Here's everything worth knowing about brie cheese and how to pick it, what it is, how to store it, and what to use instead, plus 31 recipes to cook tonight.

What is brie cheese?

Brie is a soft cow's-milk cheese from northern France, recognizable by its bloomy white rind. The inside turns from chalky to soft and oozing as it ripens.

It is named for the Brie region east of Paris, where it has been made since at least the Middle Ages.

Under that edible rind the paste is buttery and mild, with a faint mushroomy note that deepens as the wheel ages. A young brie is firm and gentle; a ripe one bulges and smells of cream and earth.

Yes, you eat the rind. It is a thin layer of edible mold (Penicillium candidum) that protects the cheese and adds an earthy, savory note. Cutting it off throws away half the flavor.

How to use brie

Brie is at its best two ways: at room temperature on a board, and baked until molten. Pull it from the fridge an hour before serving so the center softens to the spoonable texture that makes it worth eating.

Baked, it becomes a warm dip you scoop with bread. Score the rind, bake the wheel at about 350°F (175°C) for 12 to 15 minutes until it gives under a finger, then spoon over honey or caramelized onion.

Wrapping a wedge in pastry, as in Alouette Baby Brie Wedge in Phyllo, turns it into a centerpiece.

It also melts into savory cooking. Brie folds into eggs in a Brie & Bacon Omelet, enriches Brie Baked Mashed Potatoes, and slumps over a hot burger or quesadilla.

Pairing and mistakes

Brie loves sweet and crunchy company: sliced apple or pear, fig jam, honey, toasted walnuts, and a crusty baguette. A glass of Champagne or a light red plays off its richness.

The common mistake is serving it cold straight from the fridge, when the paste is tight and the flavor is muted.

The other is overheating it. Too long in a hot oven and the fat splits and runs out greasy, leaving a rubbery shell, so bake just until it slumps and no further.

Trim the rind only if a melted sauce needs to be completely smooth; otherwise leave it on.

Substitutes

Camembert is the closest swap, a little earthier and more pungent but used the same way for boards and baking. Other bloomy-rind cheeses like Saint-André or a triple-cream brie work wherever you want even more butterfat.

For a melt in cooking, a young, mild cheese such as fontina or a ripe Reblochon gives a similar creamy flow without the rind. None of these copy brie's exact mushroomy edge, but they fill the role.

Buying and storing

Buy brie that gives slightly when pressed and smells fresh and milky, not sharply ammoniated, which signals it is over the hill. A whole small wheel ripens more evenly than a pre-cut wedge.

Wrap it in cheese paper or parchment, then loosely in foil, and keep it in the warmest part of the fridge so it keeps breathing.

Use a soft cheese like this within a week or two. It ripens further in the fridge, getting softer and stronger, so eat it before it turns runny and ammoniated. Brie does not freeze well, since thawing makes the paste grainy.

Quick facts

Where to find brie cheese: Brie cheese is usually found in the cheeses section or aisle of the grocery store or supermarket.

In Chinese

布里奶酪

British (UK) term

Brie cheese

en français

fromage brie

en español

queso brie

Recipes using brie cheese

There are 31 recipes that contain this ingredient.

All 31 recipes