In short: Pepper raclette is classic raclette with peppercorns worked into the curd before pressing. It carries no protected designation, but it is made by big French brands and by award-winning Swiss dairies alike.

Profile checked on 02/11/2026 on the official websites of producers and trade bodies. Do you make this cheese? Write to us to be listed in the directory.

Identity card: Pepper Raclette

CountryFrance, Switzerland
RegionEastern ranges (Vosges, Franche-Comté, Savoie, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes), German-speaking and central Switzerland
Designationnone (flavored raclette cheese, outside PDO and PGI)
Milkcow, most often pasteurized (Ermitage, Strähl, Imlig); sometimes mountain milk (RichesMonts)
Pasteuncooked pressed, peppercorns mixed into the curd
Agingvaries by dairy, often around 2 months: 8 weeks at Baechler, 2 months for the Raclette Pepper from Quebec’s Fritz Kaiser
Formatwheel of about 6.5 kg in Switzerland (Strähl), trays of slices of 200 to 420 g in supermarkets
Flavorfruity, with a spicy edge
Meltability4/5: melts as well as a plain raclette, the peppercorns stay whole and don’t spoil the creamy layer

Its history

Nobody can date the first peppercorn that fell into a raclette vat, and that may be for the best. What we do know is that pepper has long gone with raclette, but on the side: a turn of the mill over the melted cheese, a gesture many Valaisans still practice. Cheesemakers eventually did the pepper mill’s job for it. In German-speaking Switzerland, village dairies like Imlig in Oberriet or family houses like Strähl in Siegershausen offer their pepper version next to the plain wheel. In France, the recipe settled onto supermarket shelves with the three-pepper slices from RichesMonts, Ermitage or Entremont, often sold on a platter with a plain and a smoked one. And the variant has earned its stripes: according to the dairy itself, Seiler’s green pepper raclette was named best flavored raclette at the 2022 Swiss Cheese Awards. The pepper mill hasn’t had its last word, though.

Flavor and melting: what happens in the pan

On paper, nothing could be simpler: an uncooked pressed cow’s milk cheese, with peppercorns spread throughout. Ermitage states 0.8% green, black and white peppercorns in its three-pepper raclette. At Jean Perrin, the pepper slice in the gourmet platter contains 0.3%. What we take away from the producers’ descriptions is a first bite identical to a mild raclette, milky and round, then a heat that slowly builds. Green pepper, chosen by Strähl and Seiler, brings an almost vegetal note; the black and white blend bites harder. When melted, the cheese behaves like a plain one: it coats the potato nicely, and the peppercorns stay whole, which makes for little surprises under the tooth. We advise not pushing the grill too hard: burnt pepper turns bitter, and nobody wants to explain to their mother-in-law why her raclette tastes like a failed barbecue.

On the nose and palate: milky and mild like a classic raclette, then a peppery heat that arrives at the end of the bite; green pepper stays more herbaceous, black more pungent

How to serve it

Count on 200 to 250 g of cheese per person, as with a plain raclette, but never serve only the pepper one: one tray out of three is enough, otherwise taste buds tire before dessert. Take the cheese out of the fridge half an hour before sitting down so it melts evenly. Slices of 3 to 4 mm go into the pans of a classic machine; a whole 6 kg Swiss-style wheel also lends itself to the scraper, with the half wheel under the heating element. Avoid adding more pepper from the mill, the cheese already contains some. As for drinks, a dry, lively white wine calms the heat better than a tannic red, and hot black tea remains the choice of Valaisan purists.

Pairings

  • Wines: Fendant (Chasselas from Valais), Apremont or Chignin from Savoie, Côtes du Jura Chardonnay
  • At the table: potatoes in their skins, cured ham and Grisons meat, gherkins and pickled pearl onions, a fresh pear at the end of the meal

Our recipes with this cheese

  • The homemade raclette burger
  • Raclette on the barbecue
  • Traditional raclette, the basic recipe

How much should you plan? Our guide to raclette cheese quantities per person does the math, and our comparison of the best raclette cheeses compares it with the others.

Pepper Raclette producers: the directory

Four families of producers, from the giant to the small alpine dairy. Contact details taken from their official websites; logos are displayed from those sites, with credit.

The biggest producers

The biggest volumes: manufacturers and large cooperatives.

RichesMonts (Compagnie des Fromages et RichesMonts)

Courbevoie (head office) / Vire (consumer service), France

Brand of Compagnie des Fromages et RichesMonts (CF&R), sells Duo Originale and 3 Poivres slices in 420 g and a 3-variety platter with pepper, classic and character in 700 g (product pages on quiveutdufromage.com).

Fromagerie de l'Ermitage (Union Laitière Vittelloise)

Bulgnéville, France

Vosges cooperative that markets a 3-pepper raclette (0.8% green, black and white pepper, pasteurized milk) aged by the Fromagerie de Clerval, according to the product page https://www.auchan.fr/ermitage-fromage-a-raclette-aux-3-poivres/pr-C1193623.

