Yellow vs. White Cheddar: Tillamook Explains the Difference

I don’t think it would be an exaggeration to say that cheese comprises 25 percent of my diet. Whether I’m loading up a salad with feta, piling my favorite crackers with brie, or grating as much  Parmesan as there is pasta in my bowl, I can’t get enough of the stuff.

Of all the wonderful wheels, blocks, and cheese slices, one is my comfort cheese: cheddar. I’m not sure if that’s because I grew up on the stuff or because that particular cheese has a flavor versatile enough for almost any recipe. Whatever the reason, it wins out above all others in my book. 

When I’m buying cheddar, I’ll grab a block of each—one white, one yellow—and use them for different dishes. Even though I use them differently, when I close my eyes and taste them side by side, I can’t pick up that many flavor differences between them. Curious about exactly what it is that distinguishes white from yellow cheddar, I reached out to Jill Allen, Director of Product Excellence for Tillamook (also a World Cheese Awards judge!) for her expertise on the subject.

The Difference Between White and Yellow Cheddar

As it turns out, there really is no difference outside of the incorporation of one single ingredient to the yellow variety. “The simple difference between white and yellow cheddar,” explains Allen, “is the addition of the natural ingredient annatto to color the cheese.” 

In general, white cheddar is made with the ingredients milk, cultures, salt, and enzymes. Yellow cheddar has all the same ingredients plus annatto. Annatto, made from the seeds of the achiote tree, is a natural red pigment that, when added to the white cheese mixture, results in a yellow hue. 

The milk from which cheese is made “can change from a slight creamy yellow to a golden yellow depending on seasonal factors,” says Allen, so “the colorant is added to maintain cheese color consistency throughout the year due to seasonal changes in the cow’s diet and milk production cycle.”

Do Yellow and White Cheddars Taste Different?

Despite the fact that many of us taste a difference between the two colors of cheese, as it turns out, our eyes have been deceiving us. “While some consumers will anticipate a stronger or richer flavor of yellow cheddar over white cheddar,” explains Allen, “there are no flavor or textural differences between the two, no matter how vibrant of a yellow the cheddar cheese is from the annatto.” 

However, says Allen, “there is a wonderful visual difference between the two varieties, and I suggest using this to the cheese’s advantage on a cheeseboard to add color and design character.” So, at the end of the day, despite the lack of difference between the two, I plan on continuing to buy both.