Raclette is a young, soft cheese prepared from the milk of Alpine cows on a special diet. This mix of sweet, fresh grass in the summer and hay in the winter provides a nutty, mellow taste.

Raclette cheese was traditionally heated over an open fire by Swiss farmers before being poured over meat, bread, and vegetables.

Because this cheese is fairly regional, you may have trouble obtaining it at your local grocery shop. To select a raclette cheese alternative, look for a mild-flavored cheese that melts smoothly.

Gruyere, Appenzeller, Emmental, fontina, and asiago are five excellent cheese substitutes.

5 Recommended Raclette Cheese Substitute

The 5 most common cheese like raclette:

• Gruyere
• Appenzeller
• Emmenthal
• Fontina
• Asiago

Gruyere

Gruyere is the original Raclette cheese alternative. Gruyere, another Swiss cheese, has a similar nutty flavor and silky texture. Gruyere is more widely accessible than raclette and is manufactured in Switzerland’s Alpine area. The recipe for typical gruyere cheese goes back to 1115, when it was first created in the Swiss region of the same name. This historical cheese is coveted by both Swiss and foreigners!

Gruyere is manufactured from raw milk, which means it is not cooked before curdling, which is one of the characteristics of the cheesemaking process that provides distinctive smells.

When looking for a close raclette cheese substitute, try a young gruyere. Your best bet is to go for a wheel that is six to nine months old. The taste improves with maturity, peaking at around 24 months.

Do you know what to make with gruyere? Consider this simple and tasty meal, which has melted gruyere over heated potatoes and is topped with sizzling bacon. Fondue is another possibility. Gruyere has excellent melting qualities and may be the most popular fondue cheese.

Gruyere gets stringy when heated and melted. This is because it has more acid than other cheeses. As you take a mouthful, it will extend over the meal, leaving delectable tendrils behind. If you want to have a raclette party but can’t obtain raclette, gruyere is a good replacement.

Appenzeller

Appenzeller is an excellent replacement for raclette cheese. This pungent cheese has a mild, nutty, and fruity taste that is akin to raclette.

This cheese is unusual in that it is aged with herbal brine and has been produced using the same recipe for at least 700 years. The cheesemakers massage the brine over the skin of the cheese by hand while it matures, giving it a little bite.

Appenzeller cheese, like many of these historic cheeses, has a restricted label. To be branded Appenzeller, cheesemakers must produce in the traditional method in the Appenzeller area.

Choosing a young appenzeller type is similar to utilizing gruyere cheese as an alternative. The spice and taste intensify as the appenzeller matures, making it too tart for a decent raclette alternative.

Not sure how to choose the appropriate age? Look at the color of the packaging for a clue. A silver label signifies a three to four-month-old classic appenzeller.

Choose the gold label that denotes an age of four to six months for an intermediate or surchoix appenzeller. Extra Appenzeller has a black label and has been aged for at least six months.

When you go shopping, you may see appenzeller labels in a variety of colors. For example, the brown label indicates a lower-fat variant with a more strong taste. However, for melting, you should select anything with complete fat.

Appenzeller is a popular fondue cheese. Its creamy texture, nutty taste, and gently peppery flavor make it an ideal complement to bread and meat. A variety of alpine cheeses are often used in popular fondue recipes to produce a substantial, powerful taste.

If you have any leftover cheese from your raclette-themed party, you may utilize it in a grilled cheese. Because it melts smoothly and has a creamy texture, it makes an excellent sandwich when combined with a harder cheese, such as cheddar.

Emmental

Because of its comparable qualities, Emmenthal cheese is an ideal Raclette cheese alternative. Emmental, also from Switzerland and created from the milk of alpine cows, is a yellow, medium-hard cheese that is normally aged 2-18 months.

It is the oldest cheese produced in Switzerland, and to be called an Emmental (or Emmenthal, Emmenthaler, or Emmentaler), a cheese must be manufactured in a specified location using raw milk from cows fed fresh grass and hay. Emmental cheese may be produced in enormous wheels weighing up to 200 pounds.

Because of its huge wheels, this cheese has been dubbed the “King of Cheese.” Why do it have such huge wheels? Cheesemakers in the nineteenth century only had to pay export customs per wheel, regardless of weight, therefore they manufactured them as big as they could.

When shopping for cheese, you’ll note that Emmental has one trait that sets it apart from raclette, gruyere, and Appenzeller. Eyes. Yes, the holes that help Americans identify Swiss cheese are known as eyes.

Historically, cheesemakers attempted to prevent the formation of eyes. They are, however, no longer a symbol of flaw but rather of excellence. They develop while the cheese is fermenting before to maturing.

This cheese, which is often eaten cold in sliced form, has excellent melting capabilities. It is a frequent element in fondue and may also be found in soufflés, pasta, and casseroles. When you consume this souffle, your taste buds will be exposed to the sweet, nutty flavor that Emmenthal cheese is known for.

It’s a great raclette alternative since it melts so nicely and has a mild flavor. However, like with the other cheeses on our list, the older the type, the greater the taste.

So, for a genuinely authentic raclette dupe, go for a young Emmenthal.

See our list of best emmental substitutes.

Fontina

This cheese was likewise created in the alps, but this time on the Italian side. Fontina cheese, which originated in Italy, is now extensively manufactured all over the globe, making it extremely simple to obtain locally.It’s a semi-soft cow’s cheese with a moderate, pleasant taste.

This cheese, which has melting capabilities comparable to raclette, is noted for its versatility in culinary uses. It is a popular option and a crowd-pleaser due to its faint buttery taste. What gives it its flavor? Some believe the taste comes from the caves where fontina is customarily aged.

This cheese is known to sometimes show eyes. Cheese eyes occur when microorganisms required for cheese creation emit carbon dioxide bubbles.

Here’s a hint: Unlike several other cheeses, such as brie, this cheese’s skin is often not edible. Make careful to remove the cheese before it melts! The rind may also reveal the origin of the cheese. Swedish variations, for example, have a solid red wax covering rather than the typical rind.

Do you want a genuine cheese from one of the recognized regions? Look for a Fontina labeled with the Matterhorn. That indicates it’s authentic.

Get a younger Fontina if you want a delicious, soft cheese. The longer it is aged, the stiffer it becomes.

Asiago

Another Italian cheese completes our raclette substitute list. This hard Italian cheese is creamier than its parmesan relative. As with every other item on this list, asiago cheese is derived from cow’s milk and was initially produced in the alpine region.

Asiago and gruyere are perhaps the most well-known and readily accessible cheeses on this list. In the United States, Asiago is often baked into bread or crackers and grated over spaghetti. It has a tangy, almost sour taste, similar to a goat milk cheese.

How can you tell whether you’re receiving good service? Look for the producing region. Asiago cheese is only deemed genuine if it is manufactured on Italy’s Asiago Plateau. This covers Trentino as well as Veneto!

Authentic asiago cheese comes exclusively from farms that are 2000 feet above sea level or higher, earning it the moniker “product of the mountains.”

When looking for a raclette substitute, aim for a young Asiago. Presatto is a young Asiago cheese manufactured from entire cows milk rather than the blend of whole and skim milk seen in aged variants. Because asiago has such a strong and acidic flavor, you may wish to combine it with a softer, creamier cheese.

While aged asiago is delicious when grated over spaghetti, it is crumbly and dry. Asiago dallevo is aged Asiago, which contains Vecchio (aged 9-18 months) and Mezzano (old three to eight months).

Young asiago is harder and moister, making it excellent for melting. Try it as a melted dip with artichoke hearts and sundried tomatoes.