30 High-Protein Cheeses: Which Offer the Most?

There are all kinds of different cheese, and they all have very different characteristics.

In this guide, we’ll be looking at the most protein-rich options.

Here are the top 30 high-protein cheeses.

Note: the majority of nutritional data is sourced from the USDA FoodData Central Database. For two Norwegian cheese products, the Norwegian Food Composition Database is the data source – just click the numbered references to see the primary data source.

1) Gammelost

Gammelost contains more protein than any other cheese with 54 grams per 100 grams (1).

2) Parmesan (Hard)

Hard aged Parmesan is an excellent source of protein, and it provides 10.1 grams per typical serving (2).

3) Pecorino Romano

Pecorino Romano is another Italian cheese that offers a high amount of protein: nine grams per ounce serving (3).

4) Mozzarella (Non-Fat)

All Mozzarella is a reasonably good source of protein, but the non-fat variety offers the most.

Since it contains no fat, non-fat Mozzarella cheese offers an excellent amount of protein per calorie: 22.4 grams per 100 calories (4).

For more information on lower-fat cheese options, see this guide to fat-free cheese.

5) Jarlsberg (Lite)

Jarlsberg is a nutrient-rich Norwegian cheese, and the low-fat ‘Lite’ variety offers a significant amount of protein: 31 grams per 100 grams (5).

6) Goat Cheese (Hard)

There are several goat cheese varieties, but the hard aged options tend to offer a substantial protein source at 8.7 grams per serving (6).

7) Gruyère

Gruyère is a protein-rich cheese from Switzerland, and it provides 8.5 grams of protein per serving (7).

8) Monterey Jack (Low-Fat)

Monterey Jack is a popular protein-rich cheese from America. The low-fat variety offers just short of 8 grams per serving (8).

9) Cheddar (Reduced Fat)

Regular Cheddar is a good protein source, but the ‘reduced fat’ variety offers the most, with 7.8 grams per serving (9).

10) Emmental

Emmental, or ‘Swiss’ cheese as it is also known, offers about 7.6 grams of protein per serving (10).

11) Fontina

Fontina is an Italian cheese that provides just over 7 grams of protein per serving (11).

12) Provolone

Provolone is another protein-rich Italian cheese, and it provides slightly more than 7 grams of protein per serving (12).

13) Manchego

Manchego is reasonably low in calories compared to other cheeses, and it is relatively high in protein, too, at 7.8 grams per 100 calories (13).

14) Pinconning

Pinconning is a popular cheese from Michigan in the United States, and it’s 25% protein by weight (14).

15) Blue Stilton

Blue Stilton is a delicious blue cheese that offers a lot nutritionally – it’s a good protein source, and it provides 7 grams per serving (15).

16) Edam

Edam is one of the most popular cheeses globally, and it’s also one of the most protein-rich at 7 grams per ounce serving (16).

17) Double Gloucester

Double Gloucester is a popular British cheese that offers 7 grams of protein per typical serving (17).

18) Comte

Comte cheese is a French cheese that supplies 25 grams of protein per 100 grams (18).

19) Gouda

Gouda is one of the world’s most famous cheeses, and it provides just over seven grams of protein per serving (19).

20) Muenster (Low-Fat)

Since low-fat Muenster is low in calories compared to most cheese, it offers one of the best protein-per-calorie ratios at 9.1 grams per 100 calories (20).

21) Tilsit

Tilsit is a mild Swiss cheese that is reasonably high in protein at just under 7 grams per serving (21).

22) Colby Jack

Colby Jack is one of the most popular American cheeses, and it offers 6.8 grams of protein per serving (22).

23) Colby

Regular Colby contains just less than 24 grams of protein per 100 grams (23).

24) Cheshire

Cheshire is a crumbly-textured cheese with a reasonably high protein content: 6.6 grams per ounce serving (24).

25) Pimento

Pimento is a cheese product made with cheese, mayonnaise, and pimentos. Surprisingly, it is relatively protein-dense and offers about 6.3 grams per serving (25).

26) Roquefort

Roquefort is a popular French cheese, and it provides just over 6 grams of protein per ounce serving (26).

27) Havarti

Havarti is quite high in fat, but it’s also reasonably high in protein, too, with 6 grams per serving (27).

28) Limburger

Limburger is a semi-soft Dutch cheese that is approximately 20% protein by weight (28).

29) Cottage Cheese (Low Fat)

Cottage cheese may not have the most protein per gram, but it is one of the best protein-per calorie choices. A typical half-cup serving of low-fat cottage cheese provides 14 grams of protein (29).

30) Quark

Quark is another low-fat, high-protein soft cheese, and it offers 13 grams of protein per half-cup serving (30).

Highest Protein Cheese Per Serving

For convenience, here is the protein content of each cheese in this article, sorted by the amount of protein the cheese offers per serving.

Data Sources

• USDA FoodData Central Database
• Norwegian Food Composition Database