One of the many reasons people love cheese is that it pairs well with so many other foods.
Whether you are drinking wine or making an incredible mac and cheese dish, you have tons of options when it comes to cheeses to use.
Sometimes a spicy cheese can truly shine while cooking or when tasting as well.
If you enjoy spicy cheese, you are in the right place.
Here is a list of eleven spicy cheeses you are going to want to try out today!
Types of Spicy Cheese
1. Pepper Jack
We had to include pepper jack cheese at the top of our list.
If you are a cheese lover, you have probably had pepper jack at some point in your life.
This cheese is a blend of Monterey jack cheese with a mix of peppers and spices.
Each pepper jack you try will probably be slightly different, but they all will have a similar characteristic of a smooth base cheese with a kick of spice.
Pepper jack cheese can be eaten on its own as it is not painfully spicy, but it makes a great grilled cheese or nacho as well.
We love how easy it is to find Pepper Jack, and it can be fun to taste the different varieties that are on the market.
Some will undoubtedly be spicier than others.
Another great feature of the pepper jack cheese is that it is moderately priced.
Most of the time, you can get pepper jack for the same price you can get a cheddar or mozzarella.
Some of the fancier flavored cheeses will start to get quite expensive.
2. Jalapeno Muenster
If you quickly took a glance at our list, you will notice that most of the options are cheddars and Monterey jacks.
These are the most common types of cheeses you will find when you look for a spicy mix.
There are, however, some great options when you pair muenster with a spicy pepper or flavor.
The Jalapeno Muenster can be a tough cheese to find, but if and when you do, you should seriously consider giving it a try.
The Muenster cheese is a mild cheese and very edible.
Combining it with a spicy pepper like a Jalapeno helps to bring out the flavor and give you that kick you are looking for.
One of our favorite ways to use this Jalapeno muenster is in macaroni and cheese.
Mac and cheese is such a classic dish, but when you play around with the cheeses you include in your mac and cheese, you will see that there are almost endless possibilities.
A jalapeno muenster is a perfect addition to a sandwich with some bland deli meat or simply enjoyed on its own as well.
Regardless of how you enjoy this cheese, you will notice it has just the right amount of spice, and it won’t leave you running for a water fountain.
3. Jalapeno Pepper Jack
The jalapeno pepper jack will take the mix of peppers typically included in a pepper jack cheese and kick it up a notch.
A jalapeno pepper jack will feature the jalapeno, and it will offer a very bold flavor.
The jalapeno pepper jack cheese is a great option to consider if you will be making nachos or any Mexican or southwestern type dish.
The jalapenos are a standard ingredient in much of this food, and the jalapeno pepper jack makes a great addition to the dish.
As far as spice level is concerned, you will notice this cheese being a little bit spicier than a standard pepper jack cheese.
This is certainly not going to be as difficult to consume as something like a ghost pepper cheese would be.
The jalapeno pepper jack also seems to be a moderately priced cheese when compared to some of the others that are out there.
If you are working your way up the spicy cheese list, this is an excellent next step after the standard pepper jack.
4. Habanero Cheddar Cheese
If peppers and jalapenos are not spicy enough for you, then maybe you need to step it up with a habanero.
Habanero cheddar cheese brings a whole other level of spice to an otherwise mild cheddar type of cheese.
We will warn you that eating this cheese on its own can be a little challenging to do.
You may want to consider adding the habanero cheddar to a few different dishes in the kitchen.
There is no question that this type of cheddar will bring out the flavor in various dishes.
Most of the time, this will be white cheddar cheese, and you will see specks of red where the habanero comes through.
Many people like to use habanero cheddar when making a dip.
Another great idea is to use the habanero cheddar to make a sauce that can be served over potatoes or chicken to help brighten an otherwise bland dish up a little bit.
5. Ghost Pepper Jack Cheese
If you have not tried a ghost pepper, you may want to do a bit of reading before trying a cheese like this.
Ghost peppers are one of the hottest peppers out there, so if you are not good with spicy foods, stay far away from ghost peppers.
With a ghost pepper jack cheese, instead of using plain peppers in the Monterey jack cheese, ghost peppers are used.
If you have had a good pepper jack cheese, you know it can be a bit spicy.
When you change the peppers in that cheese to ghost peppers, the spice will go to an entirely new level.
Make sure you have a cold drink nearby to help you get through the ghost pepper jack cheese.
Once you get used to the heat, you will actually come to enjoy the bold flavor that it offers.
6. Spicy Sriracha Cheddar
If you haven’t quite noticed the trend, it is quite popular to mix peppers and cheeses.
The spicy and strong flavors of the peppers are toned down by the creamy and buttery tastes of the cheeses.
The sriracha pepper is combined with cheddar in the spicy sriracha cheddar cheese.
Sriracha peppers have a very distinct taste, and this is something you should consider when pairing this cheese with other foods.
We suggest starting out eating some of this on its own before putting it into another recipe.
You will notice that the sriracha cheddar has a bit of a tangy, garlicky taste.
This is, of course, much different than the other peppers that are paired with the cheeses on our list.
When we tried the sriracha cheddar, we also made it into a cheese sauce.
This made it a bit easier to choose the proper crackers, vegetables, and other foods we wanted to pair with it.
