Choosing the best cheese for your grilled cheese sandwich is partly a question of personal preference. I definitely advise you to try more variations than the traditional cheddar or American cheese.
Cheddar / American Cheese
Possibly the most common and traditional cheese to go with your grilled cheese is Cheddar or American cheese. There are different varieties of these, but if you like that kind of fast-food texture, American is definitely your choice.
On the more gourmet side, you could use a sharp cheddar. This will give a much more interesting flavor profile to your grilled cheese, and obviously a sharper taste. Even mixing two varieties, e.g. half sharp and half mild cheddar, is a good idea if you want to experiment with your grilled cheese sandwich.
Swiss Cheese
This is definitely my favorite. Emmental is always an ideal choice for grilled cheese–not too sharp, yet with a distinct taste. But Gruyère is also a nice option if you like stronger flavors.
Raclette is a lesser-known Swiss variety, but it also melts nicely and is a very tasty type of cheese, definitely worth trying in your grilled cheese.
Other Variations
As I said, picking the best cheese for grilled cheese is really up to you. And I mean it. If you love cheese–I bet you do if you care this much about your grilled cheese sandwich–you should definitely give basically any type of cheese that melts easily a shot.
I’ve seen grilled cheese sandwich recipes published with Brie, but even a good Camembert or some blue cheese would not be something I would refuse to try.
And there is one last tip. Why not mix different types of cheese? If Gruyère is too strong for you, simply use half of it, and let the other half be a milder Swiss cheese or Cheddar. You can also kick your grilled cheese up a notch by adding some grated hard cheese like Parmesan or Pecorino.
