This post contains affiliate links.
After taste-testing this homemade Boursin cheese next to the storebought version many times, you can be sure that it tastes just like the original. As a trained food scientist, it’s incredibly important to me that this Boursin copycat recipe also looks and eats like the original.
save this recipe!After traveling around Paris and eating my fair share of cheese, I learned that Boursin cheese is only known as fancy in the States, while it’s an affordable everyday option in France. Once home, I couldn’t justify paying American prices just to make my daily Boursin tomato sandwich or weekly Boursin baked gnocchi.
In order for this creamy and herby cheese to be successful, it needed to taste great and look like the original. Using my sensory scientist background, I worked backward from the listed ingredients, testing the mouthfeel and even the feeling of unwrapping the cheese block to create a true replica. So, if you also want to save money and still feel French and fancy, then let’s start making this homemade Boursin!
Reader rating
“Just made this tonight and I was completely mind blown but how much it tastes like Boursin!! The vinegar really added that familiar tang you speak of. Can’t wait to serve this to our holiday guests!!” —Kristin
You won’t be able to stop eating this
- Use standard grocery items like cream cheese and herbs instead of specialty cheese like Gournay.
- You don’t need a special mold to shape the cheese, just a simple measuring cup!
- It’s cheaper to make Boursin at home and really, super easy!
The Ingredients Are Simple
I can almost guarantee you already have everything in your kitchen to make this homemade Boursin.
- Creamy Ingredients: The base of the cheese is butter and cream cheese. I prefer to use unsalted butter and add salt to taste.
- The Spices and Herbs: Grab dried parsley, chives, garlic powder, salt, and the key here – white pepper!
- Vinegar: I had to play around with this ingredient because store-bought Borusin has a slight tang. This comes from the traditional Gournay cheese, which is hard to get in the States. The answer? White vinegar!
Why white pepper?
Many recipes use black pepper, but the ingredient list on the original Boursin uses white pepper. When I tested this with both, the black pepper was too overpowering while the white pepper lingers. White pepper is hotter and spicier than black pepper. Described as sharp and punchy, similar to some cheeses, which makes it an ideal pairing for Boursin cheese.
Grab a bowl and let’s make This
To make this, you just need a hand mixer and a measuring cup. It’s honestly easier to make than driving to the store to buy Boursin cheese.
- Whip together the cream cheese and butter until fluffy.
- Mix in the rest of the ingredients.
- Shape the cheese into a measuring cup and chill for an hour before serving.
Whip At Room Temp
Be sure to set the cream cheese and butter on the counter for about 30 minutes before starting. Otherwise, whipping the cheese and butter super fluffy will be very hard.
Recipe Testing Notes
- Shaping the cheese is important to make it really look and feel like Boursin-branded cheese. Your brain is as much responsible for tasting as your tastebuds are.
- Using white vinegar and white pepper is the game changer that I discovered after many rounds of testing.
- Room temperature was my preferred way to serve the cheese from the fridge. It’s good cold, but at room temperature, the flavors really blossom.
Perfect in my Boursin mashed potatoes, or use it as a sauce in this Boursin chickpea dinner!
How To Make Boursin Cheese
Ingredients
- 8 oz cream cheese, 226 g
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, ½ stick or 2 oz, 57 g
- ½ tsp dried parsley
- ½ tsp dried chives
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ to ½ tsp salt, start with less then add to taste
- ⅛ tsp white pepper
- ⅛ tsp white vinegar
Instructions
- Prep: Set cream cheese and butter on the counter for about 30 minutes before starting.
- Whip: Using an electric beater, combine cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl until evenly mixed and a little fluffy, about 1 minute.
- Flavor: Add all remaining ingredients and continue beating until well mixed, about 30 seconds.
- Shape: Line a 1 cup-sized measuring cup with plastic wrap. Spoon cheese mixture into the cup, firmly pressing down to fill all of the corners. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
- Serve: When ready to serve, gently pull the wrapped cheese from the cup, then unwrap and set on a plate for serving (or use in a recipe)!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information calculated by Sarah Bond, degreed nutritionist.
did you make this?Leave a comment below and tag @liveeatlearn on social media! I love seeing what you’ve made!
Thank You for coming up with this. We love boursin and bought it from the store for your tomato boursin sandwiches. It is, however, expensive, and who doesn’t need to save money. Everything on the ingredients list is in our pantry, and we keep cream cheese around for bagels. No shopping ever required for this one!
So happy you liked it!! It’s a game-changer for making that tomato sandwich, isn’t it?!
Just made this and it’s great! Thank you for this recipe!
I’m so happy to hear it, Katy! Enjoy!!
Very, very good! Just a little less butter imo. I am about to roll this in finely grated cheddar, wrap this in plastic wrap, wind kitchen twine around it in a pumpkin shape, put it in the fridge overnight.
Cut the strings and unwrap. Then, add the top stem of a fresh pepper (red, green, orange or yellow) to complete the look and serve it with crackers!!
Oh my gosh I love the pumpkin idea! I’ll have to try that!
I’m giving a 5 star rating even though I haven’t tried it yet because, I’ve had others and they’re all delicious…I’ve no doubt this will be equal if not better! I am anxious to try this particular recipe because others have called for twice as much butter and yours doesn’t…(which I was thinking of doing anyway!) Then the added vinegar and white pepper intrigue me. That, and your suggestion to put it on mashed cauliflower! I eat a keto diet and…yum! The fact I can afford the boursin cheese to do that is awesome!
What are your thoughts on using sundried tomatoes, How much would you use?
Sun dried tomatoes would be tasty! I would probably start with 2 Tbsp and see if it needs more (it could easily over power it).
This homemade Boursin looks fabulous
I am vegan and plan on making it for Chriatmas. It may not be authentic, but I bet it will be delicious! Thanks.
Enjoy!!
Just made this tonight and I was completely mind blown but how much it tastes like Boursin!! The vinegar really added that familiar tang you speak of. I was worried it wouldn’t be enough herbs for the amount of cheese but it worked well. I did double the recipe and only used about 3/4 of a stick of butter and that seems ok for me. Can’t wait to serve this to our holiday guests!!
I’m so happy to hear you loved it, Kristin!! Happy holidays! 😀
This is pretty much Paula Deen’s recipe, although I prefer hers. You should give credit where credit is due.
I didn’t reference other recipes for this. I reverse engineered based on the ingredients label (and peaking at her recipe now, they’re very different).
I need to make this. One of my favorite quick meals is pasta and Boursin cheese. All you do is cook the pasta, reserve some of the water, add the cheese and water to the pan until almost fully melted, then add the pasta back in.
That sounds yummy!
We loved this. Easy and delish!
So happy to hear it!!