Cheese vs. Tofu
Nutrition comparison of Cheese and Tofu
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
cheese
versus
tofu
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in cheese and tofu:
- Both cheese and tofu are high in calcium and protein.
- Cheese is an excellent source of Vitamin A.
- Tofu has more thiamin, however, cheese contains more riboflavin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B12.
- Tofu is an excellent source of iron.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Cheese (Cheese, Mexican blend) and Tofu (Tofu, raw, regular, prepared with calcium sulfate) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Cheese is high in calories and tofu has 80% less calories than cheese - cheese has 384 calories per 100 grams and tofu has 76 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, cheese is lighter in protein, lighter in carbs and much heavier in fat compared to tofu per calorie. Cheese has a macronutrient ratio of 25:0:75 and for tofu, 39:9:52 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Cheese | Tofu | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 25% | 39% |
| Carbohydrates | ~ | 9% |
| Fat | 75% | 52% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Both cheese and tofu are low in carbohydrates - cheese has 0.13g of total carbs per 100 grams and tofu has 1.9g of carbohydrates.
dietary fiber
Tofu has more dietary fiber than cheese - tofu has 0.3g of dietary fiber per 100 grams and cheese does not contain significant amounts.
sugar
Tofu and cheese contain similar amounts of sugar - tofu has 0.62g of sugar per 100 grams and cheese does not contain significant amounts.
Protein
protein
Both cheese and tofu are high in protein. Cheese has 191% more protein than tofu - cheese has 23.5g of protein per 100 grams and tofu has 8.1g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Cheese is high in saturated fat and tofu has 96% less saturated fat than cheese - cheese has 16.1g of saturated fat per 100 grams and tofu has 0.69g of saturated fat.
cholesterol
Tofu has less cholesterol than cheese - cheese has 95mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and tofu does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Tofu and cheese contain similar amounts of Vitamin C - tofu has 0.1mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and cheese does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin A
Cheese is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has more Vitamin A than tofu - cheese has 174ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and tofu does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin D
Cheese has more Vitamin D than tofu - cheese has 21iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and tofu does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Cheese and tofu contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - cheese has 0.25mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and tofu has 0.01mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Cheese and tofu contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - cheese has 2.5ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and tofu has 2.4ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Tofu has more thiamin, however, cheese contains more riboflavin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B12. Both cheese and tofu contain significant amounts of niacin, Vitamin B6 and folate.
| Cheese | Tofu | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.023 MG | 0.081 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.318 MG | 0.052 MG |
| Niacin | 0.114 MG | 0.195 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.249 MG | 0.068 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.061 MG | 0.047 MG |
| Folate | 13 UG | 15 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | 1.23 UG | ~ |
Minerals
calcium
Both cheese and tofu are high in calcium. Cheese has 88% more calcium than tofu - cheese has 659mg of calcium per 100 grams and tofu has 350mg of calcium.
iron
Tofu is an excellent source of iron and it has 808% more iron than cheese - cheese has 0.59mg of iron per 100 grams and tofu has 5.4mg of iron.
potassium
Cheese and tofu contain similar amounts of potassium - cheese has 85mg of potassium per 100 grams and tofu has 121mg of potassium.
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, both cheese and tofu contain significant amounts of alpha linoleic acid (ALA).
| Cheese | Tofu | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.332 G | 0.319 G |
| Total | 0.332 G | 0.319 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, tofu has more linoleic acid than cheese per 100 grams.
| Cheese | Tofu | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.532 G | 2.38 G |
| Total | 0.532 G | 2.38 G |
Customize your serving size
The comparison below is by common portions, e.g. cups, packages. You can also see a more concrete comparison by weight at equal weight (by grams) comparison.
Cheese g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Tofu 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 % |
|
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 | |||
FAQ
Does cheese or tofu contain more calories in 100 grams?Cheese is high in calories and tofu has 80% less calories than cheese - cheese has 384 calories in 100g and tofu has 76 calories.
Is cheese or tofu better for protein?
Both cheese and tofu are high in protein. Cheese has 190% more protein than tofu - cheese has 23.5g of protein per 100 grams and tofu has 8.1g of protein.
Does cheese or tofu contain more calcium?
Both cheese and tofu are high in calcium. Cheese has 90% more calcium than tofu - cheese has 659mg of calcium in 100 grams and tofu has 350mg of calcium.
Does cheese or tofu contain more iron?
Tofu is an abundant source of iron and it has 810% more iron than cheese - cheese has 0.59mg of iron in 100 grams and tofu has 5.4mg of iron.