A guide to Saint-Agur — the rich, creamy, approachable French blue cheese. Why it's a great gateway blue and how to use it.
Saint-Agur is one of the most approachable blue cheeses you can buy — rich, creamy, and milder than the fierce classics, it's the perfect gateway blue for the cautious and a reliable favorite for the converted. Smooth and spreadable with a gentle blue tang, it's as easy to cook with as it is to enjoy on a board.
What Saint-Agur Is
Saint-Agur is a blue-veined cow's-milk cheese created in the 1980s in the village of Beauzac, in the Auvergne region of France. Unlike many traditional blues, it's a modern commercial cheese, made from pasteurized milk and enriched with cream, which gives it its luxurious, soft texture. It's a double-cream blue, meaning extra cream is added, making it richer and milder than leaner, sharper blues.
Why It's So Approachable
Saint-Agur is designed to be crowd-pleasing. Its high fat content and added cream produce a soft, smooth, almost spreadable texture and a rich, buttery taste that softens the intensity of the blue mold. The result is a blue cheese with a gentle, balanced tang rather than the salty, piquant punch of a Roquefort or Cabrales. This makes it an ideal introduction for people who think they don't like blue cheese.
Flavor and Texture
Saint-Agur is soft, creamy, and rich, with a smooth, spreadable paste marbled with blue-green veins. The flavor is mild, buttery, and savory, with a pleasant, gentle blue tang and a touch of saltiness — flavorful enough to satisfy blue lovers but mellow enough not to overwhelm. Its lush, melt-in-the-mouth texture is a big part of its appeal.
How to Use Saint-Agur
Saint-Agur's creaminess makes it wonderfully versatile. Spread it on crackers and crusty bread, crumble it over salads, or serve it on a cheese board with honey, figs, pears, and walnuts. It melts beautifully into a rich, smooth sauce — perfect over steak, stirred into pasta, or folded into creamy dips and dressings. Its mild flavor and easy melt make it a great cooking blue as well as an eating one.
Pairings
Saint-Agur pairs with sweet and fortified wines like port and Sauternes, as well as with fruity reds. On the plate, honey, figs, pears, grapes, and walnuts balance its gentle tang, and its richness welcomes a little sweetness as a counterpoint.
Buying and Storing
Saint-Agur is widely available in wedges and tubs, sometimes sold in a distinctive hexagonal shape. Keep it wrapped in foil in the fridge and bring it to room temperature before serving so its flavor and creamy texture open up. Use it within a week or two of opening.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Saint-Agur a mild blue cheese?
Yes. Thanks to added cream, it's one of the milder, creamier, more approachable blue cheeses, making it a great gateway blue.
Can you cook with Saint-Agur?
Absolutely. Its creaminess makes it melt into a smooth, rich sauce, ideal over steak, in pasta, and in dips and dressings.
What does Saint-Agur taste like?
Mild, buttery, and savory with a gentle blue tang and a soft, spreadable, melt-in-the-mouth texture.