What Kind Of Cheese Is Laughing Cow Spread?

One of the very best cheeses to buy when you're grocery shopping on a budget is Laughing Cow spreadable cheese wedges. At around $4 for eight wedges (or $10 for 32 if you have a Costco membership), this soft, creamy cheese is delicious on crackers, paired with fruit, or even on your morning toast. Food Network series host Nigella Lawson even uses Laughing Cow to make her bread pudding richer, swapping it for ordinary butter. Regardless of how delicious it is, however, the wide variety of flavors Laughing Cow offers has us wondering what kind of cheese is actually inside those tidy foil packets.

The answer is fairly simple, but not necessarily straightforward. All of the cheeses except the vegan blends are a blend of rehydrated milk powder, various types of cheese, and emulsifiers to protect the cheese's texture and surprisingly long shelf life. More specifically, the original flavor uses cheddar and "semisoft cheese" — possibly a farmer's cheese, but it's not specified in the ingredient list. Most of the other flavors also start with this proprietary blend, including the lower-calorie light option, garlic & herb, aged white cheddar, pepper jack, and jalapeño.

The two plant-based options (vegan original and garlic & herb) use almond milk (in place of cow's milk) and coconut oil, likely as a substitute for the soft cheese, as coconut oil is semisolid at room temperature. Pea protein gives these vegan wedges their substance, while ingredients like lactic acid and citrus fiber bring that signature sharp cheesy flavor.

As mentioned, many of Laughing Cow's products use a similar foundational blend of specific cheeses, milk, and other ingredients, differentiated only by the ingredients that give them their distinctive flavorings. For instance, the jalapeño wedges include dried jalapeño peppers for a spicy burst of flavor, while both styles of garlic & herb use dried parsley, onion, and garlic; the dairy-free option uses powdered spices, while the standard one features dehydrated onion and garlic extract.

However, the dill pickle and smoked gouda cheese wedges both diverge from this formula. Instead of starting with a blend of cheddar and soft cheese, these flavors both list a base cheese, milk protein concentrate, and whey as their first three ingredients. The dill pickle version uses cheddar cheese as its base, while the smoked Gouda lists a mysterious "smoked cheese" as the first ingredient. Despite their slightly different composition, these two flavors are just as creamy and packed with flavor as the other options.

In fact, any flavor of this creamy cheese is worthy of being added to your next BLT, melted into an omelet, or mixed into your favorite dip to give it some zing. It might even be fun to include a few unwrapped wedges on your next dinner party cheese plate, especially if you're hosting a crowd, want to serve snacks without breaking the bank, or need a quick and tasty way to include your vegan friends. Just make sure to avoid the worst charcuterie board cheeses if you're pairing your Laughing Cow wedges with a few other options.