Is shredding your own cheese cheaper?
I hear that some people are not fans of cheese and can go whole days without eating any cheese……my family is not those people! LOL. Pretty much all of our favorite foods involve cheese from tacos, pizza, scrambled eggs, and sandwiches. Cheese can make almost any dish better.
For years, I keep hearing that shredding your own cheese is cheaper than buying pre shredded cheese. I decided to finally dig into this notion and see if it is a myth or fact.
Is block cheese cheaper than shredded?
I have three local stores to me that include Ingles Market, Walmart, and Kroger. Let’s go stroll the cheese aisle and compare store brand and name brand cheese in shredded and block form to see which way comes out cheaper.
| Ingle Market: | Price: | Difference? |
| Laura Lynn Cheddar Block Cheese (8oz) | $2.58 | no difference |
| Laura Lynn Cheddar Shredded Cheese (8oz) | $2.58 | no difference |
| Laura Lynn Cheddar Block Cheese (16oz) | $4.68 | no difference |
| Laura Lynn Cheddar Shredded Cheese (16oz) | $4.68 | no difference |
| Kraft Cheddar Block Cheese (8oz) | $5.18 | no difference |
| Kraft Cheddar Shredded Cheese (8oz) | $5.18 | no difference |
| Tillamook Cheddar Block Cheese (8oz) | $4.28 | $0.20 cheaper |
| Tillamook Cheddar Shredded Cheese (8oz) | $4.48 | $0.20 more expensive |
I’m using regular store prices and not sales prices in order to see what a normal day price would be. So, at Ingles Market, if you buy store brand cheese or Kraft brand cheese there is no difference in the price. The only price difference I could find was with the Tillamook brand of cheese where the block was $0.20 cheaper than the shredded.
| Kroger: | Price: | Difference? |
| Kroger Cheddar Block Cheese (8oz) | $2.49 | no difference |
| Kroger Cheddar Shredded Cheese (8oz) | $2.49 | no difference |
| Kroger Cheddar Block Cheese (16oz) | $3.99 | no difference |
| Kroger Cheddar Shredded Cheese (16oz) | $3.99 | no difference |
| Kraft Cheddar Block Cheese (8oz) | $3.59 | $0.40 cheaper |
| Kraft Cheddar Shredded Cheese (8oz) | $3.99 | $0.40 higher |
| Tillamook Cheddar Block Cheese (8oz) | $4.79 | no difference |
| Tillamook Cheddar Shredded Cheese (8oz) | $4.79 | no difference |
I’m purposely checking the same brands at each store, and it’s interesting to see that this time the store brand and the Tillamook cheese was the same price in block or shreds. Kroger only sees a price difference of $0.40 between shredded and blocks in the Kraft cheese brand.
| Walmart: | Price: | Difference? |
| Great Value Cheddar Block Cheese (8oz) | $2.00 | $0.20 cheaper |
| Great Value Cheddar Shredded Cheese (8oz) | $2.20 | $0.20 higher |
| Great Value Cheddar Block Cheese (16oz) | $3.98 | no difference |
| Great Value Cheddar Shredded Cheese (16oz) | $3.98 | no difference |
| Kraft Cheddar Block Cheese (8oz) | $2.54 | $0.58 cheaper |
| Kraft Cheddar Shredded Cheese (8oz) | $3.12 | $0.58 higher |
It looks like at Walmart if you buy the larger 16oz size then there is no price difference. If you buy the 8oz store brand size or the Kraft brand cheese, there will be a slight difference to where the shredded is more expensive. (Tillamook was not included at Walmart because they do not carry both block and shredded styles.)
Is 8 oz of shredded cheese the same as 8 oz of block cheese?
For some reason the measurement of cheese is a greatly debated topic. I think the reason for this is because the measurements listed on a package of cheese can be confusing.
Lots of packages of cheese will list a weight of 8oz, 16oz, or 32 oz. Some will also list that it is 2 cups of shredded cheese.
This has made some people believe that the 16oz listed on the bag of shredded cheese is a volume measurement. In reality all cheese is listed in weight measurements.
A 1 pound block of cheese is listed as 16oz, and 1 pound bag of shredded cheese is listed as 16oz. I actually pulled out my kitchen scale and weighed a bag of shredded cheese and a block of cheese to confirm this.
If you were to shred 1 pound of block cheese you will make 1 pound of shredded cheese. It is an equal ratio, and contrary to popular belief grating cheese does make more.
Some people claim you will end up with more per volume of shredded and that is not true, what you get is more air between the shreds of cheese, but the weight is still the same. It’s the same concept of liquid water and frozen water, same volume amount of water and it weighs the same amount too.
How long does cheese shredded from a block last?
When you shred cheese at home, you will need to use it right away or at least within the next day. This is because commercially shredded cheese has additives like corn starch or flour added to keep it from sticking and clumping together.
You may also notice that freshly grated cheese will dry out fairly quickly and become hard. To keep freshly shredded cheese from getting hard, it needs to be stored in a plastic Ziploc style bag with as much air removed as possible.
To keep shredded cheese from clumping together at home, you can add a little corn starch or flour yourself, but you really need a very small amount. Like 1/2 a teaspoon for a pound of cheese. If you use a Ziploc bag, just shake the bag as much as you can to get it evenly distributed.
I have tried this myself and I don’t seem to get all the cheese coated or I use too much cornstarch or flour. I find it best to just shred enough for the dish I am making and not have any leftover shredded cheese.
How do you save money on shredded cheese?
Let’s face it shredded cheese is just super convenient. No prep or mess to make shredded cheese, you just grab a bag, open it, and use it.
The best way to save on shredded cheese is to use Wise Buying. This means looking at all options available and buying based on price and price per ounce.
Based on the three stores I listed above, my wisest choice for buying shredded cheese would be to buy the Great Value brand 16oz shredded cheese for $3.98. This comes out to $0.25 per ounce.
To find out more about wise buying and how to spot deals, check out “Wise Buying- Everything you need to know.”
We still buy block cheese for eating with crackers or just munching, but typically we buy pre shredded cheese for cooking meals.
Our local Ingles Market does sometimes run sales on block and shredded cheese, where we can get 3 packs for $5.00 or sometime 2 for $3.00. When these sales run, we tend to stock up since we use cheese regularly.
If you find an exceptional deal on cheese you can actually freeze it so you can use it later! Both block cheese and shredded cheese can be frozen, and it still tastes great when defrosted.
Frozen cheese can be stored in a chest freezer or deep freezer indefinitely, but if you store it in a regular freezer, it will be best within 6-9 months.
Is it cheaper to buy block cheese or shredded?
I wish I could say that shredded or block cheese is always the cheapest, but based on the prices at three different stores, the answer is “it depends”. So, the idea of shredding your own cheese to save money is neither fact nor myth.
Just like with any item on our grocery list, we need to check the sales ad flyer first, and then we need to check both the block and the shredded cheese to see which is a better deal.
In most cases the store brand cheeses were the same price in block or shredded form, so you can save time and spend the same amount for the convenience of shredded cheese.
If you are going to shred cheese at home and shred a large volume, look into using a food processor with a grater attachment. If you are trying to use a box grater, you can easily hit a knuckle or finger and trust me that hurts.
For more DIY options to save money on groceries, check out “Is it cheaper to make your own Alfredo Sauce?
