The most popular Mini Babybel Original (red) contains edam cheese. In fact, they’re the tiny, French versions of the Dutch Edam cheese – but creamier, tangier, and kid-friendlier. There are more cheese types available, depending on the color of the wrapper and paraffin wax enclosure.
What Type of Cheese is in a Babybel? Know These Wrapper/Wax Skin Colors
Take note that the availability of each Babybel type will depend on the location as there are different varieties sold in France, other countries in Europe, the U.S., Canada, and Australia.
Babybel in France
- Red – Original / Edam
- Green – Goat Cheese (chèvre)
- Red and green with a “bio” label on it – Edam made with organic milk
Babybel in Other Countries in Europe
- Red – Original / Edam
- Blue – Light, with 50% less fat than the original mini red Babybel
- Black – Enriched with 5g of protein per 20g mini Babybel
- Purple – Cheddar
- Yellow – Emmental
- Green with “Bio” – Organic
Babybel in the United States and Canada
- Red – Original / Edam
- Green – Mozzarella Style
- Blue – Light, with 50% less fat than the original mini red Babybel
- Black – White Cheddar (Cheddar in Canada)
- Orange – Gouda
- Purple – Sharp Original
- Yellow – Swiss Taste (Only available in Canada)
- Light Green – Organic (Canada)
Babybel in Australia
- Red – Original / Edam
- Orange – Cheddar
- Blue – Light, with 38% less fat than mini red Babybel
Babybel Cheese Ingredients
The main ingredients of Babybel are:
- Pasteurized milk
- Salt
- Bacterial culture
- Coagulant
Babybel Cheese Nutrition
A piece of Mini Babybel Original (red, made in France) contains:
- Energy: 65 calories
- Fat: 5.1 g
- Saturated fat: 3.4 g
- Protein: 4.8 g
- Salt: 0.15 g
- Calcium: 150 mg
Take note that per-portion nutrition information may be different in the Babybels made in other countries and may also depend on the cheese variant.
Why are Babybels Wrapped in Wax?
The red paraffin wax that coats every Babybel is used to protect the cheese from airborne bacteria, mold growth, and drying while it ages. Coating the cheese using food-grade wax is often used on hard and semi-hard cheeses that only need a few months to age.
This red coating isn’t unique to Babybel. You’ll also see it on cheeses like Dutch Edam, usually used to preserve cheeses for export or for tourists who want to bring them back home.
How Do They Put the Wax on Babybel Cheese?
Babybel factories are using a patented machine specifically made by the company, The Bel Group (Le Groupe Bel), to quickly wrap every cheese with the tabs and red wax.
However, for artisanal cheesemakers who do this process manually, what they do is melt the cheese wax and brush it onto dried and chilled cheese. They also dip each side of the cheese in a pot with melted wax.
Can You Eat the Wax on a Babybel?
No, you’re not supposed to eat it. The red wax is there to keep the cheese inside moist, and you should peel it off first by pulling the tab before eating the cheese.
If you accidentally ate a part of it, don’t worry! The red paraffin-based wax coating is food-grade and won’t hurt you – maybe just your taste buds.
Does Babybel Cheese Melt?
Yes! Babybel melts well, but it isn’t too runny. You can use it for burgers, sandwiches, fondue, cheese sticks, cordon bleu, and more.
How are You Supposed to Eat Babybel Cheese?
You can eat Babybel in many different ways – just make sure you remove the plastic wrapper and pull the tab to get the cheese out from its wax casing.
Then, you can eat it as a snack, fry it, melt it for dips and burgers, grate it on top of pasta or tacos, and everything else that you can do with regular hard or semi-hard cheese.
If you’re serving it as a snack for children under 4, make sure to cut it into small bite-sized pieces.
Is Babybel Cheese Healthy?
Depends. As always, moderation with cheese is key. In the U.S., the American Heart Association indicates that a serving of cheese is 1.5 oz (42.5 g) and recommends eating up to three servings per day. In France, the suggested serving of cheese is up to 1.4 oz (40 g) per day. Take note that 1.4 oz or 40 g is about two mini Babybels.
Different health organizations and countries will have various serving suggestions, so it’s best to consider your medical history and current condition and find the right type of cheese for you based on these categories:
- Lower in calories
- Lower in fat
- Lower in sodium
In which category does Babybel belong? It might not be the best to pick if you’re looking for one low in fat (around 5 g per mini Babybel), unless you go for the Light version (blue). It isn’t also low in sodium (around 150 mg per mini Babybel).
Each Babybel has 60 – 70 calories. This can still fit in the low-calorie category as long as you watch out how much you eat and what you also eat with it (bread, chips, etc.).
On the positive side, Babybel is guaranteed to be low in sugar and high in calcium. Those who are avoiding highly processed foods can worry less about eating Babybel because it contains 98 percent milk and doesn’t contain artificial coloring, flavors, and preservatives.
Babybel Cheese Recipes
Here are some easy-to-do Babybel recipes you can try today!
