The best Swiss cheese is the centerpiece of any good ham sandwich. It should be mild and nutty, sure, but it should have that signature bitterness, too. Basically, when you eat Swiss cheese, you should know you’re eating Swiss cheese. Over the course of two separate taste tests, we found the best baby swiss cheese, the best reduced fat swiss cheese, and even the best Swiss cheese to serve on a charcuterie board.
As a person who eats Swiss cheese on a fairly regular basis, I didn’t realize how many questions I had about it until I sat down to eat a lot of it at once. For instance, why does one Swiss have more holes than another Swiss? (I’m just gonna let you read about how Swiss gets its signature “eyes” on your own time.) And does Swiss taste bitter to everyone? The terms “mild” and “nutty” get thrown around a lot on Swiss cheese packaging, but to my tastebuds, what makes Swiss unique is its lingering bitterness. What if my experience of cheese is totally different than your experience of cheese? Am I utterly alone in some or all of my sensory experiences??
I’ll save the existential crisis for another day and instead tell you about the best Swiss cheese we found in our taste tests. All in all, it was fascinating to dissect the differences between a bunch of different Swiss cheese brands. We tried both sandwich slices and blocks (I almost never buy Swiss by the block!) to find Swiss cheeses that are flavorful, dry yet creamy tasting, and have that ineffable bitterness we (or just I) know and love.
- Jarlsberg Lite Reduced Fat Swiss Cheese
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I buy reduced fat Swiss every now and then (when I feel like punishing myself, I guess) and find it has a slightly rubbery consistency I’ve kind of warmed up to. That’s definitely the case here, but Jarlsberg’s Swiss makes up for being “lite” by packing a lot of that lovely Swiss cheese bitterness. Whatever that signature Swiss flavor is exactly, this cheese has so much that it really fills your mouth with every bite. I’m not in love with the way reduced fat cheese melts, but this will work great on a cold sandwich or paired with crackers. If you’re watching your fat intake, Jarlsberg makes the best tasting reduced fat Swiss cheese we tried.
Credit: Liv Averett / Instacart
- Boar’s Head Gold Label Imported Switzerland Swiss
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When I hit the grocery store deli counter, I always ask for my meats and cheeses to be sliced very thin, which I truly hope isn’t annoying for the deli workers (I suspect it is). I wanna see through the stuff. For a pre-packaged cheese, these slices from Boar’s Head are beautifully thin and delicate. It’s the best deli Swiss cheese—and you don’t even have to annoy anyone at the deli. And we’re dealing with Boar’s Head, so you know the quality is there, too. At 120 days, this Swiss was aged longer than most of the Swiss cheese brands we tried, and it really seemed to contribute a more complex flavor. This is the best Swiss cheese if you want to skip the line at the grocery store deli.
Credit: Merc / Instacart
- Kerrygold Swiss Cheese
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I typically associate Kerrygold with cheddar cheese (in fact, their Reserve Cheddar is some of the best cheddar cheese, full stop), but the brand knows its way around a block of Swiss too. This was the most unique of the cheeses we tried. It has a sharp flavor that almost reminds me of Manchego, even though it’s made from cow’s milk rather than sheep’s milk. This is the best Swiss cheese to grate on top of a crock of French onion soup or mix with a roux and milk to make cheese dip. I brought this block home because I was so into it. Swiss doesn’t usually find its way onto a cheese and charcuterie board, but this is the perfect specimen.
Credit: Merc / Walmart
- Trader Joe’s Sliced Swiss
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I tend to smell cheese before I eat it (gross?), and this one has a good, rich aroma that heralds its creamy, salty taste. I found this cheese to be particularly dry and nutty, although not in an off-putting way. If you tend to like thinly sliced sandwich cheese, be forewarned: These slices of Trader Joe’s Swiss are thick as hell. It’s not my style, but that makes it the best Swiss cheese to eat with crackers. Break these slices into quarters and stack them on Triscuits for a highly satisfying snack.
Credit: Merc / Sporked
- Sargento Creamery Baby Swiss
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The first time we ranked the best Swiss cheese, we were remiss to omit baby Swiss. This stuff is so good! If you’re not a cheese expert, baby Swiss is Swiss that isn’t ripened for quite as long, which is why it has smaller holes and a creamier flavor. That’s what we were looking for in the best baby Swiss cheese: lots of cute little holes and a nice, creamy flavor. Sargento nailed it with their Creamery baby Swiss. It’s riddled with itty-bitty holes like a baby Swiss should be. It’s super creamy like baby Swiss should be, but it also still manages to taste like Swiss cheese. Oddly enough, several baby Swisses we tried (even the regular Sargento baby Swiss) did not taste like Swiss cheese at all. They tasted DISTINCTLY like Muenster cheese. I know my cheese—you can trust me on this one. Sargento’s Creamery line is called that because the cheeses are made with additional cream, which makes them melt better. This is going to make an incredible hot ham and cheese sandwich.
Credit: Liv Averett / Walmart
- Sargento Sliced Swiss
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In my time here at Sporked, I’ve yet to eat a Sargento product and not say aloud, “Persnickety people, exceptional cheese.” Excellent work, marketing team! This is certainly exceptional cheese—in fact, it’s the best Swiss cheese of all the cheeses we tried in two separate taste tests. It has a great dry, chewy texture that sort of squeaks between your teeth as you chew and a perfect amount of salt to accompany its creaminess. Plus, it’s sliced to a pretty much ideal thickness—not too fat and nowhere near thin, which I imagine would please multiple people in a single household. It’s the best Swiss cheese to have on hand in the fridge for sandwiches, chef salads, and lots more.
Credit: Merc / Walmart
Best Reduced Fat
Best Thin Sliced
Best Funky
Best for Crackers
Best Budget
Best of the Best
Other products we tried: Sargento Ultra Thin, Sargento Baby Swiss, Organic Valley Baby Swiss, Finlandia Swiss, Sargento Reduced Fat Swiss, Boar’s Head Baby Swiss, Great Value Baby Swiss, Lucerne Sliced Swiss, Primo Taglio Swiss, Kroger, Good & Gather, Happy Belly, 365
