White Mold on Cheese: Which Is Safe and Which Is Not

The difference is in the cheese, not in the color.

A bloomy rind is put there on purpose, evenly, from the start. Uninvited mold is patchy, appears later and usually on a cheese that has been open in the fridge for a while. The USDA's rules, below, tell you what to do with each.

White mold on cheese at a glance

This white mold on cheese table sorts the common cases by cheese and action.

Bloomy rind: the white mold that belongs

The bloomy rind is the white mold that belongs on Brie, Camembert and other soft-ripened cheeses. Wisconsin Cheese says these cheeses are coated with Penicillium candidum during aging, and that this mold creates the edible white rind and helps give the interior its creamy texture. The USDA says the molds used to make cheese are safe.

A healthy bloomy rind is even, white to slightly cream, and may have faint tan or brown freckles as the cheese ripens. It looks like one skin. That matches how rind types sorts rinds: bloomy rinds are almost always worth eating, and you can read how to judge a ripe wheel in choosing a ripe Brie or Camembert. For the cheeses themselves, see Brie and Camembert.

White mold on hard cheese

White mold on hard cheese is unwanted surface mold, and you can usually save the cheese. The USDA says to cut off at least 1 inch around and below the mold spot, keeping the knife out of the mold so you do not drag it across the clean face. Wisconsin Cheese gives the same inch for aged hard cheeses, because dense, low-moisture cheese keeps mold from going deep.

After trimming, rewrap the cheese in fresh paper. Avoid wrapping that traps moisture, covered in how to prevent cheese mold.

White mold on soft cheese

White mold on soft cheese that is not a bloomy rind means discard. The USDA lists cottage cheese, cream cheese, Neufchatel, chevre and Bel Paese as soft cheeses to throw away when mold shows, since moist cheese lets mold spread below what you can see. Crumbled, shredded and sliced cheese go the same way, because mold can travel through a package.

Brie and Camembert are the tricky ones. The USDA says to discard them if the mold is not part of the cheese. In practice, that means anything colored, patchy or fuzzy on a cut face, or on a rind that was clean when you bought it.

How to tell bloomy rind from unwanted mold

How to tell bloomy rind from unwanted mold comes down to four checks. Look at where it is: a bloomy rind covers the whole outside of the cheese, while unwanted mold sits in patches, often near a cut edge or under wrapping. Look at the cheese type, because only a mold-ripened cheese should have a white coat. Look at the color, since anything gray, green, pink or black on a Brie rind is not part of the cheese. And note how long the cheese has been open.

Blue cheeses and white fuzz

White fuzz on blue cheese is a different question from a bloomy rind. The USDA says surface mold on Gorgonzola or Stilton can be trimmed 1 inch like hard cheese. The blue veins inside are made with safe molds, so they are not a reason to discard. See Stilton or Gorgonzola for what the cheeses should look like.

What most white mold on cheese advice gets wrong

Most white mold on cheese advice says all of it is harmless, and that is wrong in two ways.

White does not mean safe. Safe white mold is the mold the cheesemaker applied. Color alone cannot tell you what grew on a cheese in your fridge.

A bloomy rind can still go wrong. If the rind turns slimy, patchy or colored, or the cheese smells of ammonia, it is past its best. Rind-types says an ammonia smell means the cheese has overripened.

Cut mold the wrong way and you spread it. Slicing through a spot and then through the clean cheese carries the mold along. Keep the knife out of the mold, and cut a full inch away.

Questions about white mold on cheese

These questions about white mold on cheese cover the common worries.

Is white mold on cheese safe to eat?

White mold on cheese is safe to eat when it is the bloomy rind of Brie or Camembert. On other cheeses, it is unwanted mold, and you trim hard cheese or discard soft cheese.

Can you eat the white rind on Brie?

The white rind on Brie is edible. It is made with Penicillium candidum, and most people eat it with the paste.

What if white mold grows on cheddar?

White mold on cheddar can be cut off: remove at least 1 inch around and below the spot, and keep the knife out of the mold.

Is white mold on soft cheese dangerous?

White mold on soft cheese such as cream cheese or cottage cheese is a reason to discard it, per the USDA, because mold can spread through moist cheese.

Are pregnant people safe eating Brie rind?

Pregnancy guidance on Brie and Camembert is about the cheese being soft and mold-ripened, not about the rind alone. See cheese during pregnancy for what to ask.

Judging white mold on cheese

For white mold on cheese, ask what the cheese is. Even bloomy rind on Brie or Camembert is fine. White fuzz on hard cheese is trimmed 1 inch deep, and on soft or sliced cheese it means the cheese goes. Which rinds you can eat is a separate question, answered in can you eat cheese rind.