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Let me tell you a little secret:
Any cheese that has a mild flavor, as well as a salty, nutty taste, could go in place of the Edam cheese – and there are countless of them.
But you don’t have to bang your head against the wall if you can’t think of any except Edam.
We have already done the tedious research work to bring you ONLY the best Edam cheese Substitutes that fill each bite with merriment when crunching it with some stale bread or crackers.
Some of the ideal substitutes for eden cheese that you should absolutely check out are gouda cheese, cheddar cheese, fontina cheese, gruyere cheese, etc.
Stick with us till the end of this article, and let me show you just how much eating these cheeses could be your new normal.
What is Edam Cheese?
Edam cheese is a semi-hard pale-yellow cheese that has its root from the Netherlands and is named after the town of Edam in the province of North Holland.
Edam is traditionally sold in flat-ended spheres with a pale yellow interior and a coat or rind of red paraffin wax.
The milk from cows or goats allows this semi-hard cheese to attain its savor. More importantly, it ages and travels well and does not spoil; it only hardens.
NO cap! These exceptional qualities are what made it the world’s most popular cheese. Although, when Left to age, it intensifies in taste.
The Young Edam Cheese is usually eaten with fresh-tasting, lightly sweet, sometimes tangy fruits like apricots, cherries, peaches, etc.
Meanwhile, the Aged Cheeses are eaten with crackers or some dry-stale bread. You can pair it with some wine Pinot Gris, Champagne, or maybe some Chardonnay.
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Best Edam Cheese Substitutes
1. Gouda Cheese
Gouda Cheese is a remarkable Dutch cheese made from pasteurized cow’s milk. It is a pale-yellow, semi-hard cheese – just like Edam – with a mild flavor that intensifies with age.
The taste is slightly sweet and nutty with a mild salty flavor. This cheese has a compact, firm, and crumbly texture. And it originated from the Netherlands as well.
Are Edam and Gouda same cheese?
Definitely not!
Gouda is made with whole milk and has a rich, buttery, slightly sweet flavor and smooth, creamy texture.
Edam has a smooth, firm texture with a light, nutty flavor.
And Unlike Gouda, Edam is made with part-skim milk.
While there are slight differences between Edam and Gouda (mostly in the fat content), cheese experts treat them virtually the same as well as pairing them with wine and beer.
Also, the Gouda aroma is pungent, while Edam cheese is subtle.
You’ll enjoy Gouda more when making pizzas, grilled cheese, pairing with crackers, and serving it on a charcuterie plate with wines that go well with Edam.
Lastly, there are two types of Gouda cheese: The Matured Gouda and The Young Gouda.
Succinctly put, Young Gouda is a type of cheese that has a soft texture, nutty flavor, and faded yellow color. The taste is still fresh and relatively easy to slice.
Mature Gouda, on the other hand, has a wonderfully sharp and sweet taste. The resemblance to Parmigiano cheese fades away on its journey to its prime.
Unlike the young one, matured Gouda has a hard texture and amber/dark orange color. A Gouda is regarded as mature or old when it’s up to 18 months to 4 years maximum.
2. Cheddar Cheese
If you’re feeling you can’t satisfy those lusts for Edam with other cheese, maybe it’s because you haven’t yet tasted Cheddar.
Cheddar cheese is a relatively hard, off-white, sometimes sharp-tasting, natural cheese that hails from Cheddar of Somerset, England.
It’s the unsung redeemer for your stomach.
In color, sometimes this cheese may come in yellowish-orange due to the addition of annatto – a reddish-colored condiment with a slightly peppery taste of nutmeg. And the addition of annatto provides a nutty flavor, which is similar to that of Edam cheese.
Like Edam cheese, they are quite firm, compact, and crumbly. The flavor is creamy; and when aging, it starts having this salty-sharp taste that intensifies with age.
Aside from that, the Cheddar cheese has two types: The Sharp Cheddar and The Mild Cheddar.
Sharp Cheddar has been left to mature. And like all aged cheeses, the sharpness (a salty and super strong taste) and hard texture are always present.
