20 Cheeses High in Protein

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20 Cheeses High in Protein

For vegetarians or anyone simply looking to get more protein into their diet, cheese can be a good choice, but which are the healthiest choices?

Here is a list of 20 different kinds of cheese that provide the most protein per ounce (oz) or half cup. An ounce of cheese is approximately equal to a thin slice large enough to cover a piece of toast.

The current daily value (DV) for protein is 50 grams per day. (1) Cheeses high in protein include ricotta, low-fat cottage cheese, Parmesan, Romano, non-fat cheddar, gruyere, low-fat Swiss, fontina, and more.

Many of the cheeses on this list are low-fat or non-fat cheeses. In general, cheeses which are lower in fat will tend to contain more protein per serving. However, this is not always the case, and some of the cheeses on the list have a higher fat content.

For more high protein foods, see the articles on vegetarian protein foods, beans high in protein, grains high in protein, and nuts high in protein.

List of High Protein Cheese

FoodServingProtein
#1 Low Fat Cottage Cheese + per 1/2 cup 24% DV
11.8g
#2 Grated Parmesan + per oz 20% DV
10.2g
#3 Ricotta + per 1/2 cup 19% DV
9.3g
#4 Romano + per oz 18% DV
9g
#5 Non-Fat Cheddar + per oz 18% DV
9g
#6 Hard Goat Cheese + per oz 17% DV
8.7g
#7 Gruyere + per oz 17% DV
8.5g
#8 Low-Fat Monterey + per oz 16% DV
7.9g
#9 Swiss Cheese + per oz 15% DV
7.7g
#10 Fontina + per oz 15% DV
7.3g
#11 Provolone + per oz 15% DV
7.3g
#12 Edam + per oz 14% DV
7.1g
#13 Gouda + per oz 14% DV
7.1g
#14 Tilsit + per oz 14% DV
6.9g
#15 Low-Fat Muenster + per oz 14% DV
6.9g
#16 Low-Fat Mozzarella + per oz 14% DV
6.9g
#17 Port De Salut Cheese + per oz 14% DV
6.8g
#18 Colby + per oz 13% DV
6.7g
#19 Blue Cheese + per oz 12% DV
6.1g
#20 Brie + per oz 12% DV
5.9g

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View more nutrients with the nutrient ranking tool, or see ratios with the nutrient ratio tool.

Data Sources and References

  1. U.S.FDA - Daily Value on the New Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels
  2. U.S. Agricultural Research Service Food Data Central
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