This is a list of cheeses typical of the United States. The list excludes specific brand names, unless a brand name is also a distinct variety of cheese. While the term "

American cheese Modern American cheese is a type of processed cheese developed in the 1910s made from cheddar, Colby, or similar cheeses. It is mild with a creamy and salty flavor, has a medium-firm consistency, and has a low melting point. It is typically yel ...

" is legally used to refer to a variety of

processed cheese Processed cheese (also known as process cheese, cheese food, prepared cheese, cheese product, or plastic cheese) is a food product made from cheese and unfermented dairy ingredients mixed with emulsifiers. Additional ingredients, such as vegeta ...

, many styles of cheese originating in Europe are also made in the United States, such as

brie Brie (; ) is a soft cow's-milk cheese named after Brie, the French region from which it originated (roughly corresponding to the modern ''département'' of Seine-et-Marne). It is pale in color with a slight grayish tinge under a rind of white m ...

cheddar Cheddar most often refers to either: *Cheddar cheese *Cheddar, Somerset, the village after which Cheddar cheese is named Cheddar may also refer to: Places * Cheddar, Ontario, Canada * Cheddar Yeo, a river which flows through Cheddar Gorge and th ...

gouda Gouda may refer to: * Gouda, South Holland, a city in the Netherlands ** Gouda (pottery), style of pottery manufactured in Gouda ** Gouda cheese, type of cheese originally made in and around Gouda ** Gouda railway station * Gouda, Western Cape, a s ...

mozzarella Mozzarella (, ; nap, muzzarella ) is a southern Italian cheese traditionally made from Italian buffalo's milk by the pasta filata method. Fresh mozzarella is generally white but when seasoned it turns to a light yellow depending on the anim ...

, and

provolone Provolone (, ) is an Italian cheese. It is an aged ''pasta filata'' (stretched-curd) cheese originating in Campania near Vesuvius, where it is still produced in pear, sausage, or cone shapes long. Provolone-type cheeses are also produced in othe ...

. Also, many local dairies throughout the country produce

artisan cheese Artisanal cheese refers to cheeses produced by hand using the traditional craftsmanship of skilled cheesemakers. As a result, the cheeses are often more complex in taste and variety. Many are aged and ripened to achieve certain aesthetics. This c ...

s and other more localized flavors. Almost half of the cheese produced in the United States comes from Wisconsin and California. The U.S. dairy industry cheese exports has grown by 2,900% in the last two decades, making it the second largest cheese exporter in the world.

American cream cheeses

* Bergenost *

Cream cheese Cream cheese is a soft, usually mild-tasting fresh cheese made from milk and cream.Oxford English Dictionary Stabilizers such as carob bean gum and carrageenan are often added in industrial production. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration de ...

Creole cream cheese Creole cream cheese is a form of farmer cheese that is traditional in the New Orleans area. It is made from skim milk, buttermilk and rennet, has a mild, slightly tart, slightly sweet taste, and is frequently mixed with cream, sugar and fruit and ...

Cup cheese Cup cheese is a soft, spreadable cheese rooted in Pennsylvania Dutch culinary history. Its heritage dates back to the immigration of the Mennonites and Amish to Pennsylvania in the late 17th century. A variation of the German cheese "Kochkäse", ...

Red Hawk cheese Red Hawk is a type of American triple-crème aged cow's-milk cheese with a brine-washed rind produced by the Cowgirl Creamery in Point Reyes Station, California. The brine wash encourages the development of the red-orange rind and the cheese ...

, triple-crème cow's milk cheese with a brine washed rind, made in California *

Kunik cheese Kunik is a brand of cow and goat milk cheese. It is described by the producer as a semi-aged, triple cream wheel cheese made from 25% Jersey cow cream and 75% goat's milk. It has an edible, bloomy white rind; a tangy, buttery flavor; and a thick, ...

American soft cheeses

* BellaVitano Cheese *

Brick cheese Brick cheese is a cheese from Wisconsin, U.S., made in brick-shaped form. The color ranges from pale yellow to white, and the cheese has a sweet and mild flavor when young, and matures into a strong, ripe cheese with age. It is a medium-soft chee ...

Cheese curd Cheese curds are moist pieces of curdled milk, eaten either alone or as a snack, or used in prepared dishes. They are consumed throughout the northern United States and Canada. Notably, cheese curds are popular in Quebec, as part of the dish po ...

Colby cheese Colby is a semi-hard orange cheese made from cow's milk. It is named after the city of Colby, Wisconsin, US, where it was first developed in 1885 and quickly became popular. Colby is manufactured in a similar process as cheddar cheese. Instead ...

* Colby-Jack cheese *

Farmer cheese In the United States, farmer cheese (also farmer's cheese or farmers' cheese) is pressed curds, an unripened cheese made by adding rennet and bacterial starter to coagulate and acidify milk. Farmer cheese may be made from the milk of cows, sh ...

Hoop cheese Hoop cheese is a traditional cow's milk cheese that was common in the Southern United States from the early to mid 1900s. It is still available today, although it is much less common. It is a simple cheese prepared by separating the whey from curds. ...

, drier version of farmer cheese *

String cheese String cheese is any of several different types of cheese where the manufacturing process aligns the proteins in the cheese, which makes it stringy. When mozzarella is heated to 60 °C (140 °F) and then stretched, the milk proteins ...

, particular American variety of mozzarella with a stringy texture *

Cougar Gold cheese Cougar Gold is an American Cheddar cheese produced at Ferdinand's Creamery on the Washington State University campus in Pullman, Washington. Like other cheeses sold at the creamery, Cougar Gold is notable for being sold exclusively in tin cans. C ...

