I Tried 10 Store-Bought Parmesan Cheese Brands. This Was The Best One By Far

Out of all the cheeses in the world, Parmesan is arguably one of the best. It's perfectly salty and savory, with a fatty richness that gives an extra oomph to just about whatever you add it to. It's delicious in cheese-based recipes, but it also shines when it's simply sprinkled on top of a salad, sandwich, or pasta dish. But with so many different cheese brands out there, you might not know which variety to choose at the grocery store. And how do you know whether you should opt for a wedge, grated Parmesan, or the shaved kind?

I picked up 10 different Parmesan cheese brands from my local grocery store and tasted them all to give you more info about which you should buy. I ranked these cheeses according to overall flavor and texture. However, since we're working with so many different types of Parmesan, ranging from grated to wedge, I've tried to hone in on what each of these Parmesans has to offer to home cooks and what to expect when you buy them. While you may assume that a Parmesan wedge would always be better than the pre-shredded variety, that assumption doesn't hold true in this ranking.

Let's take a closer look at what each of these Parmesan cheeses bring to the table, so you can select which one you want to try next. Your Italian dishes (and so much more) are about to get a lot more delicious. Then, check out these tips for cooking with Parmesan cheese.

Out of all of the Parmesan cheese brands I tried for this ranking, Lucerne's was by far the most disappointing. Of course, it's no secret that some shredded Parmesan cheeses aren't as flavorful as a standard wedge or block of Parmesan, but I think that shredded Parm can absolutely be delicious and come in handy in a variety of cooking contexts. Unfortunately, though, I wouldn't use this product in basically anything that I cook. That's because this cheese is shockingly bland. I consider Parmesan to be one of the boldest, most flavorful varieties of cheese, and I didn't pick up on any of that flavor intensity here. In fact, I didn't even pick up on the saltiness for which Parmesan is usually known.

And it's not just the flavor of this cheese that turns me off. The texture is also quite strange. It has a plasticky feel to it, without any of the crumbliness you might expect from a higher-quality Parmesan. After taking a bite, I noticed a gummy texture that made it feel like I was eating a slice of packaged Swiss cheese instead of Parmesan. Overall, it's not a cheese I'd ever buy again, no matter what I was planning on using Parmesan for.

Now, there are a lot of people out there who are bonafide grated Parmesan cheese haters, and although I'm not one of them, I certainly understand the sentiment. This stuff isn't even sold in the refrigerated section of the grocery store — rather, you'll see it among the pasta and other pantry staples. So, it's safe to say that it's probably not the freshest product out there, but nonetheless, it can come in handy in a lot of contexts. I love sprinkling some on top of my pasta, for instance, and it adds a nice umami touch to plenty of other dishes.

However, if you are going to buy grated Parmesan, you might want to seek out a variety other than Signature Select's variety. This stuff isn't actually that bad, but it's just really lacking in flavor compared to the other grated cheeses I tried for this ranking. There's less saltiness that I'd prefer in a Parmesan cheese, and it's essentially totally absent any complexity that would make your dish more interesting. The one thing this cheese has got going for it is its price point — it's definitely one of the cheapest cheese options you can find at the grocery store. But if you're looking for a quality grated cheese, there are better ones out there.

If you're making a dish that calls for a ton of shredded Parmesan cheese, then Frigo's massive tub of Parm may seem like a solid option. We love that you get so much cheese in this container, which is ideal for those times when you really want to load on as much creaminess as possible. That being said, it's far from the best cheese in this bunch. This Parmesan has quite a mild flavor. It's not as flavorless as the Lucerne variety, but it's still not offering the complexity I'm looking for in a good Parm. There's also a hint of saltiness there, but I wouldn't go so far as to describe this cheese as having any real umami qualities, which is why it doesn't rank higher on this list.

Texture-wise, this cheese is also a big step up from the shredded Lucerne variety, but it still has somewhat of a plasticky texture to it. At the same time, though, you get more of that crumbly consistency than you will with some other brands, which is a real selling point. If you can get your hands on some better Parmesan cheese, you probably should. But if this brand is all you can find at the grocery store, it should get the job done in most cases.

Whole Foods stocks some excellent cheeses to add to your charcuterie board. But how does the grocery chain's 365 Parmesan cheese stack up to the competition? I definitely don't think that this is an outstanding cheese, and I wouldn't go out of my way to get some. That being said, it's an option that you're probably not going to be disappointed with if you're primarily concerned about adding some creaminess and subtle saltiness to your dish. This cheese has that salty, sort of umami flavor you want in a good Parm, although it's missing the complexity that the best brands boast. That doesn't come as too much of a surprise to me since we're talking about a store-brand shredded cheese, though.

I like that this stuff has a decent texture to it. It's perhaps the most crumbly shredded Parmesan I tried, so it gets some points on that front. However, even given that texture, this is a cheese I'd probably only use for melting — I don't think it would taste particularly good sprinkled on a cold salad, for instance. You can do better when it comes to choosing a store-bought Parmesan cheese, but if you're already shopping at Whole Foods anyway, I wouldn't consider it a big mistake to pick up some of this cheese.

When I think of grated Parmesan, I immediately think of the iconic green container from Kraft (and so does Alton Brown). It's a product that has achieved legendary status for some, and for good reason: It's a delicious addition to such a wide range of dishes. Kraft's Parmesan really does deliver a hefty dose of saltiness, which is exactly what I'm looking for in a grated cheese. And although I wouldn't exactly describe it as "complex," it still has a more interesting flavor profile than most of the worse-ranked brands that appear on this list. When it comes to texture, this cheese delivers that crumbly, dusty consistency you'd expect from any bottled grated Parmesan cheese.

