Trader Joe's Cheese List

Our review of the cheese you can regularly find at Trader Joe's and how much they cost. Learn how to shop at Trader Joe's for quality cheese that won't break the bank.

Trader Joe's is one of my favorite places to buy cheese.

They do a good job of balancing value with quality. The prices you pay for the cheese is on par with other stores, if not cheaper in some cases. And the quality is generally better.

I would take Trader Joe's cheddar over any other generic store brand cheddar.

Trader Joe's offers a wide selection of cheeses. This post is about the cheese that you can find everyday at Trader Joe's. We will list the prices per pound, review of some of our favorites, and share with you how to use some of these cheeses to make things like fondue.

Let's put the cheesy intro to bed and get right to it.

Trader Joe's Cheese List

Here is our master list of cheese available at Trader Joe's and what the cost is. We break the list down into 4 parts - cheese under $6, cheese over $6/pound, goat cheese, and cheese not priced by the pound.

What you won't find here is the special Spotlight Cheese they offer on a monthly basis. I wanted to stick to cheese that the have year round for this post.

Cheese Under $6/pound

Wisconsin Mild Cheddar	$3.99/lb
Wisconsin Monterey Jack	$3.99/lb
Wisconsin Sharp Cheddar	$4.99/lb
Wisconsin Extra Sharp Cheddar	$4.99/lb
New Zealand Grass Fed Cheddar (6-12 months)	$5.99/lb
Raw Milk Cheddar (aged min 4 months)	$5.99/lb
Baby Swiss	$4.99/lb
Dutch Gouda	$5.99/LB
Fontina	$5.99/LB
Whole Milk Mozzarella	$4.99/lb
Part Skim MIlk Mozzarella	$4.99/lb
Double Cream Brie	$5.99/LB

Those are same great prices for your basic cheese. Enough selection where you can put together a pretty good cheese board from just these cheeses. Or have what you need to make mac & cheese (more on that shortly) or a pizza.

Here are a a few short reviews of some of the cheese on this list.

Mild Cheddar Review

The quality you are getting from Trader Joe's cheese is far superior to anything with the Kraft label. Their Mild Cheddar wasn't necessarily the greatest cheddar I have ever consumed. But it might be best cheap cheese I have ever consumed.

It does not have the texture of melted plastic like most of the cheap cheese you find at those big grocery stores. It is a creamy, and smooth, slightly crumbly cheese.

Monterey Jack Review

With some store brands cheeses I have had troubling telling the different between the Colby and the cheddar. This should never be. But the cheese that seems to get the biggest screw job is Monterey Jack.

Most of the time it is seen as a mild/medium cheese with no distinctive characteristic or flavor. It's more known for being paired with Colby to form the popular Co-Jack. Believe it or not, Jack cheese does have a distinct flavor.

The Trader Joe's Monterey Jack does have that distinct Jack flavor. Enough bite to it give your palate something different.

Raw Milk Cheddar

When you see the word "raw milk" does it make you scared? Well it shouldn't as raw milk cheese has to be aged for 60 days by US law before it can be sold. The believe is that after 60 days the acid and salt will destroy anything harmful that could be in the milk. The number is up for debate.

I personally have no issues with consuming raw milk cheese.

The package indicates the cheese has be aged for at least 4 months, twice as long as raw milk cheddar must be aged. It was a very good, mild cheddar. It's great for just slicing and eating, or maybe enjoying with some crackers. The use of raw milk gives the cheese a little more character.

It's affordable, so if you are looking to show someone the difference between regular mild cheddar and raw milk cheddar, try picking up both the raw milk and the regular mild cheddar and do a side by side comparison. I believe the raw milk is worth the extra cost.

Baby Swiss

Baby Swiss is probably the most mild of all the Baby Swiss I have had. But that isn't a bad thing. I liked this cheese. It's not as good as the Baby Swiss made by the company that invented it Guggisberg, but it's a nice alternative.

Cheese Over $6/pound

Kerrygold Dubliner	$8.99/lb
Cabot Extra Sharp Cheddar	$6.99/lb
Organic New Zealand cheddar	$7.99/lb
Black Pepper Toscano	$9.99/lb
Double Cream Gouda	$7.99/lb
Gruyere (6 month)	$9.99/lb
Pecorino Romano	$8.99/lb
Asiago	$7.99/lb
Parmigiano Reggiano	$14.99/lb
Jarlsberg	$6.99/lb
Havarti	$6.99/lb
Cave Aged Blue	$6.99/lb

Kerrygold Dubliner

This is a cheese that I always get for St. Patrick's Day. It has the taste of a sharp cheddar without being too overwhelming. Great for those that prefer milder cheese like myself. It has a slight natural sweetness to it and a more crumbly than smooth texture.

