I Tried And Ranked 13 Cheeses For Grilled Cheese — This Is The One You Should Use Every Time

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With toasted bread and gooey filling, grilled cheese sandwiches are teeming with nostalgia. But the grilled cheese is not just reliably comforting; it is also incredibly versatile, and can be made with countless combinations of cheese, bread, and filling options for a truly unique sandwich every time.

Arguably the most important aspect of the grilled cheese is the cheese that is used. Each one, with its unique consistency and flavor, brings something different to the sandwich — and with such a breadth of options available, it is hard to not feel overwhelmed.

Although the jury is still out on whether or not the best grilled cheese requires multiple types of cheese, many of us would much prefer to keep things simple. With this in mind, I set out to rank 13 classic cheeses for grilled cheese to determine the single best option for your next sandwich. From meltability and mouthfeel to flavor profiles and compatibility with toasted bread, each one has been rigorously evaluated, and the results are in. Keep reading to learn which cheese I think you should use every time.

Allow me to start by saying I have absolutely nothing against mozzarella cheese. It is an excellent melter with a mild but delightfully rich flavor — and when I cut into this sandwich and watched it eagerly ooze out of the toasted bread, I had high hopes about its performance in a grilled cheese. That said, the popular cheese fell short.

The sad truth is that mozzarella alone does not make for a good grilled cheese sandwich. It is an extremely rich cheese, without a ton of sharpness or other flavor to balance it out without any other additions. This sandwich was begging for some sliced tomato or store-bought pesto, or maybe both — anything to lend a little bit of tang and salinity to what is otherwise an overly indulgent and one-note bite.

If this was a definitive ranking of the best melting cheeses, or of the best cheeses to put in a panini, I am sure the outcome here would have been different. That said, on a plain grilled cheese sandwich, there are many other cheeses (at least 12!) that I would reach for before mozzarella.

Swiss is undoubtedly one of the more polarizing cheeses on this list, but given its ubiquity (and accessibility at grocery stores), I expected more from it on a grilled cheese sandwich. In spite of its famous presence on all sorts of hot sandwiches, I was first dismayed by how much effort it took to melt — this one needed as much time in the pan as many of the hardest cheeses on this list.

For a plain grilled cheese sandwich, Swiss edged out mozzarella because it offers a strong nutty flavor, as well as some of that characteristic funk that helps give plain grilled cheese a bit more dimension. Unfortunately, it ran into the same problem as mozzarella: It has an exceedingly buttery flavor, and without any other ingredients to cut its richness, it is a bit overwhelming to eat in a sandwich by itself.

Swiss has a number of classic pairings, from ham, mustard, and pickles in a Cubano to corned beef, Thousand Island dressing and sauerkraut in a Reuben. On a plain grilled cheese, however, it leaves much to be desired.

I'll be honest: I was expecting more from smoked provolone. It has plenty of natural sharpness, and I thought the smokiness would give it another dimension that would prevent me from missing any other condiments. I'm sad to report that my expectations were thwarted.

The smoked provolone melted like a dream, which was a welcome surprise, given its hardness and sharpness out of the bag. Unfortunately, this is where the virtues ended. Between the cheese's flavor itself and the added smoke, the sandwich had more of a funk than I was expecting. Just like with Swiss, I think a smoked provolone grilled cheese would benefit from other ingredients — or even a side of honey mustard for dipping.

Notably, the smoked provolone also lacked some of the saltiness of other cheeses on the list, and having all of that smokiness without a sufficient amount of salt was dissatisfying. In the name of a fair ranking, I resisted the urge to sprinkle some Maldon or crack some pepper inside the sandwich, but it certainly would have been improved by both.

The Monterey Jack grilled cheese is the first sandwich that lands in "Now we're getting somewhere" territory. While it is a milder cheese like those it precedes in rank, it works in a plain sandwich for a number of reasons.

I weighed out equal portions of cheese for each of these sandwiches, but for whatever reason, the Monterey Jack grilled cheese looked more gooey and stuffed than many of the other sandwiches on this list. I love an ooey, gooey grilled cheese, so this was a major plus for me. When melted, the Monterey Jack had much of the same mild flavor profile as the mozzarella cheese, but with a slight, welcome sharpness that put it a cut above the others. It played nicely with the flavors of the toasted bread, and made for the most cohesive bite so far.

