15 Fast Food Restaurants That Don't Use Real Cheese

Think you’re getting all-natural, authentic ingredients when you bite into a burger from your favorite fast food restaurant? Think again. 

While some fast-food chains use real cheese, many use processed cheese that contains preservatives, fillers, and artificial flavors and colors to create what seems like "real" cheese. Why? Processed cheese helps to maintain a consistent color and flavor, and extended shelf-life — it's also cheaper, which helps increase profits. Those additives also create that stringy gooeyness you love with your pizza and cheeseburgers.

Real cheese comprises four primary ingredients: milk, starter culture, salt, and enzymes (often rennet). American cheese, however, is not technically "real" cheese — at least according to the FDA, which considers it to be “pasteurized processed American cheese food.” To be considered real cheese, dairy products must contain at least 51% natural cheese. While processed cheese does contain true cheese (often a blend of cheddar and Colby), it doesn't meet that threshold.

Find out which chains don't use the real deal when it comes to cheese.

Sonic uses the word “cheese” on its menu liberally for items including burgers, chili dogs, tots, and fries, but most of it is more cheese-adjacent, if you will. Most of these products actually use processed cheese, not the real thing.

McDonalds uses slices of cheese on its burgers, but they contain less than 50% real cheese and therefore aren't considered real cheese. Many of the cheese products the chain uses also have additives like acetic acid, enzymes, or sodium pyrophosphate, which can make the cheese product last longer or have a certain color.

While BK uses real cheese on a few products, most of its burgers are topped with American cheese, which the FDA says isn’t real cheese. So it’s classified as processed cheese. How appetizing.

This chain, found in a handful of states in the south and east, is known for its chicken and biscuits. What it isn’t known for is its authentic cheese. There is mac and cheese on the menu, but it’s made of processed liquid cheese that comes with all kinds of fun additives.

This Canadian coffee shop chain is also a little sketchy when it comes to what it uses for cheese. In fact, its breakfast sandwiches automatically come with processed cheese … but you can pay extra to get the real thing.

While a few of Jack in the Box’s burgers come with real cheese, it also uses the processed stuff. Its Brewhouse Cheese Sauce has natural cheddar cheese flavor, which is not the same thing as actual cheddar cheese. And its Monterey Jack Cheese With Flavor does contain Monterey Jack cheese but also has additives like whey, buttermilk solids, and lactic acid.

Here’s another fast food chain that technically does use real cheese in some items, but it’s missing the mark with its iconic Classic Beef 'n' Cheddar sandwich. The cheddar sauce does contain some real cheddar … but it’s far down the list of ingredients.

Dairy Queen also is a mixed bag when it comes to cheese. It does use real cheese for its cheese curds, but other products, for example, its Cheeseburger and Backyard Bacon Ranch Signature Stackburger, use processed cheese.

While Pizza Hut claims it uses real cheese, again, it depends on your definition. It uses what’s called part-skim mozzarella cheese (or “pizza cheese"), and if you’ve ever eaten real mozzarella cheese, you know it doesn’t come in shredded form. 

This cheese product is made of pasteurized milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes, modified food starch, and whey protein concentrate, and makes the pizza gooey and, of course, it’s cheaper to make.

If you’re a fan of Nachos Bell Grande, hopefully, you already know that that cheese sauce ain’t the real deal. It’s nothing more than dairy, water, and artificial flavors and colors. If you didn’t know, sorry to burst your bubble.

It’s a step up from fast food, but Chili’s too is guilty of using processed cheese. Any dish that has queso or cheese sauce uses processed cheese.

This breakfast joint also cuts corners in the cheese department. Its sandwiches and burgers use processed cheese. And the same goes for its macaroni and cheese.

IHOP (that’d be the International House of Pancakes if you didn’t know) uses both real and fake cheese on its menu. The nice thing is that it actually lists processed cheese as an ingredient on the menu. So read the menu carefully, and thank you, IHOP, for the transparency.

While Subway does offer some real slices of cheese for its sandwiches, it also relies on processed cheese, including its breakfast sandwiches. And its Italian bread uses a Monterey Jack cheese blend, which contains cultured pasteurized milk, salt, enzymes, and annatto color. Always beware that word: “blend.” It could be blended with anything!

Applebee’s also uses processed cheese in several of its menu items. Its cheeseburgers contain real cheese, but the cheese dip uses processed cheese. 

When dining out, if it’s important to you that you eat authentic, non-processed cheese, read the menu carefully. And realize that many restaurant chains will boast that they serve “real” cheese…but as you’ve learned, the definition of what real cheese is varies.