5 Amazing Appenzeller Cheese Substitutes

The best Appenzeller cheese substitute is Gruyère, which shares the same firm texture, nutty flavor, and smooth melt, making it a reliable 1:1 swap in fondue, gratins, and cheese boards.

If you have ever tried to find Appenzeller at a regular grocery store, you know the feeling. It is a genuinely hard cheese to track down in the US, and most stores carry maybe one Swiss cheese option that is not it. The good news is that the Alpine cheese family is full of strong substitutes once you know which one fits what you are making.

I went through the real options here, ranked them by how close they actually get to Appenzeller, and mapped each one to a specific use case. No more guessing.

Key Takeaways

• None of these fully replicate Appenzeller’s herbal-spicy brine character, but boosting with a pinch of nutmeg or white pepper closes the gap
• Gruyère is the closest overall substitute for melt, texture, and nutty depth
• Comté is the French equivalent of Gruyère and works nearly as well in every application
• Emmental is the milder, sweeter option for fondue and sandwiches
• Raclette melts the most smoothly of any option on this list
• Fontina Val d’Aosta is the best Italian alternative, especially for soups and baked pasta
• Beaufort and Jarlsberg work well for milder applications and cheese boards

What is Appenzeller Cheese?

Appenzeller is a hard, washed-rind cow’s milk cheese from the Appenzellerland region of northeast Switzerland. It has been produced there for at least 700 years, with the first written record dating to 1282.

What sets it apart from every other Swiss cheese is the brine. During aging, each wheel is regularly rubbed with a secret blend of more than 25 herbs, roots, and spices. Emmi, the main US distributor, describes the resulting flavor as nutty and spicy with notes of ginger, black tea, and clove.

There are three main varieties sold in the US. Classic (silver label) is aged 3-4 months and is mildest. Surchoix (gold label) is aged 4-6 months and noticeably tangier, while Extra (black label) is aged over 6 months and represents only 2.4% of total production.

Appenzeller is also one of the three cheeses in the classic Swiss fondue trio alongside Emmentaler and Gruyère.

9 Best Appenzeller Cheese Substitutes

1. Gruyère

Gruyère is the consensus pick when Appenzeller is not available. It comes from the same Swiss Alpine tradition, melts beautifully without breaking, and delivers the same nutty, slightly sweet flavor that makes Appenzeller so useful in cooked dishes.

The main trade-off is that Gruyère lacks Appenzeller’s herbal-spicy edge. A small pinch of nutmeg or white pepper added to your dish closes that gap more than you might expect.

Kaltbach Cave Aged Gruyère is aged 12+ months in Swiss sandstone caves and holds the top spot in its category on Amazon. It is the most practical premium swap you can order and have delivered.

Best for: Fondue, gratins, French onion soup, cheese boards, mac and cheese

2. Comté

Comté is often called the French twin of Gruyère, and it earns that comparison. It is made from unpasteurized cow’s milk in the Jura Mountains of eastern France, aged anywhere from 4 to 36 months, and carries a fruity, buttery, nutty flavor that maps closely onto Appenzeller’s profile.

Longer-aged Comté develops a more complex, almost caramel character that is genuinely close to what Appenzeller brings to a cheese board. It melts cleanly into sauces and gratins without any stringiness.

Comté Cheese 1 lb is available on Amazon and is one of the better-stocked imported French cheese options you can order in the US.

Best for: Fondue, gratins, cheese boards, French onion soup, grating

3. Emmental

Emmental is the mild, sweet Swiss cheese with the famous large holes, and it is one leg of the classic Swiss fondue trio alongside Appenzeller and Gruyère. It has a nutty sweetness and clean dairy flavor, though it is noticeably softer in character than Appenzeller.

The main caveat with Emmental in fondue is stringiness. Adding a small amount of cornstarch or a squeeze of lemon juice to the pot before melting solves this and gives you a smooth, cohesive sauce.

Emmi Roth Emmentaler 6oz is a Swiss-made version from one of the country’s most respected dairy producers. It is the real thing, not a domestic Swiss-style imitation.

Best for: Fondue, sandwiches, grilled cheese, mild melting applications

4. Raclette

Raclette is a semi-firm Swiss/French cheese designed specifically for melting. It goes completely smooth and creamy when heated without any stringiness or oil separation, which makes it the best pure melter on this list.

The flavor is mild, slightly smoky, and buttery. It does not replicate Appenzeller’s herbal punch, but for any dish where the cheese needs to melt into a velvety layer, Raclette outperforms almost everything else.

Emmi Swiss Raclette is the go-to brand for authentic Swiss Raclette in the US and is reliably available on Amazon.

Best for: Melted dishes, raclette-style serving over potatoes, sandwiches, pizza topping

5. Fontina Val d’Aosta

Fontina Val d’Aosta is an Italian raw-milk Alpine cheese from the Valle d’Aosta, the mountainous northwest corner of Italy. It has an earthy, honeyed, mildly pungent flavor and melts incredibly smoothly without separating, which makes it one of the best fondue substitutes available.

It is a closer relative to Appenzeller than its Italian origin might suggest. Both are washed-rind Alpine cheeses with complex, nutty flavors that get bolder with age.

