The Absolute Best Cheeses To Pair With Avocado
You may think pairing avocado alongside your favorite cheeses wouldn't work; however, the two can marry together perfectly — when matched appropriately. The creamy and mild texture and taste of avocado can serve as a great base to match with various soft, mild, and hard cheeses; the trick is to know which to pair and when. One of the most important elements when pairing cheese and avocado is to note if the dish is served hot or cold. According to The Cheese Empire, when serving a hot dish (like a hot-pressed sandwich or quesadilla), you'll want a cheese that melts properly to blend with the avocado. When pairing with a cold dish (like a salad or bowl), you may want to opt for a milder and saltier cheese that cuts through the avocado.
To help us navigate our way around cheese, we spoke with Wisconsin Cheese expert and education manager at Dairy Farms of Wisconsin, Molly Browne. Read on as Browne shares three of her all-time favorite cheeses to pair perfectly with everyone's favorite green fruit.
The cheese pairings avocado always needed
Dairy Farms of Wisconsin's Molly Browne recommends three favorite cheeses to pair with avocado, starting with blue cheese. "Avocado is so mild and creamy, and this blue cheese helps punch up the flavor profile of the salad," she said. Perfect for topping a salad, the potent blue flavor and aroma of blue cheese and its rich buttery texture make it a nice contrast to avocado. "Blue cheese also plays on a textural affinity that gets broken up by other, crunchier salad ingredients," explained Browne, adding, "Between the creaminess of the avocado and the blue, you hardly need a dressing to top this salad."
For mozzarella, Browne shared, "I like to put a spin on the classic Caprese salad," which traditionally consists of mozzarella, tomato, basil, and olive oil. Elevate this Italian antipasto by layering fresh slices of mozzarella between the tomato and the avocado. As Browne explained, "The acidity in the tomatoes helps break up creaminess from the cheese and the avocado." Top this dish off with freshly chopped mint, lime juice, and olive oil to take the flavor up a notch.
Lastly, the third cheese pairing for Browne is Chihuahua, a cheese one can liken to a mild cheddar (via Gourmet Sleuth). "Chihuahua, Mexican-style quesadilla cheese, has great flavor and melts beautifully. It works so well with the avocado as it rounds out its creamy, nutty profile," she said. Alongside Chihuahua, cotija cheese is an excellent substitute for Mexican dishes featuring avocados, like tacos, burritos, and fajitas.
Ready for a rich and creamy meal? Both avocado and your favorite cheeses are waiting for you to indulge and enjoy.