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Cheese Substitutes

What is a mascarpone substitute or the best substitute for cream cheese? The following table lists all sorts of substitutes for all sorts of cheeses. Or, maybe you've run out of parmesan, cheddar or romano and need a substitute? There are so many different kinds of cheeses each with their own distinct flavor, but since the shelf life of cheese can be rather short, it's good to know what cheeses you can substitute for the other one when needed.

So, use this table to substitute for mascarpone, find a ricotta substitute for your lasagna recipe or a cream cheese substitute for your cheesecake recipe. Whatever you're making with cheese, if you've run out then you've come to the right place to figure out a proper substitute for cheese.

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Cheese Substitutes

Cheese	Amount	Substitute
Mascarpone Substitute	Equal	Blend 1 package softened Cream Cheese +plus 1/2 Cup Sour Cream +plus 1/4 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream until smooth.
Parmesan substitute	Equal	Asiago Cheese OR Romano Cheese
Romano substitute	Equal	Asiago Cheese OR Parmesan Cheese
Neufchatel Cheese substitute	Equal	Cream Cheese
Ricotta substitute	Equal	Cottage Cheese - small curd
Fontina substitute	Equal	Provolone OR Brick OR Muenster
Goat Cheese substitute	Equal	Feta Cheese
Feta Cheese substitute	Equal	Goat Cheese
Gruyere substitute	Equal	Fontina Cheese OR Jarlsburg or another "Swiss" Cheese OR Comte
Farmer's Cheese substitute	Equal	Cottage Cheese, drained well
Cream Cheese substitute	Equal	Neufchatel Cheese
		OR Cottage Cheese, drained well, pressed and then whipped
		OR Equal parts drained cottage cheese and plain yogurt whipped

Considerations When Choosing a Cheese Substitute

It's how the cheese responds to heat that is often the most important thing when substituting cheese in your recipe. For instance, if you substitute mozzarella cheese on pizza with a drier cheese that does not melt well your bite of pizza becomes a whole different experience.

Cheese flavor is also a big consideration when looking for a cheese substitute. You probably would not want to put a mascarpone substitute on your pizza either because of the sweet flavor of mascarpone!

Another example is that asiago cheese has a slightly stronger taste than parmesan cheese, although the look and grating qualities of the cheeses are identical making an asiago cheese or a romano cheese a great substitute for parmesan cheese.

A note regarding Substitutions...

Using these substitute suggestions may slightly alter the taste, texture or appearance of your resulting recipe. However, we recommend these substitutions as similar replacement ingredients when the original ingredients are unavailable.