The classic French Brand, Boursin Cheese, is a household favorite because of its light, buttery texture and mouthwatering flavors. It is famous because you’ll find a creamy goodness cheese that will be the star piece of your cheeseboard.
Boursin is a famous cream cheese brand that originated in France, a top favorite brand from the 1960s even until now. It is one of the top cheese brands because it goes well with crackers and food recipes. Many relish it as cheese spread, but you can add it to your appetizer, marinara sauce, or frittata.
If you are a Boursin cheese lover and go to a market run staring at an empty Boursin cheese shelf, know that there are numerous substitutes for Boursin cheese. And you can even make your version at home.
Before we get into the best Boursin substitutes, let’s learn more about this cream cheese brand.
What Is Boursin Cheese?
Boursin is a cow’s milk cheese brand from France, available in exciting flavors such as cracked black pepper, garlic & fine herbs, etc. It is also available in vegan and goat cheese varieties. This cheese brand has a spreadable, light, fluffy feel, with a texture and taste similar to cream cheese.
A deluxe snack treat, Boursin cheese is a preferred brand in stuffed tomato recipes, pasta sauces, and dressing. Here are the best Boursin cheese substitutes based on your meal preferences.
13 Best Substitute For Boursin Cheese
Spreading Boursin cheese on biscuits or cookies as a snack or appetizer is one of the most popular ways. But you can also have these cheese substitutes for your appetizer meals:
Laughing Cow Garlic & Herb Cream Cheese
Laughing Cow’s Garlic and Herb flavor, which contains parsley, onions, and garlic, is an excellent substitute for Boursin’s classic variety. The Laughing Cow has the same airy, flavorful consistency and a similar match.
Aside from having a similar flavor and consistency, Laughing Cow cheese is an excellent substitute for lower-calorie cheese. There is a low-calorie version of cheese available for people who want a lighter cheese — Laughing Cow has 35 calories compared to Boursin’s 120.
Use this as an alternative in appetizers, dips, and pasta sauces.
Beecher’s Handmade Farmer’s Cheese
Beecher’s Handmade Cheese is a good substitute for Boursin cheese if you want the soft, spreadable quality but more flavor. Beecher’s Handmade Cheese has a salty flavor typical of unripened cheese, ideal for a unique appetizer or a cheese platter.
Beecher is as excellent as Boursin cheese, with its soft texture, spreadable, and flavored spice, herbs, garlic, and olives. Beecher Cheese is what you should get to serve a little more intricate than spreadable cheese.
Use this as an alternative in appetizers, dips, and cheese platters.
Setting out a cheese board with finely diced fresh fruits, vegetables, crispbreads, and chips is one of the most convenient ways to serve a crowd. And there is no need for you to worry if you run out of Boursin Cheese stocks because you can always have these alternatives:
Chevre Goat Cheese
One of the best alternatives for Boursin Cheese is the Chèvre French goat’s cheese, as it has that soft, creamy, and flavorful variety. As the goat cheese matures, it also becomes dry and doughy.
In terms of thickness, chèvre is the best substitute for Boursin because it is creamy, flavorful, and spreadable. In terms of flavor, Chèvre goat cheese is rich in garlic, flavoring, pepper, and other spices and herbs. Even with its buttery texture, the goaty taste of Chèvre may challenge diners used to cow’s milk cheeses because of its acquired taste.
Serve this delicious cheese spread with fresh French baguettes alongside grapes or pears, and enjoy its addictive flavor when you serve it on your next occasion. To enhance the flavorful experience, adding crisp white wine is a good choice.
Gorgonzola Dolce
You can attempt to have Gorgonzola dolce on a cheese platter for something out of the ordinary. The Italian-based Gorgonzola cheese is a good Boursin cheese substitute as it resembles its pale yellow color and creamy consistency. Besides that, Gorgonzola has a mild flavor that is easy to combine with other flavors.
Gorgonzola has a crumblier texture, and is less spreadable compared to Boursin cheese. It doesn’t have the shrubby zest of an herb flavoring, but it has a delicious taste that will fulfill your craving for a tangy bite of cheese spread as a sweet treat or to accompany fresh produce.
Although eating Gorgonzola Dolce alone is the norm, if you want a more traditional Boursin flavor, you can combine it with freshly chopped herbs.
Boursin cheese is a versatile ingredient that you can use in various dishes, including pastries, broths, soups, and salads. Here are the some of the best alternatives of Boursin Cheese for your cooking and baking meals:
Cream Cheese
The specific Laughing Cow brand above is a good alternative cream cheese spread, but you can still substitute any cream cheese brand for Boursin Cheese.
If you want the texture of Boursin, the creamy consistency to dissolve into sauces for risotto or chicken, enhance mac and cheese, or add creamy goodness to a frittata, any fatty cream cheese will suffice.
