When it comes to crafting the perfect burger, cheese plays a starring role. From hard-aged varieties to creamy options, cheese offers endless possibilities to elevate your burger menu. You can transform your burger through cheese’s melting properties, texture, and flavor intensity. No matter your tastes, there’s a perfect cheese waiting to crown your patty.
1. Cottage Cheese
Although an out-of-the-box option, cottage cheese is surprisingly versatile and adds moisture and protein to your burger. This non-traditional choice works wonderfully with veggie burgers, bringing a light and fresh dimension to plant-based patties. Spread regular, dairy-free cottage cheese, or vegan cottage cheese directly on your burger or mix it with herbs for an extra flavor kick.
Tip: For a smoother alternative, try ricotta cheese. While cottage cheese has a more distinct curd texture, ricotta offers a creamier consistency that melts beautifully into warm patties.
2. Cream Cheese
Cream cheese is a great way to enhance a classic triple cheeseburger since its velvety foundation makes it easier to stack ingredients. Temperature management is a must—Let the cream cheese settle to room temperature for easy spreading, then layer it on a warm (not hot) burger patty to prevent it from becoming too runny. For those with dietary restrictions, vegan cream cheese alternatives made from nuts or soy provide the same luxury flavor.
Tip: Both types of cream cheese work especially well with crispy vegetables for texture contrast.
3. Gruyere Cheese
Gruyere cheese brings sophisticated, nutty, and sweet hints of flavor to any burger. This Swiss cheese variety melts perfectly, creating a taste that complements rich, savory patties. Unlike other melting cheeses, gruyere develops a deeper, more complex flavor as it heats up, releasing subtle notes of earth and hazelnuts that intensify with age.
Tip: It pairs exceptionally well with caramelized onions and bacon, making it the perfect choice for an upgraded bacon cheeseburger.
4. Blue Cheese
For a more refined burger experience, crumbled blue cheese adds bold, tangy flavors that transform an ordinary burger into a highbrow creation. Here, pay close attention to your crumbling technique—Larger chunks provide pockets of intense flavor, while finely crumbled blue cheese distributes more evenly.
Tip: Pair with sweet ingredients like caramelized onions or fresh pear slices to create a perfect balance of flavors that’ll excite your taste buds.
5. Feta Cheese
If you’re looking to add a Mediterranean flair to your burger, crumbled feta cheese should be your go-to. This briny, tangy cheese adds an elegant twist to your burger while keeping things light and fresh. Complement it with sliced cucumbers, tomatoes, and a dollop of tzatziki sauce for a medley of authentic Mediterranean tastes.
Tip: Feta works wonderfully on a double bacon cheeseburger, where its saltiness cuts through the rich flavors of the meat and brings a novel dimension to each bite.
6. Parmesan Cheese
Don’t underestimate the power of parmesan on your burger. Whether shaved or grated, this hard cheese brings a delicious punch that can improve your patty. Vegan parmesan cheese, often made from nuts and nutritional yeast, can provide similar savory notes for plant-based burger enthusiasts.
Tip: Try creating a parmesan crust by sprinkling it directly onto the cooking patty in your pan, or layer shaved parmesan with other cheeses for depth of flavor. Both methods add a new quirkiness to a classic cheeseburger.
7. American Cheese
There’s a reason American cheese is a classic burger topping: it melts perfectly, creating that iconic drippy cheese pull that makes our mouths water. For the best melt, add it to your patty during the last minute of cooking when the burger reaches about 165°F (74°C). Although a different variety, white American cheese has a slightly sharper flavor that still maintains the perfect melt. If you’re hoping to cut out dairy, vegan cheese slices made to melt can recreate the standard cheeseburger experience.
Tip: When building a double cheeseburger using American cheese, place a slice on each patty while they’re still on the grill. This technique ensures each patty gets its own perfectly melted layer without slipping off onto your plate.
8. Cheddar Cheese
A foodie favorite when it comes to burger cheeses, cheddar brings a sharp, rich flavor that complements beef perfectly. Aged cheddars provide a more intense flavor punch, while mild versions offer a more subtle blend with your burger’s other toppings. Orange or white cheddar varieties taste identical, so it’s more of an aesthetic choice. The orange color comes from a natural vegetable dye called annatto, giving the cheese its recognizable look.
Tip: Because of how versatile cheddar is, you can pair it with almost anything, from crispy bacon to grilled mushrooms. It’s all up to your preferences!
9. Smoked Gouda Cheese
Smoked Gouda adds a complex, smoky dimension that pushes any burger to gourmet status. What’s more, it makes for a great partner to other cheeses for burgers. Its rich, buttery flavor profile works particularly well with BBQ-themed burgers. For an extra kick, pair it with Pepper Jack cheese, which brings a spicy element while maintaining similar melting properties.
Tip: For a more subtle flavor that lets other toppings shine through, Monterey Jack cheese can step in as a milder alternative.
10. Swiss Cheese
Swiss cheese offers a gentle, sweet-and-buttery flavor that gets more pronounced when heated, developing subtle hints of hazelnut and brown butter. Its signature texture means it melts into little pockets that catch burger juices, creating flavor-packed bites.
Tip: To experiment with a sweet-and-savory flavor profile, try layering thin slices of pear or apple with Swiss. You can even pair it with crispy prosciutto for a European-inspired switch.
Indulge in the Best Cheeseburgers at Black Burger NYC
Although it’s a star ingredient, cheese isn’t the only part that makes the perfect burger. How the different ingredients come together is about careful selections, expert cooking techniques, and a taste for true flavor.
At Black Burger NYC, we understand this delicate artistry. Our expert burger crafters know exactly how to pair each cheese with the right ingredients to create flavor profiles that will keep you coming back for more. So why not take a break from the kitchen and treat yourself to our delightful cheeseburgers, right from the bustle of the Big Apple?
