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Homemade Boursin Cheese

published Dec 30, 2025

Credit: Photo: Alex Lepe; Food Styling: Rachel Perlmutter

Even better than the original!

Serves8Makes1 1/4 cupsPrep5 minutes

Cook Mode+

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Credit: Photo: Alex Lepe; Food Styling: Rachel Perlmutter

French Boursin cheese is one of the most delightful things you can find in the cheese aisle. It’s a brand of spreadable Gournay cheese flavored with herbs and garlic. Gournay cheese is made from cow’s milk and cream, and was created by François Boursin in 1957 in Normandy, France. The texture of Boursin is perfectly creamy, yet a little crumbly — like goat cheese, but with a softer, richer flavor. I love unwrapping the foil puck and digging in with crackers, crostini, and honestly whatever I have on hand because, at the end of the day, Boursin makes it better.

It never even occurred to me that I could make my own Boursin cheese until now. Plain Gournay cheese isn’t so easy to come by outside of France, but the good news is that if you whip softened cream cheese together with butter, it replicates the richness and crumbly texture of Gournay. A squeeze of lemon gives it that missing tang, and a combination of dried and fresh herbs really brighten things up. Sometimes copycat recipes don’t measure up, but this one really hits every mark.

From there, you can add whatever ingredients you want to make it your own — one of the perks of making it yourself! You can store the cheese in a jar, but I like to mold it in a measuring cup for the signature shape.

Why You’ll Love It

• **Better than the original. **This recipe has all the herby flavor and the perfectly creamy, crumbly texture of the original, but with the addition of fresh chives and parsley for a vibrant pop of flavor.
• **Just so easy! **Start with a teeny bit of chopping, then just throw everything in the food processor and hit start for the easiest, most impressive appetizer (and beyond).

Credit: Photo: Alex Lepe; Food Styling: Rachel Perlmutter

Key Ingredients in Boursin Cheese

• Cream cheese**: **This makes up the base of the rich, tangy cheese. Make sure it’s room temperature so it blends smoothly.
• **Butter: **Softened butter blends with the cream cheese to mimic the added richness and crumblier texture of Gournay cheese.
• **Dried herbs: **Dried thyme, basil, and marjoram bring robust, concentrated flavor — especially once they have time to soften in the cheese.
• **Fresh herbs: **Fresh chives and parsley add a layer of vibrant, green flavor you won’t find in the prepackaged stuff.
• **Lemon juice: **Traditional Gournay cheese is tangier than cream cheese alone, so a little lemon juice perks everything and rounds out the flavor profile.

How to Make Boursin Cheese

1. Blend the cheese and seasonings. Process room-temperature cream cheese, room-temperature unsalted butter, garlic powder, onion powder, kosher salt, dried thyme, dried basil, lemon juice, dried marjoram, and ground white pepper in a food processor until smooth, light, and fluffy.
2. Add the fresh herbs. Stir in finely chopped chives and parsley leaves.
3. **Chill the cheese. **Transfer to a jar. Alternatively, to shape the cheese, line a 1-cup dry measuring cup with plastic wrap. Spoon the cheese mixture into the measuring cup, pressing to make sure there are no air pockets. Smooth out the top and fold up the plastic wrap to completely cover. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving so the flavors meld.
4. Soften and enjoy. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving to soften slightly. If molded, carefully remove the cheese from the measuring cup and unwrap. Serve with crackers, crostini, or crudités.

Helpful Swaps

• Add other dried or fresh herbs to customize the cheese to your liking! Rosemary, tarragon, dill, and oregano are all good options.
• Mix in additional ingredients like roasted garlic, truffle salt, black garlic, caramelized onions, lemon zest, or oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes to customize the flavor.
• You can use vegan cultured butter and vegan cream cheese to make this a dairy-free spread.

Credit: Photo: Alex Lepe; Food Styling: Rachel Perlmutter

Storage and Equipment Tips

• You can use a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment or a hand mixer and medium bowl instead of the food processor.
• Boursin cheese can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

Ways to Use Boursin Cheese

Beyond crackers, crostini, and crudités, you can use Boursin cheese to make a delicious meal. Here are a few ideas.

Tips from Our Recipe Tester

*This was spot-on! The flavor and texture is exactly like Boursin cheese. The fresh parsley and chives definitely leveled it up, though. A lot of copycat recipes are rarely the same as the original, but this was perfect. * —Jan, December 2025

Even better than the original!

Ingredients

• 8 ounces

cream cheese, at room temperature

• 4 tablespoons

(1/2 stick) unsalted butter (preferably European-style), at room temperature

• 1/2 teaspoon

garlic powder

• 1/2 teaspoon

onion powder

• 1/4 teaspoon

kosher salt, plus more as needed

• 1/4 teaspoon

dried thyme

• 1/4 teaspoon

dried basil

• 1/4 teaspoon

freshly squeezed lemon juice

• 1/8 teaspoon

dried marjoram

• 1/8 teaspoon

ground white pepper or freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed

• 1 tablespoon

finely chopped fresh chives

• 1 tablespoon

finely chopped fresh parsley leaves

Crackers, crostini, or crudités, for serving

Process 8 ounces room-temperature cream cheese, 4 tablespoons room-temperature unsalted butter, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme, 1/4 teaspoon dried basil, 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice, 1/8 teaspoon dried marjoram, and 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper in a food processor until smooth, light, and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes total, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. 1.

Remove the food processor blade. Add 1 tablespoon finely chopped chives and 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley leaves to the cream cheese mixture and stir with a spatula until evenly combined. Taste and season with more kosher salt and black pepper as needed. 1.

Transfer to a jar. Alternatively, to shape the cheese, line a 1-cup dry measuring cup with plastic wrap so there are 2 inches of overhang. Spoon the cheese mixture into the measuring cup, pressing to make sure there are no air pockets. Smooth out the top and fold up the plastic wrap to completely cover. 1.

Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving so the flavors meld. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving to soften slightly. If molded, carefully remove the cheese from the measuring cup and unwrap. Serve with crackers, crostini, or crudités.

Recipe Notes

**Ingredient/equipment variations: **You can use a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment or a hand mixer and medium bowl instead of the food processor.

**Storage: **Boursin cheese can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 1 week.

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