6 Aldi Cheeses That Are Worth Buying And 3 To Skip

There are few foods I love more than cheese, and I can be a bit of a snob about the options I'll eat at times. For example, I use only the best cheeses for my mac and cheese, opting for those varieties that will provide the creamiest, most complex profiles to one of my favorite comfort dishes. When it comes to snacking cheese, I have a select few favorites, which includes my go-to Aldi Emporium Selection cheeses, like the grocer's sliced mozzarella cheese log and its cranberry cinnamon goat's cheese. But, for as much of a cheese snob as I can be, I'm always ready to give new varieties their fair shot. And recently, I began to wonder what other delicious yet affordable options Aldi was hiding away on its shelves. Which Aldi cheeses are worth buying, and which are better left at the store?

Much to my excitement, I was given the opportunity to research the answer by trying nine unique Aldi cheese types from various brands. I put my food industry background and other relevant experiences to use, assessing the taste, texture, and smell of each cheese. Once I'd come to a thoughtful conclusion, I reported my findings back here, so you don't have to suffer through any personal experimentation — instead, you can just choose from the best cheeses Aldi has to offer. You can find my full methodology at the end of this article if you're interested in knowing more. 

Ready to discover your new favorite Aldi cheeses? Let's get into it.

Pueblo Lindo is an Aldi private label that sells a lot of Mexican cuisine essentials, like rice, beans, and salsa. I've used quite a few of its products and found them to be excellent, so I was really excited to try this Pueblo Lindo Queso Fresco — and thankfully, it didn't disappoint.

I adore the bright, extra milky taste of queso fresco, and this option lived up to all the expectations I had for this cheese type. Underlying that dominant milky flavor profile were moderate salty notes and a mild tang that helped create an appealing complexity. Texturally, this cheese was relatively soft and moist, with a nice crumble that made eating easy without making cutting it up challenging. Although there wasn't a huge defining scent, I did detect a light milky smell when I brought a piece up to my mouth to eat.

I definitely recommend buying some of this queso fresco on your next trip to Aldi. If you're not familiar with this cheese and are looking for ways to use it, I recommend adding some to huevos rancheros, tacos, or enchiladas. It's also fantastic when sprinkled on elote.

Cheese sticks are something I always have stocked in my refrigerator. Not only do they make a great on-the-go snack with relatively good protein values (plus vitamin D and calcium, of course), but they're one thing my kids never seem to tire of. But all of those cheese sticks can really add up cost-wise, so I was super excited to find a more affordable version from one of Aldi's private labels.

This mozzarella string cheese from Happy Farms turned out to be everything I look for — so, suffice it to say, it'll be my new regular go-to from here on out. The sticks pulled apart nicely, allowing me to shred them into larger or smaller pieces based on what I was trying to do. Texturally, these were firm with a nice amount of give, and there was a mild dairy and salty smell. The scent was highly indicative of the taste, which was predominately a light dairy with moderate salty notes.

These Happy Farms Part-Skim Mozzarella String Cheese sticks make for a great snack for adults or children. I recommend keeping these on hand and pairing them with your favorite fruit for a balanced snack. I can personally vouch for pairing them with apples, oranges, or pineapple.

My family eats a lot of pasta, and we use a lot of grated Parmesan cheese on those dishes. So, I was really hoping that I could give this Reggano Grated Parmesan Cheese a rave review and save myself a decent chunk of change at the same time. Unfortunately, it just didn't work out that way — as you can probably guess, based on my recommendation to skip this option.

I'd like to start off on a positive note and say the scent of this Parmesan was delightful. It was a little pungent, as I would expect, without veering too far and being overwhelmingly so. That's where my praise of this Aldi cheese ends. The texture made this feel low in quality. Not only did it readily clump together, making it challenging to pour, but it also felt more like grainy sand than soft grated cheese. As for the taste? It wasn't disgusting, but it was far from the best I'd ever had. The somewhat earthy, dairy flavor was heavily accented by a pungent taste that overwhelmed everything it was used on.

Skip this grated Parmesan cheese and stick to your favorite name-brand products instead. I've always found Kraft and Colonna to be reliable grated cheese options. You should be able to find at least one of those brands at most major grocery stores across the nation.

I know a lot of people don't like pre-shredded cheeses because of the anti-caking agents they contain. However, I'm an incredibly busy woman between work, kids, and a social life, so I'm a huge fan of anything that can save me some time.

I don't frequently see shredded gouda cheese in my local grocery stores, but I love the mild, somewhat nutty taste of this variety. Thankfully, this Emporium Selection Shredded Gouda Cheese offered everything I'd hoped it would, starting with a light nutty scent featuring the faintest hints of sweetness. Although the texture is firm, it melts really nicely and quickly once introduced to heat. The taste is mild yet surprisingly complex, featuring a dominant milky profile balanced by moderate nutty tones and a barely perceptible sweetness.

This is a must-add to your next Aldi shopping list. I recommend combining equal parts of this gouda cheese with sharp cheddar to create a multi-dimensional macaroni and cheese that will wow your guests. It also makes for an excellent addition to fondue, quiche, or grilled cheeses.

These Happy Farms cheese wedges are a dupe of Laughing Cow, and many grocery stores offer a private-label option of their own. However, a lot of those knockoffs just don't live up to the expectations set by the original — and the original is pretty pricey, so I've been actively looking for a more affordable yet equally delicious option. If you've been facing the same dilemma, you'll be happy to know that I fully endorse Aldi's spreadable cheese wedges as a solution.

