Last Updated on November 5, 2022 by Aaron
I read you, so you’re working on a recipe that needs asiago cheese but couldn’t find the right one in your local groceries. Don’t worry, I’ve got you filtered with these 4 most suitable substitutes from all 22 cheeses. And I am sure you can’t taste them apart unless you are a super taster!
You can use them to replace asiago in most recipes.
Table of Contents
I recommended these 4 substitutes for asiago:
- Parmesan cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano) – Taste very similar, but deeper and more complex overall. Best part, it’s easy to find!
- Grana Padano – Close taste, but milder and less pronounced.
- Gruyere – Bold creamy flavor, similar to fresh asiago (young asiago) under 3 months old.
- Pecorino Romano – Slightly more buttery, richer and smoother.
And I compile them into an easy-to-digest table for you:
| Cheese | How to serve best | Taste and note | Where to buy |
| Asiago | Snack, pasta, bread, chicken, pizza, risotto, and salad. | Buttery, tangy with a little nutty. Not too overpowering, well balanced. | Whole food market, cheese shop, grocery stores, and also on Amazon (go here). |
| Parmesan | Pasta, soups, risotto, grated over dishes. | Creamy, rich, sharp and nutty. It’s a little stronger and more flavorful. | Whole food market, cheese shop, grocery stores, and also on Amazon (go here). |
| Grana Padano | Pasta, cheese dip, grated over dishes. | Sweet, mild and fruity. A close relative of parmesan but a slightly milder/subtle version. | Cheese shop, large grocery stores, and also on Amazon (go here). |
| Gruyere | Snack, wine, bread, pasta. | Sweet and creamy. If you are using fresh asiago (young asiago), this one should be the best of four. | Whole food market, some cheese shops and grocery stores, also on Amazon (go here). |
| Pecorino Romano | Spaghetti, pasta, snack, salad, pizza, fruit & wine. | Dense and thick, salty, piquent. 100% sheep cheese, so it’s naturally thicker and denser. It has a sharp note with a little pungent tones. | Whole food market, groceries and cheese shops, also on Amazon (go here). |
Cheese produced from the same region in Italy as asiago:
- Bastardo del Grappa
- Morlacco
- Piave
- Provolone
- Crucolo
Flavor Profile Comparison with Best Substitutes
First thing first, Asiago is a semi-hard Italian cheese made of cow milk. And it’s produced in the Veneto and Trentino-Alto Adige region in Italy. It has a fresh version and an aged version, so you need to know which one you are choosing for your recipe. Overall, it tastes sweet, mild with a good hint of savory.
The fresh asiago version is creamier, which is better for pasta or risotto. The aged version is good for sprinkling or grated over dishes.
The best asiago cheese substitute is parmesan cheese. And here is an in-depth article for Asiago vs Parmesan if you really like to grind into detail of why it’s the top recommended option from me, I also talks about the nutritional differences there.
1. Parmesan (Parmigiano Reggiano)
Top of the list, We recommended parmesan as the first choice. Think about it as the stronger version of asiago.
Also known as the “premium” cheese, parmesan can easily substitute the asiago in many recipes such as to use in soup, sprinkle on dishes, to go with sandwich, crackers or bread. In fact, they both have a very close taste.
Parmesan is produced in the very similar way as asiago too. Asiago and parmesan are both well aged in the alpines mountain region 500 meters above sea level, and only the certain breed of cows in that particular region were used to produce the milk for cheese, which gave them the satisfying savory taste when aged.
Parmesan is produced in Emilia-Romagna which is the region next to Veneto where asiago cheese produced. They both have a similar hard and gritty texture too.
However, unlike asiago, the parmesan cheese would normally age for a slightly longer time, and therefore has a deeper complex taste overall. Nonetheless, there is a younger version of asiago (aged lesser than a year) where It is softer than the aged one, and is also sweeter and creamier.
2. Grana Padano
The second in the list we have here is the Grana Padano. It is a close relative to parmesan.
Grana Padano has a PDO certification with production area overlapped with parmesan’s.
Produced by unpasteurized cow milk, Grana Padano is aged in a similar way as asiago, making it one of the best substitute to use. The taste is quite close to the asiago but milder and less pronounced. So if you feel like asiago is too strong for you, you can go with Grana Padano.
Grana Padano has a semi-hard and gritty texture – somewhat in between the aged and fresh asiago.
3. Gruyère
Gruyere is a Swiss alps cheese which has a similar taste resembling the young asiago (1 year below).
Gruyere is made using cow milk from the western region of Switzerland. It features a buttery-creamy-rich, less earthy taste and also sweeter than the asiago. If you are using asiago for macaroni, this is a very good option to use.
4. Pecorino Romano
Pecorino Romano is a popular sheep cheese which you can find in most of the large groceries and cheese shop in the US. It works really well as a replacement for asiago. It can get a little salty, but the thick and dense flavor makes it a good choice for spaghetti.
What is similar to asiago cheese?
Parmesan, Grana Padano, and Pecorino Romano are very similar to asiago cheese – the texture, taste and flavor are close. Therefore if you can’t find asiago, you can use any one of them to substitute. Parmesan, in particular, can be a very good substitute.
Can you substitute asiago to mozzarella?
You can substitute young asiago (also called Asiago Pressato) to mozzarella. Young asiago is only briefly cured for 1-3 month. It has a milder and milky taste. You can slice it for sandwich or use it as a nice melty cheese just like mozzarella. Alternatively, gruyere works well too.
Is asiago similar to gouda?
Asiago is similar to gouda – in particular the Asiago Presssato (1-3 months old) and Asiago d’Allevo Mezzano (less than a year old). At these ages, asiago is light sweet, milder and less bitter, making it a good substitute for gouda.
Is asiago cheese similar to provolone?
Asiago cheese is similar to provolone and can be a substitute for it. Provolone has 2 variations, Dolce and Piccante. It resembles the young and old provolone similarly to the variation of Asiago Presssato and Asiago d’Allevo. But provolone overall tastes tangier and having a more complex flavor.
