Buzz
While the bread is key in any sandwich, the cheese is the real star in a grilled cheese. Many recipes boast the perfect mix of fats and dairy for the ultimate sandwich, but if you’re more into stretchy cheese or a gooey melted puddle, the choice is yours. The beauty of comfort food is all about making yourself happy. Rather than listing my personal favorites, here’s a quick guide to the best cheeses for a grilled cheese sandwich, focused on the most important person in the room: you.
The top cheese choices for a grilled cheese sandwich
Cheese is made up of protein, fat, water, and acid. (Learn more about cheese components here.) The balance of these four elements determines how cheese reacts when heated. Depending on this, you may use just one type of cheese, or you could combine different cheeses for varied outcomes.
The best cheese for a stretchy sandwich
For that perfect cheese pull, the amount of stretchy protein is crucial.
For maximum stretchiness, try:
Mozzarella
Gouda
Havarti
Gruyère
Opt for younger cheeses, as those aged over a year tend to lack the moisture needed for optimal melting and stretching.
The best cheese for a gooey sandwich
Not everyone craves a long cheese pull. Some moments call for a cheese that melts smoothly into a soft, creamy texture. In these cases, the fat content is key, allowing the protein clusters to spread further apart.
For a cheese that melts so smoothly it might bring tears to your eyes, try:
Taleggio
Muenster (highly requested, and I’m on board.)
Cheddar
Raclette
Fontina
American (It’s the cheese we love to hate, but let’s face it, it melts like magic.)
The ultimate “cheese” for liquid cheese explosion
There’s a level beyond gooey—a realm that most don’t explore, but if you’re brave enough, you can create a grilled cheese that practically bursts with molten dairy. For this ultra-liquid cheese experience, opt for those cheeses with higher fat and water content. Consider very soft cheeses, and perhaps even some “cheese-esque snacks.”
Velveeta
Tostitos Salsa Con Queso
Cheez Whiz
Add a bit of heat and they’ll reward you with a river of yellow liquid indulgence. If you can’t bear to use a cheese-like snack in your sandwich, try:
Triple cream brie without the rind
Gournay cheese (like Boursin)
Creamy goat cheese
The classic cream cheese
No worries, if you’re aiming for a little bit of everything in your ideal grilled cheese, try mixing it up. If you crave a touch of stretch in your melt, combine gruyere with fontina. A secret swipe of Cheez Whiz adds a whole new level (let’s be real, Philadelphia knows what’s up with their cheesesteaks). Be bold. Your dream grilled cheese is closer than you think.
Here’s my go-to cheese combo for a slow-melting, gooey grilled cheese with just the right amount of stretch and a mellow cheesy taste.
Ultimate Grilled Cheese Sandwich Recipe
Ingredients List:
2 slices of hearty bread (I prefer cutting a thick, grainy ciabatta at a sharp angle)
1 tablespoon salted butter
1 slice of American cheese
1 ounce of havarti
½ ounce of muenster
1. Spread butter on one side of each slice of bread. Place one slice in a frying pan with the buttered side down. Don't turn on the heat just yet.
2. Add the cheese layers. If sliced havarti or muenster is hard to find, just chop off a chunk and scatter the cheese over the bread. Since both cheeses are semi-soft, I like to press them flat with my fingers.
3. Place the second slice of bread on top of the sandwich, butter-side facing up. Set the heat to medium-low, cover the pan with a lid, and let the steam and surrounding heat thoroughly melt the cheeses.
4. After a few minutes, flip the sandwich to brown the other side. There's no need to cover it again. Let it cool for a moment on a wire rack before digging in.
