The AnyCheese Holiday Gift Guide

Cheeses from United States

A guide to cheeses from United States, highlighting the country's most notable and diverse varieties.

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Muenster

Muenster is a semi-soft cheese from the United States, made with pasteurized cow's milk and easy to spot by its annatto-colored orange rind. It is usually very mild and soft, and it melts well enough for grilled cheese, quesadillas, and …

Country: United States
Milk Type: Cow's milk
Texture: Creamy , Semi-Soft , Smooth
Flavor: Mild, Buttery, Slightly Tangy

Colby

Colby is a semihard orange cheese made from cow's milk, first developed in 1885 in Colby, Wisconsin. Skipping the cheddaring step and washing the curd with cold water leaves it moister, softer and milder than cheddar.

Country: United States
Milk Type: Cow's milk
Texture: Slightly curdy, softer
Flavor: Mild, milky

American Gruyere

American Gruyere is a Gruyere-style cheese made in the United States, with Wisconsin producing the most of it. A U.S. court ruled in 2021 that gruyere is a generic cheese name, which leaves American makers free to use it.

Country: United States
Milk Type: Cow's milk
Texture: Dense , Smooth
Flavor: Mild, Nutty, Slightly Buttery

Monterey Jack

Monterey Jack is a white, semi-hard cow's milk cheese from Monterey, California, with a mild and slightly sweet flavor. It melts cleanly, which is why it shows up in quesadillas, burritos, grilled cheese, and cheeseburgers.

Country: United States
Milk Type: Cow's milk
Texture: Mild to firm
Flavor: Mild to full-flavored

Swiss

Swiss cheese is the North American name for any cheese made in the style of Emmental, the yellow, medium-hard cheese from the Emmental region of Switzerland. Most versions carry the round holes called eyes and a nutty, slightly sweet flavor.

Country: United States
Milk Type: Cow
Texture: Firm , Semi-Firm , Smooth
Flavor: Mild, Nutty, Slightly Sweet

Sharp Cheddar

Sharp Cheddar is a semi-hard cheese made from pasteurized cow's milk, commonly produced in the United States. It is known for its strong and tangy flavor with a sharpness that intensifies as it ages. The texture is firm yet slightly …

Country: United States
Milk Type: Cow's milk
Texture: Semi-hard, artisan
Flavor: Sharp, strong, tangy

American Neufchâtel

American Neufchâtel is a soft cheese made from cow's milk in Chester, New York. It has a creamy texture similar to cream cheese but with less fat. The flavor is mild and slightly tangy, making it a popular choice for …

Country: United States
Milk Type: Cow
Texture: Soft

Brick

Brick cheese is a Wisconsin cheese pressed into brick shape and ripened on the surface with Brevibacterium linens. Young, it is sweet, mild and melts well; aged, it smells stronger and tastes nuttier. It is the traditional cheese on Detroit-style …

Country: United States
Milk Type: Cow's milk
Texture: Semi-hard, smear-ripened
Flavor: Sweet and mild when young, matures into strong, ripe cheese with age

Hoop Cheese

Hoop cheese is a fresh cow's milk cheese from the Southern United States, pressed in a wooden hoop until the whey drains out. Once a staple of Southern general stores, it is now sold mostly at roadside stands and farmers …

Country: United States
Milk Type: Cow's milk
Texture: Soft
Flavor: Buttery

Colby-Jack

Colby-Jack, also spelled Co-jack or Cojack, is an American marble cheese made by blending curds of Colby and Monterey Jack. It is known for its orange and white marbling, its mild flavor, and how well it melts over burgers and …

Country: United States
Milk Type: Cow's milk
Texture: Semi-hard, processed
Flavor: Mild to mellow

Dry Jack

Dry Jack is a hard cheese made from pasteurized cow's milk, originating in Monterey, California. It has a pale yellow color and a natural rind. The texture is firm and suitable for grating, similar to aged Italian cheeses. Its flavor …

Country: United States
Milk Type: Cow's milk
Texture: Hard
Flavor: Mild, nutty

Pepper Jack

Pepper Jack is a version of Monterey Jack, the white cow's milk cheese from Monterey, California, flavored with spicy chili peppers, bell peppers, and herbs. It melts cleanly, so it shows up in quesadillas, burritos, cheeseburgers, and grilled cheese.

Country: United States
Milk Type: Cow's milk
Texture: Semi-soft
Flavor: Spicy, from chili peppers and herbs

American Brie

American Brie offers a local take on the classic French cheese, characterized by a creamy, soft texture and a delicate, buttery flavor. This cheese is less earthy than traditional Brie, making it a subtle addition to cheese platters or a …

Country: United States

American

American cheese is a processed cheese made from cheddar, Colby, or similar cheeses with sodium citrate added so it pasteurizes without separating. It is mild, salty, and medium-firm, and it melts at a low temperature, which is why it lands …

Country: United States
Milk Type: Cow's milk
Texture: Semi-soft, processed
Flavor: Mild, salty

Provel

Provel is a white processed cheese that blends cheddar, Swiss and provolone with liquid smoke. It melts at a low temperature, tastes buttery, and is the traditional cheese on St. Louis-style pizza.

Country: United States
Milk Type: Cow's milk
Texture: Soft, processed
Flavor: Buttery

Cream Cheese

Cream cheese is a soft, mild fresh cheese made from milk and cream, sold unripened rather than aged. It began in Chester, New York in the 1870s and is best known as the spread on a bagel.

Country: United States
Milk Type: Cow's milk
Texture: Fresh soft, processed
Flavor: Creamy, mild, sweet

Pimento

Pimento cheese is a spread of grated cheddar, mayonnaise and chopped pimentos worked into a chunky paste. It started in the Northern United States in the early 1900s and is now tied to Southern cooking, served on crackers, in sandwiches …

Country: United States
Milk Type: Cheddar, farmers’ style
Texture: Spreadable
Flavor: Sweet, rounded chili

Cup Cheese

Cup cheese is a soft, spreadable cheese from Pennsylvania Dutch kitchens, sold in the cup that gave it its name. It descends from the German cooked cheese Kochkäse and is known for a smell strong enough to split opinion at …

Country: United States
Milk Type: Cow's milk
Texture: Soft, artisan
Flavor: Sharp, sour, strong

Lacy Swiss

Lacy Swiss is a semi-firm, processed cheese made from pasteurized cow's milk in the United States. It is known for its mild, nutty flavor and has a smooth, ivory appearance. The cheese has a mild aroma, making it a subtle …

Country: United States
Milk Type: Cow's milk
Texture: Semi-firm, processed
Flavor: Mild, nutty

Hooligan

Hooligan is an artisan cheese from Connecticut, United States, made from unpasteurized cow's milk. It has a soft texture and a cream-colored interior. The flavor profile is strong and savory, with grassy and mushroomy notes complemented by a vegetal taste. …

Country: United States
Milk Type: Cow's milk
Texture: Soft, artisan
Flavor: Grassy, mushroomy, savory, strong, vegetal

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