Top Parmesan Cheese Brands to Satisfy Your Cheese Cravings

Parmesan cheese, a staple in kitchens around the globe, is cherished for its rich and savory flavor, enhancing both simple and gourmet dishes. Known for its firm texture and distinctive taste, finding the right brand can significantly elevate your culinary creations. From traditional producers hailing from Italy to innovative brands worldwide, the market offers a range of extraordinary options for parmesan enthusiasts. Intrigued by the delicious possibilities? Discover more about the best brands for parmesan cheese below.

Illustration of parmesan cheese

Best brands of parmesan cheese in 2025

Parmigiano Reggiano

Parmigiano Reggiano, a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) cheese, is crafted in a specific region of Italy using 18% of the country's milk production, resulting in approximately 3.7 million wheels annually, with a minimum aging time of 12 months, though most wheels age for 24 months. The cheese boasts a 40% export rate, making it a globally recognized Italian product with a 2.4 billion euro consumption value. The Consorzio del Formaggio Parmigiano Reggiano ensures its authenticity, maintaining its status as a unique and highly sought-after cheese. This cheese also has a 161,200 tons production volume in 2023. For more information, you can visit the official Parmigiano Reggiano website.

Grana Padano

Grana Padano, a renowned Italian hard cheese, is often compared to Parmesan, with production dating back nearly 1000 years, demonstrating its long history. This cheese, produced in the Po River Valley, boasts a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), ensuring high standards and quality in each wheel. Typically aged for 9 to 24 months, it has a slightly more delicate flavor than Parmigiano Reggiano, with a 32% fat content. Grana Padano offers a rich, nutty taste, making it a versatile ingredient in many recipes. You can explore their offerings further.

Auricchio

Auricchio, established in 1877, is a renowned Italian producer of Parmigiano Reggiano, using milk from the finest cows and aging their cheese for a minimum of 24 months to develop a unique flavor with a low fat content of 32%; the company's commitment to quality has made them one of the most revered brands of parmesan cheese worldwide and the Parmigiano Reggiano is a PDO product, ensuring its authenticity. You can find out more about Auricchio's products.

BelGioioso

BelGioioso, a Wisconsin-based cheesemaker since 1979, is renowned for its premium parmesan cheese, crafted using fresh milk from local farmers and aged for over 10 months in special caves, resulting in a nutty and full flavor, and has won multiple awards including a first place at the 2024 American Cheese Society Contest for their parmesan. BelGioioso's parmesan is versatile, perfect for grating over pasta, enjoying in chunks or incorporating into sauces, while their American Grana variety, an extra-aged parmesan, matures for a minimum of 18 months, further enhancing its deep flavors. BelGioioso also offers a shredded parmesan that melts smoothly, and snackable parmesan portions with 7 grams of protein and only 80 calories.

Zanetti

Zanetti, a family company since the end of the 19th century, produces Parmigiano Reggiano, known as the "King of Parmesans", using traditional methods in the Parma region of Italy, with milk from local farms and aging the cheese for a minimum of 12 months, sometimes up to 36 months, to achieve its distinctive nutty flavor and grainy texture. With a fat content of 25.83g/100g and 1184 mg/100g of Calcium, they are one of the top exporters of Italian cheeses.

Pecorino Romano

While not a Parmesan producer, Pecorino Romano, a hard, salty cheese made from sheep's milk, holds a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) and is primarily produced in Sardinia, with 96% of production occurring there, though it is also crafted in Lazio and Grosseto. Dating back to ancient Rome, this cheese is aged for a minimum of 5 months for table cheese and 8 months for grating, yielding a robust, sharp, and spicy flavor that intensifies with age, making it a favored choice for grating over pasta dishes. About 55% of the 342,000 tons produced in 2017-2018 were exported to the U.S. Pecorino Romano is made with fresh sheep's milk from October to July, and its high fat content, with approximately 77% fat and 23% protein per tablespoon, marks it as a protein-rich cheese. The traditional cheese production process, which still relies on the skilled craftsmanship of cheesemakers, involves gently warming the milk and adding rennet to separate the curds, which are then cooked, drained, and aged, offering a distinct and flavorful alternative to Parmesan.

Cello

Cello, a brand by Schuman Cheese, is renowned for its award-winning parmesan, crafted using traditional copper kettles at their Lake Country Dairy in Wisconsin, and aged for 12 months to develop bold, nutty flavors with hints of crushed apple. Their Copper Kettle Parmesan was named the world's best at the 2024 World Championship Cheese Contest, marking its third consecutive year receiving this recognition, and it boasts a 30% saturated fat content per serving. Cello parmesan is available in various forms, including wedges, grated, shredded, and shaved, and is a versatile cheese perfect for pizzas, pasta, salads, and more. You can explore their diverse product portfolio and learn more about their cheesemaking process on their website.

Sargento

Sargento, a leading cheese producer, crafts high-quality parmesan with a 90% customer satisfaction rate since 2020, offering both shredded and grated options with a consistent 23% fat content, ensuring a rich and authentic flavor for cooking and topping; their commitment to excellence has made them a favorite among consumers.

365 by Whole Foods Market

365 by Whole Foods Market produces a grated parmesan cheese that is aged for 10 months, containing 2 grams of protein and 1.5 grams of fat per tablespoon, with a good flavor and a pleasant sharpness, making it a popular choice for home cooking. It is made with cultured pasteurized part-skim milk, salt, and microbial enzymes, and is available in 5 and 8 ounce packages. This product has received positive customer reviews, noting its freshness and value, and is a versatile addition to many dishes. It's also part of a larger trend in the parmesan cheese market, which is expected to grow from $16.73 billion in 2024 to $20.25 billion in 2028. The product is available at: Amazon.

Trader Joe's

Trader Joe's stands out as a top-tier parmesan cheese provider, offering a variety of options, including aged versions with a rich, complex flavor profile, often containing around 22-30% fat content. Their products consistently receive high ratings and consumer praise, making it a popular choice since the early 2000s; you can find their selection of parmesan cheese through their website.