Don't get me wrong, there are many more cheeses that I'd prefer for a grilled cheese than Monterey Jack. However, if this soft and mild white variety is what you are working with, I don't think you will be disappointed.

Out of the gate, Colby Jack gets points for its good looks in a grilled cheese. The marbled yellow-and-white cheese definitely add a dimension of fun to the otherwise plain and topping-less sandwich. 

Colby Jack offers some of the same toasty notes as a good sharp cheddar; however, it is still on the mild side. It has a notably creamy mouthfeel, making it an excellent melter (and a good pick for those who can't decide between something more mild or more sharp). It's a bit more of a mystery than some of the other options on this list — I mean, what's that orange cheese mixed with Monterey Jack, anyway? — but it is an inoffensive and standard pick for grilled cheese.

The only reason that Colby Jack did not make it higher on this ranking is because I simply think other choices are even better for a grilled cheese sandwich. If you make one with Colby Jack, you will almost certainly enjoy it — but you might want to check if your local grocery store has any other options first.

I was initially skeptical when I purchased both Swiss and baby Swiss cheeses — after all, would there really be a difference between the two? Evidently, there was, and I am here to report that Swiss' younger sibling is a far better fit for a plain grilled cheese. 

Baby Swiss cheese still has a little bit of that buttery finish and tang of a more mature Swiss; however, because it is a younger cheese, those flavors are more toned down. While a grilled Swiss cheese sandwich is in desperate need of something acidic or salty, a sandwich with baby Swiss does not have any overwhelming flavors that need to be balanced with additional ingredients. 

Because baby Swiss cheese is younger, it is also softer, making for an even easier melt than mature Swiss. Whether you like your grilled cheese more gooey or more firm and intact, one with baby Swiss will simply be finished faster — which, as far as I am concerned, is always a plus.

There is nothing more classic for a grilled cheese sandwich than a few slices of bright orange cheddar. Sadly, of all of the different cheddar cheeses I have tried and ranked, medium cheddar was my least favorite, for one simple reason: It just cannot commit.

Medium cheddar falls the slightest bit short of all of the qualities that recommend a good cheddar. It is harder to melt than a mild, but, at the same time, it does not have nearly as much of the nutty flavor of a more aged cheddar. In fact, dare I say, I truly do not know who this cheese is for.

If you are making a grilled cheese sandwich, you will either inevitably prefer a mild cheese or a sharper cheese; I think in either case, medium cheddar will disappoint you. Although it still packs some of that moreish, quintessential cheddar flavor, which puts it above several of the other cheeses I tried for this ranking, it is undoubtedly the most underwhelming cheddar on this list.

Unlike my gripes with medium cheddar, mild cheddar knows what it is about. It is among the best melters on this list, and nearly turns a grilled cheese sandwich into a savory gusher because of how gooey it can get. 

However, my gripes with mild cheddar still remain. It is, as its name suggests, an extremely mild cheese, and I think it is missing a great deal of the flavor that makes cheddar such a great choice for a grilled cheese. The resulting sandwich is unctuous and comforting, but it is not at all special.

For some readers, mild cheddar will be the ultimate grilled cheese pick: less processed than other meltable, yellow cheeses; more universally agreeable than other options. But as far as I am concerned, there are plenty of better options out there — some of which are just as good at melting and boast even more flavor.

My hang-up with multiple lower-ranked cheeses on this list is that they lacked other dimension-adding ingredients — so imagine my delight when I found sliced pepper Jack cheese at my local grocery store. It might not be the absolute best melting cheese on the list, but its slight sharpness and gentle spicy flavor propelled it to this list's top five. 

Pepper Jack has many of the great qualities of Monterey Jack, but with the added bonus of seed-in hot peppers that lend some heat to the mild white cheese. Sadly, though, I came to a bleak realization while sampling this grilled cheese: Pepper Jack simply tastes better when it has not been melted.

Allow me to explain: Out of its refrigerated bag, slices of pepper Jack pack far more spicy flavor. The cheese is sharper, while the hot peppers even have a slight fruitiness. All of these great qualities are affected when the slices are melted — the Jack cheese becomes milder and the peppers dull slightly in flavor and heat. As much as I love pepper Jack, these are flaws that I could not overlook when building this ranking.

