Kashkaval Cheese substitute

Best substitute

Kasseri

Use the same amount as the kashkaval cheese you are replacing

Best for banitsa

Close match

Greek kasseri is the closest match and swaps 1:1 with no adjustment, because it is essentially the same cheese made by the same method. If you cannot find it, mild provolone is the reliable supermarket answer at 1:1. For a cheaper build, use 3 parts low-moisture mozzarella to 1 part grated pecorino or crumbled feta: mozzarella gives the melt, the sheep's cheese gives back the salt and tang that plain mozzarella does not have.

Other kashkaval cheese substitutes

Ranked, with the exact amount to use

2Provolone (mild or dolce)
Close match
Use the same amount
Also a stretched-curd cheese, so the melt behaves almost identically: it softens, then pulls into strings rather than going oily.
What changes
It is a little butterier and less sheepy than kashkaval, and slightly sharper on the finish.
Best for
banitsa and layered filo bakes, fried cheese, toasted sandwiches, baked pasta and casseroles
Buy mild or dolce provolone, not aged piccante, which is far sharper than kashkaval and will dominate a bake. This is the best swap available in a normal supermarket.
3Low-moisture mozzarella plus pecorino or feta
Close match
3 parts mozzarella to 1 part pecorino or feta, used 1:1 in total
Mozzarella brings the stretch and the clean melt, and the pecorino or feta brings back the salt and the sheep's milk edge that mozzarella completely lacks.
What changes
Grate both and toss together before using.
Best for
banitsa, baked dishes, pizza-style toppings, pasta bakes
Use the firm block mozzarella, not fresh mozzarella in water, which is far too wet for a filo bake. Made with mozzarella alone the dish comes out bland: the missing piece is salt, not stretch.
4Young Gouda
Different taste
Use the same amount
Melts smoothly and evenly with good body, but it is distinctly sweeter and more caramel-toned than kashkaval and considerably less salty.
What changes
A banitsa made with it tastes gentle and buttery where it should taste savoury.
Best for
toasted sandwiches, casseroles, melted toppings
Add a pinch of salt to the filling, or mix in a spoonful of grated parmesan, to close the savoury gap. Avoid aged Gouda, which turns grainy and sweet-crystalline when melted.
5Muenster or Monterey Jack
Different taste
Use the same amount
Excellent melters with a soft, even flow, but very mild indeed.
What changes
The dish will have all the melted texture of kashkaval and almost none of its character, tasting mostly of cream and butter.
Best for
casseroles, toasted sandwiches, melted toppings
Season the dish up. Half a teaspoon of salt and a tablespoon of grated parmesan per 200g of cheese moves it a long way. Use this when melt is the only thing you need from the cheese.
6Halloumi (for frying only)
Taste and texture differ
Use the same amount
Wrong for melting, right for frying.
What changes
If your recipe is breaded fried cheese, halloumi holds its slab shape perfectly and has the salt level of an aged kaskaval, but it squeaks against the teeth and never goes molten in the middle the way fried kashkaval should.
Best for
fried and breaded cheese, grilling, pan-searing
Honest limitation: do not use halloumi anywhere the cheese needs to flow, such as banitsa or a toasted sandwich, because it will sit in the dish as firm cubes.

What is Kashkaval Cheese?

Kashkaval Cheese is Kashkaval, also spelled kaskaval or kackavalj and often just called yellow cheese in Bulgaria and Romania, is a firm pale-yellow sheep's or cow's milk cheese made by the stretched-curd method, which is why it slices cleanly cold and melts into stretchy strings when hot.

Cooking tips

In banitsa, kashkaval is not the main cheese. The salt comes from sirene or feta and the kashkaval is there to melt and bind the layers, so if you are short, cut the kashkaval and keep the white cheese rather than the other way round.
Grate it straight from the fridge. Cold kashkaval shreds into clean threads; at room temperature it smears and clogs the grater, and warm smeared cheese releases fat and goes greasy in the oven.
For fried cheese, kashkavalki, you need a cheese that softens without escaping. Provolone and kasseri both work; low-moisture mozzarella will find any gap in the breadcrumb coating and run out onto the pan.
Aged kaskaval is markedly saltier than a young one, so taste your cheese before salting anything else in the dish. A well-aged piece can carry the seasoning of a whole filling on its own.
On a mixed grill with mici or cevapi it is served sliced and barely warmed, not fully melted, so pick a swap you would happily eat cold as well as hot. Provolone and kasseri both pass that test; Monterey Jack does not.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best substitute for kashkaval cheese?

Kasseri, if you can find it, because it is the same cheese made the same way and needs no adjustment at all. In an ordinary supermarket, mild provolone is the answer: same stretched-curd melt, slightly butterier flavour, and it swaps one for one. The cheapest good option is 3 parts grated low-moisture mozzarella to 1 part grated pecorino or crumbled feta.

Is kashkaval the same as sirene?

No, and mixing them up ruins a banitsa. Sirene is the soft, white, very salty brined cheese that seasons the filling. Kashkaval is the firm yellow cheese that melts and holds it together. Most Bulgarian recipes use both, so if a recipe lists them separately, substitute them separately: feta for the sirene, provolone or kasseri for the kashkaval.

Can I use mozzarella instead of kashkaval?

You can, but not on its own. Mozzarella gives you the stretch and the melt and almost no flavour, so the dish comes out noticeably bland. Grate a little pecorino, parmesan or feta into it, roughly one part to three parts mozzarella, and the salt and tang come back. Use block low-moisture mozzarella, never the fresh kind packed in liquid.

Can I leave the kashkaval out altogether?

In a mixed cheese filling, yes, at a cost: the filling will taste right but crumble apart rather than holding in soft layers, because the kashkaval is what melts and binds. In a dish where the cheese is the point, such as fried kashkaval or cheese on a grill platter, there is nothing to leave out and you need a melting cheese of some sort.

Does kashkaval melt well?

Yes, very well. Because it is made by stretching the curd, it melts into long strings rather than separating into oil and solids, which is why it works on toast, in pastries and over grilled meat. That behaviour, not the flavour, is the main thing your substitute needs to reproduce, which is why provolone and kasseri work and halloumi does not.

Related substitutes

More cheese substitutes

Kashkaval Cheese substitute

Other kashkaval cheese substitutes

2Provolone (mild or dolce)

3Low-moisture mozzarella plus pecorino or feta

4Young Gouda

5Muenster or Monterey Jack

6Halloumi (for frying only)