Spicy Cheeses for your Super Bowl Party Snacks

If you’re looking for some different appetizers to serve for this year’s Super Bowl, consider adding spicy cheeses to your cheese board or charcuterie board.

Peppers of all sorts are becoming a popular ingredient in many cheeses, from mild and sweet to flaming hot. Whether you’re serving it on a charcuterie board or adding it to your favorite Super Bowl snack ideas, here are some suggestions.

Find the Right Spicy Cheese

Go Easy

We’ll start with the mild. That’s where I recommend an old standby like Pepper Jack. Or try a sweet chili or chipotle cheese. Chipotle cheese is spicy and smoky, and it pairs well with your favorite snack sausage.

Here are other ingredients and cheeses to look for as you shop for a mellower spice:

• bacon jalapeno
• sriracha
• roasted corn poblano
• sweet chili
• mango jalapeno
• chipotle and onion

Get Hotter

If you’re into more of a kick, you can find cheeses made with habanero, jalapeno or cayenne peppers. Other hotter cheeses include ingredients like:

• jalapeno & habanero
• habanero hot pepper
• habanero garlic
• tomato cayenne
• habanero, cayenne and jalapeno

Extreme Heat

And to impress true spice lovers, I recommend ghost pepper cheese. Ghost peppers, a.k.a. Bhut Jolokia, originated in Northeast India and are the hottest pepper known to humankind.

Why Try Spicy Cheese?

Here’s the beauty in taking a bite: heat complements cheese’s creamy, buttery notes. Milk and dairy foods like cheese help relieve a pepper’s burn, making pepper cheese a fun way to brave heat.

There is a growing variety of cheese and pepper parings. Hot cheeses have been gaining in popularity—by 5.3% in the last year. Peppers taste good with almost any cheese that has a balanced milky, buttery and mild cheese flavor. Look for your favorite heat level in Monterey Jack, Gouda, mild Cheddar and Colby to name a few.

Spicy cheeses are an easy alternative to making a big-game appetizer, not to mention a simple finger food to eat while watching TV. For inspiration, check out tips for building the ultimate cheeseboard and the best beer and cheese pairings for the next Big Game.