What Makes Culver's Famous Cheese Curds So Good?

Culver's, a Wisconsin institution and iconic Midwest food brand, is famous for its ButterBurgers. But there's yet another regular item on its menu that has become just as defining as its top-rated burgers: cheese curds. These are a must-try for foreigners and local tourists visiting the Midwest. Made with white and yellow cheddar, Culver's cheese curds also showcase Wisconsin's expertise in cheese-making.

One of the many untold truths about Culver's is that customers regularly tout its cheese curds among the best of major fast-casual restaurant chains. Another fun fact: In 2015, the company founded a holiday in honor of its iconic cheesy snack. Culver's called it "National Cheese Curd Day," which is celebrated every October 15. It has also become the biggest day of the year for the Culver's community. On the holiday's 10th anniversary, for example, Culver's hosted an outdoor fair-style celebration, complete with prepared fun games, photo booths, live bands, and another one of the restaurant's specialties: root beer.

Just how good are these cheese curds that their makers would create a holiday for them, and customers throughout the region happily celebrate it? All it takes is a taste to know. But, just in case you've never been to the Midwest or stepped inside a Culver's, here's all you need to know about these iconic cheese curds, and why regulars think they are so good.

Culver's proudly uses Wisconsin cheese for its cheese curds. Wisconsin, hailed as America's Dairyland, is famous for its premium cheeses made extra special by unique environmental factors and some of the best cheesemakers in the country. The state produces over 600 types of cheese and has more dairy farms than any state. In a video for Wisconsin's June Dairy Month, Governor Tony Evers said, "If Wisconsin were a country, we would be the fourth-largest cheese producer in the world."

Wisconsin is the only state in the country that requires a license in cheesemaking. Anyone who wants to produce and sell cheese here needs to have a licensed cheesemaker on board. Then there's the Wisconsin Master Cheesemaker program, a three-year course of study that produces the best of the best cheesemakers in the state. Passing this program allows a brand's products to display the Master's Mark label, a widely recognized stamp of quality and superior flavor.

Culver's cheese curds are made by the Master Cheesemakers at La Grander Hillside Dairy. The family-owned dairy and cheese company has been Culver's sole producer of cheese curds for almost 30 years. The chain gets roughly 7 million pounds a year of freshly milled chunks of cheddar cheese from La Grander and distributes them to all Culver's locations in the Midwest. Dairy farming and cheesemaking in Wisconsin are rooted in tradition and community. That's what makes Wisconsin cheese, and by extension, Culver's cheese curds, so delicious.

Cheese curds are traditionally battered, deep-fried, and served with ranch or marinara sauce. This produces a gooey, cheesy curd with a crunchy exterior. But Culver's does things a little differently: the fresh cheddar bits are dunked in batter, coated in seasoned breading, and then deep-fried.

Many aren't happy about the breading. In a Wisconsin subreddit discussing the chain's curds, one Redditor said, "They're not a very good representation of fried cheese curds. They should be battered, not breaded." And many other Redditors agreed. However, Culver's unique recipe has made its side dish stand out. Breading the cheese curds allows the restaurant to introduce dry spices and herbs like parsley into the mix, which adds a subtle flavor that goes beyond just tasting like cheddar. More importantly, the breading makes them crispy on the outside and nice and gooey inside. You do have to eat them hot, though, to experience their crunchy, chewy, squeaky goodness.

The good news is that the Midwestern chain serves food cooked to order. In an interview with Executive House, Culver's CEO Julie Fussner shared, "We only make the food fresh after you order, and so it does take a little while."

Part of the fun of eating Culver's cheese curds is finding pieces that are larger than the rest or have interesting shapes. Once, a Redditor even found what appeared to be an eliminated character from the game, "Among Us." But perhaps the most popular shape fans like to look out for is a heart cheese curd. It is usually formed by two fresh cheese curds that were fused on one end and remained stuck together like little chevrons as they were battered and breaded. The pieces remained fused during frying, and the rounded edges of each curd give the impression of a heart. These rare pieces are so cute and picture-worthy that many customers snap photos and upload them on social media.

"Discovering a cheese curd in the shape of a heart is like finding a four-leaf clover, a lucky moment for celebration," it says on Culver's website, and we agree. It's exciting enough to find large pieces (and the occasional french fry) because they're so satisfying to bite into, plus they are excellent for testing a cheese pull. But a heart-shaped cheese curd? Instant serotonin. It makes you feel lucky, and that burst of excitement can brighten your day.

