We Tested the Best Cheese Knives That Every Host Should Have in Their Kitchen

Our Top Pick

Messermeister 5-Inch Custom Blue Cheese & Tomato Knife

View on Messermeister.com

Messermeister’s custom blue cheese and tomato knife was the universal cheese knife that I kept finding myself comparing others to during tests. Its thin and perforated blade has a sharp serrated edge that cuts through everything from soft brie to hard-aged cheddar. The large holes in the blade (sometimes referred to as a skeleton blade for obvious reasons) mean that softer cheese won’t stick as easily and isn’t easily pushed off from the surface. In tests, the sharp wavy serrations on the blade easily sliced through harder cheese with a slight sawing motion but also ensure that the knife will stay sharp for a long while.

The blade features a double-pointed fork tip that allows you to pick pieces of blue cheese off the charcuterie board or cutting board and place them on your plate. The handsome handle with contrasting rivets also gives the knife a luxe feel and look, making it one I’d proudly hang on my magnetic knife strip. The knife is also great for cutting tomatoes and other soft-skinned produce. The German-made knife also comes with a lifetime warranty, which makes it well worth the price.

The Details: 5.5-inch blade; 10 inches overall with handle; stainless steel blade with ceramic finish and non-phenolic resin handle and titanium coated rivets; hand wash only; suitable for soft, medium, hard cheeses as well as soft-skinned produce like tomatoes

Best Budget

Hammer Stahl 5-Inch Cheese Knife

$30 at Amazon $30 at Walmart

Similar to the Messermeister knife, this perforated skeleton knife looks fantastic hanging on a magnetic knife strip, in a knife block, or on a charcuterie board. The fine serrated edge does a great job of slicing through soft cheese without smashing it. It also cuts through medium to hard cheeses with minimal sawing and effort. The holes in the knife blade mean that softer cheese won’t stick as much or get stuck in the holes. The double fork tip can be used to spear cheese off a charcuterie plate while entertaining.

The German-forged blade is slightly shorter and thicker than the Messermeister, giving the knife a little more heft and weight. In tests, cutting through cheese did require just a little bit more effort than my favorite knife, but not much more. The darker grain wood contrasts with the shiny silver metal, which lends elegance to the appearance, and the knife is nicely balanced. A thicker blade and slightly smaller holes also mean that the knife feels less fragile to hold and use. Still, it’s handwash only, so don’t throw it in the dishwasher. 

The Details: 5-inch blade; 9.25 inches overall with handle; forged steel blade with resin-infused Pakkawood handle; hand wash only; suitable for soft, medium, hard cheeses as well as soft-skinned produce like tomatoes

Best for Hard Cheese

Shun Sora Utility 6-inch Knife

$80 at Amazon $80 at Sur La Table

A utility knife, sometimes called a petty knife or sandwich knife, has an ideal blade for cutting through hard cheese like Parmesan and aged Cheddar. Shun’s Sora Utility knife is a razor-sharp everyday knife that is up to the challenge. Cheese easily slices apart with the knife, as do vegetables and meat. In fact, one of the reasons the utility knife is called a sandwich knife is because they are great for cutting everything that goes on a sandwich, including the assembled sandwich itself.

The blade has a Japanese angle of 16 degrees with a triple lamination metal that allows the edge of the blade to stay sharp, while keeping the upper part of the blade to be corrosion free. The thin profile of the knife also means it glides through hard cheese with minimal drag. I loved how it felt cutting Parmesan, which was easily sliced into thin slivers during tests. The handle is made of a polymer plastic blend that feels great on the hand and has a grippy non-slip texture even if your hand is wet. The Japan-crafted blade looks equally great on display, on a cutting board, or on a charcuterie plate.

The Details: 6-inch blade; 12 inches overall with handle; stainless steel blade and textured PP/TPE polymer handle; hand wash only; suitable for cheeses of all sorts as well as smaller vegetables

Best for Soft Cheese

Boska Monaco+ No. 3 Soft Cheese Knife

$33 at Amazon View on Boska.com

If you’re a fan of soft and sticky cheeses like Brie and Camembert, you need the Boska Monoco+ No. 3 Soft Cheese Knife. Everything about this knife is designed to cut soft cheeses properly. The thin, narrow blade means less surface area for the cheese to stick to. It also has a quilted texture for minimal contact with the cheese and a nonstick coating for added insurance.

Though this knife isn’t razor sharp like the Shun Sora Utility knife, it's sharper than most of the dedicated soft cheese knives tested. The durable blade helped cut through tougher rinds like aged Brie, preventing it from squishing, which can happen if the blade is too dull. The thinner blade also means less drag as you slice down on the cheese, making it easier to cut. The stainless steel knife is cast in one piece, which provides easy cleanup, and it’s even dishwasher safe. The knife comes with a lifetime warranty and is reasonably priced, making it a must for soft cheese lovers.

