On USDA numbers, that points to 1% cottage cheese, low-fat Swiss, part-skim ricotta, regular Swiss, part-skim mozzarella and, in small amounts, hard Parmesan.
"Healthiest" depends on what you are watching, and no single cheese wins every column. Cottage cheese has the fewest calories but plenty of sodium; Parmesan has the most protein but is salty and dense. This page ranks by a simple rule, explained below, so you can reweigh it for your own goal. It is general information, not medical advice.
How the healthiest cheeses were ranked
The healthiest cheeses here are ranked on five numbers per ounce (28 g) from USDA's FoodData Central SR Legacy data: calories, protein, saturated fat, sodium and calcium. A cheese moved up for more protein and calcium and for less of the other three. The order is a judgment call built on those numbers, not a scientific score.
Two label benchmarks help. Under FDA labeling rules (21 CFR 101.9), the Daily Value is 2,300 mg for sodium and 20 g for saturated fat, so a cheese with 53 mg of sodium is about 2 percent of the day's sodium and one with 5.3 g of saturated fat is about a quarter of the day's saturated fat.
The healthiest cheeses compared per ounce
This table lists the healthiest cheeses with their USDA figures per ounce, in ranked order, with cheddar at the bottom as a reference point.
| Rank | Cheese (1 oz) | Calories | Protein | Saturated fat | Sodium | Calcium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cottage cheese, 1% | 20 | 3.5 g | 0.2 g | 115 mg | 17 mg |
| 2 | Swiss, low fat | 51 | 8.1 g | 0.9 g | 56 mg | 272 mg |
| 3 | Ricotta, part skim | 39 | 3.2 g | 1.4 g | 28 mg | 77 mg |
| 4 | Swiss | 111 | 7.6 g | 5.2 g | 53 mg | 252 mg |
| 5 | Mozzarella, part skim | 72 | 6.9 g | 2.9 g | 176 mg | 222 mg |
| 6 | Parmesan, hard | 111 | 10.1 g | 4.2 g | 333 mg | 336 mg |
| Reference | Cheddar | 114 | 6.5 g | 5.3 g | 185 mg | 201 mg |
Why these are the healthiest cheeses
Why these are the healthiest cheeses comes down to water and salt. Fresh cheeses hold a lot of water, which dilutes calories and fat, while the brine or salting step decides sodium. Each pick below has one clear strength and one weak spot.
1% cottage cheese
1% cottage cheese is the lowest-calorie cheese in the USDA table: 20 calories and 3.5 grams of protein per ounce, with 0.2 grams of saturated fat. A half cup is the usual serving, and the high-protein cheese ranking shows it holds 14 grams of protein. The weak spot is sodium, 115 mg per ounce in the standard product. USDA also lists a 1% version with no sodium added at 3.7 mg per ounce, so the label matters more than the cheese. Calcium is low, 17 mg per ounce. See the cottage cheese guide for buying and using it.
Low-fat Swiss
Low-fat Swiss is the best all-round row in the data: 8.1 grams of protein for 51 calories, 0.9 grams of saturated fat, 56 mg of sodium and 272 mg of calcium per ounce. The catch is availability. Many stores carry only regular or reduced-fat Swiss, and low-fat versions melt less well than full-fat ones.
Part-skim ricotta
Part-skim ricotta has 39 calories, 3.2 grams of protein and just 28 mg of sodium per ounce, one of the lowest sodium readings among regular cheeses. It gives you 1.4 grams of saturated fat and 77 mg of calcium. It is soft and mild, so it works as a spread or a filling. Read how it differs from cottage cheese in ricotta vs cottage cheese.
Swiss cheese
Swiss cheese is the lowest-sodium full-fat cheese in USDA's data, with 53 mg per ounce against 185 for cheddar, and it brings 7.6 grams of protein and 252 mg of calcium. The cost is calories and saturated fat: 111 and 5.2 grams, close to cheddar. Its sodium is low because it is brined briefly and ripened warm, not salted heavily. The Swiss cheese guide covers the styles.
