Goat Cheese vs. Sheep Cheese: How to Know the Difference

Goat cheese, often called by its French name, chèvre, is any cheese made entirely from goat’s milk. Goat milk is low in casein, a milk protein that curdles, so it produces a very small, soft curds that crumble easily. When young, goat cheese tends to be soft, spreadable, and tangy; while aged goat cheese can be chalky, crumbly, and earthy. Goat’s cheese has high levels of vitamin A, which actually makes goat cheese slightly whiter in color, very high amounts of vitamins E, K, B6, and B3 (niacin). Goat cheese gets its distinctive flavor and smell from medium-chain fatty acids, including caprylic acid and capric acid.

Sheep’s milk cheese is higher in fat and protein than goat’s milk cheese, meaning that less milk is required to make sheep cheese. It also gives sheep’s milk cheese a buttery, rich, nutty flavor. Even though sheep’s milk is high in fat, its fat molecules are very small, making sheep’s milk cheese easier to digest than goat’s milk cheese.

Sheep’s milk contains almost twice the fat and protein of goat’s milk. Fat equals flavor, but the protein content is important, too: Goat milk is lower in casein, a protein that curdles, so it produces a more crumbly curd, while sheep’s cheese is generally more cohesive. Sheep cheese is also higher in carbs, vitamin C, vitamin B12, folate, calcium, and magnesium than goat cheese.

When we think of goat’s milk cheese, we often think of a log of soft, spreadable, fresh cheese called chèvre. But goat’s milk can be made into almost any kind of cheese.

1. 1. Hard and semi-hard goat cheeses have a sold texture ideal for slicing and grating, and the best ones are given time to age. These include Crottin de Chavignol (France).
2. 2. Soft and semisoft goat cheeses have a creamy texture, such as Chabichou, Cabécou, and Banon (France).
3. 3. Blue goat cheeses have distinctive veins of blue mold, including Valençay (France) and Humboldt Fog (USA).

Although sheep cheese can be hard to find, there are many varieties always made with sheep’s milk, including:

1. 1. Fresh sheep cheeses are soft and spreadable, such as Kajmak (Yugoslavia) and Villalón and Burgos (Spain).
2. 2. Blue sheep cheeses include the famous Roquefort (France).
3. 3. Hard sheep cheeses include Pecorino Romano and Caciocavallo (Italy); and Roncal and Manchego (Spain); and Spenwood (UK).

Some cheese styles are particularly versatile and work well with either sheep’s milk or goat’s milk as the base.

1. 1. Fresh cheeses like farmer’s cheese (USA); ricotta (technically a whey cheese; Italy); and Labneh (Middle East)
2. 2. Soft cheeses, including feta (Greece)
3. 3. Hard cheeses such as Bra and Canestrato (Italy)
4. 4. Blue cheeses, including Cabrales (Spain) and Castelmagno (Italy)

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