The Best Trader Joe’s Cheeses, According to What You’re Cooking

Like that Sunday omelet.
cheese and salami flat lay

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We could easily spend a morning just staring at Trader Joe’s cheese section. Chèvre with honey! Aged Havarti! Buttery blue cheese! Anything your recipe calls for and then some can be found under the display lights—and that’s precisely what can make this an overwhelming process if you have no idea where to start. (What exactly is Unexpected Cheddar, anyway?) A brand-new TJ’s podcast episode has some valuable intel, just in time for charcuterie board—er, holiday entertaining—season. 

Hosts Tara Miller and Matt Sloan walk through everything from how to make your purchase last longer (shred it, then pop it in the freezer) to the best Trader Joe’s cheeses based on what you’re cooking. Here are the recommendations we’re bookmarking, plus our tips for serving your cheesy goods: 

If You’re Starting the Day Off With an Omelet

Hoppe Shoppe

Simple Walnut Spatula

$34.0
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Il Buco Vita

Flat Side Plate

$85.0
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Drop in some Chèvre with Fine Herbs—it’s how Sloan makes an otherwise run-of-the-mill egg dish super-creamy and decadent. 

If You’re After the Perfect Grilled Cheese

Snowe

Marble Cheese Board

$70.0
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Lamson

Tomato/Serrated Utility Knife

$70.0
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For your next snow day, the TJ’s team suggests whipping up a batch filled with either Smoked Gouda or English Cheddar with Caramelized Onion. Finish it off with a bowl of tomato soup for a healthy hit of childhood nostalgia.

If You’re Making Burgers for a Crowd

Favor

Blush Block u0026 Line Tray

$31.0
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Hu0026M

Linen Napkins (pack of 2)

$13.0
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Step one: Pick a colorful serving tray. Step two: Layer in some Unexpected Cheddar. “It has enough vibrant sharpness to cut through everything else that’s going on,” explains Sloan. 

See more Trader Joe’s products to try now: Will This New Trader Joe’s Spice Be the Next Everything But the Bagel Seasoning?  I Use These Trader Joe’s Sauces on Literally Everything  The Best Trader Joe’s Products You’ve Never Heard Of

Elly Leavitt

Writer and Editor

Elly enjoys covering anything from travel to funky design (tubular furniture, anyone?) to the latest cultural trend. Her dream apartment would exist on the Upper West Side and include a plethora of mismatched antique chairs, ceramic vessels, and floor-to-ceiling bookcases—essential to her goal of becoming a poor man’s Nora Ephron. You can probably find her in line at Trader Joe’s. You will never find her at SoulCycle.