11 Essential Items to Buy from the Dairy Aisle in 2020

If you don’t have a favorite butter, what are you doing with your life? In fact, the highly opinionated Kitchn staff happens to have two favorites! Aside from butter, though, we have strong opinions about a lot of go-to items in the supermarket dairy aisle including, but not limited to, cheese, yogurt, eggs, and beyond. And yes, we have separate categories for snacking cheese, fancy cheese, spreadable cheese, ricotta, and cottage cheese, too.

Here are the 11 dairy aisle items we stash in our carts and keep in our fridges always, always, always.

This gold-and-green tub is a little luxury that we like to keep in our fridges for the express purpose of making even the simplest buttered toast feel fancy. Sprinkle with Maldon flaky sea salt to feel even fancier.

Buy: Kerrygold Naturally Softer Pure Irish Butter, $4.79 for 8 ounces

Our favorite unsalted butter (for baking and more) comes from Land O’Lakes, which happens to be a farmer-owned cooperative. Pro tip: Butter keeps really well in the freezer, so it’s a smart idea to have a package or two on hand for when the need strikes.

Buy: Land O’Lakes Unsalted Butter, $5.99 for 1 pound

Kelli Foster (Kitchn’s Food Editor) couldn’t say enough good things about Siggi’s Triple Cream: “It’s super rich, high in fat content, and decadent — even when eaten right out of the container. Fact: It tastes like dessert.” If you’re tired of the same ol’ Greek yogurt, give this thicker Icelandic stuff a try.

Buy: Siggi’s Triple Cream, $1.97 for 4 ounces

Of all the non-dairy yogurts we’ve tried, Siggi’s (once again) is the only one that really nails the texture and flavor. It only has 8 grams of sugar per serving, is made with a coconut milk base, and contains plant-based pea protein that will keep you full whether you have it for breakfast or an afternoon snack. Try the strawberry flavor first.

Buy: Siggi’s Plant-Based Coconut Blend, $2.19 for 5.3 ounces

Babybel Mini Rolls, which come in a delightfully mesmerizing spiral, are, dare we say, better than string cheese! The only downside is that these are not packed in the iconic (and fun-to-remove) red wax that the OG semisoft cheese version is. You’ll never miss it, though, with how fun these are to unspiral.

Buy: Babybel Mini Rolls, $4.39 for 3 ounces

Lifestyle Director Lisa Freedman is only half joking when she says she considers the nearest cheese shop anytime she has to move. “This French double-cream soft cheese, however, is available at pretty much every supermarket and tastes like something you’d get at a high-end shop,” she says. “Let it sit out for a bit so it has time to soften up — and definitely eat the rind.”

Buy: Fromager d’Affinois Double-Cream Brie, $8.49 for 8 ounces

“On a bad day, Boursin on some Carr’s crackers really works for me,” says Kitchn’s Interim Executive Editor, Carey Polis. Make like Carey and brighten a bad day with some spreadable cheese on a simple cracker.

Buy: Boursin, $8.99 for 5.2 ounces

No lasagna, manicotti, stuffed shell, or ravioli is complete without Polly-O Ricotta. Also, try whipping the stuff for a decadent toast topper. Bonus: An empty container also acts double duty as an appropriately-sized vessel for some homemade sauce that’s ready to be tucked away in the freezer.

Buy: Polly-O Ricotta Cheese, $7.25 for 1 pound

In 2018, we declared that cottage cheese was “back, baby!” and our feelings haven’t changed a bit. These salty, creamy curds also make a wonderful blank canvas for a protein-packed breakfast (a single serving has 13 grams, which is way more than a standard cup of yogurt) or filling afternoon snack. Seriously, use this cottage cheese like it’s yogurt.

Buy: Hood Cottage Cheese, $2.49 for 16 ounces at Target

Sour cream is the secret to the best banana bread. It’s the base of dreamy dips, and key for a tangy cheesecake. You’d think that all sour creams are the same, but we find that Daisy has the best texture and the right amount of tang.

Buy: Daisy Sour Cream, $1.59 for 8 ounces at Target

It’s impossible to count just how many eggs we’ve consumed for breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinners these last few months. At one point, some of us even considered getting our own backyard chickens! As an alternative to that, though, Nellie’s Free Range eggs are a free-range (duh), hormone-free option we can feel good about picking up.

Buy: Nellie’s Free Range Eggs, $4.79 for a dozen at Target