Swedish Cheese Pie (Västerbottenostpaj)

A favorite dish for Swedish Midsummer, Västerbottenostpaj (Cheese Pie), can easily be prepared in the comfort of your home.  Creamy, nutty, and simply delicious — reaching for a second slice is already a given! 

(*This post contains some affiliate links)

Västerbottenost is hands down, my favorite Swedish cheese. Nutty, not too salty, and with a slight bitterness at the end. 

But wait!  Gruyere is also an excellent substitute for it.  

Both cheese work so well with this savory pie recipe because it balances out the creaminess, and it does not make this dish heavy at all. 

Ingredients

• Cream – you can use either light cream (half & half) or heavy cream (double cream); it’s up to you.

I use whatever I have on hand. But if you want the cheese pie to be really creamy, you should use heavy cream instead.

• Cheese – I am fully aware that Västerbottenost is hard to find outside the Nordics, but don’t you worry, Gruyere will work great for this recipe as well.  

I often used both interchangeably.

Instructions

Start with the pastry dough by combining flour, chilled butter, and one tablespoon of cold water.  You can do this manually or by using a food processor (photo 1).

Mix until they’re just barely combined, and form the dough into a disc.  Wrap the disc in plastic and place in the refrigerator to chill for thirty minutes (photo 2).

Roll and place the dough in an 8-inch pie tin.  Place the tin in the freezer for thirty minutes. 

While the dough is still in the freezer, preheat the oven to 220°C (425°F).  

Take the pie tin out of the freezer and use a fork to make holes in the dough. Place pie tin in the oven for twelve to fifteen minutes.  Set aside to cool.

Adjust the oven temperature to 200°C (375°F).

Using a large mixing bowl, combine grated cheese, pepper, eggs, and cream.  Mix until they’re evenly combined (photo 3).

Pour the cheese mixture into the cooled, prebaked pastry.  This amount of filling is perfect for an 8-inch pie pan (photo 4).

Place cheese pie in the oven for forty to forty-five minutes or until the cheese mixture has solidified.  

Set aside to cool down for at least twenty minutes.  Garnish with chopped chives and serve.

Helpful tips

• You can replace the pastry dough with your favorite one, but do NOT skip the prebaking.  It’s an important step to prevent the pastry from getting mushy once we add the mixture.

• Use a whisk to mix the cheese mixture; it makes combining it easier.  However, you will not whip the cream; just combine it evenly with the cheese and eggs.

• A 9-inch pie tin will also work for this cheese pie recipe, but a 10-inch pie form is not advisable.  You will end up with a filling that’s a bit too thin.

• Do not hesitate to cover the top with an aluminum foil if you think the cheese pie is getting too dark too quickly.  I usually cover mine after twenty minutes and remove the foil for the last five minutes.

Looks absolutely delicious right? So, give it a try and let me know in the comment section below! 🙂