If you like mozzarella sticks, you'll love Culver's cheese curds. Josh and Ollie, from the popular "Jolly" duo who post travel and food reviews on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram, said, "It's like a mozzarella cheese stick, but the cheese actually has flavor." Many foodies and food reviewers on social media also agree, saying the curds can pass for mozzarella bites or nuggets even though they are made of cheddar. The comparison is likely due in large part to the breading, since most chain restaurant mozzarella sticks are also breaded.

For people who like their cheese curds traditionally battered and super gooey, thinking of Culver's cheese curds as mozzarella bites is the key to liking them. In a discussion about the qualities of Culver's cheese curds, one Redditor said, "I wouldn't dip a cheese curd in marinara sauce, but I would dip Culver's curds into it."

This snack may not meet a Wisconsinite's criteria for regular cheese curds, but it definitely holds up against mozzarella sticks. The curds are tidier and easier to eat, too. Compared to Chili's huge mozzarella sticks — which single-handedly carried the chain's social media marketing and fueled Chili's major resurgence — Culver's cheese curds are easily eaten one-handed, even if you dip them in sauce.

Another reason that makes people like Culver's cheese curds even more is the serving size. While many fast food menu items have gotten smaller thanks to shrinkflation, Culver's has consistently kept the cheese curd bags nicely filled.

The side dish comes in three sizes: medium (we're also wondering why it starts with this size and not small or regular), large, and family. Since the curds vary in shapes and sizes, Culver's doesn't count the pieces, unlike some fast-food joints. Smaller curds fill in the spaces inside the bag, usually leaving you with more cheese curds by volume in one serving. The Takeout reviewed Culver's and KFC cheese curds only to discover that one medium order at Culver's had more than double the amount of cheese curds than Colonel Sanders' 10-piece.

A food reviewer from Business Insider once compared Culver's cheese curds to those from Zaxby's and Freddy's, and one of the first things they noticed was that Culver's had the largest serving despite being the lowest priced. Moreover, the food reviewer ranked Culver's cheese curds as the best of the three because the chewy cheese with its crispy, herbed coating offered the best value for money.

Culver's is so confident about its cheese curds that it doesn't provide a sauce with every order. The fried side is fantastic enough on its own, so the sauces are mere add-ons if you want to enjoy the cheesy bites with a specific flavor. But if you want to go the traditional route, ask for a side of marinara, which some Redditors said used to be a free sauce at their local Culver's. Many regulars also like to dip the cheese curds in Culver's Signature Sauce, which has blue cheese and was just launched in 2023.

Other sauces you can try from Culver's include buttermilk ranch, buffalo, Ken's Boom Boom, and Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ. The prices may vary per location, but each sauce cup can cost anywhere between 40 and 80 cents. The chain also recommends combining its very own Wisconsin Cheddar Cheese sauce with fries and cheese curds. Purported employees on Reddit shared that the sharp cheddar sauce is made with cheese that's been aged for a year, melted with fresh dairy, then frozen and sent to individual locations. After all, what better way is there to enjoy cheese curds than to make them even cheesier? Many customers seemed to agree, because last year, food content creator Morgan Chomps revealed on TikTok that she had ordered an entire pint of the cheese sauce at a Culver's location, and people were drooling in the comments.

Culver's got in some hot water with customers because of the presence of petroleum-based synthetic food dyes — like Red No. 40 and Yellow No. 5 — in several of its menu items. These artificial colorings make food look photogenic and appetizing, but they are unnecessary additives that have been linked to potential neurobehavioral disorders in children and even cancer. But what many didn't know was that Culver's had started phasing out synthetic dyes in its products even before the FDA announced a ban on artificial food coloring. 

In 2018, Culver's ingredient information for Wisconsin Breaded Cheese Curds included Yellow No. 5, Red No. 40, and Blue No. 1. But by December 2022, the chain's Quality Ingredient Guide revealed a switch to natural alternatives like beet powder, paprika, and turmeric extract. This makes the cheese curds one of the many safe picks for dye-free families or individuals. Only a handful of menu items, like Culver's Root Beer, wild cherries, dill pickles, certain dressings, M&M's Minis, and other toppings used for the mixers and sundaes, still have artificial coloring. 

