This article has been Fact-Checked by Kendall Kennedy MS, RD, RYT
Protein is an essential nutrient for human health. This list of 13 cheeses high in protein can certainly help you reach your daily goals.
Protein is used, among other things, to build and repair muscle and other tissues. You literally can’t survive if you don’t consume enough of this nutrient.
Is cheese a good source of protein?
The amounts of protein in cheese per 100 grams vary from cheese type to cheese type. That being said, in general cheese is a food high in protein per 100 grams.
You do have to keep in mind that a lot of the calories in cheese also come from fat. It is possible to describe cheese both as a protein and a fat source.
The following list ranks 13 kinds of cheese from high to low amount of protein per 100 grams. This ranking does not take into account total calories. If you are interested in such a ranking you can check out the 13 best cheeses for weight loss.
Keep in mind that overdoing with protein isn’t optimal either.
1. Parmesan cheese
Parmesan cheese is the type of cheese that has the most protein per 100 grams.
Parmesan cheese is a hard cheese that originates in Italy. It is made from cow milk and usually ages between 12-36 months.
100 grams of parmesan cheese contains (1):
- Protein: 35.8 grams
- Calories: 392
- Fat: 25.8 grams
- Carbs: 3.2 grams
- Calcium: 118% of the DV (Daily Value)
- Phosphorus: 69% of the DV
- Sodium: 67% of the DV
- Selenium: 32% of the DV
- Riboflavin: 20% of the DV
- Vitamin B12: 20% of the DV
- Zinc: 18% of the DV
And some other vitamins and minerals in smaller amounts.
Most people eat parmesan cheese grated over their pasta dishes but you can also consume it on its own or stirred in soup.
2. Mozzarella cheese
Mozzarella cheese was traditionally made with Italian buffalo’s milk but you can make it with any kind of milk.
If you’ve ever had mozzarella cheese you have probably noticed that it’s a lot softer than most other cheeses. This is because of an extra reheating and kneading step.
100 grams of low sodium mozzarella cheese contains (2):
- Protein: 27.5 grams
- Calories: 280
- Fat: 17.1 grams
- Carbs: 3.1 grams
- Calcium: 73% of the DV (Daily Value)
- Phosphorus: 52% of the DV
- Selenium: 22% of the DV
- Zinc: 21% of the DV
- Riboflavin: 20% of the DV
- Vitamin B12: 15% of the DV
And some other vitamins and minerals in smaller amounts.
Mozzarella cheese combines great with many other foods and dishes like for example with some basil and tomato. It is a cheese high in protein and not that high in calories.
3. Swiss cheese
Swiss cheese is a name given to cheeses that resemble Emmental cheese. A medium-hard, yellow cheese with a lot of holes.
100 grams of swiss cheese contains (3):
- Protein: 26.9 grams
- Calories: 380
- Fat: 27.8 grams
- Carbs: 5.4 grams
- Calcium: 79% of the DV (Daily Value)
- Phosphorus: 57% of the DV
- Vitamin B12: 56% of the DV
- Zinc: 29% of the DV
- Selenium: 26% of the DV
- Vitamin A: 17% of the DV
- Riboflavin: 17% of the DV
And some other vitamins and minerals in smaller amounts.
Swiss cheese is a popular ingredient for many sandwich recipes.
4. Gouda cheese
Gouda is a firm yellow cheese that originates in the Netherlands. It is one of the most popular cheeses around the world.
100 grams of gouda cheese contains (4):
- Protein: 24.9 grams
- Calories: 356
- Fat: 27.4 grams
- Carbs: 2.2 grams
- Calcium: 70% of the DV (Daily Value)
- Phosphorus: 55% of the DV
- Sodium: 34% of the DV
- Vitamin B12: 26% of the DV
- Zinc: 26% of the DV
- Selenium: 21% of the DV
- Riboflavin: 20% of the DV
And some other vitamins and minerals in smaller amounts.
5. Cheddar cheese
Cheddar is a relatively hard cheese that originates in the English village cheddar. It is one of the most popular cheeses around the world.
100 grams of cheddar cheese contains (5):
- Protein: 24.9 grams
- Calories: 403
- Fat: 33.1 grams
- Carbs: 1.3 grams
- Calcium: 72% of the DV (Daily Value)
- Phosphorus: 51% of the DV
- Sodium: 26% of the DV
- Riboflavin: 22% of the DV
- Zinc: 21% of the DV
- Selenium: 20% of the DV
- Vitamin A: 20% of the DV
And some other vitamins and minerals in smaller amounts.
6. Goat cheese
Goat cheese is literally cheese made from goat milk. They come in a wide variety of types and textures from creamy to hard.
100 grams of this example of goat cheese contains (6):
- Protein: 21.6 grams
- Calories: 364
- Fat: 29.8 grams
- Carbs: 2.5 grams
- Riboflavin: 40% of the DV (Daily Value)
- Phosphorus: 37% of the DV
- Calcium: 30% of the DV
- Vitamin A: 29% of the DV
- Copper: 28% of the DV
- Sodium: 21% of the DV
And some other vitamins and minerals in smaller amounts.
