The best cheeses of Spain
The top 3 according to 55 votes from people: Manchego · Cabrales · Mahón-Menorca. (Updated Apr 10, 2026.)
The most highly rated Spanish cheeses, nearly all with Protected Designation of Origin (Spain has 26). Chosen by what appears most in guides, cheese shops and awards.
Automatically translated (original in Español). See the original
Top 15
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1
Manchego
Manchega sheep's milk cheese from Castilla-La Mancha, with the rind marked by the esparto mould; the best known abroad.
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2
Cabrales
Asturian blue cheese of mixed milks, matured in caves in the Picos de Europa.
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3
Mahón-Menorca
Square cow's milk cheese from Menorca, its rind rubbed with oil and paprika.
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4
Zamorano
Churra and Castellana sheep's cheese from Zamora, firm and long aged.
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5
Picón Bejes-Tresviso
Cave-aged Cantabrian blue from Liébana, a relative of Cabrales.
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6
Ibores
Goat's cheese from Extremadura with the rind rubbed in paprika and oil.
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7
Torta del Casar
Creamy sheep's cheese from Cáceres set with thistle rennet; you cut off the top and eat it with a spoon.
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8
Tetilla
Mild, creamy Galician cow's milk cheese with its typical cone shape.
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9
Queso de La Serena
Merino sheep's cheese from Badajoz set with thistle, with an oozy paste.
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10
Afuega'l Pitu
Asturian cow's cheese shaped like a pumpkin, white or red with paprika.
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11
Cream Cheese from Cantabria
Friesian cow cheese with PDO, soft paste and mild butter flavor.
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12
Arzúa-Ulloa
Soft, buttery Galician cow's milk cheese from the Arzúa area.
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13
Roncal
Sheep's cheese from the Roncal Valley (Navarre), Spain's first cheese DO (1981).
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14
Murcia cheese with wine
Murcian goat cheese with PDO, with the rind bathed in red wine from Jumilla or Yecla.
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15
Idiazábal
Cheese from Latxa and Carranzana sheep of the Basque Country and Navarre, often smoked.
Candidates
They don't make it into the top 15… yet. Vote for them to move them up.
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16
Majorero
Majorera goat's cheese from Fuerteventura, the rind sometimes rubbed with paprika or gofio.
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17
San Simón da Costa
Galician cow's cheese smoked over birch wood, shaped like a bullet.
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18
Casin
One of the oldest cheeses in Asturias, with PDO, intense flavor and hand-kneaded texture.
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19
Palmero Cheese
La Palma goat cheese with PDO, which is usually smoked with almond shells or Canary pine.
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20
Valdeon
Blue cheese from León with PGI, from cow and goat, traditionally wrapped in banana leaves.
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21
Liébana cheeses
Small cheeses from Cantabria with PDO, from cows, sheep and goats, sometimes smoked.
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22
Guia Flor Cheese
Gran Canaria cheese with PDO, curdled with thistle flower, with a soft and unctuous paste.
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23
Camerano cheese
Goat cheese from La Rioja with PDO, one of the oldest documented in Spain.
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24
Gamonéu
Smoked Asturian mixed-milk cheese with light blue veining, from the Picos de Europa.
How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.
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Comments (1)
Faltan un montón de DOP: el Valdeón, el Casín, los quesucos de Liébana, el palmero... Lista muy corta para lo que hay en España.