Sparkling water is the safest choice for every cheese, apple juice is a natural match for cheddar, tart juice suits blue cheese, tea and coffee suit aged and creamy cheeses, and a good non-alcoholic beer works with the same cheeses as ordinary beer.
You do not need to give up a thoughtful board because someone is driving, pregnant, sober or just not in the mood. Wine is only one way to get acid, sweetness and bitterness into the glass.
Non-alcoholic drinks and cheese at a glance
This table of non-alcoholic drinks and cheese lists what each drink does and what to pair.
| Drink | What it does | Cheese to try |
|---|---|---|
| Sparkling water | Bubbles scrub fat from the tongue | Any cheese, especially triple cream |
| Apple juice or NA cider | Acid and fruit sweetness | Cheddar, Gouda, Havarti |
| Sparkling grape juice | Sweet, fizzy, festive | Brie, fresh goat cheese |
| Tart juice (pomegranate, cranberry) | Sharp acid, sweet edge | Blue cheese, feta |
| Black tea | Dry, a little bitter | Aged cheddar, Gouda |
| Green or white tea | Light, grassy | Fresh goat cheese, mozzarella |
| Coffee | Roasty, bitter | Aged Gouda, Manchego |
| NA beer | Malt, hops, bubbles | Cheddar, washed-rind cheese |
| NA wine | Dried-fruit, light acid | Whichever the wine style would suit |
Treat these as guidance and taste as you go. Nothing here needs a recipe.
Sparkling water with cheese
Sparkling water with cheese is the easiest non-alcoholic pairing, and the one to put on every table. The bubbles lift fat off your tongue, so a rich triple cream such as Brillat-Savarin tastes lighter by the next bite, and the water adds no flavor of its own to compete. A slice of lemon or lime adds acid if you want it.
Pour a plain one next to the board even if you have other drinks. It resets the palate between very different cheeses.
Juice and NA cider with cheese
Juice and NA cider with cheese are the best fruit-based matches. Apple juice, still or sparkling, has the acid and sweetness that makes cider and cheese a classic match; cheddar and Gouda are the best bets. Sparkling grape juice stands in for sparkling wine with brie or fresh goat cheese, much like Champagne with cheese.
For blue cheese, go sweeter or sharper. A tart pomegranate or cranberry juice contrasts with the salt in Stilton or Roquefort, the way a sweet wine would, and the blue cheese pairing guide has more along these lines. Pick unsweetened juice if you can, since a sugary one makes cheese taste saltier.
Tea and cheese
Tea and cheese suit one another because tea is dry, a little bitter and served hot, which warms the cheese in your mouth. A black tea with an aged cheddar or Gouda is the closest to a red wine pairing; a light green or white tea suits fresh goat cheese or mozzarella. Full guidance by tea type is on the tea and cheese pairings page.
A good rule: the stronger the cheese, the stronger the tea. Delicate tea vanishes next to a blue.
Coffee and cheese
Coffee and cheese pair best when the coffee is roasty rather than sour. The toasted, bitter notes work with nutty aged cheeses such as aged Gouda or Manchego, and a small cup after dinner fits a cheese course nicely. Brew it black and not too hot. The coffee and cheese pairings page covers roasts, milk and specific cheeses.
NA beer and NA wine with cheese
NA beer and NA wine with cheese follow the same rules as the alcoholic version. U.S. rules say that non-alcoholic on a malt beverage label means it contains less than 0.5 percent alcohol by volume, shown right beside the term, while "alcohol free" is reserved for products with no alcohol at all. If a guest avoids alcohol entirely, read the label.
Beer is the easier substitute. A malty NA beer goes with cheddar and with soft pretzels and washed-rind cheese, and a hoppy one goes with sharp cheddar; see beer and cheese for more. NA wines vary widely: a sparkling one suits brie, a lightly sweet one suits blue. Try before the party, as quality changes from bottle to bottle.
How to set up an alcohol-free cheese board
How to set up an alcohol-free cheese board is simple. Put out a pitcher of sparkling water, one juice or NA beer and one hot drink, along with four or five cheeses. Plan around 2 oz of cheese a guest for an appetizer, as the board builder does. A honey or fruit plate on the side adds sweetness that makes a gap in the drink list less noticeable. University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension does not recommend cheese boards for the elderly, the very young, pregnant or immunocompromised guests, so put a pasteurized hard cheese on a separate plate for them. Cut cheese should not sit out more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F, per USDA guidance.
Non-alcoholic pairing mistakes
Non-alcoholic pairing mistakes mostly come from sugar and weak flavors. Sweet soda against salty cheese makes both taste worse, and plain still water does nothing to cut fat. Iced drinks also numb cheese flavor, so serve them cool, not frozen. And do not assume a drink is alcohol-free just because it looks like juice; check the label if it matters.
Questions about non-alcoholic drinks and cheese
These questions about non-alcoholic drinks and cheese come up at every party with a driver.
What non-alcoholic drink goes best with cheese?
The non-alcoholic drink that goes best with cheese overall is sparkling water, since its bubbles cut fat without competing with flavor.
What non-alcoholic drink goes with blue cheese?
The non-alcoholic drink that goes with blue cheese is a tart or sweet juice, such as pomegranate or apple, which balances the salt.
Does non-alcoholic beer go with cheese?
Non-alcoholic beer goes with cheese just as beer does, especially cheddar and washed-rind cheeses, and the label should say less than 0.5 percent alcohol.
Does tea go with cheese?
Tea goes with cheese: black tea suits aged cheeses and green tea suits fresh ones.
Can you pair coffee with cheese?
Coffee can pair with cheese, particularly nutty aged cheeses like Gouda or Manchego, when the coffee is roasty rather than sour.
Pour your first alcohol-free pairing
For a first alcohol-free pairing, set out sparkling water, apple juice and a pot of black tea with an aged cheddar, a brie and a blue. Taste one drink at a time against each cheese, and keep the winners. The pairing guide lists more cheeses to try.
Sources
- Malt Beverage Labeling: Alcohol Content, Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB)
- Charcuterie Boards and Food Safety, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension
- Leftovers and Food Safety, USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service