Cheeses Similar to Gruyere

Updated April 17, 2017

Gruyere cheese is a a semi-firm or semi-hard cheese made of cow's milk. Gruyere named after the Swiss town from which it originated in the 12th century. Gruyere is a light brown cheese with a mild, nutty flavour; it is commonly used in fondues, souffles and melted on sandwiches. If Gruyere cheese is not easily available to you, or you like Gruyere and want to try something similar, there are many cheeses available.


Emmentaler is known by several other names such as Emmental, Emmenthaler or Bavarian Swiss cheese. Like Gruyere, Emmentaler has a nutty, mild flavour and is an excellent cheese for melting. Emmentaler has more holes than Gruyere and is more yellow in colour.


Jarlsburg is another cheese very similar to Gruyere. This cheese is the Norwegian version of Emmentaler. Jarlsburg has a large amount of holes and is a creamy yellow cheese with a mild flavour.


Appenzell, also known as Appenzeller, is another semi-firm cheese similar to Gruyere. Appenzell is creamy, much like Gruyere, but it has a slightly more pungent taste, and stinky cheese smell.


Comte, also called Gruyere de Comte, is a French version of Gruyere. Like Gruyere, Comte has a mild nutty flavour, and works well for melting. One slight difference between Comte and Gruyere is that Comte has a sweet taste.

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About the Author

Reese Armstrong graduated from Kent State University in 2007 with a Bachelor of Arts in biology. Armstrong has been writing professionally since 2010 and published articles on various websites. For several years she worked as a skin care consultant for a major cosmetic company.