The Cheese Varieties Behind Babybel's Iconic Minis

If you're a cheese fan, you probably have a childhood memory of growing excited over tearing off the little paper strip that separated you from enjoying a bite-sized Babybel cheese snack. Of course, while the mini cheeses themselves are hard to resist, the peelable wax coating is, arguably, the best part of this treat — and that still remains true into adulthood.

The Bel Group, the parent company of Babybel cheese, got its start in France in 1865 when its founder, Jules Bel, began experimenting with caseiculture (aka cheesemaking). However, the company didn't expand to the United States until 1970, when it opened up shop in Kentucky. Not long after, Babybel launched with its flagship Original cheese — the Edam style we know and love. (It was actually an extension of The Laughing Cow, a similarly tangy cheese product that is much softer and smoother.)

Over the years, the brand has grown, adding all kinds of different cheese styles, including Gouda, white cheddar, and mozzarella, as well as a lighter version of its Original flavor. Babybel has even introduced plant-based cheese varieties. If you're mostly familiar with the kind covered in red wax, the wide world of Babybel cheeses may surprise you.

Babybel's Original variety is an Edam-inspired cheese, though the company doesn't officially say that its cheese is Edam. It's mild and semi-firm with a creamy yet dense texture — the kind of snack that is just as perfect for eating on its own as it is paired with fruit and crackers on a cheese board (with its own designated knife, natch). Edam is a Dutch cow's milk cheese that has a nutty-yet-sweet flavor, helping it pair well with almost anything, which is partly why Babybel is so loved.

Traditional Babybel cheese is made from 98% milk, which gives it that smooth-yet-firm texture that helped make it famous. The brand started coating the cheese in wax to prevent air exposure, and it's a move that certainly seems to help people identify the cheese today. As far as nutrition goes, one piece of Original Babybel cheese has 70 calories and 5 grams of fat, as well as 4 grams of protein.

Babybel's Original flavor was such a hit among consumers that it eventually launched a lightened-up version of the same Edam-type cheese for those craving a snack with fewer calories and more protein. Plus, the lighter version has half the fat of a traditional Babybel cheese snack; Babybel Light Cheese has 50 calories per piece and only 3 grams of fat but 6 grams of protein. This also gives it a strong macros ratio (the proportion of protein, fats, and carbohydrates in a given food).

While some people love the Light variety for its high protein and low calories, fans of the cheese have also taken to Reddit to say they've noticed a change in its texture — namely, that it's easier to remove from its wax coating. While it's unconfirmed if Babybel recently changed up its recipe, the company did note on its website that it made the decision to shrink some of its U.S. products in response to inflation.

Babybel first introduced its mozzarella flavor in 2013, but after more than a decade of the same recipe and look, the product completely changed. In its initial press release, the brand described it as "mild, creamy, and absolutely delicious" and called the launch a "tasty, portion-controlled" version of a "favorite flavor among snack cheese lovers." Ultimately, though, The Bel Group wound up creating a new version of its mozzarella-style product 11 years later.

In February 2023, Bel Brands USA announced an updated mozzarella variety, noting that this one would have "an even creamier, true mozzarella taste." The company did not specify exactly what was different about the cheese, but its nutrition did change slightly, rising from 50 to 70 calories per piece and dropping from 6 to 4 grams of protein. Bel Brands USA also changed up its packaging for this relaunch in an effort to emphasize it as a kids' snack — it now has "mascots" on the typical cellophane wrap that are called "Mozza-Monsters." One of the best things about this cheese is that you can easily fry the Mini Babybels for a fun version of mozzarella sticks or melt it onto a tasty pesto Caprese panini.

What started out as just one type of mini cheese wheel has expanded into a number of options, meaning there is a Babybel for pretty much everyone. In 2023, The Bel Group made headlines when it announced that it was launching its first new flavor in nine years: Monterey Jack, a mild cheese that melts easily. In its announcement, the company revealed that it had spent 15 months developing this latest product after doing heavy research on what type of cheese was most in demand for both kids and adults.

Although Monterey Jack is the newest flavor at the time of publication, it's in good company. Babybel also makes Gouda and White Cheddar varieties (if you have the time, slice these two up and put them on your next grilled cheese) in addition to its Mozzarella, Original, and Light cheeses. On the brand's website, Babybel describes its Gouda as "slightly sweet" and "nutty" at the same time — you can find it in orange packaging. The brand's White Cheddar flavor comes in a black cellophane wrapper and has that sharp flavor cheddar lovers enjoy.

In 2022, Babybel jumped on the cheese-alternative bandwagon by releasing its first-ever plant-based Mini Babybel cheese. In a press release, Babybel described the cheese as having a "soft, smooth, and creamy texture, developed to taste like Mozzarella cheese." To differentiate this plant-based vegan cheese from its nondairy counterpart, Babybel also created a green wax coating so consumers could more easily identify them from the red wax that surrounds its dairy cheeses.

As for the plant-based version's ingredients, Babybel notes that it's made with modified food starch and coconut oil. The nutrition content remains fairly similar to the dairy cheeses, with 50 calories and 3.5 grams of fat, although the plant-based variety does not have any protein. About a year after its initial launch, in April 2023, Babybel announced its second plant-based flavor, modeled to taste like its White Cheddar variety. This iteration has 50 calories, 4 grams of fat, and no protein.

Whether you follow a plant-based diet or not, it's worth knowing about the many Babybel minis available for purchase. The brand even sells variety packs for snackers who can't decide on a favorite flavor.