Robiola Substitutes For Various Flavors And Dishes

Many fans of Italian cuisine adore Robiola cheese for its beautiful aroma. It is mild enough for picky eaters to enjoy and versatile enough for aspiring chefs to experiment with, so why would anyone want to replace it in their favorite dishes?

The poor availability of Robiola cheese is one of the main reasons. It is not as widespread as Colby, Pepper Jack, Gouda, or even Tofu, and what surprises me the most is that Robiola isn’t even too expensive (in places where you can buy it, that is). 

You can order Robiola online from a handful of cheese makers, but searching for it on online marketplaces such as Amazon may prove unfruitful. If you want to know which kinds of cheese can be used as alternatives, I’ll give you a couple of recommendations. 

Definition of Robiola in a Nutshell

The Robiola cheese comes from the Langhe region in Northern Italy with a remarkably rich and colored flavor. Relatively mild in taste with undertones ranging from tangy, buttery, sweet, and even somewhat sour, every bite of it will reveal something different to you. 

Because of its intricate aroma and high-calorie content, Robiola cheese is an excellent appetizer. A couple of slices paired with dry red wine should serve as an splendid warm-up for the main course. 

Since its taste is quite mild and its texture moderately soft, Robiola cheese is perfect when marbled with stronger, sharper-tasting cheese. Mix it with gouda, cheddar, or Colby when you’re making homemade pasta or mac & cheese, and you’ll be delighted with the results. 

6 Robiola Alternatives

If Robiola cheese was slightly easier to find, I’d argue that there wouldn’t be such a need to find viable substitutes. With a unique blend of sour, sweet, buttery, and tangy flavors, finding a 1-to-1 substitute means that you’ll be searching for some very specific kinds of cheese.

Of course, some people aren’t too fond of the fact that its taste is all over the place and want something milder, in which case Ricotta, Brie, Cream Cheese, or even Almond Cheese could do the trick. 

Whether you’re looking for a vegan Robiola alternative, a firmer, sharper-flavored cheese, or a less dominant ingredient for your recipes, I think you’ll find a good substitute in one of my recommendations.

No	Cheese Substitutes	Taste	Flavor	Fat Level	Lactose Level
Reference	Robiola	Mild, buttery, sweet, somewhat tangy & sour	Soft	52%	<1%
1	Ricotta	Mild, somewhat nutty	Soft	10%	0.2-5.1%
2	Brie	Mild with hints of creamy & buttery tones	Soft	27.7%	0-2%
3	Cream Cheese	Mild, sweet & creamy	Soft	33%	2.5%
4	Cashew	Semi-mild, very nutty, tangy	Soft to Semi-firm but creamy	25%	0%
5	Gorgonzola	Sharp, salty, tangy	Soft to semi-firm	24.3%	0%
6	Almond Cheese	Mild, salty, tangy, tart, somewhat creamy	Soft	7.4%	0%

Robiola Alternatives with Milder Flavor

Despite having a very delicate and multi-faceted flavor, Robiola is a fairly mild cheese. However, it is certainly not the weakest in terms of taste and aroma. If you’ve found it a bit too intense for your taste buds, some of its ideal replacements are Ricotta, Brie, and Cream Cheese. 

Ricotta Cheese

Compared to the rainbow of flavors Robiola boasts, Ricotta has a taste nearly anyone can easily recognize after a couple of bites. This is a soft-textured cheese with a mild, somewhat nutty flavor that goes absolutely fantastic in salads. 

It is far easier to find, both online and in local delis, plus its ultra-soft texture makes it a great topping for pasta, lasagna, and similar dishes. 

There are also some other ricotta cheese alternatives you might want to try.

Brie Cheese

If you’ve grown accustomed to how mild-tasting Robiola is, you probably won’t notice too much of a difference when replacing it with Brie. In terms of flavor intensity, Brie doesn’t have such a colorful aftertaste, but most people find it hard to determine whether they’re eating Robiola or Brie until they’ve stopped chewing. 

Cream Cheese

When you marble ultra-soft cheese with milky cream, you get cream cheese. Often used in fondues and as a sandwich spread, its softness is what makes it so appealing, while its faint taste makes it a good match for recipes where Robiola is among the main ingredients. 

This might also be interesting for you: Can You Freeze Cream Cheese?

Robiola Alternatives with Stronger Flavor and Firmer Texture

Even though Robiola cheese has a very distinct, well-rounded flavor, its mildness is usually what turns people to seek ingredients with a slightly stronger taste. As a semi-soft cheese, Robiola isn’t perfect for grating, and unless you’re making pasta or a simple salad, you may want to consider something a bit firmer, such as Cashew or Gorgonzola.

Gorgonzola

The taste of both Robiola and Gorgonzola cheese could be described as “full-flavored”. However, the flavor of Robiola is predominantly mild, buttery, and sweet with tangy and salty undertones while Gorgonzola’s sharp taste is very easy to discern from even the strongest of ingredients. 

Dairy-free and Vegan Robiola Alternatives

Cashew, Brie, and Gorgonzola are all either completely lactose-free or contain minimal lactose levels, but they are sadly not dairy-free or vegan. If you’re looking to lower your cholesterol or simply prefer eating plant-based foods, let me suggest Amond milk as a substitute for Robiola. 

Almond Milk

Mild and colorfully flavored, the taste of Almond milk is very close to Robiola to the point that most people would struggle to tell the difference unless they’re told to search for them. 

Cashew Cheese

Cheese made from cashew nuts is, similar to Robiola, an acquired taste for many. When spiced with a couple of select herbs, Cashew’s otherwise nutty and moderately tangy flavor comes close to Robiola’s sour undertones. 

People who prefer to have a bit of consistency in the flavor of their cheese may not be too thrilled with Cashew.  Nearly all cheese makers add their unique “touch” (ingredients and mixing techniques) to make their brand different, meaning that you’ll probably come across much firmer and stronger-tasting products than Robiola.  

On the upside, making Cashew cheese is quite easy; just stock up on cashews, nutritional yeast, and agar powder. 

Tips for Substituting Robiola

Nearly all the cheese types mentioned above can be used as direct substitutes for Robiola, aside from Gorgonzola, for instance, which you should rather use as a pizza topping or an appetizer due to its intensely sharp flavor. 

The best way to substitute Robiola is to buy pre-sliced cheese with a similar taste; the ones I recommended may be milder or sharper in flavor, but the one that stands out is Cashew. This cheese is made of nuts, and I warmly recommend trying to make it rather than buying it from a store.

Other Questions

Conclusion

Robiola cheese can almost be considered cheap, and it is in fairly high demand because of its rich, savory taste. You’d think this would motivate cheese makers to work on all cylinders, but that’s just not the case – finding Robiola is very difficult in regular marketplaces and stores. 

Fortunately, it is not one-of-a-kind cheese and could be easily replaced by similar cheese types such as Ricotta, Brie, Gorgonzola, Almond Milk, and Cashew. It does not freeze too well, so buying it in bulk isn’t something I’d advise. 

Did you find your favorite replacement yet? Let us know in the comments.