String Cheese Brands, Ranked Worst To Best
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There are a few factors that we look for to evaluate a good string cheese brand. First, we look for good flavor. No one wants bad-tasting cheese (and yes, such a thing exists). Second, we look for texture. A good string cheese texture is not too rubbery and peels easily, because let's face it, we love to string our string cheese. Stringabiliy (yes we just made up that word) is a crucial determining factor in string cheese. If it doesn't string, then it's just cheese. Additionally, we want to avoid string cheese that is overly wet or slimy. You know what we are talking about here. Everyone's had the experience of opening up a string cheese package and the cheese is just too wet for your liking.
True string cheese needs to be mozzarella. While many brands also offer other flavored cheese sticks, they are not technically considered string cheese as they are unable to be peeled into strings. Typically, string cheese is a part-skim, low-moisture mozzarella. String cheese makes for a deliciously healthy snack option for those that are looking for a satisfying snack that is not too high in calories, fat, or carbohydrates. Grabbing a string cheese and an apple is a much healthier snack than grabbing a bag of chips from the vending machine.
So which string cheese should you choose? We've done the hard work for you. Check out our ranking of string cheese brands from worst to best.
Kraft
Kraft cheese is a very notable brand, probably most well-known for their processed cheese product Kraft singles. Kraft also makes string cheese that's available in many flavors, including mozzarella, jalapeno, and mozzarella and cheddar twists. As far as other cheese snacks, Kraft also sells Big Cheese, which are hunks of cheese a little larger than a string cheese in pepper jack as well as smoky bacon cheddar. They even make cheese and meat combos called Stacked that come in flavors like mozzarella and Italian meat, cheddar pepperoni jalapeno, and white cheddar salami black pepper.
With the brand's wide array of cheese products and status as such a household name, one would expect the classic mozzarella string cheese from Kraft to be tasty and high-quality, but unfortunately, these are the worst of them all. Many Amazon reviews note that the Kraft string cheese sticks are dry, bland in flavor, overly chewy, too salty, and rubbery.
Kroger
Kroger is the parent company of the chain of grocery stores referred to in some regions as Ralph's and in others as Fry's. Kroger carries these mozzarella string cheese sticks in their stores under the Kroger brand name. With 80 calories, 6 grams of protein, 6 grams of fat, and 200 milligrams of sodium, this is a perfectly balanced snack, providing enough nutrition to power you through your afternoon (via Kroger). Pair with an apple and you've got yourself a healthy afternoon snack that will keep you full and satisfied.
While the nutrition is on point, unfortunately, these string cheese sticks do not peel at all. Ugh! We hate that. Instead of peeling into many strings, chunks rip right off. They also can sometimes be a bit slimy and watery, which freaks us out.
If you are someone who bites your string cheese, you may like these. But if you are looking for the ability to string your cheese, save these for your dog.
365 Organic
Whole Foods carries many products under their 365 Organic brand name. This 365 Organic line carries only organic products, obviously. These string cheeses are nutritionally on par with the Kroger string cheeses, but in addition are also organic, if that's something you look for in cheese (via Whole Foods).
However, many Amazon reviews note that these string cheese sticks are very tough to string. The lack of stringability means that, by our standards, they cannot be called string cheese, but rather just cheese. These reviews also mention that these string cheese sticks are overly dry in texture and are way too salty. With 210 milligrams of sodium per cheese stick, compared to many brands falling underneath 200 milligrams, we feel that these are too salty. Cheese should be salty, but not aggressively so. This powerful salt-forward taste and dry texture leave us with a combo that we'd rather not enjoy. We'd recommend skipping these ones.
Trader Joe's
We love Trader Joe's for their specialty products you cannot find at traditional large chain grocery stores, like their Everything But the Bagel Seasoning and the Hold the Cone! Mini Ice Cream Cones. However, as far as their brand name string cheese sticks, we feel it's best to leave them behind.
Even though these string cheese sticks have a great nutritional balance, with 80 calories, 7 grams of protein, and 5 grams of fat, unfortunately, they are not tasty (via FatSecret). While they do not taste outright bad, they don't really taste like anything. They are virtually tasteless. When you are looking for a healthy snack that can help you avoid the vending machine, you really need a tasty option. Tasteless food will not cut it.
