10 Most Popular Cheeses in the U.S., Ranked

Cheese is easy to love. Whether creamy, crumbly, salty, sweet or stinky, this humble dairy product is nothing short of perfection. No wonder Americans are eating it in abundance, producing about 14.1 billion pounds of cheese per year. (That’s a lot of cheese!)

But of all the cheeses we consume — and there is a great variety — which are the most popular of all? We’ve gathered the data to bring you the top 10 cheeses that reign in the heart of Americans.

Do not — we repeat, do not — read this while hungry.

Annual U.S. production: 92 million pounds

Blue cheese is one of those cheeses that you either love or hate — passionately. Made with cow’s, sheep’s or goat’s milk, it has cultures of the Penicillium mold added, giving it blue, green or black veins and a distinct pungent smell that some find divine and others find abhorrent. 

For those seeking a less, shall we say, powerful cheese, there’s gorgonzola — a specific type of blue cheese that’s considered milder than its Stilton or Roquefort counterparts. Its characteristics include smaller blue veins, a considerably less pungent smell and a milky, almost sweet flavor. 

*Data for cheese production comes from the United States Department of Agriculture’s annual 2022 numbers.

Our advice for getting your blue-cheese kick? Try it on a burger, a trend that’s been sweeping the country. (Trust us: It’s awesome.)

Smashburger, which touts more than 300 outposts across 36 states, offers the cheese as a topping on its build-your-own Angus-beef burgers, while Bobby Flay’s Bobby’s Burger Palace, with locations in nine states, makes a wildly popular bacon-blue cheeseburger.

Blue cheese is also an essential ingredient in the dipping sauce that typically accompanies an American classic: Buffalo wings. This favorite can be found throughout the country, but tastes particularly good where it was first introduced to the masses, at Anchor Bar in Buffalo, New York.

You can also ditch the accompaniments and try the best blue cheese of your life all on its own at Rogue Creamery, a tiny shop in Oregon. In 2019, an American blue cheese made here was named the best cheese on Earth. Said one judge of the cheese that beat out more than 3,000 other contenders from around the world: “It just tasted so darn good.” 

Gorgonzola has been appearing in macaroni-and-cheese dishes across the U.S., elevating this beloved comfort food to new heights. Mastro’s, with locations in nine states, makes a particularly mean gorgonzola mac and cheese (pictured here) that also features fontina cheese and minced garlic. 

Living by the ethos “go big or go home,” Annabelle’s Own in Michigan serves a gorgonzola mac and cheese with bacon, while Mr. Mac’s in New Hampshire adds steak to the mix.

Yes, please!

Annual U.S. production: 141.3 million pounds

All the way back in the 8th century, Homer’s Odyssey referenced Cyclops Polyphemus making an ancestor to feta cheese. Historically popular in Greece, feta has since become beloved the world over, including in the U.S.  

Feta boasts a umami-packed salty, tangy taste, a product of its brine-cured production method. While Greek feta is traditionally made with sheep’s milk — sometimes with goat’s milk mixed in — American domestic feta can be made with goat’s, sheep’s or cow’s milk, and tends to be more crumbly and less creamy than its European counterpart. Some cheese connoisseurs look down on the U.S. version, but don’t listen to them: The American version is excellent in its own right.