What is a Good Substitute For Provolone Cheese?

Are you out of provolone cheese and don’t feel like running to the store?

Or, maybe you don’t like the particular flavor of provolone and would prefer a different option. Either way, provolone cheese substitutes can work in all situations.

Do you want a mild, sweet ingredient, a delicious topping, or something worth melting? Well, here are ten fantastic provolone substitutes.

The Best Substitutes For Provolone Cheese

The Two Types of Provolone:

There are two different types of provolone cheese with different textures and flavors.
Provolone cheese comes from cow’s milk, and both go through the same process. But, the age of the cheese makes it taste and feel much different.

Provolone cheese comes from cow’s milk, and both go through the same process. The cheese’s age makes it taste and feel much different.

• Provolone Dolce: Dolce Provolone is a younger form of this type of cheese and ages for 3-4 months. It provides a sweeter taste closer to provolone and a semi-soft smooth texture.
• Provolone Piccante: Piccante Provaloneages more than four months. It has a sharper flavor and a more rigid texture than Dolce.

The cheeses listed above are best suited as an alternative for provolone Dolce. Although, they can replace Piccante in recipes looking for a mild flavor.

Parmesan Cheese is a Great Option for Toppings

Parmesan is a hard Italian cheese. It is best known for providing a fantastic topping on spaghetti dinners.

This type of cheese comes from cow milk aged for at least a year. This cheese comes in a chunk or block and is often grated or shredded. Parmesan has an intense, fruity, and nutty flavor that takes the place of provolone well.

Parmesan is a hard cheese that can last for almost an entire year as long as you keep it in the fridge. This is a popular option for people looking for cheese to replace provolone when it isn’t often available.

Parmesan Take away

• It is Great for Italian dishes.
• It has a grated and hard texture.
• It has a sweet fruity, nutty flavor.

Muenster Cheese is Amazing When Melted

Muenster cheese is an American favorite. This semi-soft cheese melts with ease. It is ideal for any dish looking to replicate the texture of provolone.

Muenster is a very light color, almost white, with a buttery taste. It comes from cow’s milk and is coated with an orangish red rind from paprika.

As muenster cheese ages, it develops a unique, strong, spicy aroma. This is much different from provolone. Using a young muenster cheese is best when swapping it out with provolone.

The best way to substitute Munster for provolone is by adding a small amount of mozzarella to the mix. Mixing these will give you the perfect match of sweet and creamy.

Muenster Take Away

• The best substitute for texture.
• Easy to melt and has a creamy texture.
• It has a sweet, buttery flavor.

Gouda Cheese is Great for Dips and Sauces

Many people recognize gouda cheese by its yellow wax coat and wheel shape. This cheese originates in the Netherlands but is one of the most popular worldwide.

Gouda cheese comes from cow’s milk. This product is an excellent source of probiotics and vitamin K.

Gouda comes in many forms and, after a few years, develops a sweet caramel taste and sweet crystals. (*)

Gouda cheese, like wine, gets better with age and is an excellent alternative to provolone. Both kinds of cheese have a smooth texture and a sweet, aromatic flavor.

Gouda Take Away

• It has a sweet flavor.
• It gets sweeter as it ages.
• It is a semi hard cheese, best for sauces and dips.

Cheddar Cheese Is Better at a Young Age

Cheddar cheese has an intense flavor but can work as an alternative for provolone in many dishes.

This cheese is best when used at a young age because the older the cheese gets, the harder and crumblier it becomes. To match the texture of provolone, you want something smooth and semi-soft.

Cheddar is a hard orange or off-white cheese with a sweet, nutty flavor that mimics that of provolone well.

Cheddar Take Away

• It has a sweet and nutty flavor.
• It is a hard cheese great for toppings, melting, and to flavor many types of recipes.
• Young cheddar has a softer texture than aged.

Monterey Jack Cheese is The Best Alternative to Provolone

Monterey Jack cheese is one of the closest to provolone in every way. It has a mild and sweet flavor and is smooth and semi soft in texture.

Monetary Jack, also known as an American Original, originates in California. You can add this ingredient to almost any recipe that calls for provolone.

This cheese comes from cow’s milk, and you can use it as a base in baked or cooked dishes. It is also perfect as a topping for spaghetti, salads, or cheeseburgers. And is ideal for a cheese and cracker tray.

Monterey Jack Take Away

• It has a mild, sweet flavor.
• It has a smooth semi soft texture.
• Perfect for all types of dishes

Fontina Cheese is Ideal for Melting and Grating

Fontina Cheese is a terrific alternative to provolone. It is most prominent when used for melting or grating.

This type of cheese has a very similar sweet and nutty flavor as provolone. Plus, fontina is a semi-soft, buttery cheese, making them interchangeable.

Fontina Cheese originates in Italy and comes from cow milk. It provides the palate with a mild, tart, tangy, and earthy taste.

Fontina Take Away

• It has an earthy, sweet, mild, and tangy flavor.
• It is a semi-soft, buttery cheese.
• It best replaces provolone when melting and grating.

Provola Cheese the Smaller Version of Provolone

Provola is a close second to provolone and is often described as its smaller counterpart. This cheese is similar in almost every way (including the name) but has a much milder taste.

Provola cheese comes from non-pasteurized cow’s milk and has a stringy texture. It is white in color and comes in a pear shape with a white rind.

This item is a popular table cheese and can also work well for melting and cooking. You can pair it with meats and veggies or eat it all on its own.

Provola Cheese Take Away

• It has a milder flavor than provolone.
• It pairs well with vegetables and meat and is an exemplary table cheese.
• It is savory, and can you can smoke it for a sharp flavor.

Mozzarella Cheese (Low-Moisture) Is a Good Substitute for Provolone

Mozzarella is only a good substitute for provolone if it is the low moisture type. This Italian curd cheese comes from buffalo milk and is white, moist, and very soft.

Mozzarella is not the best choice if you are looking to replace provolone but want to keep the sweet taste. This cheese has a decadent,  tangy, and salty flavor.

Mozzarella has a softer, milky, and mild cheese, which is nothing like provolone. But you can add mozzarella if you need cheese as a topping alternative.

Mozzarella Take Away

• It is moist and soft.
• It comes from buffalo milk.
• It is best when used for a melted topping.

Gruyere Cheese Makes a Great Table Cheese

Gruyere cheese comes from cow’s milk and will age for around six months or more. This option is a type of Swiss cheese and standard table cheese for many people. (*)

This yellow, creamy, and firm cheese has a mild, sweet flavor. But its taste can differ depending on age. Young gruyere cheese is creamy and nutty, while aged gruyere is a bit more earthy.

This cheese can be fantastic in fondues, dips, and for cooking.

Gruyere Take Away

• It has a mild, sweet flavor like provolone.
• Used as a table cheese
• It is a creamy, firm cheese.

1Scamorza Cheese is Best Fresh or Melted

Scamorza cheese is delicious on its own but can also be tasty when grated, melted, or sliced into a recipe.

This Italian cheese offers a smokey, nutty, and subtly sweet flavor. (much like provolone). It also has a creamy, milky texture and is white in color. You can use Scamorza cheese as a provolone substitute in most dishes. (*)

FAQS

Conclusion

Never forgo the cheese in a recipe or replace it with another ingredient. Try one of the above options for a fantastic provolone cheese substitute you will love.

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