My entire family loves cheese, and we especially love cheese curds. We’ll buy them anywhere, including from Aldi. One of our favorite places to get cheese curds is at a small dairy farm in our region that operates their own creamery and makes their own cheese curds and ice cream. Their cheese curds are delicious and worth buying whenever we happen to be nearby.
Cheese curds are popular in parts of the northern United States, including in Wisconsin and Minnesota. They’re also popular in Canada. They consist of small pieces of cheese that haven’t been aged. They’re made when cultures and an enzyme called rennet are added to pasteurized milk, causing the milk to curdle and separate into curds and whey. The curds are solid pieces, while the whey is liquid. The curds go through a process to drain the whey out, and the resulting product is a mild, salty cheese that squeaks in your mouth as you chew.
You can eat cheese curds on their own or as part of a Canadian dish called poutine that consists of French fries, gravy, and cheese curds. Or, you can eat cheese curds battered and deep fried. You’ll find fried cheese curds at many restaurants in the northern U.S. and Canada, including at Culver’s, a popular Wisconsin-based fast food chain.
In addition, you can get breaded cheese curds at Trader Joe’s, which is a cousin to Aldi.
Trader Joe’s Breaded Cheddar Cheese Curds cost $4.99 for a 16-ounce package at the time of publication.
The back of the package states:
We’ve taken classic cheese curds and given them the breaded-and-fried treatment — yum! A sensational shareable appetizer, these cheese curds are made from Wisconsin cheddar cheese and coated with a seasoned batter then fried for a crispy, crunchy, gooey, and simultaneously squeaky cheese-eating experience. They’re delicious on their own or dipped in your favorite sauce!
If you’re looking out for allergens, these contain milk and wheat.
One bag has about five 4-piece servings. One serving has 230 calories, 10 grams of total fat (13% DV), 5 grams of saturated fat (25% DV), 25 mg of cholesterol (8% DV), 620 mg of sodium (27% DV), 26 grams of total carbohydrates (9% DV), 1 gram of dietary fiber (4% DV), 4 grams of total sugars, no added sugars, and 9 grams of protein.
Nutrition information and ingredients. (Click to enlarge.)
The bag has directions for baking these in a conventional oven or air frying them.
To bake, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place desired number of cheese curds on a baking sheet. Place the baking sheet on the center rack in the oven. Bake for 9-10 minute or until an internal temperature of 165 is reached with a food thermometer. Carefully remove from the oven, allow to cool for 1-2 minutes, and serve.
To air fry, preheat the air fryer for 5 minutes to 360 degrees. Add cheese curds in a single layer and cook for 6 minutes to an internal temperature of 165 degrees with a food thermometer. Remove from the air fryer, allow to cool for 1-2 minutes, and serve.
Ready to serve after air frying.
I cooked these in my air fryer. They came out hot and crispy on the outside after exactly six minutes. The batter doesn’t darken much during cooking, so don’t leave these in the oven or air fryer too long thinking they’ll turn a deeper golden color, or you might risk the cheese oozing out.
These have a thick coating of batter with salty, gooey cheese on the inside. I thought these could do with a little less batter, but I still liked them, and other family members thought the amount of batter was just fine.
These are good on their own, or we liked dipping them in ranch. The picture on the package looks like they might be served with a cheese sauce or honey mustard for dipping.
Trader Joe’s Breaded Mozzarella Cheese Sticks remain my favorite breaded cheese product at TJ’s, but these cheese curds are good enough that they might make it into my shopping cart again in the future.
The Verdict:
Trader Joe’s Breaded Cheddar Cheese Curds feature savory cheese curds with a generous coating of crispy batter. These make a good snack, appetizer, or side dish and are ideal for an air fryer. Some of us thought these were a little heavy on the breading, but they still taste great.