, an American cheddar *

Humboldt Fog Humboldt Fog is a goat milk cheese made by Cypress Grove, of Arcata, California, in Humboldt County. It is named for the local ocean fog which rolls in from Humboldt Bay. It is an uncooked pressed cheese made from pasteurized goat's milk. H ...

, made in California *

Liederkranz cheese Liederkranz is an American re-creation of Limburger cheese, made subtly different by the use of a different bacterial culture for smear-ripening. Liederkranz is a cow's milk cheese, with an edible pale yellow-orange tan crust, and a semisoft, ...

Monterey Jack Monterey Jack, sometimes shortened to Jack, is a Californian white, semi-hard cheese made using cow's milk, with a mild flavor and slight sweetness. It has been called "an American original" and "as a vestige of Spanish rule in the early nineteen ...

Pepper jack cheese Monterey Jack, sometimes shortened to Jack, is a Californian white, semi-hard cheese made using cow's milk, with a mild flavor and slight sweetness. It has been called "an American original" and "as a vestige of Spanish rule in the early nineteen ...

, variety of Monterey Jack *

Pinconning cheese Pinconning cheese is an aged semi-hard whole cow's milk, Colby-style cheese named after Pinconning, Michigan. It is made and distributed by Pinconning Cheese Company and Wilson's (Horn) Cheese Shoppe in Pinconning, Michigan. It is available as ...

, aged variety of Colby *

Pizza cheese Pizza cheese encompasses several varieties and types of cheeses and dairy products that are designed and manufactured for use specifically on pizza. These include processed and modified cheese such as mozzarella-like processed cheeses and mozz ...

, specially made for its melting qualities *

Muenster cheese Muenster ( or ) or munster is a semi-soft cheese from the United States. It is thought to be an imitation of the Alsatian washed-rind Munster cheese, introduced by German immigrants. It is distinct from the processed dairy food ''Sweet Muenster ...

, extremely mild, semi-soft with annatto exterior, nothing like name-controlled washed rind Alsacian Muenster *

Swiss cheese Swiss cheese may refer to: Cheese * List of Swiss cheeses (from Switzerland) * Swiss-type cheeses or Alpine cheeses, a class of cooked pressed cheeses now made in many countries * Swiss cheese (North America), any of several related varieties o ...

related to the

Emmental cheese Emmental, Emmentaler, or Emmenthal is a yellow, medium-hard cheese that originated in the area around Emmental, in the canton of Bern in Switzerland. It is classified as a Swiss-type or Alpine cheese. Emmental was first mentioned in written reco ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

but slightly different **Baby Swiss, mild variety **Lacey Swiss, mild, lower-fat variety **Smoked Swiss **Aged Swiss, the oldest and strongest flavor * Vermont cheddar

American hard cheeses

Capricious Capricious may refer to: * Capricieuse, also spelled Capricious, a solitaire card game * Capricious (cheese), an aged goat's milk cheese See also * Arbitrary and capricious In law, the standard of review is the amount of deference given by on ...

, goat's milk cheese made in

Petaluma, California Petaluma (Miwok languages, Miwok: ''Péta Lúuma'') is a city in Sonoma County, California, Sonoma County, California, located in the North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area. Its population was 59,776 a ...

* American generic parmesan, developed in the United States but inspired by

Parmigiano-Reggiano Parmesan ( it, Parmigiano Reggiano; ) is an Italian hard, granular cheese produced from cows’ milk and aged at least 12 months. It is named after two of the areas which produce it, the provinces of Parma and Reggio Emilia (''Parmigiano'' is ...

cheese from Italy

American blue cheeses

Maytag Blue cheese Maytag blue cheese is produced on the Maytag Dairy Farms just outside of Newton, Iowa city limits. History In 1941 production of the cheese was started by Frederick Louis Maytag II and Robert Maytag, grandsons of the founder of the Maytag ap ...

, brand name which is also a distinct variety of cheese

Processed cheeses

, a variety of processed cheese usually created from a combination of Colby and cheddar cheeses *

Government cheese Government cheese is processed cheese provided to welfare beneficiaries, Food Stamp recipients, and the elderly receiving Social Security in the United States, as well as to food banks and churches. This processed cheese was used in military ki ...

, variety of processed cheese food *

Nacho cheese Nachos are a Mexican culinary dish consisting of fried tortilla chips or ''totopos'' covered with melted cheese or cheese sauce, as well as a variety of other toppings and garnishes, often including meats (such as ground beef or grilled chicken ...

* Old English, a processed cheese from Kraft, often used in cheese balls, sold in a small glass jar *

Pimento cheese Pimento (or pimiento) cheese is a spread most popularly made of cheese, mayonnaise and pimientos and served on crackers and vegetables or in sandwiches. A favorite of the cuisine of the Southern United States, it also is enjoyed elsewhere, with ...

, some varieties are not cheese but processed cheese *

Provel cheese Provel () is a white processed cheese product particularly popular in St. Louis cuisine, that is a combination of cheddar, Swiss, and provolone cheeses. Provel has a low melting point, and therefore has a gooey and almost buttery texture at room ...

* Roka Blue, a processed blue cheese often used in cheese balls *

Velveeta Velveeta is a brand name for a processed cheese product similar to American cheese. It was invented in 1918 by Emil Frey of the "Monroe Cheese Company" in Monroe, New York. In 1923, "The Velveeta Cheese Company" was incorporated as a separate ...

, brand name for a softer style of processed cheese than American cheese

American Fresh cheeses

Cottage Cheese Cottage cheese is a curdled milk product with a mild flavor and a creamy, non-homogeneous, soupy texture. It is made from skimmed milk by draining the cheese, as opposed to pressing it to make cheese curd—retaining some of the whey and keeping ...

, made from skimmed milk, soupy texture.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:American cheeses * Cheeses (American)

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...