Is Kraft's grated Parmesan cheese the best Parm you've ever tried? Hopefully not, and if so, then you may want to taste a wider variety of the Parmesan cheeses available out there. Still, though, this is a widely recognizable product for a reason: It is a nice addition to your pasta dishes (and beyond). You may not want to use it for a dish where Parmesan is a key ingredient, but as a topping to your favorite meals, it's a solid option.

Now, we're finally starting to get into the Parmesan wedges. Generally speaking, I feel like you get a higher-quality product when you opt for a wedge over pre-grated or pre-shredded Parmesans, but that doesn't mean that all Parm wedges are equally delicious. Although I think that Primo Taglio's Parmesan cheese wedge is better than a lot of the other cheeses on this list, it's still the worst-ranked of the wedges. This is largely thanks to its texture: It has a soft creaminess to it that might be nice for some cheese varieties, but that's not very desirable when it comes to Parmesan. I want my Parmesan to be sort of dry and crumbly, which makes me think that I'm getting a more concentrated flavor. Instead, this cheese seems fresher and moister, which could potentially cause an issue in some cheesy dishes.

When it comes to flavor, though, Primo Taglio's Parmesan is pretty good. It's salty, but it also has a subtle nuttiness to it that makes me feel like I'm eating a cheese that's more elevated than the most basic offerings listed here. It also has a buttery finish, imparting a bit of decadence to your cheese.

There are so many reasons to love Trader Joe's. There's the store's extensive collection of frozen microwave meals, in addition to creative snacks that you can't find anywhere else. TJ's even offers an incredible affordable wine selection. But one of my top reasons for visiting Trader Joe's is simply to browse through the store's many cheeses. The popular chain offers a wide variety of quality cheeses, and Parmesan cheese just happens to be one of them. This cheese is aged for 10 months, which is probably why it packs more complexity than most of the other cheeses on this list. It's salty with a mushroom-like flavor that makes every bite taste like a little treat. When it comes to texture, this cheese has that nice crumbliness to it that I enjoy so much — you're definitely not getting too much soft creaminess here.

Ultimately, I think that this is a solid Parmesan cheese to try, especially by grocery store standards. However, it doesn't rank in the top three simply because I don't think the flavor has as much potency as some of the other varieties on this list. Still, though, if you're shopping at Trader Joe's anyway, it's a cheese product worth trying for yourself. It might become one of your new TJ's go-to products.

A lot of people out there might think that all bottled, grated Parmesan cheeses are on a completely different tier than Parmesan cheese wedges. In my experience, though, that's not the case. In fact, Pastene's Grated Parmesan Cheese is delicious enough to earn its way into a top three spot in this ranking. As soon as I spooned some of this grated cheese out of the bottle, I immediately knew I was getting something different. While a lot of grated Parms are white, this cheese has more color to it, with a beige-y, almost yellowish tint that gave me hope that I was about to eat a deeply delicious cheese.

It turns out that this bold color actually is an indication of more flavor. This cheese is shockingly complex for a pre-grated cheese, with a toasty nuttiness that I didn't even get from Trader Joe's Parmesan wedge. This is an intensely savory cheese with a very pronounced saltiness to it that's going to make every dish it touches taste 10x better. And somehow, that dry, crumbly texture seems to shine through here, even though texture is usually a bit harder to determine with grated cheese. If you're looking for the perfect Parm to sprinkle over all of your favorite dishes, Pastene is absolutely where it's at.

BelGioioso Parmesan Cheese is the queen of the Parmesan cheese wedges — at least when it comes to these specific grocery store brands. This brand delivers a potent flavor that outshines almost every other variety on this list. It offers a high level of complexity that has some nice toastiness to it, along with a mushroom-like flavor that was sadly missing from many of these cheese brands. This stuff is also excellent for grating. I've purchased this cheese before, and I found that it had a lovely, wispy texture after grating it fresh, which makes the flavor even more pronounced.

The only thing I don't like about BelGioioso's Parmesan wedge is the fact that, when it's not grated, its texture is a bit too soft and creamy for my tastes. However, this really only applies when you're eating chunks of the cheese as a snack. In a culinary context where you're prepping the cheese ahead of time, I don't find that this creaminess comes through too much. Overall, for anyone looking for a solid store-bought wedge of Parmesan cheese, this brand absolutely delivers in the tastiest way.

Honestly, I didn't really think that Sartori's Shaved Parmesan Cheese would take the very top spot in this ranking. Instead, I assumed that one of the wedges would come in first place. And as someone who doesn't typically buy shaved cheese, I didn't think this stuff would be too much different than your average shredded Parmesan. I was so, so wrong, though. Sartori's Parmesan is wildly flavorful, with a boldness I'd never expect from pre-prepped cheese. Not only is this stuff super salty with a strong umami note, but I also pick up on a lot of flavor complexity here. You get some of those clean, fresh dairy flavors, but there's also plenty of nuttier, even vegetal notes at play here.

And it gets even better when you take texture into account. I love that you get little crunchy crystals in these cheese shavings, along with that crumbliness I looked for throughout this ranking. The shaved texture is also really nice — it allows a larger single piece of cheese to come into contact with your tastebuds, which may be why the flavor tastes so potent. If you've never purchased shaved Parmesan before, let this be your sign to check out this bag of Sartori Parmesan.

These Parmesan cheese brands were mostly selected according to availability at several of my local grocery stores. However, I also tried to pick a good balance between grated, shredded, shaved, and wedge varieties. I ranked these cheese brands based on overall flavor, prioritizing complexity and potency, as well as texture — I looked for a drier, more crumbly consistency over smoother, creamier varieties. I also tried to account for the natural differences between wedges and pre-shredded/grated varieties, particularly when it comes to texture, so as to recognize the pros and cons of both types.