For a cheese that does not have any problem bringing the flavor, look no further than sharp cheddar. I concede that, once again, this is not a cheese that is especially easy to melt, but the extra effort is far worth the delicious bite.

Unlike mild and medium cheddars, this sharper cheese variety boasts plenty of complexity: It is deeply savory, but it also has a slight sweetness to it that creates an exceptionally balanced sandwich. It also has some truly drool-worthy stretch when you are pulling the diagonals apart from one another (so long as you don't make the mistake that is ruining your grilled cheese sandwich's cheese pull). 

The only reason why sharp cheddar did not climb even higher on this list was due to the fact that, after melting, it was surprisingly more oily than any of the other cheeses. This oil seeped its way into the bread, compromising the bite and making the toasted sandwich ever so soggy.

While taste testing all 13 of these grilled cheeses, it quickly became obvious that Havarti would be a sleeper hit. There are so many reasons to recommend it, from its effortless meltability to its picturesque cheese pull. Like many of the sharp cheeses on this list, it is also slightly nutty, which adds an extra flavorful flair to its clean profile.

However, perhaps the best part of using Havarti on a grilled cheese sandwich is the saltiness that it provides. Several of the lower-ranked cheeses on this list received mediocre marks because the cheese, itself, did not bring enough salt to the sandwich — and on a plain grilled cheese, made with no other ingredients to pick up that slack, having a salty cheese is paramount. 

We are now at the part of the ranking where I really have no more notes to give. This cheese ranked third, as opposed to higher, simply because the others are even better. If you are craving a grilled cheese and are lucky enough to have some Havarti, you will be in for quite the treat.

I am already bracing for the readers who will criticize me for putting this suspicious "cheese product" as high on this list as I have. To those readers, I only have one response: It is just that good.

I am not a big American cheese fan in general, but you cannot deny that it is one of, if not the best, melting cheeses on the market. The American grilled cheese is ready in half of the time as sandwiches made with this list's harder cheeses — and, if you ask me, it tastes far better than the vast majority of them. 

It is hard to describe the flavor of a grilled cheese made with melted American cheese, but the word "nostalgia" gets pretty close. It is deeply creamy and almost molten on first bite, with a rich and buttery savoriness and a light saltiness that you just will not be able to find in any other cheese. This sandwich is crushable, with a mouthfeel that is deeply comforting and a flavor that will force you to remember to breathe between bites.

We have finally made it to what I believe is the very best cheese for a grilled cheese sandwich: extra sharp cheddar. As far as I am concerned, if you have your pick of all of the classic grocery-store cheeses, this should be your choice every time.

Where to begin with extra sharp cheddar? For starters, it has an absolutely perfect balance of saltiness, as well as a slight, complex sweetness that gives off notes of toffee or caramelized sugar. As a harder cheese, it is more toothsome, which makes for such a satisfying bite, especially when sandwiched between two perfectly toasted pieces of bread.

I have only one disclaimer about extra sharp cheddar on a grilled cheese sandwich: The more mature the cheddar, the more difficult it is to melt. That said, with low heat, frequent flipping, and a little bit of patience, you will be left with a filling that is delectably gooey and boasts the warmest and silkiest mouthfeel of any of the cheeses on this list. If you choose to make your grilled cheese without any other toppings or ingredients, there is truly no better pick than this cheese.

In order to assemble a ranking of the best cheeses for grilled cheese, I started by ensuring that my ingredients for the sandwich were uniform across the board. In an effort to control for quality differences with various brands and price points, all of the cheeses used were Harris Teeter brand. I only selected those that I believed to be readily available at most big-name grocery stores — I wanted to feature cheeses that our readers could quickly (and relatively cheaply) get their hands on. Similarly, to control for quality and price, all grilled cheese sandwiches were made using Canyon Bakehouse Country White bread.

To prepare the grilled cheeses, I measured out 1½ ounces of each cheese — they were all cut to different thicknesses, so using a food scale was the easiest way to ensure that each sandwich would get the same amount. On a stovetop with low heat, I drizzled a heavy iron pan with olive oil and pressed each sandwich down one at a time, flipping as needed until the cheese was melted on each one (cooking times varied due to differences in the softness of each cheese). When sandwiches were complete, I transferred them to a cutting board and immediately cut them. I tried each one as soon as it was finished, taking one bite from the middle and one from a crusty corner before evaluating.