Sulguni cheese substitutes
Sulguni cheese substitutes — 6 options, ranked, with the exact amount
Use Low-moisture mozzarella plus feta
Same amount in total as the sulguni cheese
2 parts mozzarella to 1 part feta
The standard home substitute is 2 parts grated low-moisture mozzarella to 1 part crumbled feta, used 1:1 for the suluguni in your recipe. Mozzarella supplies the stretch, feta supplies the salt and the brined tang, and that combination is what almost every English-language khachapuri recipe is quietly recommending. Kashkaval or kasseri are closer still if a Balkan shop is nearby. The one thing that does not work is mozzarella on its own, which melts beautifully and tastes of nothing.
- Verdict —
- Works
- Best for —
- khachapuri
Updated 19 Aug 2026 · no sponsored swaps
Every option, one card
Ranked| # | Substitute | Instead of sulguni cheese | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Low-moisture mozzarella plus fetakhachapuri | Same amount in total2 parts mozzarella to 1 part fetaWorks | Works |
| 2 | Kashkaval or kasserikhachapuri | Same amountWorks | Works |
| 3 | Mild provolone plus fetakhachapuri | Same amount in total2 parts provolone to 1 part fetaWorks | Works |
| 4 | Fresh mozzarella plus feta, drained hardkhachapuri if drained well | Same amount in total2 parts fresh mozzarella to 1 part fetaTweak it | Tweak it |
| 5 | Halloumi plus mozzarellakhachapuri | Same amountUsed 1:1 in totalTweak it | Tweak it |
| 6 | Monterey Jack plus fetakhachapuri | Same amount in total2 parts Jack to 1 part fetaTweak it | Tweak it |
Low-moisture mozzarella plus feta
similar taste and texture
Grate the mozzarella, crumble the feta, and toss them together. The mozzarella melts into the long strands suluguni is prized for, and the feta puts back the salt and the slight brine sourness. This is the swap that makes khachapuri work.
- Best for
- khachapuri, imeruli khachapuri, cheese-stuffed breads, baked dishes
Use block mozzarella, not fresh mozzarella packed in water. If your feta is very briny, rinse and pat it dry, then taste the mix before adding any salt at all.
Kashkaval or kasseri
similar taste and texture
Both are stretched-curd sheep's or cow's milk cheeses from the same tradition, so the springiness and the pull are closer to suluguni than mozzarella gets. Slightly nuttier and less sour, and a shade less salty.
- Best for
- khachapuri, fried cheese, grilled cheese slices, elarji and cornmeal dishes
The best single-cheese answer if you can buy it. Add a small handful of crumbled feta if you want the sour brine note as well, or a pinch of salt if not.
Mild provolone plus feta
similar taste and texture
Provolone stretches like suluguni and has more character than mozzarella, so you need less help from the feta. The result is a little sharper and butterier than the original, which most people read as an improvement rather than a fault.
- Best for
- khachapuri, cheese breads, fried cheese, baked dishes
Choose mild or dolce provolone. Aged piccante provolone is far sharper than suluguni and takes over the bread completely.
Fresh mozzarella plus feta, drained hard
similar taste, different texture
Works on flavour and stretch, but fresh mozzarella carries a lot of water. Squeeze it in a clean tea towel first, or an Adjarian khachapuri boat fills with liquid, the egg yolk drowns and the base never crisps.
- Best for
- khachapuri if drained well, cheese fillings, quick bakes
Tear it, salt it lightly, and let it sit in a sieve for twenty minutes before you squeeze it. This is the most common cause of a soggy khachapuri.
Halloumi plus mozzarella
similar taste, different texture
Halloumi has almost exactly the right salty squeak and is easy to buy, but on its own it never melts, so it sits in the bread as firm cubes. Grated half and half with mozzarella, the mozzarella carries the melt and the halloumi carries the salt and the bite.
- Best for
- khachapuri, fried cheese, grilled cheese
Grate the halloumi finely on the small holes so it disappears into the melt. Chunks stay stubbornly solid.
Monterey Jack plus feta
different taste, similar texture
The pure supermarket fallback. The melt is excellent, smooth and generous, but Jack is flat and buttery, so without the feta the filling tastes like a cheese toastie rather than khachapuri. The feta is doing all the flavour work here.
- Best for
- khachapuri, cheese breads, casseroles
Least authentic of the workable options. If you only have Jack and no feta, add half a teaspoon of salt per 200g of cheese and a squeeze of lemon, and accept a milder result.
Questions
5 questionsWhat is the best substitute for suluguni in khachapuri?
Two parts grated low-moisture mozzarella to one part crumbled feta, used in place of the same weight of suluguni. The mozzarella melts into the long strands you want, the feta supplies the salt and the slight sour brine note, and together they get genuinely close. If a Balkan, Greek or Turkish shop is within reach, kashkaval or kasseri are closer still and need no blending.
Can I just use mozzarella on its own?
This is the most common mistake and the reason home khachapuri often tastes disappointing. Mozzarella gives a clean melt and almost no flavour, so the bread comes out bland and milky. Suluguni is a salty, faintly sour cheese, and the salt is not optional. Add feta, halloumi, pecorino or at minimum a decent pinch of salt to whatever mozzarella you use.
Can I leave the cheese out or use less of it?
Not really, because in khachapuri the cheese is the dish rather than a seasoning in it. You can reduce the quantity by perhaps a quarter without the bread failing, but go much below that and you get bread with a thin cheesy smear. If you are short on cheese, make a smaller khachapuri rather than a thinly filled large one.
Is suluguni the same as imeruli cheese?
No. Both are Georgian and both go into khachapuri, often together, but suluguni is stretched, springy and salty while imeruli is younger, softer, milder and more crumbly. If a recipe asks for both, substitute low-moisture mozzarella plus feta for the suluguni and fresh mozzarella or drained whole-milk ricotta for the imeruli.
Where can I buy suluguni?
Georgian, Russian and Eastern European grocers stock it, sometimes labelled sulguni or Georgian cheese, and it occasionally appears vacuum-packed in larger international supermarkets. It is genuinely hard to find in most of the United States and Western Europe, which is why the mozzarella and feta blend has become the standard home answer rather than a compromise people apologise for.
Tips for substituting sulguni cheese
5 tips- Traditional khachapuri usually uses two cheeses, not one: suluguni for the stretch and salt, and imeruli, a fresher and milder young Georgian cheese, for softness. If your recipe lists both, use low-moisture mozzarella plus feta for the suluguni, and fresh mozzarella or well-drained whole-milk ricotta for the imeruli.
- Grate rather than cube. Grated cheese melts evenly into a single mass, while cubes leave pockets of pooled oil surrounded by dry bread.
- Wring the water out of any fresh cheese in a clean tea towel. Wet cheese in an Adjarian khachapuri boat leaks, softens the base and stops the edges browning, and no amount of extra oven time fixes it once the dough is wet.
- Do not add the salt the recipe expects until you have tasted your cheese mix. Real suluguni is salty enough to season the whole filling, and a feta-heavy blend can easily overshoot it.
- For fried suluguni, use provolone, kashkaval or halloumi. Mozzarella softens too far, finds any gap in the crust and runs out into the pan.