Yet again, we have another brand that is not easy to string. These Trader Joe's string cheese sticks are very difficult to string apart. Instead of stringing into strips, they rip apart into chunks.
Great Value
Walmart's Great Value string cheese sticks are the brand with the lowest sodium of any on this list. These string cheese sticks boast one 170 milligrams of sodium per stick, which is remarkably low compared to other brands. These may be your best bet if you are watching your sodium intake or are sensitive to overly salty cheeses.
With 80 calories, 6 grams of fat and 7 grams of protein, the nutritional quality of these string cheese sticks is superb. Unfortunately, because they are low in salt, they are also low in flavor. With nutrition facts like this, I guess you could say we should have seen this coming.
Besides the taste, these string cheese sticks string okay. While they aren't at the top of our list for stringability, they do better than some of the previous brands. If you happen to buy these ones, we would recommend chopping them up and putting them in salads as a topping. They don't make great-tasting snacks on their own, but pair them with a salad dressing and you'll hardly notice.
Borden
Borden offers many different variations of string cheese sticks, from classic mozzarella to whole milk mozzarella, Kid Builder, and double twist. Kid Builder is their added calcium offering, providing double the calcium of their classic mozzarella string cheese sticks. The double twist varieties appear as if they are mozzarella cheese sticks swirled with cheddar cheese sticks, but after reviewing the label, they appear to be fully mozzarella with one half colored to look orange. Uh ... we don't like this at all. How weird is it to look like cheddar, but instead be orange-colored mozzarella? We are not sure why they would do this.
As far as the taste of their classic mozzarella string cheese sticks, they are okay, but quite frankly nothing special. The texture is a bit too rubbery for our liking. In terms of their stringability, they are able to be peeled into strings, but rather large strings. If you are looking for those thin hair-like strands of stringable cheese, this isn't the brand for you.
Organic Valley Stringles
Organic Valley is a dairy brand that carries many different cheese products. Their Stringles are string cheese sticks in an organic mozzarella variety. Because they are organic, they are free from hormones, antibiotics, and pesticides, making them a good choice for those that are health-minded.
Some reviewers on Organic Valley's site comment on the extra creaminess found in these string cheese sticks, which sounds just delightful to us. And better yet, many reviews note that these string cheese sticks are exceptional when it comes to their ability to peel into strings. Finally, a brand of string cheese that can actually be used as intended!
But watch out; some reviews note that these string cheese sticks are a bit too salty, which makes sense because the nutrition facts label notes 210 milligrams of sodium per cheese stick. If you are watching your sodium intake, you may want to swap these ones for another brand. Otherwise, these are a great option.
Happy Farms
Aldi, the most popular grocery store in the United Kingdom, carries string cheese sticks under their Happy Farms line. Happy Farms has a few kinds of flavor offerings: mozzarella, light, and spirals. Like Borden, the spiral variety twists mozzarella with an orange cheese that appears to be cheddar. Again, upon further review, it looks like both kinds of cheese in this variety are mozzarella, but one is dyed with food coloring to make it orange.
A review of these string cheese sticks from The Budget Reviews proves that these peel into strings well. We are so thrilled that we will look past the complaint that these string cheese sticks are a bit too salty. While pricing is great at Aldi, these stores are not quite as easy to find as some other grocery store chains. If you can find an Aldi near you, check these string cheese sticks out.
Good & Gather
Target carries many food products under their Good & Gather line. Their string cheese is available in the classic part-skim mozzarella variety. These string cheese sticks contain 80 calories, 6 grams of fat, 6 grams of protein, and 200 milligrams of sodium per serving. These are exactly what you want to look for in terms of nutritional balance.
Reviews of these string cheese sticks note that they have excellent flavor. Many reviewers even go so far as to mention that these string cheese sticks rival any name-brand string cheese sticks on the market. Watch out Sargento and Galbani, Target is coming for you.
These string cheese sticks are creamy and soft, with the only downside being that a few reviews mention excessive moisture. Because of this, they can be a bit watery and slimy. However, they are nutritionally balanced without being bland, so they are a clear choice for the top half of our list.
