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What to eat in France? Top 100 French Raw Milk Cheeses

Last update: Fri Feb 28 2025
Top 100 French Raw Milk Cheeses
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Best French Raw Milk Cheese Types

01

Cheese

RHÔNE-ALPES, France
4.6
Saint-Félicien
Saint-Félicien infographic
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Saint-Félicien is a soft French cheese originating from the region of Rhône-Alpes. The cheese is made from cow’s milk and has a creamy texture, while its flavor can be described as fruity, sour, nutty, and buttery. During the aging process, it develops a bloomy rind with a strong mushroomy aroma which does not really match the flavors of the cheese.


Due to its fragile nature, this cheese often comes packaged in small terracotta pots. It is recommended to pair it with crusty baguettes, olives, or a glass of red wine.

02
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Chavignol is a small cheese made from raw goat's milk that must weigh at least 60 grams. Its color is white or ivory and it has a dense, moist texture with a thin, moldy rind on the outside. The flavor of Chavignol is full, slightly nutty and 'goaty'.


It can mature for up to three months, and when the rind drastically changes its color and becomes very hard, and the body becomes drier and crumbly, the origin of its name - crottin, meaning horse dung in French, is explained. Chavignol is great when grilled and served hot on a salad or eaten with bread and bacon. 
03

Cheese

HAUTE-SAVOIE, France
4.5
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Reblochon is a semi-hard, pressed cheese with a weight of about 500 grams, made from unpasteurized cow's milk that must ripen for at least 15 days in the departments of Savoie and Haute-Savoie in France. According to an old tale, it exists because a farmer made the milk into cheese to hide a part of his milk production in order to lower his "milk taxes" that he paid to the pasture's owners.


Reblochon has a yellow to orange rind with an ivory body inside. Its rind is edible, and the taste of the cheese is nutty and slightly fruity. The smell is intense and reminiscent of cellars in which it has matured. It melts well and tastes great on baked potatoes.

THE BEST Reblochon Cheeses
1 Reblochon de Savoie AOP
Coopérative de Thônes - Le Farto
Reblochon de Savoie AOP

5.0

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2
Coopérative de Thônes - Le Farto
Reblochon Fermier AOP

5.0

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Concours International de Lyon - Gold 2025

3
Edouard Conus, Fromager & Affineur
Reblochon AOP Fermier

5.0

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Concours International de Lyon - Gold 2025

4
Bradburys Cheese
Baking Reblochon

5.0

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International Cheese Awards - Gold 2024

04

Cheese

FRANCHE-COMTÉ, France
4.5
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Comté is a big, hard cheese made from unpasteurized cow's milk, with at least 45% fat and a pressed, cooked paste. Each cheese wheel is unique with numerous taste varieties that can range from milky, spicy, roasted to fruity, buttery or plant-like due to the fact the milk it is made from must be used immediately.


It is made in the Jura massif in the caves of Doubs, Jura and Haute-Saône departments in France. The maturation period lasts at least 120 days and it is turned and scrubbed regularly during the process. Comté also has a seasonal stamp, like winter, summer, mountain Comté or plains Comté. 
THE BEST Comté Cheeses
1 Comté AOP plus de 24 mois
Fromager Marie-Anne Cantin
Comté AOP plus de 24 mois

5.0

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2 Comté
Fromagerie Chez Virginie
Comté

5.0

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3 Comté
Cremerie Marcel Petite
Comté

5.0

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4
Fruitiere Du Pays Grandvallier
Comté

5.0

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Concours International de Lyon - Gold 2025

5 Comtés Juraflore à La Coupe
JuraFlore - Fort des Rousses
Comtés Juraflore à La Coupe

4.9

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World Cheese Awards - Gold 2024

05

Cheese

BEAUFORT, France
4.5
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Named after its town of origin and produced in the French Rhône-Alpes region since the Middle Ages, Beaufort is a hard cheese made from raw milk of the Tarentaise cattle breed. It is typically matured much longer than its softer Alpine counterparts, about four to five months.


During the first two months, Beaufort is salt-rubbed on a daily basis, and once the rind has matured enough, the cheese wheels are smeared with morge - a mixture of brine, whey and old cheese scrapings. This distinctive convex-sided cheese comes in three varieties: Le Beaufort, produced from November to May; Le Beaufort d’Été, produced in the summer and Le Beaufort Chalet d’Alpage, the most prized variety made in Alpine chalets using only milk from a single herd of cows pastured at altitudes of 1500m and above. 
THE BEST Beaufort Cheeses
1 Beaufort chalet d'alpage AOP
Fromager Marie-Anne Cantin
Beaufort chalet d'alpage AOP

5.0

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2
Coopérative Laitière de la Chambre
Beaufort AOP

5.0

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Concours International de Lyon - Gold 2025

06

Cheese

COUTANCES, France
4.5
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Often called the heavenly cheese, St. André is a French triple-crème cheese made from cow’s milk. It originated from Coutances in the region of Normandy. Underneath its bloomy edible rind, there is a dense, creamy-textured body with mild and rich aromas and flavors which can best be described as sour, tangy, buttery, and salty.