7. Blue cheese
Blue cheese is a cheese with a distinct taste and smell. You can eat it by itself and crumbled and melted over other foods. Its name comes from the blue and grey veins and spots you find within.
100 grams of blue cheese contains (7):
- Protein: 21.4 grams
- Calories: 353
- Fat: 28.7 grams
- Carbs: 2.3 grams
- Sodium: 58% of the DV (Daily Value)
- Calcium: 53% of the DV
- Phosphorus: 39% of the DV
- Riboflavin: 22% of the DV
- Selenium: 21% of the DV
- Vitamin B12: 20% of the DV
- Zinc: 18% of the DV
- Vitamin B5: 17% of the DV
- Vitamin A:15% of the DV
And some other vitamins and minerals in smaller amounts.
8. Brie cheese
Brie is a soft cheese made with cow milk that originates in France. In a way it is similar to camembert. Not completely as you can see in the nutritional value differences.
100 grams of brie cheese contains (8):
- Protein: 20.7 grams
- Calories: 334
- Fat: 27.7 grams
- Carbs: 0.5 grams
- Riboflavin: 31% of the DV (Daily Value)
- Vitamin B12: 28% of the DV
- Sodium: 26% of the DV
- Selenium: 21% of the DV
- Phosphorus: 19% of the DV
- Calcium: 18% of the DV
- Folate: 16% of the DV
- Zinc: 16% of the DV
And some other vitamins and minerals in smaller amounts.
9. Camembert cheese
Camembert is a creamier kind of cheese that originates in France. You can eat this cheese both in the creamy form it comes in or combined with other foods. Heated camembert cheese makes a great dip.
100 grams of camembert cheese contains (9):
- Protein: 19.8 grams
- Calories: 300
- Fat: 24.3 grams
- Carbs: 0.5 grams
- Calcium: 39% of the DV (Daily Value)
- Phosphorus: 35% of the DV
- Sodium: 35% of the DV
- Riboflavin: 29% of the DV
- Vitamin B12: 22% of the DV
- Selenium: 21% of the DV
- Vitamin A: 16% of the DV
- Folate: 16% of the DV
- Zinc: 16% of the DV
And some other vitamins and minerals in smaller amounts. Camembert is a cheese that contains a decent amount of sodium. That’s not necessarily a reason to not eat it but the sodium content is something you have to keep in mind.
10. Feta cheese
Feta is white Greek cheese made from sheep milk or a combination of sheep and goat milk. It has a slightly “grainier” texture compared to most other cheeses.
100 grams of feta cheese contains (10):
- Protein: 14.2 grams
- Calories: 264
- Fat: 21.3 grams
- Carbs: 4.1 grams
- Riboflavin: 50% of the DV (Daily Value)
- Calcium: 49% of the DV
- Sodium: 46% of the DV
- Phosphorus: 34% of the DV
- Vitamin B12: 28% of the DV
- Vitamin B6: 21% of the DV
- Selenium: 21% of the DV
- Zinc: 19% of the DV
And some other vitamins and minerals in smaller amounts.
You might notice that feta cheese contains a lot of sodium. If you already have a lot of salt in your diet you might want to stay away from feta cheese.
You can combine feta with many different foods and dishes. One of the most popular uses for feta cheese is putting it in a Greek salad.
11. Ricotta cheese
Ricotta is an Italian cheese made from leftover milk whey from the production of other cheeses. That means it is made from different kinds of milk like sheep, goat, cow and water buffalo milk.
100 grams of whole milk ricotta cheese contains (11):
- Protein: 11.3 grams
- Calories: 174
- Fat: 13 grams
- Carbs: 3 grams
- Calcium: 21% of the DV (Daily Value)
- Selenium: 21% of the DV
- Phosphorus: 16% of the DV
And some other vitamins and minerals in smaller amounts.
12. Cottage cheese
Cottage cheese is a kind of cheese made from “cheese curd”, moist pieces of curdled milk, and other ingredients that vary from brand to brand.
Cottage cheese is the lowest calorie per 100 grams cheese on this list. This cheese is the number 1 cheese for weight loss but is rather lacking in protein content compared to the other cheeses.
Even then cottage cheese is still a good protein source compared to a lot of other foods.
100 grams of cottage cheese contains (12):
- Protein: 11.1 grams
- Calories: 98
- Fat: 4.3 grams
- Carbs: 3.4 grams
- Phosphorus: 16% of the DV (Daily Value)
- Sodium: 15% of the DV
And some other vitamins and minerals in smaller amounts. Cottage cheese is a cheese relatively low in fat and cholesterol.
By eating cottage cheese you can increase the amount of protein you eat without adding that many calories to your daily diet.
13. Cream cheese
Cream cheese is kind of very soft, mild-tasting cheese. The rules for a cheese being “cream cheese” are not very strict. That means that there may be big differences between different brands.
100 grams of this cream cheese contains (13):
- Protein: 5.9 grams
- Calories: 342
- Fat: 34.2 grams
- Carbs: 4.1 grams
- Vitamin A: 25% of the DV (Daily Value)
And some other vitamins and minerals in smaller amounts.
This example of cream cheese has the least protein per 100 grams on this list.