First and foremost, I'm a big fan of spicy snacks and adore that Happy Farms offers this creamy pepper jack variety. Although there's no real defining scent, the texture is perfectly soft and creamy without being runny, which is an issue I've encountered with other stores' dupes in the past. Taste-wise, this cheese predominantly features a very creamy dairy taste, which is accented by slight nutty tones, mild buttery notes, and a moderate kick of heat.

I really can't recommend these Happy Farms Creamy Pepper Jack Variety Spreadable Cheese Wedges enough. Although I've been known to eat them by themselves, they're especially good on butter crackers or homemade sourdough bread.

I love a good Brie, but this option from Emporium Selection just doesn't fall into that category. I'm not sure if it's the "double creme" aspect of this product, but there are so many things wrong here.

My biggest complaint about this Emporium Selection Double Creme Brie is the smell, which almost resembles what my cat's litter box smells like. I wish I had a nicer way to put it, but the overwhelming scent of ammonia with a faint rotting odor is truly overwhelming — and since I value the smell of my food so much, this made it really hard for me to take a bite. But, as I always do, I persevered for the purposes of this taste test. The flavor was, unfortunately, just as ammonia heavy as the smell, although that rotting odor didn't really make an appearance in the taste, which I'm truly grateful for.

Skip this and opt for any of the "worth buying" cheeses on the list instead. Trust me when I say both your nose and taste buds will thank you.

Cracker cuts are something relatively new to my refrigerator. A few months ago, I discovered a container of these while doing my grocery shopping and immediately became hooked. After all, they (like shredded cheese) help me save a little time when I'm dishing up snacks for myself or the family.

Happy Farms really does well with its gouda cheese, and I'm thrilled to see cracker cuts offered in something outside of cheddar or cheddar jack. These have a very light nutty smell that is fairly indicative of the taste — which is a creamy dairy featuring moderate nutty tones and faint buttery hints. The size is perfect for putting on crackers, like the name suggests, and texturally, these are pleasantly firm.

One of my favorite things to do with these Happy Farms Gouda Cheese Cracker Cuts is to pair them with pre-sliced pepperoni on butter crackers. Another an excellent option for those times you're craving something salty is to pair this cheese with saltines and prosciutto.

I think the biggest endorsement for this Emporium Selection Original Crumbled Goat Cheese is my daughter. Twice since purchasing this and trying it for myself, I've found her literally eating it plain, from a bowl, by the spoonful. That isn't how I'd personally recommend eating it, but it's certainly an option.

One of the things I like best about this goat's cheese is the texture. It's firm enough to keep its shape in the crumbles without becoming a big, squishy mess. But it's also soft enough that it readily melts in your mouth or when exposed to a heat source. Of course, the taste is excellent, too. A richly creamy dairy base is accented by a sharp pungency and moderate salty notes to create a beautifully complex masterpiece. A faint tangy scent is noticeable when you open the package, which only adds to this cheese's charm.

I've always been a fan of goat's cheese, but if you're unfamiliar with the unique taste and texture, I recommend using it lightly in dishes like salads or omelettes at first. However, if you find you enjoy the flavor profile, I strongly recommend using it in pasta dishes or even as a garnish for sweet potato soup.

As a full disclosure, I'm very picky about the blue cheeses I'll eat. I enjoy a good blue cheese dressing or some standard blue cheese crumbles, but there reaches a point where it becomes too much for me — and this cheese crossed that line by a long shot.

My first issue here is that there weren't just blue-green veins throughout this cheese block. No, the center was basically just pure mold, which is just way too much for me. Then, there's the smell, which veered away from pleasantly pungent and into acidic, rotten territory. Texturally, this was also a nightmare. It reminded me more of rubber than cheese and was surprisingly difficult to cut. The taste was overly acidic, rotten, and not reminiscent of cheese at all, in my humble opinion. Oddly, there was an almost Play-Doh-like aftertaste that further ruined the experience.

I'm not alone in my negative review of this Emporium Selection Borgonzola cheese, either. Tasting Table called this the worst Aldi cheese, stating that it "combines the worst parts of Brie cheese with the worst parts of blue cheese, leading to a rubbery, sour, off-putting product." Long story short? Skip this Aldi cheese at all costs.

I chose an assortment of Aldi cheeses for inclusion in this list based on their availability at my local store in Vineland, New Jersey. From those options available to me, I aimed to select a wide assortment of brands and cheese types for the most comprehensive list of recommendations possible. Taste, texture, and smell were the most significant factors in whether I recommended buying or skipping each cheese. To ensure fairness, I tried each cheese alone and exactly as it comes packaged first, with a second random use based on how I would normally eat said cheese.

My more than 15 years of food industry background helped me to make my assessments, as during this time, I extensively picked out and worked with various cheese types. Prior consumership of cheeses in my personal life, and previous work creating articles for Daily Meal, also provided me with the skills needed to make my recommendations. This includes similar Aldi-based articles, like this ranking of Aldi Friendly Farms Greek Yogurt flavors, and this ranking of the best Aldi spices. Although personal preference played a role in this article, I tried to be as unbiased about product quality as I could be.

Static Media owns and operates Daily Meal and Tasting Table.