

Grana Padano, like Asiago, is an aged cheese. It is a hard cheese that has been matured for at least nine months. The longer the cheese ages, the firmer and crumblier it gets. Grana Padano cheese is made from unpasteurized, semi-skimmed cow’s milk.

Alto Adige, Veneto, and Emilia Romagna are all regions of Italy. Grana, which meaning “grainy,” refers to the granular texture that the cheese acquires throughout the maturing process. It has a nutty flavor similar to Asiago but is gentler, somewhat sweeter, creamier, and more buttery.This cheese comes from Italy’s Po River Valley and was granted DOP classification in 1996. It is exclusively produced in Lombardy, Piedmont, and Trentino.

Grana Padano is affordable, so if you’re watching your wallet and looking for an aged cheese with a comparable taste, this is the finest Asiago alternative.

It’s great crumbled or grate over salads. Try it in place of Asiago on an Arugula and Endive Salad. The buttery, sweet taste will balance the greens’ spiciness.

Sauce recipes that call for more than one cheese or a lot of cheese are ideal for using Grana Padano as a replacement. Because the recipe is already flavorful, Grana Padano may be used instead of Asiago in Fettuccine Alfredo pasta sauce.

Parmigiano Reggiano

Like aged asiago, Parmigiano Reggiano is prepared from semi-skim cow’s milk. It is only found in the Italian provinces of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, and sections of Mantua and Bologna.

Cheese branded just parmesan, like in the United States, may be prepared in a similar manner but is not true to the region of Italy. These cheeses are not controlled and do not have the DOP mark.

The youngest Parmigiano Reggiano is still matured for at least a year. Despite its age, this cheese is softer than Asiago Vecchio. The herbaceous and flowery overtones in the younger Parmigiano Reggiano are stronger. An older Parmigiano Reggiano has nuttier aromas and a crumbly, gritty texture, akin to Asiago Vecchio.

This cheese differs from Asiago in that it is lactose-free and all-natural. The milk used to manufacture this cheese is carefully inspected for quality. The finished product has no additives or preservatives. This is a fantastic Asiago cheese alternative for folks who are lactose intolerant. Try it in our Artisan Asiago Cheese Bread recipe or grate it over salads fresh.

Parmigiano Reggiano has somewhat less salt than Asiago. If you’re managing your salt consumption, try replacing Parmigiano Reggiano for Asiago.

Manchego

Right away, this cheese differs from Asiago in that it is manufactured with sheep’s milk and is produced in Spain rather than Italy.

It is genuine to La Mancha, Spain, where particular Spanish DOP restrictions apply. The milk needed to create Manchego originates from local manchega sheep. According to the Oxford Companion to Cheese, it is the most popular cheese in Spain.

Despite these distinctions, Manchego Cheese is available in fresco or curado soft styles and semi-curado and viejo hard types. Manchego is an excellent Asiago cheese alternative for Asiago Pressato or Asiago dAllevo.

Young Manchego is milder in taste. The fresco style has just been matured for two weeks and tastes like fresh milk. It is difficult to find in the United States since it is so fresh.

Curado and semi-curado are more common. Manchego viejo is the longest aged and has tastes that are most akin to old Asiago. Manchego is well-balanced, with acidic, buttery, nutty, and sweet tastes.

At Thanksgiving, try replacing the aged Manchego with young Manchego. Perhaps the melted Manchego will become your new favorite! In this Quinoa Salad with Marinated Asiago, use aged Manchego. In Spain, marinated Manchego is a popular tapa. In this Keto recipe for Asiago Cheese Crisps, utilize aged Manchego.

Sheep’s milk cheese has twice as much butterfat as cow’s milk cheese and has a deeper taste. Furthermore, since it is not aged as long, this cheese is less salty. It’s also flavorful enough that a little goes a long way. Manchego may be less costly as a result of these characteristics.

Gruyere

Gruyere is a Swiss-style cheese that is unique to the town of Gruyere in Switzerland. Gruyere, like the DOP, is protected by the AOC, or Appellation dorigine controlee.

Strict standards govern this region, including animal nutrition and the exact weight of final cheese wheels. These restrictions also aid in the preservation of the environment.

The milk used to create the cheese must be from within twelve miles of the factory. The cows wander in an alpine environment and eat on nutrient-dense grass. In result, these cows produce nutrient-dense milk and distinctively flavored cheese.

The cheese is created from whole milk from cows. It is also an alpine cheese with a nutty, salty taste comparable to Asiago. Gruyere may be young and fresh, or it can be aged and more intense. The fresher variety is softer and more often used in cheese dips and fondue.

It creates an excellent melting cheese due to its greater water content than many other cheese kinds. Instead of Asiago, try this luxurious Asiago Dip recipe using Gruyere. Macaroni and cheese and other creamy pasta dishes are also excellent ways to utilize Gruyere as an alternative.

Aged Gruyere is cured for three to ten months after being pressed to eliminate moisture. It develops a grainier texture, similar to Asiago, over time, making it a great replacement for grating over salads or adding into a pasta meal like Asiago Chicken & Pasta.

This is preferred over parmesan as a replacement because it melts more easily.

Pecorino Romano

Pecorino Romano resembles Asiago in appearance and texture, but it is made from sheep’s milk, like Manchego. It earned its name from its origins in the Roman countryside. It is presently unique to Sardinia, Italy, and is another DOP-certified cheese. Without the Pecorino, Romano may be prepared from cow, sheep, or goat milk.

However, in the United States, the cheese is manufactured mostly from cow’s milk and is simply known as Romano.

Pecorino Romano is a salty, firm cheese with a crumbly texture. The taste is strong and may be too much to handle on its own. It is, nevertheless, ideal for a cheese board with fruit, crackers, or jam.

Because of the powerful taste, a little amount goes a long way, and it is often seen grated or shaved over salads, pasta dishes, and vegetables. It is an excellent cheese to combine with others, such as mozzarella, to enhance the taste of a meal. It would be fantastic on a pizza instead of Asiago.

The shelf life of Pecorino Romano is one of its most notable characteristics. Because you may always have it on hand, it makes a fantastic Asiago cheese alternative. It may be kept in the fridge for up to six weeks and frozen for up to six months.

It has a substantially lower water content than Gruyere, allowing it to be frozen and thawed without losing much of its integrity.