Because it is enhanced with the addition of heavy cream, its fat content is quite high - typically 75%. It is recommended to pair it with crusty bread, pear slices, or a glass of light and fruity rosé.

07

Cheese

DOUBS, France
4.5
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Also known as Vacherin du Haut-Doubs, Mont d'Or is a soft cheese made from raw cow's milk in the Haut-Doubs region in France. What's unique about Mont d'Or's visual appearance is that it is encircled by spruce bark strips and packaged in a spruce wooden box that keeps the cheese in place.


It has a full, rich, sweet and grassy flavor and a slightly acidic taste. Its rind is not edible like in most other French cheeses, so it has to be removed to get to the creamy, runny, almost liquid inside, when fully ripe. As the cheese is already almost melting, it can be eaten like a fondue and enjoyed with sparkling wines.

THE BEST Mont d'Or Cheeses
1 Mont d'Or à la truffe
Fromagerie Quatrehomme
Mont d'Or à la truffe

5.0

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2 Mont d'or AOP
Napiot Fromagerie
Mont d'or AOP

5.0

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Concours International de Lyon - Gold 2025

08

Cheese

ARDÈCHE, France
4.4
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Picodon is a small, round cheese made from goat's milk, with a minimum weight of 60 grams, produced in the Ardéche and Drôme regions in France. Its rind is thin, with yellow or white mold speckled with blue on the exterior.


The maturation period is at least 14 days. On the inside, it is white or yellow, with a fine texture that becomes crumbly if it is matured for a longer period of time. Its flavor is fresh and clean, with a balance of salty and acidic notes, but it gets concentrated and sharp if it is matured longer, when the cheese loses half of its mass by drying out. 
THE BEST Picodon Cheeses
1
Eurial
Picodon AOP

5.0

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Concours International de Lyon - Gold 2025

2
Ferme de l'oppidum
Picodon AOP Bio

5.0

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Concours International de Lyon - Gold 2025

09

Cheese

SALERS, France
4.4
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Salers is a soft farm cheese made from cow's full-fat milk, the final product weighs 35 to 50 kilograms and has been produced in the French region of Cantal since the High Middle Ages. It's made immediately after milking and then matured for at least three months.


Its rind is hard and brown and becomes even harder and crustier as it matures. The interior of Salers is rich yellow in color, with fruity aromas and the taste is nutty, spicy and intense, reminiscent of raw onions, wild flowers, and freshly cut grass. 
10
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Tomme de Savoie is an uncooked, semi-soft cheese with a gray rind that has yellow and red spots all over it. The cheese is made from cow's milk in the regions of Savoie and Haute-Savoie in France. It is the oldest cheese from the Savoie region, where the mountain climate gives the cheese its unique qualities.


Tomme de Savoie was invented when local peasants turned their summer milk supplies into cheese, in order to last for the winter. After the cream is drained to make butter, Tomme de Savoie is produced from the leftover skimmed milk, which is why it has quite a low fat content (40%). 
THE BEST Tomme de Savoie Cheeses
1
Onetik
Tomme Chevre

5.0

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Concours International de Lyon - Gold 2025

2
Coopérative de Thônes - Le Farto
Tomme de Savoie IGP

5.0

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Concours International de Lyon - Gold 2025