Here's what you should know about the FDA crackdown: It is a gradual process. Food manufacturers technically have until the end of 2026 to eliminate six widely used synthetic dyes from their products. This means Culver's has until the end of the year to sort out the food coloring restrictions with its suppliers, and why companies like M&M's can still sell candies with artificial food coloring today.

Cheese curds are a very simple snack with a straightforward recipe: fresh cheddar curds cut to size, salted, breaded, and deep-fried into golden perfection. The cheese and seasoned breading are a perfect combination. At the same time, the flavor profile is simple enough that Culver's can experiment with it, which is exciting for regulars who get to try fantastic new flavors of this cheesy snack.

In the past couple of years, Culver's has launched new flavors in October and made them available only for that month. Hot Honey Curds were introduced in October 2024, for example. While some customers thought these could have been spicier, the limited-edition breading did taste a bit sweeter than the regular cheese curds. The following year, Culver's launched the Jalapeño Cheese Curds. These had real jalapeño bits mixed in the breading, giving the curds a nice kick with every bite. The spice builds up over the course of the curd, so it's a winner for anyone who doesn't mind some heat with their cheese.

With these two flavors being a hit, we're already excited for whatever new one is coming from Culver's kitchens. It's still too early to tell, but if the chain follows recent tradition, it might introduce another new flavor this year for Curdtoberfest!

For April Fool's Day in 2026, Culver's teased us with a brand-new, cheese curd-inspired invention: the Curdonut! Yes, it is a joke, and everyone knows it. But it still made many fans excited because five years ago, Culver's took the positive response to an April Fool's joke seriously and made it a reality. That joke was the CurderBurger.

Enthusiasts were desperate to see the cheese curd creation brought to life on the original CurderBurger post on Instagram. "Our guests went absolutely crazy for this," Culver's Director for Menu Development, Chef Quinn Adkins, said in a video interview with ABC36. The company unexpectedly received a ton of letters and requests for the patty-sized cheese curd, to the point that an online petition was started to make it a real menu item.

Seeing similar comments on the IG post for the Curdonut, only time will tell if the people will get a take-two of Culver's making good on a joke. It's not just average customers who love the idea of a donut-shaped cheese curd, either. The Curdonut post also got some love in the form of comments from the Pillsbury, Fresh Thyme Market, Kwik Trip, and Pringles accounts on Instagram.

Before the CurderBurger ever came to be, whether as an April Fool's joke or an actual item on the menu, Culver's regulars had already been making a version of it on their own. They would order the cheese curds as a side to the ButterBurger and insert the tiny cheese bits above the patty.

Some customers shared that smashing cheese curds into their ButterBurger was their go-to order, and they would even dip the curds into various sauces before adding them on top of the patty. This Culver's hack is fantastic for those who find the actual Curderburger too cheesy. You can simply add a more appropriate amount of curds on your burger instead of getting a whole mouthful of cheddar with every bite. Whether this creation or the CurderBurger itself, customers said these cheese curd-burgers are even better when the curds are still nice and hot and the cheese is still super chewy and moist.

There's no doubt that customers' creativity inspired Culver's to develop the CurderBurger. It's basically a giant cheese curd as a second patty in a ButterBurger. Hats off to Culver's for listening to its audience and giving the people what they wanted.

Culver's cheese curds are just fantastic to snack on. You get different textures from the breading and the melty cheese, the distinctive tang of Wisconsin cheddar, plus your choice of additional flavors from various dipping sauces. Hunting for a heart curd or guessing whether the next one will have a yellow or white cheddar core makes eating them even more fun. 

Like french fries, cheese curds are the perfect finger food to eat with one hand in the car and not worry about making a mess. Want to snack on them at home when you're finally in your pajamas and chilling with Netflix? Some Redditors recommended simply popping them in the air fryer real quick (4 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit), and they'll be as good as new.

If your grilled cheese sandwich is somehow lacking, add some curds to level it up, and they can even be a vegetarian-friendly side option. Finally, since Culver's cheese curds are made with quality Wisconsin cheddar, you can also include them in a charcuterie board and enjoy them with some wine or craft beers.

Static Media owns and operates Mashed and The Takeout.