This usually happens when left for 6 to 9 months up to 2 years. I love to pair this sharp cheese with some rice crackers and with any white wine.
However, I have a preference for the mild cheddar over the sharp one – even if the matter is with the orange or pale yellow color.
Mild Cheddar cheese still retains its mild and milky flavor. It can melt so much better than mature cheeses. And sometimes all you want to eat is a classic bowl of Mac N’ Cheese made with this type of Cheddar cheese for lunch.
Aside from mac n’ cheese, they are also edible with cheesy dishes such as pizzas, grilled cheese sandwiches, nachos, lasagna, etc. It also can be paired with sturdy cheese-bearing crackers to make a quick snack for your children or guests.
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3. Gruyère Cheese
Gruyere is a Swiss, pale-yellow, hard cheese with a granular texture that can be a great alternative to Edam when used in baked dishes like soufflés.
This cheese originated in the cantons of Fribourg, Neuchâtel, Vaud, Jura, and Berne in Switzerland. And was named after the town of Gruyères in Fribourg.
The flavor is a professional blend of creamy, nutty, and slightly fruity when young, which takes on a prominent earthy taste with age. The taste is pretty sweet, with milder undertones and a salty finish.
If there’s one thing you’d love about the Gruyère cheese is that its mild taste doesn’t overshadow other ingredients in the dish. Moreover, this cheese works well with the wines that go with Edam.
You can use it for Fondue, Croque monsieur (French version of grilled cheese), as well as Baked potatoes with cheese toppings, and more.
4. Fontina Cheese
Fontina cheese is a semisoft cow’s cheese with a gentle buttery, nutty flavor which is also a great substitute to Edam.
While the Young Fontina has an earthy-woody mushroomy taste with a creamy, dense, and smooth texture; the Matured version is hard with creamy, nutty, and tangy taste and a slightly sweet hint that intensifies with age.
No doubt Fontina is an aromatic cheese you can have with red wines that also go well with Edam. And the young and mature version of it can be eaten with fruits like apples and pears.
5. Emmental Cheese
Emmental cheese is another preferable alternative – even to the Gruyère.
They are yellow, semi-hard Swiss cheese with relatively high-fat content and look peculiar because it has holes all over it, which is a result of the fermentation process.
But sometimes Emmental is said to have earthy-grassy hints.
The cheese originated in the area around Emmental, in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. And you can enjoy it with fresh fruits; and with a glass of crisp white wine.
Furthermore, Emmental has an excellent melting property, making it the perfect ingredient for your next fondue party. This yellow cheese has a nutty and buttery taste, with a trace of acidity in it.
Recipes that go well With Emmental Cheese are:
- Croque Monsieur –a toasted French sandwich made with this Emmental cheese, Dijon mustard, and ham.
- Fondue – made from Swiss cheese and is served in a dish on a portable stove.
- A simple grilled cheese
- Pasta
- Charcuterie plate – Put your Emmental next to other kinds of cheese, some fruit (preferably with a savory flavor), crackers, and nuts.
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6. Appenzeller Cheese
Appenzeller is a semi-hard Swiss cheese made from skimmed cow’s milk.
It’s a hard robust Swiss cheese rooted from the Appenzellerland region of northeast Switzerland, in the two modern-day cantons of Appenzell Innerrhoden and Appenzell Ausserrhoden.
It is classified as a Swiss-type or Alpine cheese.
This cheese has a nutty and fruity taste. The flavor is mild but tends to intensify with age – just like Exam. It has a firm but smooth texture with a mild aroma.
There are three forms of Appenzeller cheese:
- Classic –which aged 3-4 months.
- Surchoix –aged about 4-6 months;
- Extra –aged approximately 6 months or longer.
Lastly, you can use this cheese in pasta, sandwiches, and grilling with any wines you’d have use for Edam cheese.
Conclusion
What is important to note about the Edam cheese substitute is that while they can’t taste exactly as Edam; they can grace your everyday soups, pasta, and salads or the uber fancy ones like soufflés too.
And as you can see, most of the substitutes mentioned in this article are even tasty and more preferable.
Hence, as per the availability and your taste preferences, you can use any and make your meals extremely flavorful.
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