The best cheddar cheese really makes an impression. See, I grew up in a cheese household. Munster and mozzarella were always on the menu. We basically bled bleu. But for some reason, cheddar never really made an appearance in our fridge. It always seemed boring to me; sort of basic. Well, our team’s two separate cheddar cheese taste tests have officially opened my eyes to the virtues of cheddar and, lord, I have seen the light.
There’s a whole world of cheddar out there that goes beyond those big, orange hunks in the dairy aisle that look government issued. Some cheddar, particularly aged cheddar, is super nutty and tastes almost like less hard parmesan. Some cheddar cheeses even have those delicious little salty crystals you find in pecorino romano and good aged goudas. For our two taste tests, we gathered some of the best reviewed cheddar cheeses at the grocery store to find the best sharp cheddar cheese, the best medium cheddar cheese, and more. The first time we ranked the best tasting cheddar cheese, we neglected to include any sliced cheddar for sandwiches, but we fixed that this go ‘round. And if you’re looking for the best cheddar for mac and cheese, you may think you should be looking for the best shredded cheddar, but you’re actually in the right place. Cheddar shredded right from the block is the way to go because it doesn’t contain extra ingredients to prevent clumping. That means it’s meltier. So whether you’re making a noodle casserole, a sandwich, or a really nice cheese board, check out this list of the best cheddar cheese you can buy.
- Cracker Barrel Vermont Sharp White
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Cracker Barrel cheddar cheese is a total grocery store classic (launched by Kraft in 1954) that just happens to be shaped so that when you slice the brick, you get little squares that make it the best cheddar cheese for piling on top of crackers. If you’re wondering if that’s why it’s called Cracker Barrel, well, not exactly: “Our name comes from the 19th century practice of general store customers gathering around ‘cracker barrels’ full of soda crackers to engage in conversation.” Very quaint! This Vermont sharp cheddar struck me as completely quintessential. Like, every popcorn company that releases a white cheddar variety is trying to channel this exact flavor. It’s delicious. Cracker Barrel is the best cheddar brand if you want something that’s tasty but isn’t super fancy.
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- Organic Valley Raw Sharp Cheddar Cheese
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Organic Valley is a massive brand, but this sharp cheddar cheese tastes like something you’d pick up at a small-town farmers’ market. It’s made with milk from grass-fed cows, and I swear some of that floral, grassy flavor comes through in its complex, delicious flavor. It’s salty and sharp, but not so sharp that it’s not versatile. I can imagine this being the best cheddar cheese to shred and sprinkle atop a crock of French onion soup in place of gruyère.
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- Cabot Wickedly Habanero
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There’s nothing more disappointing than a product that claims to be spicy but doesn’t set your mouth on fire. This habanero-infused cheddar cheese from Cabot promises heat and absolutely delivers on that promise. As the label advertises, this was a first place winner at the Scovie Awards, a celebration of the spiciest foods, and its heat is no joke. It has a marbleized appearance thanks to red veins of peppery oil that infuse the whole block. But in addition to heat, it also has the nice, fruity flavor of real habanero peppers. This would be the best cheddar cheese for mac and cheese if you like it spicy. Really lean in and serve it on a cheese board alongside some spicy meats and sinus-clearing mustards.
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- Tillamook Medium Cheddar Farmstyle Slices
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Sharp cheddar has so much flavor and so much attitude that medium cheddar can be left out of the conversation. In fact, as commenters astutely pointed out, the first time we ranked the best cheddar cheese, we neglected to include a best medium cheddar cheese. Fixed it! Tillamook Medium Cheddar (which we got in its sliced sandwich form) is excellent. Like all Tillamook products, you can really taste good, fresh, creamy dairy in this cheese. It’s straightforward but there’s a world of flavor in there—it evolves as you eat it. I also appreciated the nice thick slices you get in this pack. This cheddar cheese might not be sharp, but it’s still going to make an impression on a sandwich loaded with fixins.
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- Tillamook Extra Sharp White Cheddar
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I firmly believe that American cheese is the best cheese for grilled cheese sandwiches, but if you prefer something with a little more oomph, this is the best cheddar cheese to try. As I said, we love Tillamook products and this sandwich cheese is creamy and ultra flavorful—plus, the package promises it melts like a dream, and I believe that. I’d basically trust Tillamook with my life.
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- Kerrygold Reserve
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Kerrygold is kind of like the king of cheddar cheese. We tried three of their fancy varieties—in addition to Reserve, we tasted the Skellig and Dubliner cheddars—but this one really delivered what you expect from a good Irish cheddar. Aged for two years, Reserve has a super bold flavor that makes it the best cheddar cheese to serve on a cheese board (if you’re entertaining guests you really like). Its intense flavor might be too much for some people, but it’s so fancy you can imagine a minuscule portion of it being served alongside dried apricots and a finger bowl of almonds for 30 bucks at a really nice restaurant.
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- Trader Joe’s Unexpected Cheddar
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This crumbly, delicious white cheddar was an awfully nice surprise (unexpected, you might say). The package advertises “hints of parmesan,” but I think you could argue that “hints” is a bit of an understatement. Because of its shape-shifting nature, this is the best cheddar cheese to have around for…whatever. Sure, you could shred it between a couple slices of rustic bread to make a grilled cheese, but you could also shred it on top of pasta, crumble it onto a salad, or cube it up and toss it into antipasto.
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- Beecher’s Flagship Handmade Cheese
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Prior to our second taste test, I’d only had Beecher’s Flagship cheese in the brand’s frozen mac and cheese, but that stuff is so outrageously good, I knew this would make the list (even though it doesn’t call itself a cheddar cheese). Really, it was a toss-up between this and the number one best cheddar cheese on our list. Both are aged, sharp, and have major attitude, but my colleague Justine Sterling liked that this cheese is milder up front than the Old Croc Sharp Cheddar, which really has bite (like a croc!) as soon as you taste it. You really get slapped with salt and savory flavor. Beecher’s is a little more relaxed, but still deeply savory and complex. We already know it’s the best cheddar for mac and cheese, but really this is going to add major flavor to any recipe that calls for cheddar cheese.
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- Old Croc Sharp Cheddar
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Prior to our first cheddar cheese taste test, my experience of sharp cheddar consisted almost exclusively of store-brand blocks or bags of shreds. There’s certainly a place for that kind of sharp cheddar, but this is something so completely different it’s kind of hard to believe the two things share a name. This is elevated sharp cheddar. Special-occasion sharp cheddar. Sharp cheddar for when you’re hosting company you actually like. Aging cheese intensifies its flavor, and this cheese was aged for a full year. Aging also gives cheeses like parmesan those tasty little crystals (which I learned from the internet are made up of an amino acid). Well, Old Croc has crystals and incredible bite. Even after our second cheddar cheese taste test, this was the best cheddar cheese of them all.
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Best for Crackers
Best Floral
Best Spicy
Best Medium Cheddar
Best for Grilled Cheese
Best for a Board
Best Multitasker
Best Mac and Cheese
Best of the Best
Other products we tried: Boar’s Head Vermont Cheddar, Happy Belly Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Boar’s Head Canadian Cheddar, Great Value Medium Cheddar, Sargento Extra Sharp Cheddar, Cracker Barrel Extra Sharp Yellow Cheddar, Tillamook Medium Cheddar, Kerrygold Dubliner, Kerrygold Skellig, Cabot Vermont Sharp, Boar’s Head Vermont Cheddar, Private Selection Wisconsin Sharp Cheddar, Sargento Sharp Cheddar, Sargento Smokehouse Cheddar, Sargento Aged White Cheddar, Sargento Medium Cheddar
