Surface ripened cheeses, such as Camembert, are limited in shelf life due to the fast ripening and eventual texture and color degradation. High hydrostatic pressure (HPP) has been shown to be effective at extending the shelf life of food products with minimal quality defects. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of HPP on the quality characteristics of Camembert type cheese. Three varieties of Camembert type cheese (traditional, stabilized, and a hybrid) were manufactured. The cheese was HPP treated (550 MPa for 10 min at 25°C) at either 3 (treatment A; before surface mold growth) or 10 d (tratement B; after surface mold growth) post manufacture. The cheeses were analyzed for composition, texture by penetrometry, and color. Among the 3 cheese types, average moisture content ranged from 53.2 to 56.6%, protein ranged from 15.8 to 17.8%, fat ranged from 23.0 to 23.6%, and salt ranged from 1.1 to 1.3%. After treatment A the firmness of the cheese significantly increased (P < 0.05). The stabilized variety increased the most (2.05 N to 7.41 N) and the traditional increased the least (1.04 N to 1.91 N) compared with the control (untreated cheese) after 21 d of maturation. For treatment B, the firmness was less than the control cheeses for the stabilized variety (1.42 N) and the traditional variety (0.84 N) after 21 d of maturation. The color of the rind was significantly (P < 0.05) affected by the HPP for both treatments, especially the L* value, indicating browning of the rind. For treatment B, L* value decreased most compared with the control for the hybrid variety (85.69 to 77.44), next was the traditional variety (87.08 to 80.18), and least for the stabilized variety (81.15 to 79.24) after 21 d of maturation. This study demonstrates that time of HPP impacts the textual properties and appearance of Camembert type cheeses. However, earlier treatment time can increase the firmness of Camembert cheese during maturation, providing some evidence that the shelf life could be increased with an early treatment time.