Frigo CheeseHeads
Frigo CheeseHeads is the brand with the most flavor varieties available. It offers mozzarella, mozzarella and cheddar swirls, variety packs containing mozzarella as well as Colby jack, and Colby jack sticks. It also sells many meat and cheese combo packs including cheddar and beef, Colby jack and turkey, mozzarella and salami, and mozzarella and pepperoni.
Frigo's regular string cheese in classic mozzarella is a top-tier contender for the string cheese crown. These string cheese sticks contain 80 calories, 6 grams of fat, and 6 grams of protein per single stick serving. Amazon reviews of these string cheese sticks reveal that many people find these ones easy to peel into strings. They are a hit among children and adults because the cheese is smooth and tasty. Many note that the low price of these string cheese sticks makes this brand have the best value. Reviewers also say that this brand's product tastes more fresh and natural than some other brands of string cheese.
Lucerne
Lucerne is a dairy brand that has been around for ages, carrying all of your dairy essentials including ice cream, cottage cheese, block cheese, and many more. This brand, which is a private label brand belonging to Safeway, reminds us of our childhood (via The Motley Fool).
Per Safeway's website, Lucerne offers both regular and light varieties of their string cheese sticks. These string cheese sticks peel like a charm. No need to worry about lacking stringability here: These cheese sticks can string like the best of them. This quality makes them a hit among the kids ... and the adults, if we're being honest. While they may be just a bit rubbery in texture to some, they still taste like string cheese and they still peel like string cheese. What more could you ask for from such a simple, wholesome snack? This is why they are near the top of our list.
Horizon Organic
In terms of organic dairy products, most of us are familiar with Horizon Organic. Horizon Organic carries milk, yogurt, cheese, and other dairy products that are all 100% organic.
These string cheese sticks come in mozzarella and cheddar. They are wrapped in adorable packaging with different cow characters in different geographic regions. Cute packaging can really save the day at your child's snack time. We all know that packaging is what sells a children's product.
With 80 calories, 7 grams of protein, and 6 grams of fat, the Horizon Organic string cheese sticks fall in line, nutritionally, with many other string cheese brands. They make for a great healthy snack that is also organic. Many reviews on Horizon's site note that these string cheese sticks are creamy and have a great taste. If organic dairy is a must for you and your family, these cheese sticks are the best organic ones on our list.
Galbani
Galbani carries many kinds of string cheese varieties including part-skim mozzarella, reduced-fat mozzarella, cheddar, Colby jack, pepper jack, Colby jack with mild cheddar, organic whole milk mozzarella, whole milk mozzarella, provolone, and even lactose-free mozzarella. This extensive list of string cheese varieties makes it incredibly easy to continue snacking on string cheese no matter what your dietary needs are.
If you are lactose intolerant, you no longer have to forgo your cheese stick snack, as Galbani has an option for you. Additionally, according to The Guardian, many children need additional fat in order to maintain growth, but many string cheese brands only offer low-fat or part-skim varieties. Offering a whole milk mozzarella variety instead of only reduced-fat options creates better choices for these children. They can choose to snack on a cheese stick made with full-fat milk to better suit their needs.
Amazon reviews of the classic part-skim mozzarella string cheese sticks show that they have a good texture, taste fresh, and are not too salty.
Sargento
Sargento is a big name in the dairy world. They carry many types of cheeses including a large variety of string cheese sticks. They offer mozzarella, double cheddar, cheddar mozzarella, pepper jack, Vermont sharp white cheddar, light mozzarella, sharp cheddar, extra sharp cheddar, sharp cheddar jack, reduced fat Colby jack, reduced fat sharp cheddar, smokehouse cheddar, and Colby pepper jack. With that kind of variety, anyone can find a cheese stick that appeals to their desires.
While only the mozzarella string cheese sticks are bound to be stringable, we are still very impressed with their extensive collection. These string cheese sticks never have added hormones or added flavors. Reviews of these string cheese sticks prove that Sargento has the best, most stringable texture and the greatest taste. While this string cheese fetches higher prices than many other brands on the list, Sargento string cheese sticks are worth the higher price point. This is why they are number one in our eyes.