Part-skim mozzarella
Part-skim mozzarella carries 72 calories, 6.9 grams of protein, 2.9 grams of saturated fat and 222 mg of calcium per ounce, which makes it the easiest everyday swap for cheddar. Its sodium, 176 mg, is middling. Whole-milk mozzarella has lower sodium at 138 mg but 85 calories and 3.9 grams of saturated fat. The mozzarella styles page explains the labels.
Hard Parmesan
Hard Parmesan has the most protein per ounce in the table, 10.1 grams, and 336 mg of calcium, but also 333 mg of sodium and 111 calories. It earns its spot because a little goes a long way: a tablespoon grated weighs about 5 grams, so the sodium per use is small. Use it as a flavoring, not a snack.
Cheeses that rank lower for health
Cheeses that rank lower for health are mostly the saltiest or the lowest in protein. USDA lists Roquefort at 513 mg of sodium per ounce, grated Parmesan at 511, cotija at 397 and feta at 323. Pasteurized process American runs 474 mg. Cream cheese has 1.7 grams of protein and 5.7 grams of saturated fat per ounce, so it is a spread, not a protein source.
These are not forbidden. They are strong in flavor, so a small amount works, and the low-sodium cheese guide shows how to plan around them.
What most healthiest cheeses lists get wrong
Most healthiest cheeses lists skip three things that change the answer.
They ignore the serving. An ounce is the measuring stick, but a half cup of cottage cheese weighs about four ounces. Compare per ounce, per calorie or per the amount you actually eat.
They treat low sodium as a type of cheese. Sodium swings within a type. USDA lists 1% cottage cheese at 115 mg per ounce and a no-sodium-added version at 3.7 mg. It also lists low-sodium Swiss at 4 mg, low-sodium mozzarella at 4.5 mg and low-sodium Parmesan at 17.9 mg per ounce.
They treat saturated fat as the whole story. A 2021 meta-analysis of cohort studies by Jakobsen and colleagues found that higher cheese intake was associated with a lower risk of coronary heart disease (7 studies, 554,323 people), with moderate confidence, and no association with ischemic stroke. These are associations in observational data, not proof that cheese protects the heart. The balance is covered in is cheese good or bad for you, and fat specifically in the saturated fat guide.
Questions about the healthiest cheeses
These answers cover the questions people ask most about the healthiest cheeses.
What is the healthiest cheese to eat every day?
The healthiest cheese to eat every day depends on your goal, but 1% cottage cheese, low-fat Swiss and part-skim mozzarella are strong choices on USDA numbers. A doctor or registered dietitian can say what fits your own case.
What is the healthiest cheese for weight loss?
The healthiest cheese for weight loss by calories is 1% cottage cheese at 20 calories per ounce, followed by part-skim ricotta at 39. No cheese causes weight loss; the cheese and weight loss guide covers what trials show.
What is the healthiest cheese for your heart?
The healthiest cheese for your heart is usually the one lowest in sodium and saturated fat, such as Swiss, part-skim ricotta or low-fat Swiss. Anyone with a heart condition or high blood pressure should check with their doctor.
Is cheddar healthy?
Cheddar is healthy in moderation, with 6.5 grams of protein and 201 mg of calcium per ounce, but it has 5.3 grams of saturated fat and 114 calories. Reduced-fat cheddar has 90 calories and 7.8 grams of protein.
What is the healthiest cheese for lactose intolerance?
The healthiest cheese for lactose intolerance is usually an aged hard cheese, since aging removes most lactose. The lactose in cheese page ranks them.
Choosing the healthiest cheeses
Choosing the healthiest cheeses starts at the label: compare calories, sodium and saturated fat per ounce, and pick the row that fits your goal. For a first try, swap part-skim mozzarella for cheddar in a sandwich, or stir a no-salt-added cottage cheese into a bowl with fruit.
Sources
- USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy): Cheese, cottage, lowfat, 1% milkfat (173417), and the matching rows for Swiss, ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, cheddar and the low-sodium varieties, U.S. Department of Agriculture
- 21 CFR 101.9, Nutrition labeling of food, Cornell Legal Information Institute
- Jakobsen MU et al. Intake of dairy products and associations with major atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases, Scientific Reports, 2021