7 Great Grocery Store Cheddars, Ranked by Cheese Pros

Grocery store cheddar cheese ranked

A cheese plate or charcuterie board is an obvious choice for holiday entertaining (or any-day entertaining). It's fancy yet approachable and a crowd-pleaser. Speaking of crowd-pleasers, you'll often find cheddar on these party platters because it plays well with all the fruits, nuts and meats and is beloved by a wide range of eaters.

But where should you go to pick up the best cheddar for your party (or even for your next grilled cheese)? While purchasing from a local cheese shop is a winning option for various reasons, even cheese experts advise people to not skip their grocery store's dairy case.

"Grocery stores are great for purchasing cheese for a variety of reasons," says Emmy Rener, the owner of LA-based cheeseboard company Sophisticated Spreads. "They are reliable when it comes to variety...When every store is selling out, you can pretty much always count on the grocery store to have the cheddar you want, and probably five different kinds of it."

Yep, Rener said five different kinds of cheddar. "Cheddar is like a family tree, with a bunch of varieties all similar yet unique in their own way," she says.

If you've spent any time looking at cheeses in the grocery store, you likely know that there are mild, sharp and vintage cheddars. But what does that all mean, and which grocery store cheddar cheeses are the best?

Read on for more need-to-know cheddar facts and our list of 7 great grocery store cheddar cheeses, ranked by cheese pros themselves.

Related: 31 Types of Cheese To Add to Your Next Charcuterie Board

Cheddar Cheese Labels, Decoded

Besides the brand name, some of the most prominent letters on a cheese package or menu involve how sharp it is or isn't. Here's what that all means.

"The milder the cheddar, the less aging time it’s had," says Cortney LaCorte, the creator behind the Instagram account @cheesegal with more than 290K followers. "The sharper, the more aging time it’s had. Over time, the more mature/aged cheddars develop my favorite little crunchy crystal, also known as calcium lactate." Ready to dig in deeper? Marissa Mullen, a cookbook author who posts as @thatcheeseplate 390K Instagram followers, got granular.

Aging stages

The amount of time cheddar ages affects the taste. One of these aging stages will likely be listed on a cheese package. Mullen decodes what each means.

• Mild cheese is aged for one to three months and has a creamy, subtly sweet and mellow taste.

• Semi-sharp cheddar is aged three to six months and has a tangy sharpness.

• Sharp/matured cheddars are drier and more crumbly. The aging process gives these cheese a more pungent flavor.

• Vintage cheddars are aged for 12 months and beyond. Mullen says people can expect the strong, savory and crumbly flavor with the calcium lactate crystals LaCorte also loves.

Styles

Like a Taylor Swift era, cheddars have their own style. Mullen says you can find cheddars that are:

• Rindless (block). These cheddars are vacuum sealed "for convenience," Mullen says. The result? A "zingy" and "sharp" flavor with a "dense, fudgy texture."

• Clothbound. As the name implies, these cheddars are wrapped in a cotton cloth. "This method yields a drier, crumbly texture with a complex, earthy, and sometimes sweet flavor," Mullen says.

• Orange or yellow. These cheddars are dyed using annatto (a natural dye) and are commonly used in school lunches. "This familiar style offers varying flavors depending on age," Mullen says.

• Waxed. Mullen explains that aging cheddar in wax coating prevents mold growth and retains moisture.

• Flavored. Flavored cheddars are part of the cheese's evolution. "They bring diverse flavors like smoked, sage, chili or maple, offering exciting variations," Mullen says.

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7 Best Grocery Store Cheeses, Ranked

Now that you've gone to cheddar school, use that knowledge to pick the right cheese for you.

7. Cracker Barrel Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese

I may not be a cheese pro, but I certainly love cheese and figured I'd invite myself to this delicious conversation. And Cracker Barrel's Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese is a go-to snack. I love it alongside apples or a plate full of crackers (especially Pepperidge Farm Goldfish Flavor Blasted Extra Cheddar Snack Crackers). The accessible, classic cheese is a cinch to find in local grocery stores.

6. Boar's Head Sharp Wisconsin Cheddar

A deli standard-bearer, it's not hard to come across Boar's Head cheeses. It is hard to resist them, though. Shannon Berry, Wisconsin Cheese's cheese specialist and a certified cheese professional, loves using this cheddar to make a next-level grilled cheese and also suggests trying the cheese with tomato chutney.

5. Cabot Extra Sharp Cheddar

Mullen is a big fan of super-sharp cheddars. "This one from Cabot brings the edge," she says. "I love to pair this with a salty charcuterie like salami or Sopressata and a touch of grainy mustard for tang." Bonus: She feels good consuming Cabot cheeses because they are made from a cooperative of farmers from Vermont and elsewhere in the northeast.

4. Sartori Merlot Bellavitano

A mild cheat here—this cheese is a cheddar/parmesan blend. However, breaking the rules never tasted so good. "It's perfectly decadent," Mullen says. "The rind is washed with red wine, making for a robust pairing with something sweet like dark chocolate-covered almonds."

3. Sartori MontAmore

Another cheddar blend, Berry says the parmesan notes add some extra flavor to the classic cheddar. She also adores that the cheese is crafted by Pam Hodgson, one of the world's only two female Master cheesemasters. "Pair it with lemon curd, crushed raspberries and a fruity red wine," Berry suggests.

2. Kerrygold Reserve Cheddar

Kerrygold's Reserve Cheddar, which is made with milk from Irish dairy cows, boasts big flavors at a bargain price. (You can usually grab some for around $5.) "I love the sharpness of this cheese, and it pairs perfectly with something sweet, like fig jam or apple butter," Mullen says.

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1. Unexpected Cheddar

Unexpected? Oh, please. This one's a cult classic and a Trader Joe's holy grail item—and the No. 1 cheddar around. "This one can only be found at Trader Joe’s, but it’s one of my favorite grocery store finds," Mullen says. "The texture is crumbly with a slightly sweet aftertaste. I love to pair this with fresh apples or pears."

Related: Top Trader Joe's Cheese Board Cheeses, According to Super Fans (It's a Controversial List)