You won’t get the mouthfeel or flavor of Boursin’s flavorful additions unless you use flavored cream cheese, but you will get the creamy and cheesy flavor.
Fromage Frais
Fromage frais is a French cheese alternative and one of Boursin’s original ingredients, making it an excellent replacement for your choice of cheese.
Fromage frais, like yogurt, contains active and good bacteria. They are usually confused with Fromage blanc where fermentation has been halted. It has a cream cheese flavor comparable to the dairy product you mix in your granola.
Although made with creamy flavor, fromage frais is low in fat with a bland taste. This flavor makes it an excellent foundation for other dishes, so you can use it aside from Boursin when making a savory snack or dip with garlic, olives, herbs, or seasonings.
This French cheese spread is also great in savory and palatable baked goods, and it makes fantastic desserts when combined with fruit and vegetable spreads.
Neufchatel Cheese
Neufchâtel, another milk cheese made from a French cow, is equal to cream cheese, all the more so if unaged. A matured version of Neufchâtel is similar to goat cheese or camembert, but a young cheese has a similar texture to Boursin cheese. But when it comes to taste and flavor, the Neufchâtel brand is similar to cream cheese.
There is a French Neufchâtel brand made entirely of cream and frequently has a heart shape. But there is an alternative American Neufchâtel brand that mixes cream and milk and is typically lighter and lower in calories.
When you make dishes and usually use the Boursin cheese, the Neufchâtel brand is the best choice since it has a relatively similar sumptuous consistency and melting creaminess. It is also a preferred alternative brand because you can use it in baking sweet desserts and pastries.
Mascarpone
Mascarpone is another Boursin cheese substitute with the same creamy, soft, and flavorful filling, but an Italian brand. It is a little sour than cream cheese and is lusciously creamy because it contains nearly double the cream in cream cheese spread.
If you didn’t know, Mascarpone is the primary ingredient in tiramisu, but you can use it when you don’t have Boursin cheese when cooking. You can use it in risotto sauces, chicken stuffing, pasta, and other creamy vegetable pies.
There are a variety of cheese alternatives you can pick from, but no accurate creaminess and flavor can compare to Mascarpone. In addition, if you want that luxurious feel to your meal preparations, this brand is the best substitute.
Boursin cheese contains 120 calories per serving and plenty of fat content, so consider one of these alternatives to cut calories or eat low-fat cheese for your meal preparations.
Cottage Cheese
Cottage cheese is considered a healthier version of cream cheese, and it has lesser fat content than Boursin Cheese and there are even no-fat variations. A full cup of cottage cheese contains only 163 calories.
Cottage cheese isn’t the best texture or flavor match for Boursin, but its doughy softness spreads well on biscuits and crisps, and it could be the best dip alternative and adds a creamy texture to your dishes.
Quark
If cottage cheese is too much for you, a German cheese made from buttermilk and heavy cream is a good alternative. Quark, which tastes like cream cheese, is a softer and a good low-calorie option.
With a chunkier, slightly sweeter consistency than cream cheese and a zest from the buttermilk, Quark is a perfect replacement for Boursin. It is also better to pair it with fresh herbs and garlic chives because the feeling is similar to eating Boursin cheese spread.
You can also use the Quark German cheese in your spread, soups, sauces, sweet treats, and a garnish for fruit, syrup, and granola.
If you are lactose intolerant or have a Vegan lifestyle, below are the best substitutes for your cheese cravings.
Cream Cheese – Dairy Free
You can choose from a variety of cream cheese that is dairy-free and extracted from plant sources.
You can have Kite Hill, which makes good almond-milk cheese spread with chives and pepper, the same shrubby taste and texture as Boursin.
Alternatively, you can try Violife’s vegan cream cheese, which contains cornstarch, coconut milk, and olives, making it a good substitute for Boursin. You can also have Tofutti’s with a milder flavor that pairs well with spices and herb seasonings.
The above alternative dairy-free cream cheeses are flavorful, sour, and tasty on crisps, roast potatoes, or stuffing for savory crepes and pancakes.
Cashew Cheese
Cashew cheese is another highly regarded vegan substitute for smooth, white cream cheese. The ingredients used for this spreadable cheese are cashews, water, and nutritional yeast.
You can create your cashew vegan cheese to replace your favorite Boursin by simply mixing these ingredients: season it with fresh herbs and spices, such as oregano and chives, lemon zest, red pepper, and miso.
Many prefer its creaminess, buttery flavor, and soft denseness compared to the blandness of the usual dairy cream cheese brands. But you can still enjoy cashew cheese on its own as a spread.
Silken Tofu
If you need a thick and creamy ingredient to thicken your stews or soup, silken tofu is a good alternative for Boursin. Tofu, however, lacks a strong taste and texture and tends to copy the taste of other ingredients.