Strähl Käse AG

Siegershausen, Switzerland

Swiss family dairy that makes a green pepper Raclette mit Pfeffer in a wheel of about 6.5 kg (https://www.straehl.ch/kaese/sortiment/raclette-mit-pfeffer).

The best known

The brands you run into in stores.

Entremont logo (Entremont Alliance)

Entremont (Entremont Alliance)

Annecy, France

Entremont’s Plateau 3 Raclettes (600 g) combines a plain one, a beechwood-smoked one and a 3-pepper one (https://entremont.com/produit/plateau-3-raclettes/).

Logo: © Entremont (Entremont Alliance), displayed from its official website.

Fromagerie Jean Perrin (SA Perrin Vermot) logo

Fromagerie Jean Perrin (SA Perrin Vermot)

Cléron, France

Cheesemaker and affineur from the Doubs whose gourmet raclette platter combines raw-milk raclette, Morbier PDO and a pepper raclette with 0.3% peppercorns (https://www.auchan.fr/jean-perrin-fromage-a-raclette-gourmande-au-lait-cru-morbier-aop-et-poivre/pr-C1387463).

Logo: © Fromagerie Jean Perrin (SA Perrin Vermot), displayed from its official website.

The most renowned

Medal winners, prize winners or renowned affineurs, with a sourced distinction.

Seiler Käserei AG logo

Seiler Käserei AG

Giswil, Switzerland

Obwalden dairy whose website features a green pepper raclette; it claims nine Swiss Cheese Awards in total.

Logo: © Seiler Käserei AG, displayed from its official website.

Fromagerie Monnin

Chantrans, France

Doubs dairy awarded a gold medal for its pepper raclette at the Fromonval 2026 competition (no online product page found).

  • Address: ZUF La Vie d’Ornans, 25330 Chantrans, France (head office, Recherche d’entreprises API)
  • Email: contact@fromagerie-monnin.com
  • Website: fromagerie-monnin.com
  • Distinction: Gold medal, Pepper raclette, Special raclettes category (jury 2), Fromonval competition, Mamirolle, October 17, 2026, source https://www.macommune.info/cancoillotte-raclette-chevres-tome-quelle-maison-a-remporte-medaille-dor/

Fromagerie de la Durance (Atelier Alpin Fromagerie de la Durance)

Guillestre, France

Hautes-Alpes dairy, raw milk according to the tourist office, awarded a medal for its 3-pepper raclette.

Small local producers

Farms, alpine dairies and village cheese dairies.

Imlig Käserei Oberriet AG logo

Imlig Käserei Oberriet AG

Oberriet, Switzerland

Village dairy in the St. Gallen Rheintal, sells a Raclette Pfeffer in block and sliced form in its shop (https://imlig.com/produkte/raclette/).

Logo: © Imlig Käserei Oberriet AG, displayed from its official website.

Fromagerie Baechler logo

Fromagerie Baechler

Le Temple-sur-Lot, France

Family dairy in Lot-et-Garonne that ages a green pepper and pink peppercorn raclette for 8 weeks, made with pasteurized milk (https://fromagerie-baechler.com/fr/2/51/Nos-raclettes.html).

Logo: © Fromagerie Baechler, displayed from its official website.

Pinterest pin : Pepper Raclette: The Cheese That Bites Just Right
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Where to buy it

In supermarkets, pepper raclette is mostly found in trays of slices, on its own or in a mixed platter: RichesMonts, Ermitage, Entremont and Jean Perrin offer it. For a wheel or a block cut to order, look to the Swiss dairies (Strähl, Imlig, Seiler) or a cheesemonger who works with them. There is no protected designation for this cheese, so read the label: the percentage of pepper, the type of milk (raw or pasteurized) and the producer’s name are on it. A short ingredient list, milk, salt, cultures, rennet and pepper, is a good sign. Beware of added flavorings when the price looks too sweet.

More addresses in our guide where to buy good raclette cheese.

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Frequently asked questions

Can pepper raclette be PDO or PGI?

No pepper version sold under Raclette du Valais PDO or Raclette de Savoie PGI was found. The products we checked are sold as flavored raclette cheeses, with no designation.

Which pepper is used?

The Swiss producers Strähl and Seiler bet on green pepper; Imlig does not say which one. Ermitage, RichesMonts and Entremont offer a three-pepper blend, and Baechler combines green pepper and pink peppercorns.

Does it burn a lot?

According to the producers, the heat stays moderate: Strähl speaks of a mild peppery note. The dosage ranges from 0.3% to 0.8% depending on the labels consulted.

Read also: all raclette cheeses, the secrets of a successful raclette and what is raclette?

Sources