I Tried And Ranked 9 Mexican Cheese Blends

Whether you're planning on hosting a taco night or just looking for a cheese blend that you can add to basically any cheesy dish, Mexican-style cheese blends can be a great option. I love that you get several cheeses in one, and that they tend to be shredded cheeses makes it super easy to add them to whatever you're making. Often, these blends are quite approachable and neutral-tasting, which means they work well in a wide variety of applications.

But when you go to the cheese section of your local grocery store, you'll probably notice that there are tons of different Mexican cheese blends to choose from. How are you supposed to know which ones taste the best? Well, I sought out nine different Mexican cheese blends to help you decide which one you want to try next, and I ranked them according to flavor balance and potency. Your next cheesy Mexican-style dish will taste better than ever.

Out of all of the Mexican-style cheese blends I tried, 365's was my least favorite. It contains Monterey Jack, cheddar, asadero, and queso quesadilla cheese — but somehow, none of them have much flavor except the cheddar. Since cheddar can be such a strong, bold cheese, I don't like it being quite so prominent in this mix. The fact that I can barely taste the other cheeses at all makes this product a miss for me.

If you want to add some creaminess to the dish you're making, then I guess this Whole Foods cheese can technically get the job done. However, you're probably better off going for a straight cheddar cheese since it dominates this blend. This isn't the worst shredded cheese I've ever purchased, but I certainly wouldn't buy it again, not when there are so many other, better options on the market.

There are a lot of really solid Tillamook cheeses out there to try, but unfortunately, the brand's Mexican 4 Cheese isn't one of them. With a mixture of medium cheddar, Monterey Jack, queso quesadilla, and asadero cheeses, you would think that this blend would pack plenty of flavor. What I found, though, is that it's quite bland. That doesn't mean it tastes bad — you can use this stuff when you don't want a very strong cheese flavor in your dish — but I can't get excited about it.

The other thing I don't like is that the shreds are so huge. You can find different "cuts" of cheese from Tillamook, but this one in particular doesn't seem to work well in most of the applications I'd use a Mexican-style blend for. Those big shreds of cheese don't taste great unless you're planning on completely melting them.

Admittedly, it's not fair to pit Violife Mexican Style Shreds against the other cheeses on this list, since it's a dairy-free cheese. Ultimately, cheese alternatives are never going to taste exactly like cheese, and expecting them to is pretty unfair. I think that, for a vegan cheese, this stuff is actually pretty excellent. It has a cheese-like funkiness that isn't always typical in dairy-free cheeses, and it even has the powdery texture you might expect from a regular kind of shredded cheese.

However, this cheese tastes a bit too bitter to me, and lacks the rich creaminess I expect from a standard cheese. Honestly, I don't think I would notice that it was dairy-free if I ate it as part of a larger dish. But trying it all on its own, you can tell that it's not made with actual milk. If you don't eat real cheese for whatever reason, though, it might be worth a try.

Out of all of the cheeses on this list, this Sargento 4 Cheese blend is the only reduced-fat variety of the bunch. I wasn't expecting much from it, since I assumed it would be significantly less rich and creamy than the other varieties. That being said, the difference wasn't as noticeable as I imagined. It's a bit drier than the others, but I'm not sure I would be able to tell that it was a reduced-fat variety if I didn't see the package or taste it alongside so many other full-fat varieties.

This cheese blend contains Monterey Jack, asadero, cheddar, and queso quesadilla cheeses, like many of the other blends on this list. None of the cheese flavors were more pronounced than the others, which provides a nice balance to the overall blend. Ultimately, this isn't a bad option, and it might actually be your best bet if you're trying to cut back on fat. However, if you're truly looking for the most delicious option, there are other brands to check out first.

One thing I love about Lucerne as a dairy brand: It offers super competitive prices. If you're looking for an affordable version of just about any dairy product, Lucerne has you covered. That's definitely true for the brand's Mexican Style 4-Cheese Blend. This blend is made with Monterey Jack, cheddar, asadero, and queso quesadilla cheese for a mild but clean flavor that works well in so many different contexts.

