Best Cheese For Grilled Cheese

In everyone’s life, there comes a time when you feel a bit glum and the only thing that can possibly pull you out of your mini slump is an impeccably made, impossibly cheesy grilled cheese sandwich. This is just a fact; you can’t make these things up. And because we here at Sporked are all for pulling people out of their mini slumps with nothing but crispy bread, a cheese pull, and a dream, here is our list of the seven best cheeses for grilled cheese.

Kraft American Singles

Kraft Singles just melt so darn well and taste like a salty, orange dream. You can’t go wrong with this cheese (or Pasteurized Prepared Cheese Product, as it were). It may not be the most flavorful cheese on this list, but if you want the cheese on your sammy to melt into more of a liquid cheese sauce sort of situation, I say this is the cheese (product) for you.

Sargento Sliced Swiss

Want a little more tang and a little more structure? Go for the Sargento Swiss slices on your grilled cheese. They will melt but won’t turn to liquid like Kraft Singles. The cheese has that distinct tangy, nutty funk to it that only Swiss cheese can provide. Plus, Sporked managing editor Gwynedd Stuart called this Sargento Swiss “exceptional,” and she tastes food for a living.

Trader Joe’s Triple Creme Brie

Want to go the fancy route and do an apple-brie grilled cheese situation? Perhaps with some roasted garlic or prosciutto? First of all, why didn’t you invite me? Rude. Second of all, if you are looking for a great, meltable-but-also-good-in-any-context sort of brie, this one from Trader Joe’s should do the trick. Senior writer Jordan Myrick described this brie as “so creamy,” adding that the flavor is “so pleasantly mild.” This is good for cheese novices and aficionados alike. In other words, it would be rich, creamy, and not overpowering on a beautiful brie-filled, bread sandwiched, melty masterpiece known as grilled cheese.

Tillamook Farmstyle Thick Cut Mozzarella Cheese

Let’s face it, sometimes all you have in the house cheese-wise is a bag of shredded mozz. Fret not, my cheesy brethren! This stuff will work just fine, if not incredibly well. The mild saltiness and meltability of mozzarella is unparalleled; I mean look at what it’s done for pizza! And this particular mozz is “milky, creamy, and salty,” according to Sporked contributor Danny Palumbo, who noted that it stretches and melts perfectly. He even went as far as to say that “when melted, this low-moisture mozzarella oozes and stretches an X-rated amount, and the flavor is just incredible—deliciously rich and cheesy.” I mean now I want this on a grilled cheese. Ugh, imagine dipping that grilled cheese in marinara. Too good. I may have to put some Tillamook on my list this week.

Follow Your Heart Smoked Gouda

Hey vegans, we see you and we know that even though you don’t eat dairy, you still need a good ol’ vegan grilled cheese sometimes. Please believe us when we say this vegan cheese ROCKS. Sporked editor-in-chief Justine Sterling described the smoked flavor of this cheese as “powerful but not overwhelming,” adding that it doesn’t taste “overly fake.” She also noted that the “texture is also smooth and creamy—not grainy at all like some vegan cheeses—probably due to the coconut oil base.” She even said, “This ‘cheese’ is extraordinary and an argument that there should be more smoked faux cheeses.” It is literally the best vegan cheese out there (at least in our opinion). Give it a try in your next grilled cheese and see what you think!

Old Croc Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Sharp cheddar can be a great addition to any grilled cheese, and this sharp cheddar is “elevated sharp cheddar.” All you need is slices of another cheese that is good for melting (like Swiss, provolone, or American), then grate this cheese over that cheese (the grating is for better melting), then melt it all together in the pan and enjoy a smooth, melty, gooey, beautiful mess with the flavor of delicious, nutty, sharp cheddar. Heck, add some fig jam to the sandwich and we are in business (as in, I would buy that sandwich from you, so please do offer one to me, thanks).

Boar’s Head Deli Picante Provolone

Lastly, provolone. She’s milky, she’s mild, she’s salty, and she’s “thick, floppy, and […] full of wonderful milk fat,” according to Danny. He went on to call this Boar’s Head provolone “deliciously funky and sharp—the bite you get on the back end smacks you in the mouth in the most wonderful way.” If provolone is your melting and eating go-to for sandwich-making of any kind, give Boar’s Head one a try; it’s worth the wait at the deli counter. And, if you previously hated ‘volone, maybe this one, melted in a big ol’ grilled cheese sandwich, will change your mind and make you pro-‘volone. Okay, I will see myself out, even I knew that one was too cheesy.