Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
cheese
versus
cream cheese
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in cheese and cream cheese:
Both cheese and cream cheese are high in calories. Cheese has a little more calories (10%) than cream cheese by weight - cheese has 384 calories per 100 grams and cream cheese has 350 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, cheese is heavier in protein, lighter in carbs and lighter in fat compared to cream cheese per calorie. Cheese has a macronutrient ratio of 25:0:75 and for cream cheese, 7:6:87 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
Cheese | Cream Cheese | |
---|---|---|
Protein | 25% | 7% |
Carbohydrates | ~ | 6% |
Fat | 75% | 87% |
Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
Cheese and cream cheese contain similar amounts of carbs - cheese has 0.13g of total carbs per 100 grams and cream cheese has 5.5g of carbohydrates.
Cheese has less sugar than cream cheese - cream cheese has 3.8g of sugar per 100 grams and cheese does not contain significant amounts.
Cheese is an excellent source of protein and it has 283% more protein than cream cheese - cheese has 23.5g of protein per 100 grams and cream cheese has 6.2g of protein.
Both cheese and cream cheese are high in saturated fat. Cream cheese has 26% more saturated fat than cheese - cheese has 16.1g of saturated fat per 100 grams and cream cheese has 20.2g of saturated fat.
Cheese has less trans fat than cream cheese - cream cheese has 1.2g of trans fat per 100 grams and cheese does not contain significant amounts.
Cheese and cream cheese contain similar amounts of cholesterol - cheese has 95mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and cream cheese has 101mg of cholesterol.
Both cheese and cream cheese are high in Vitamin A. Cream cheese has 77% more Vitamin A than cheese - cheese has 174ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and cream cheese has 308ug of Vitamin A.
Cheese has more Vitamin D than cream cheese - cheese has 21iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and cream cheese does not contain significant amounts.
Cheese and cream cheese contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - cheese has 0.25mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and cream cheese has 0.86mg of Vitamin E.
Cheese and cream cheese contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - cheese has 2.5ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and cream cheese has 2.1ug of Vitamin K.
Cheese has more Vitamin B12. Both cheese and cream cheese contain significant amounts of thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and folate.
Cheese | Cream Cheese | |
---|---|---|
Thiamin | 0.023 MG | 0.023 MG |
Riboflavin | 0.318 MG | 0.23 MG |
Niacin | 0.114 MG | 0.091 MG |
Pantothenic acid | 0.249 MG | 0.517 MG |
Vitamin B6 | 0.061 MG | 0.056 MG |
Folate | 13 UG | 9 UG |
Vitamin B12 | 1.23 UG | 0.22 UG |
Both cheese and cream cheese are high in calcium. Cheese has 579% more calcium than cream cheese - cheese has 659mg of calcium per 100 grams and cream cheese has 97mg of calcium.
Cheese has 436% more iron than cream cheese - cheese has 0.59mg of iron per 100 grams and cream cheese has 0.11mg of iron.
Cream cheese has 55% more potassium than cheese - cheese has 85mg of potassium per 100 grams and cream cheese has 132mg of potassium.
Carotenoids are micronutrients commonly found in plants and some animal products. An example is beta-carotene, the notable carotenoid which is a popular source of Vitamin A.[4][5]
For specific types of carotenoids, both cheese and cream cheese contain significant amounts of beta-carotene.
Cheese | Cream Cheese | |
---|---|---|
beta-carotene | 56 UG | 59 UG |
alpha-carotene | ~ | 1 UG |
lutein + zeaxanthin | ~ | 7 UG |
For omega-3 fatty acids, cheese has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than cream cheese per 100 grams, however, cream cheese contains more dpa than cheese per 100 grams.
Cheese | Cream Cheese | |
---|---|---|
alpha linoleic acid | 0.332 G | 0.131 G |
EPA | ~ | 0.01 G |
DPA | ~ | 0.02 G |
Total | 0.332 G | 0.161 G |
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, cream cheese has more linoleic acid than cheese per 100 grams.
Cheese | Cream Cheese | |
---|---|---|
linoleic acid | 0.532 G | 1.212 G |
other omega 6 | ~ | 0.036 G |
Total | 0.532 G | 1.248 G |
The comparison below is by weight, but sometimes 100g isn't that intuitive of a measurement for food. View a custom portion comparison (e.g. cups, oz, package).
You can try adding or subtracting the amount of either Cheese or Cream Cheese .
Note: The specific food items compared are: Cheese (Cheese, Mexican blend) and Cream Cheese (Cheese, cream) .
Cheese g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Cream Cheese g
()
|
|||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
KCAL % |
|
5% | calories | 5% |
|
KCAL % | |
G % |
|
5% | carbohydrates | 5% |
|
G % | |
G % |
|
5% | dietary fiber | 5% |
|
G % | |
G | 5% | sugar | 5% | G | |||
G % |
|
5% | total fat | 5% |
|
G % | |
G % |
|
5% | saturated fat | 5% |
|
G % | |
G | 5% | monounsaturated fat | 5% | G | |||
G | 5% | polyunsaturated fat | 5% | G | |||
G | 5% | trans fat | 5% | G | |||
MG | 5% | cholesterol | 5% | MG | |||
MG % |
|
5% | sodium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
5% | Vitamins and Minerals | 5% | |||||
UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin A | 5% |
|
UG % | |
MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin C | 5% |
|
MG % | |
IU % |
|
5% | Vitamin D | 5% |
|
IU % | |
MG % |
|
5% | calcium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
MG % |
|
5% | iron | 5% |
|
MG % | |
MG % |
|
5% | magnesium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
MG % |
|
5% | potassium | 5% |
|
MG % | |
MG % |
|
5% | thiamin (Vit B1) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
MG % |
|
5% | riboflavin (Vit B2) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
MG % |
|
5% | niacin (Vit B3) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin B6 | 5% |
|
MG % | |
MG % |
|
5% | pantothenic acid (Vit B5) | 5% |
|
MG % | |
UG % |
|
5% | folate (Vit B9) | 5% |
|
UG % | |
UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin B12 | 5% |
|
UG % | |
MG % |
|
5% | Vitamin E | 5% |
|
MG % | |
UG % |
|
5% | Vitamin K | 5% |
|
UG % | |
G % |
|
5% | protein | 5% |
|
G % | |
UG % |
|
5% | biotin (Vit B7) | 5% |
|
UG % | |
MG % |
|
5% | choline | 5% |
|
MG % | |
MG % |
|
5% | chlorine | 5% |
|
MG % | |
UG % |
|
5% | chromium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
MG % |
|
5% | copper | 5% |
|
MG % | |
UG % |
|
5% | fluoride | 5% |
|
UG % | |
UG % |
|
5% | iodine | 5% |
|
UG % | |
MG % |
|
5% | manganese | 5% |
|
MG % | |
UG % |
|
5% | molybdenum | 5% |
|
UG % | |
MG % |
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5% | phosphorus | 5% |
|
MG % | |
UG % |
|
5% | selenium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
MG % |
|
5% | zinc | 5% |
|
MG % | |
G | 5% | Water | 5% | G | |||
G | 5% | Starch | 5% | G | |||
G | 5% | Alcohol | 5% | G | |||