This certainly isn't the best Mexican blend of the bunch, but it gets the job done at a cheaper price point than most. You're not getting a ton of flavor here, but I didn't find this brand's offering bland, either. The Monterey Jack probably has the most pronounced flavor profile, but since it's a super-versatile cheese, it doesn't matter that the other cheeses don't come through too clearly. When you're looking for a solid Mexican cheese blend at an approachable price point, Lucerne is worth checking out.

Cabot is one of my favorite cheese brands. It always seems to offer quality without forcing you to spend more than you really want to on cheese. This is another blend with Monterey Jack, cheddar, asadero, and queso quesadilla cheeses, but I think that this variety packs a bit more flavor than the others I've covered so far. The Monterey Jack delivers a fresh, clean flavor profile, while the cheddar provides just the right touch of sharpness.

Unfortunately, I don't really like the rustic cut of this product, but Cabot sells a fine cut version, so you can look for a finer shred if you don't want those bigger chunks of cheese. Even with that not-so-ideal shape, though, the texture of this cheese is still really good. It's not too powdery — unlike the cheese you'll find from some brands — and it has a richness that feels a bit fattier (in a good way) than the varieties that rank lower on the list.

Next up is Organic Valley's 3 Cheese Mexican blend. I like that this brand switches it up with the cheeses it chose for this mix. You'll get cheddar, Colby, and Monterey Jack cheeses, for a bolder, more flavorful effect than you get with most of the other options in this ranking. A lot of Mexican cheese blends are on the milder side, but I was surprised that this variety packed a bit more of a punch. You can actually pick up on the sharpness of the cheddar, along with the light creaminess of the Monterey Jack. Plus, the Colby offers just the right amount of rich butteriness to make this cheese blend feel a bit more substantial than some of the others.

Organic Valley's shredded cheeses can be a bit more expensive than other brands' offerings, but since you're getting pretty solid quality here, I'd say it's worth it. Give this cheese blend a try when you really want to take taco night to the next level.

If you're looking for an incredible Americanized Mexican-style cheese blend, you can't get any better than Trader Joe's version. I once wrote that TJ's shoppers should skip the light version of this cheese, since it's not anything special. But the full-fat version is a totally different equation. I was surprised by how much flavor this cheese had. It's the typical blend of cheddar, asadero, Monterey Jack, and queso quesadilla cheese, but the flavor intensity is considerably more pronounced than most brands' blends. It actually tastes like you're trying four different cheeses, with the overall profile leaning toward the clean, fresh dairy end of the spectrum.

The good news? This isn't even one of the most expensive cheese blends on this list. The next time you're planning to make something with American Mexican-style shredded cheese, this is a Trader Joe's dairy product worth checking out.

We've arrived at the very best of the best: It's Supremo's Mexican 3 Cheese, and it offers something different from any of the other blends on this list. Most of these other "Mexican" cheese blends contain a specific combo of cheeses, but Supremo delivers cheeses you would actually find in real Mexican cuisine. This blend is made from Chihuahua, Oaxaca, and cotija cheeses, a combo that offers a surprising complexity and depth of flavor for bagged, shredded cheese. It has an undeniable freshness that will undoubtedly upgrade whatever recipes you use it for. The texture is also nice and creamy, and I suspect it melts well if you're integrating it into a recipe instead of just sprinkling a thin layer of it on top of something.

This is definitely the Mexican cheese blend to opt for if you want to avoid cheddar (which, admittedly, I do) and lean into more typical Mexican cheese. Give it a try the next time you make Mexican food, and you may never go back to another bagged Mexican cheese blend again — I know I won't.

The brands of cheese I selected were all available at several local grocery stores in my area. I chose the most basic version of these Mexican cheese blends whenever possible. I ranked these products according to flavor balance — I wanted to taste all the included cheeses equally — and flavor potency. The cheese blends with the strongest, most pronounced pleasant flavors rank at the top of the list, while the blander varieties rank toward the bottom. When relevant, I also considered texture, with creamier and richer cheeses ranking closer to the top of this list.