The best way I can describe it as most like a cheddar with a hint of Parmesan flavor in it.

Cabot Extra Sharp Cheddar

If you are looking for a good sharp cheddar, the Cabot is the best sharp cheddar at Trader Joe's. Any good sharp cheddar should have more than just a sharp bite. Cabot is like that

Cabot cheese can be found all over the place, but I think Trader Joe's has one of the best prices at $6.99/pound. Sam's Club also carries their cheese, if you have a membership that might be better for you.

Cabot is one of the best big cheese makers on the east coast, ,while Tillamook is the best on the west coast. I should totally do a taste off some day!

Black Pepper Toscano

A very popular cheese at Trader Joe's, this Toscano cheese is studded with cracked black peppercorns. The perfect cheese to pair with some mild crackers on a cheese board.

Toscano cheese is a robust cheese with nutty notes of a good Parmesan, but creamier like a mild cheddar. There isn't much info online about Toscano cheese that I could find. I know there is a Percorino Toscano cheese that is produced in Tuscany. I am thinking the TJ's one is based on that one but not from that region.

If anyone knows more, please share it the comments below.

Havarti

I find this Havarti to have a sharper flavor than the one that I get in slices at Costco. Not bad just an observation.

Havarti is a semisoft Danish cheese that is really good for melting. You will often find it with herbs added to it, most commonly dill.

Goat Cheese

Cheddar	$10.49/lb
Gouda	$9.99/lb
Brie	$2.99 for 4.4oz

I honestly don't buy a lot of goat cheese, I just wanted to share what I found. I do admire the brilliant white color of a goat Gouda. It's stunning.

The goat brie was surprise, I don't recall seeing it before.

Cheese Not Priced Per Pound

Fresh Mozzarella	$2.99 for 8 oz
Authentic Greek Feta	$6.49 for 10.5oz
Feta Block	$2.99 for 8oz
Crumbled Feta	$2.99 for 6oz

Nothing quite tops a salad like some good feta. $2.99 to get either crumbled feta or a block of feta that you can crumble yourself is a good value.

My friend Brenda over at Become Betty, reviewed the Authentic Greek Feta. I recommend checking that out.

Cheese for Making Fondue

While Trader Joe's does sell a fondue kit or fondue cheese, if I am going to make fondue I am going to make my own cheese choices.

Here is what I would recommend for a fabulous fondue. Use in any recipe that calls for 1 pound of total cheese.

Amount of Each Type of Cheese	Approximate Cost
7 ounces of Jarlsberg	$3.05
6 ounces of Gruyere	$3.75
3 ounces of Dutch Gouda	$1.12
TOTAL CHEESE COST:	$7.92

Cheese for Mac & Cheese

I gotta say I really like the Extra Sharp Wisconsin cheddar to make mac & cheese as it's inexpensive and tastes good. A bag of elbows only costs $.99/lb. Add in 2 cups of milk, ½ stick of butter, and 3 tablespoons of flour, and some salt and you got yourself an easy to make, yet awesome mac & cheese that didn't cost you a a lot.

You could also use a combination of cheese which is always fun to do. I like mixing Gouda and Sharp Cheddar at a 50/50 ratio. Also you could try 3 ounces of Gruyere with 5 ounces of Sharp cheddar.

Cheese for Making Pizza

Mozzarella is the obvious choice here. I grab the Whole Milk Mozzarella for $4.99 a pound (it comes in 1 pound portions). There are other cheeses I do like better for pizza like Brick and Tuma but they aren't carried at Trader Joe's. Both those cheese melt just like Mozzarella but they have more flavor to them.

Pick up some Parmigiano Reggiano or Pecorino Romano to grate on top of your pizza. If you don't make your own crust, the french baguette or ciabatta (try the Everything Ciabatta Rolls for individual pizzas) that you find at TJ's can make for a tasty crust.

Cheese for Enchiladas

Trader Joe's doesn't offer much in terms of Mexican cheeses that aren't pre-shredded.

I strongly believe in grating all of my cheese. No added ingredient that way. Flour and dextrose are often added to prevent mold or caking.

Cheddar, Jack, or Mozzarella, or any combination of those is the best I recommend for homemade Enchiladas.

One of my favorite pasta dishes is Cacio e Pepe. It's easy to make with simple ingredients that really shine when mixed together. You just need spaghetti, Percorino-Romano, Parmgiain-Reggiano, black pepper, and some technique!

Check out my favorite recipe.

Here is how much the cheese would cost to make it.

Amount of Each Type of Cheese	Approximate Cost
3 ½ ounces of Pecorino-Romano	$1.97
1 ½ ounces of Parmigiano Reggiano	$1.41
TOTAL CHEESE COST:	$3.38

Got any questions about buying cheese at Trader Joe's? Leave it in the comments below.

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