Get the App
Discover our World of Chocolate
19 Feb 2025
At Hotel Chocolat, we’re always looking for innovative flavour combinations to showcase all that cacao has to offer. The humble cacao bean is incredibly versatile, lending itself to all kinds of treats and tantalising delights. If you haven’t tried chocolate and cheese yet, you might be missing a trick.
While these two flavour profiles might seem worlds apart at first glance, they can come together to create unexpected opulence. Let’s take a look at the top chocolate and cheese pairings to make the most of the nation’s favourite nibbles. Trust us, you won’t be disappointed!
When you first think of cheese, chances are you picture something savoury. Perhaps you see lashings of melted cheddar on a pizza, cubes of crumbly feta in your favourite salad, or a classic cheese and pickle sandwich.
With its rich, often salty flavour profile, cheese might not be considered the obvious companion for chocolate. However, the pairing could well be an iconic example of how opposites attract.
After all, many of us enjoy cheese and fruit together — from cranberry-studded Wensleydale to a cheese board topped with brie and grapes. So, perhaps chocolate’s subtle sweetness can complement the savoury and umami notes of cheese.
But it’s not just flavour contrast we need to consider, there’s also:
Fun fact: Did you know that in Colombia, chocolate and cheese combinations are a local delicacy? Chocolate con queso is a popular treat. It involves placing cubes of cheese (usually mozzarella or Chihuahua) in a mug and topping it with hot chocolate. Chocolate con queso is often served with bread for dipping.
Before we look at specific cheese types to pair with chocolate — and offer our top recommendations — let’s have a little look at the foundations of combining these ingredients.
Milk chocolate is a well-balanced variety. It’s smooth and mellow yet lets nuanced cacao notes shine through to bring some depth to the profile. With this in mind, we recommend pairing milk chocolate with creamy cheeses that bring a hint of sweetness — such as brie, ricotta, and gouda.
Our dark chocolate features a minimum of 70% cacao, giving it an oh-so-satisfying depth of flavour. Expect fruity notes and a savoury element — all perfectly tempered by a high cocoa butter content to ensure smoothness. It’s never too bitter.
Those tangier hints make dark chocolate the ideal pairing for mature cheddar, earthy camembert, and the umami profile of parmesan.
Looking for a plant-based alternative? In recent years, there has been a big rise in vegan cheese alternatives, and you can simply switch out dairy cheese for a plant-based version. Pair it with our vegan* 70% or 85% Dark Chocolate Slabs or Batons, and you’re good to go!
*Please note: We believe our dark chocolate is suitable for vegans. However, as it is made in the same environment as our milk chocolate, we cannot guarantee it is free from milk.
White chocolate has a light flavour profile with a hint of vanilla sweetness. We craft ours with a high percentage of cocoa butter, which creates a silky mouthfeel.
Because it is more delicate in flavour, white chocolate pairs best with mild, creamy cheeses that have a buttery texture — like brie and blue cheese. However, you can also look for cheese that has a slight tang, such as goat’s cheese, to contrast the white chocolate’s subtle vanilla flavour notes.
To get the most out of your chocolate and cheese pairings, you want to go for high-quality ingredients. Look for chocolate that contains a high level of cacao solids (for milk and dark chocolate) and cocoa butter (white chocolate) for the most satisfying textures and flavours.
If you’re feeling creative, why not look at combining spiced cheeses with our Chocolate Orange Tangs? Alternatively, try smoked cheeses with rich, 90% Dark Chocolate to enhance the deep, savoury flavours.
Whichever you choose, we hope our suggestions have inspired you to explore the world of possibilities when pairing chocolate and cheese.