11
12
Cheese
HAUTE-SAVOIE, France
4.3
13
Cheese
MORBIER, France
4.3
14
Cheese
BURGUNDY, France
4.3
15
Cheese
VALENÇAY, France
4.3
16
17
18
19
Cheese
COULOMMIERS, France
4.2
20
Cheese
PYRÉNÉES-ATLANTIQUES, France
4.2
21
Cheese
SELLES-SUR-CHER, France
4.2
22
23
24
Cheese
PUY-DE-DÔME, France
4.2
25
Cheese
SAINT-MARCELLIN, France
4.2
26
Cheese
ABONDANCE, France
4.2
27
Cheese
SAINTE-MAURE-DE-TOURAINE, France
4.2
28
Cheese
ROQUEFORT-SUR-SOULZON, France
4.1
29
30
31
Cheese
LAGUIOLE, France
4.1
32
Cheese
POITOU-CHARENTES, France
4.1
33
Cheese
ROCAMADOUR, France
4.1
34
Cheese
LIVAROT, France
4.1
35
36
Cheese
RIANS, France
4.0
37
38
Cheese
LANGUEDOC-ROUSSILLON, France
4.0
39
Cheese
CANTAL, France
4.0
40
Cheese
BEAUZAC, France
4.0
41
Cheese
MUNSTER, France
4.0
42
Cheese
PONT-L'ÉVÊQUE, France
4.0
43
Cheese
MAROILLES, France
4.0
44
Cheese
BETHMALE, France
3.9
45
46
47
Cheese
RHÔNE-ALPES, France
3.9
48
Cheese
CHAOURCE, France
3.9
49
50
Cheese
POITOU-CHARENTES, France
3.8
51
Cheese
SOUMAINTRAIN, France
3.8
52
Cheese
AUVERGNE, France
3.7
53
Cheese
SAINT-JULIEN-SUR-SARTHE, France
3.7
54
55
Cheese
ÎLE-DE-FRANCE, France
3.7
56
Cheese
ALPES-DE-HAUTE-PROVENCE, France
3.6
57
Cheese
HAUTE-SAVOIE, France
3.5
58
Cheese
INDRE-ET-LOIRE, France
3.4
59
Cheese
AUBRAC, France
3.1
60
Cheese
ÎLE-DE-FRANCE, France
3.1
61
62
Cheese
LARUNS, France
n/a
63
64
Cheese
MÂCON, France
n/a
65
Cheese
BURGUNDY, France
n/a
66
Cheese
CENTRE-LOIRE VALLEY, France
n/a
67
Cheese
NORD-PAS-DE-CALAIS, France
n/a
68
69
70
Cheese
RHÔNE-ALPES, France
n/a
71
72
73
74
Cheese
SASSAY, France
n/a
75
Cheese
MIDI-PYRÉNÉES, France
n/a
76
77
Cheese
SAÔNE-ET-LOIRE, France
n/a
78
79
Cheese
GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN, France
n/a
80
Cheese
ARDENNES, France
n/a
81
Cheese
BONGHEAT, France
n/a
82
83
Cheese
PROVENCE, France
n/a
84
Cheese
SAVOIE, France
n/a
85
Cheese
LOCHÉ-SUR-INDROIS, France
n/a
86
Cheese
MIDI-PYRÉNÉES, France
n/a
87
Cheese
SAVOIE, France
n/a
88
Cheese
AUVERGNE, France
n/a
89
Cheese
LANGUEDOC-ROUSSILLON, France
n/a
90
Cheese
SEINE-ET-MARNE, France
n/a
91
Cheese
SAINT-GENGOUX-LE-NATIONAL, France
n/a
92
Cheese
SAINT-JUST-EN-CHEVALET, France
n/a
93
Cheese
AUDE, France
n/a
94
95
Cheese
ALLASSAC, France
n/a
96
Cheese
BONNEVAL-SUR-ARC, France
n/a
97
Cheese
LACHAMP, France
n/a
98
Cheese
AUVERGNE-RHÔNE-ALPES, France
n/a
99
Cheese
CASAMACCIOLI, France
n/a
100
Cheese
VERRIÈRES, France
n/a
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Best French Raw Milk Cheese Producers

01

Cheese

ISIGNY-SUR-MER, France
5.0
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Isigny Sainte-Mère is a cooperative dairy located in Normandy, France, specializing in producing Camembert cheese, butter, and cream with milk sourced from the local area. The cooperative was established in 1932 and takes advantage of the rich grasses of Normandy, which impart a particular quality and flavor to its dairy products.


Isigny Sainte-Mère also holds a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status for some of its products, such as Isigny butter and Isigny cream, ensuring they meet strict geographical and quality criteria.
AWARDS

Concours International de Lyon - Gold

2025

Great Taste Awards - 3 stars

2024

Great Taste Awards - 2 stars

2024, 2021

BEST Isigny Sainte-Mère Cheeses
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Best French Raw Milk Cheeses

01
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The Raw Milk Camembert made by Isigny Sainte-Mère is a traditional French cheese renowned for its creamy texture and rich, earthy flavor. Produced from raw cow's milk sourced from the lush pastures of Normandy, this cheese undergoes a meticulous production process that preserves its robust taste and complex aroma.


Famously encased in a white, velvety rind, the interior of the Camembert is typically soft and often oozes slightly when cut, offering a delightful experience for cheese aficionados. This product is often enjoyed with crusty bread, fruits, or paired with wines for an authentic gastronomic delight.
AWARDS

International Cheese Awards - Gold

2024, 2022

02

ROQUEFORT-SUR-SOULZON, France
5.0
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Roquefort Revelation is a refined blue cheese made from raw sheep's milk, originating from the renowned Roquefort-sur-Soulzon region of France. It offers a complex flavor profile with creamy, tangy, and slightly sweet notes, complemented by distinct umami from its blue veins.


The cheese has a creamy yet crumbly texture and is aged in natural caves, allowing it to develop its unique characteristics. Ideal for pairing with fruits like figs and pears, as well as robust red and dessert wines, Roquefort Revelation is a luxurious choice for cheese boards and gourmet dishes. 
AWARDS

International Cheese Awards - Gold

2022

03

ROQUEFORT-SUR-SOULZON, France
4.9
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Roquefort Papillon Noir is a type of Roquefort cheese known for its distinct blue veins, creamy texture, and rich flavor. This cheese is made from raw sheep's milk and aged in the natural limestone caves of the Aveyron region in France. The aging process in these caves contributes to its unique and powerful taste.
AWARDS

World Cheese Awards - Gold

2021

TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. For the “Top 100 French Raw Milk Cheeses” list until February 28, 2025, 5,313 ratings were recorded, of which 4,209 were recognized by the system as legitimate. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.

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French Raw Milk Cheeses