Fontina Val d’Aosta is worth seeking out at specialty cheese shops or Whole Foods. It is one of the best cheese-soup and gratin options you can find regardless of whether Appenzeller is involved.

Best for: Fondue, soups, baked pasta, gratins, any silky-melt application

6. Beaufort

Beaufort is a French Alpine cheese from Savoie, made from raw milk of Tarentaise and Abondance cows grazing at high altitude. It has a rich, buttery, slightly sweet flavor with a firm, smooth texture that melts cleanly in cooking.

It is milder and sweeter than Appenzeller and lacks the herbal-spicy bite. For recipes where Appenzeller is the primary flavor driver, Beaufort falls a little short. For recipes where it is a supporting melt cheese in fondue or gratin, Beaufort performs beautifully.

Best for: Fondue, gratins, cheese boards alongside bolder cheeses

7. Jarlsberg

Jarlsberg is a mild, buttery Norwegian cheese with medium holes and a slightly sweet, nutty flavor. It is one of the most widely available European specialty cheeses in US grocery stores, which is its biggest practical advantage.

It is milder than Appenzeller across the board and does not bring any herbal character. For cold applications like sandwiches, cheese boards with fruit, or sliced snacking, Jarlsberg is a reliable everyday swap.

Jarlsberg 2 lb from Norway ships on Amazon and is one of the few legitimate imported Norwegian options at a reasonable price point.

Best for: Sandwiches, cold cheese boards, mild melting, snacking

8. Comté or Beaufort for Fondue? Use the Classic Trio Instead

If you are making fondue specifically, the most authentic move is to build the traditional Swiss trio: equal parts Emmentaler, Gruyère, and Appenzeller. The Emmental handles the texture, the Gruyère handles the flavor base, and the Appenzeller adds the herbal-spicy note.

When Appenzeller is unavailable, a 1:1 Gruyère and Emmental blend gets you 80% of the way there. To bridge the remaining gap, add a splash of white wine and a pinch each of nutmeg, garlic powder, and white pepper to the pot.

Swiss Knight Fondue L’Originale 14oz is the easiest ready-to-heat option, sitting at BSR #17,782 overall and #2 in its category on Amazon. It ships fast and is made by Emmi, the same company behind most US Appenzeller imports. The Classic Fondue Cheese Assortment is the better pick if you want to build it yourself, since it includes all three traditional cheeses (Emmentaler, Gruyère, and actual Appenzeller) in a single 3-pound order.

9. Kerrygold Dubliner

Kerrygold Dubliner is an Irish aged cow’s milk cheese with a nutty-sweet, slightly sharp flavor that sits between cheddar and Parmigiano-Reggiano. It is not an Alpine cheese and does not replicate Appenzeller’s herbal character at all, but it melts well and delivers a bold, complex flavor in baked and cooked dishes.

Think of it as the most accessible everyday stand-in when you need a full-flavored melting cheese and you are not specifically after the Swiss Alpine profile. My full breakdown of when to use it is in the Dubliner cheese substitutes guide.

Best for: Mac and cheese, toasties, meat pies, baked potatoes, any general melting dish

Where to Buy Appenzeller Cheese in the US

Whole Foods, specialty cheese shops, and European import retailers are the most reliable sources. Trader Joe’s and World Market occasionally carry it depending on the season.

Online, Emmi Appenzeller 2×1lb is available on Amazon at BSR #36 in Swiss Cheese. Emmi is Switzerland’s largest dairy company and the main Appenzeller importer for the US market, so this is the genuine article.

If you want to try the boldest version, look specifically for the Surchoix (gold label) or Extra (black label) rather than the Classic silver.

How to Store Appenzeller and Its Substitutes

All of these cheeses need to breathe in the fridge. Sealing them in plastic wrap traps ammonia, kills the rind, and wrecks the flavor within a few days.

Formaticum cheese storage bags are what professional cheesemongers use. The porous French-made paper lets the cheese breathe while holding enough moisture to keep it fresh far longer than any plastic alternative.

Take any of these cheeses out of the fridge 30 minutes before serving so the full flavor develops at room temperature.

Building an Alpine Cheese Board

Appenzeller or Gruyère as the anchor, a softer cheese like Comté or Beaufort alongside it, and a bold contrast like a blue or a sharp cheddar round out the board. Pair with sliced apple, dried apricot, and toasted walnuts, which all play well against the nutty-herbal character of Alpine cheeses.

For wine, Riesling, Grüner Veltliner, or a light Pinot Noir are the cleanest pairings. They have the acidity to cut through the richness without overpowering the cheese.

The ChefSofi charcuterie board set comes with four steel knives and four ceramic bowls and handles every cheese type from firm Emmentaler to soft Fontina on the same board. If you are exploring the broader world of Alpine-adjacent Italian cheeses to round out a board, the Montasio cheese substitute guide and Castelmagno cheese substitute guide cover two northern Italian options worth knowing.

The Right Swap for the Right Dish

Appenzeller’s secret brine is genuinely one of a kind and no substitute fully copies it. For everything else, the melt, the texture, the nutty depth, Gruyère covers most situations.

Comté handles everything Gruyère does with a slightly fruitier, more complex edge. Emmental and Raclette cover the melting jobs where smoothness matters more than flavor intensity.

Frequently Asked Questions