7. Chipotle Jack Cheese
With chipotle jack cheese, you will get a little of that spice you are looking for but a bit of a smoky flavor as well.
Chipotle peppers are smoke-dried jalapenos, so they have a milder but more smokey flavor, and it stands out when paired with the Monterey jack cheese.
You will notice that many of these cheese mixes are done with Monterey jack, and that has everything to do with the creamy and buttery tastes of Monterey jack cheese.
Many other cheese varieities include Monterey jack, but they are not spicy.
It’s a cheese that can be spiced up and down, and it essentially creates the perfect base with a mild flavor but lots of creaminess.
The Chipotle jack is a mix of chipotle pepper and Monterey jack cheese.
This is a simple mix, and although it is spicy, it also offers that unique smoke flavor.
8. Jalapeno Cheddar Cheese
You have probably noticed that the Jalapeno pepper has been included a few times on our list.
Jalapeno peppers are very easy to work with, and people enjoy their flavor.
It is a common pepper that is seen in daily cooking quite often.
This makes the spice of jalapeno a little more tolerable for an individual.
Although the jalapeno jack cheeses will give you a bit more spice than this one, the jalapeno cheddar is undoubtedly worth a try.
A Jalapeno Cheddar Cheese will usually combine a mild cheddar with the jalapeno peppers.
This is a great cheese to use on a burger or on top of nachos as well.
Most of the time, the jalapeno cheddar cheese can also be eaten on its own without it being too spicy to consume.
One of the best things about the jalapeno cheddar is that it can be relatively easy to find in the store.
As much as we enjoyed tasting the cheeses on our list to give you the information you need, some of these were hard to find.
If you have local, smaller size grocery stores with high-end meat and cheese sections, then you will probably have no issues finding a variety of cheese.
For big chain grocery stores, some of these items are a rare find.
When you finally get your hands on some jalapeno cheddar, make sure to melt some of it for a dip; you will soon be buying this cheese in bulk!
9. Horseradish Cheddar Cheese
When you talk about a food that will cleanse the pallet and make you say, “Wow,” many people consider horseradish.
Mixing horseradish with an otherwise mild cheddar cheese can produce a cheese that has a great kick to it.
This is a unique cheese that will probably be a little harder to find than some of the more common cheeses, like pepper jack.
You will also have to be careful what you pair the horseradish cheddar with so that the horseradish does not take over.
We have seen some great uses for this cheese in pasta salads and other dishes that require you to melt the cheese and make a sauce.
Certainly, a few crackers with the horseradish cheddar cheese is also an option.
One thing is certain: the horseradish cheddar is not going to be a bland, tasteless cheese.
10. Hot Buffalo Wing Cheddar Cheese
Everyone knows that spicy buffalo wing taste.
In fact, the buffalo wing has evolved from being about chicken to being an entire food group.
People will make buffalo cauliflower, buffalo nachos, and yes, there is also buffalo cheddar cheese.
Of course, this type of cheddar cheese does not have any actual chicken wings in it; it merely carries the Buffalo Wing flavor throughout the cheese.
Although buffalo wings are commonly served with blue cheese, this cheese is made with a cheddar variety.
The cheddar tends to dull the hot buffalo wing taste, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Sometimes the hot buffalo wings can be ultra spicy and leave you searching for some water.
This type of cheddar cheese is not going to be quite like eating a wing, but it could be one of the next best things.
One great alternative is to add some of this cheese to pizza dough, and you will have a buffalo wing flavored pie.
You can skip the red sauce on this recipe and just put the cheese right on the pizza.
If you happen to have some chicken around, you can add that to make it a complete meal.
If you have not yet tried a buffalo wing flavored cheddar cheese, it is certainly worth a try for a fun appetizer or to use in a new recipe.
11. Chipotle Gouda
As we mentioned earlier, when we brought you the muenster option, most of the spicy cheeses are cheddars or Monterey jacks.
The gouda, however, makes a great option to combine with spices because of its creamy and fantastic taste.
The chipotle gouda cheese is surprisingly easy to find in your local stores, and it combines the smoky chipotle pepper with the buttery gouda cheese.
Gouda cheese is known for being easy to eat.
It is featured by many sandwiches and even in some quiches as well.
Gouda cheese is the perfect base for combining with peppers to get a bit more flavor and impact from a cheese.
Many of the chipotle cheeses will be finished with a spice around the outside of the cheese to help grab a bit more attention when you take a bite.
Overall, the chipotle gouda is undoubtedly a choice to add to your list if you are looking for some new spicy cheeses to try.
Conclusion
Hopefully, our list of these eleven spicy cheeses has inspired you to step outside the traditional cheese flavors.
One of the things that makes these cheeses so incredible is when you combine them into a meal.
If you want to add bold and deep flavors in your cooking, use quality ingredients like these spicy cheeses to set your dishes apart.
Making a cheddar cheese with a block of cheddar is excellent, but think about how you may feel about a mac and cheese with a chipotle gouda.
Indeed, this will step things up a bit, and you don’t have to get too spicy to start enjoying the less bland cheeses that are out there.
NEXT: 9 Types Of Pistachios (Differences, Size, Color, Appearance)