The Details: 4.5-inch blade; 10 inches overall with handle; stainless steel blade and handle; dishwasher safe; soft and semi-hard cheeses like Brie, Camembert, and Mozzarella

Best Set

Zwilling 3-Piece Cheese Knife Set

$150 $40 at Amazon $90 $70 at Walmart $90 at Nordstrom

If you’re looking for a set of cheese knives to tackle different cheeses or to put on a cheese plate or charcuterie board, the Zwilling Collection Cheese Knife Set is my favorite. The super sharp knives immediately felt comfortable in my hands with their brushed metal ergonomic handles. The set’s modern-looking cheese knives have a slightly whimsical design that enhances cheese boards while still being functional and useful for serving. Each piece is stamped from one piece of metal, making them easy to clean and handsome to look at.

Included in the set is a long, broad soft cheese knife with holes in it. This fun design is also functional, as it helps prevent sticky cheese from adhering to the blade, much like a skeletal knife. In tests, Brie sliced nicely and was easy to remove from this blade. There’s also another longer, thinner curved blade with a forked tip in the set that’s ideal for slicing medium and hard cheese. The fork tip at the end is there to help serve the cheese after you’ve cut it. Lastly, the short triangular Parmesan cheese knife has a pointed end, which helps break up hard, aged Parmesan. Swiss and aged Cheddar both sliced cleanly with this longer, thinner blade, and Parmesan chunks fell off with minimal effort. 

The Details: Soft cheese knife: 5.25-inch blade, 10 inches long with handle; medium to hard cheese knife: 5.12-inch blade, 10 inches with handle; Parmesan cheese knife: 2.25-inch blade, 7.25 inches with handle; stainless steel blade and handle; handwash only; suitable for all cheese types

Best Budget Set

Boska Copenhagen Set

$30 at Amazon

If you’re looking for something more budget-friendly, this Boska Copenhagen 3-piece cheese set is similar to the Zwilling Collection set at about half the price. Like the Zwilling set, this one features three knives that are designed for all cheese types. There's a long, thin knife suitable for soft cheese like Brie, a wider knife with holes and a forked end for medium and hard cheeses, and a short, thick knife for harder cheeses like aged Cheddar or Parmesan.

The knives aren’t quite as sharp as the Zwilling set, nor are they as big. However, the short blades mean they will fit on most cheese boards and charcuterie boards without taking up too much space, and they store easily. During tests, Brie was easy to cut with the thin, soft cheese knife, Swiss easily fell from the wedge with the larger knife, and aged Cheddar sliced nicely with the hard cheese knife. Thanks to the hollow handles on each knife, they’re not quite as heavy as their competitors. As a bonus, they are also dishwasher safe for easy cleanup.

The Details: Soft cheese knife: 3.75-inch blade, 9 inches long with handle; medium to hard cheese knife: 3.37-inch blade, 9 inches with handle; hard cheese knife: 3-inch blade, 8.25 inches with handle; stainless steel blade and hollow handle; dishwasher safe; suitable for all cheese types

Best Splurge

Dalstrong Gladiator Series 4-Piece Charcuterie & Cheese Knife Set

$119 at Amazon View on Dalstrong.com

If you want to splurge or gift someone a beautiful set of cheese and charcuterie knives, the Dalstrong Gladiator Series is an excellent choice. The four razor-sharp knives are ideal for all cheese types, as well as slicing and serving charcuterie. The mini cleaver works on harder cheese like aged Cheddar, Manchego, and Parmesan, but it’s also a great choice for medium soft cheeses like Gouda and Swiss. The aggressively forked knife is great for prepping, slicing and cubing medium soft cheese, as well as serving and transferring it to the platter or board. The triangular soft cheese knife has holes in it to help prevent sticking, and the round-tipped serrated knife is ideal for spreadable cheese and dips. I found myself reaching for the rounded serrated knife in the morning to split and spread cream cheese on my bagel.

Each knife has a high carbon German stainless steel blade, a rounded handle, and a full tang design that felt comfortable in my hand during tests. Though the knives were shorter than a typical chef’s knife or prep knife, they felt just as sharp and could easily live on my magnetic knife strip or in a wooden knife block. Knives also came with sleeves, making them easy to store safely in your kitchen drawer. With a lifetime warranty, this is an investment set worth having.

The Details: Spreadable rounded serrated cheese knife: 4-inch blade, 8.5 inches long with handle; medium to hard cheese knife: 4-inch blade, 8.5 inches with handle; mini-cleaver hard cheese knife: 3.75-inch blade, 8.62 inches with handle; forked cheese knife: 3.62-inch blade, 8.62 inches with handle; high carbon stainless steel blade with G-10 Garolite high-pressure fiberglass laminate handle; hand wash only; suitable for all cheese types