Greek Yogurt vs. Ricotta Cheese

Nutrition comparison of Greek Yogurt and Ricotta Cheese

Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?

We compared the nutritional contents of greek yogurt versus ricotta cheese (100g each) below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].

For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in greek yogurt and ricotta cheese:

  • Both ricotta cheese and greek yogurt are high in calcium.
  • Greek yogurt has 3.9 times less cholesterol than ricotta cheese.
  • Greek yogurt has more thiamin and folate.
  • Greek yogurt is a great source of protein.
  • Ricotta cheese is a great source of Vitamin A and potassium.
Detailed nutritional comparison of greek yogurt and ricotta cheese is analyzed below. You can also visualize the nutritional comparison for a custom portion or serving size and see how the nutrition compares.

USDA sources for nutritional information: Greek Yogurt (Yogurt, Greek, plain, lowfat) and Ricotta Cheese (Cheese, ricotta, whole milk) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.

Image of Greek Yogurt src
Image of Ricotta Cheese src

Calories and Carbs

calories

Ricotta cheese is high in calories and greek yogurt has 51% less calories than ricotta cheese - ricotta cheese has 150 calories per 100 grams and greek yogurt has 73 calories.

For macronutrient ratios, greek yogurt is much heavier in protein, much lighter in fat and similar to ricotta cheese for carbs. Greek yogurt has a macronutrient ratio of 55:22:24 and for ricotta cheese, 20:19:61 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.

Macro Ratios from Calories:

Greek Yogurt Ricotta Cheese
Protein 55% 20%
Carbohydrates 22% 19%
Fat 24% 61%
Alcohol ~ ~

carbohydrates

Ricotta cheese and greek yogurt contain similar amounts of carbs - ricotta cheese has 7.3g of total carbs per 100 grams and greek yogurt has 3.9g of carbohydrates.

sugar

Ricotta cheese and greek yogurt contain similar amounts of sugar - ricotta cheese has 0.27g of sugar per 100 grams and greek yogurt has 3.6g of sugar.

Protein

protein

Greek yogurt is a great source of protein and it has 32% more protein than ricotta cheese - ricotta cheese has 7.5g of protein per 100 grams and greek yogurt has 10g of protein.

Fat

saturated fat

Ricotta cheese is high in saturated fat and greek yogurt has 81% less saturated fat than ricotta cheese - ricotta cheese has 6.4g of saturated fat per 100 grams and greek yogurt has 1.2g of saturated fat.

trans fat

Both ricotta cheese and greek yogurt are low in trans fat - ricotta cheese has 0.33g of trans fat per 100 grams and greek yogurt has 0.06g of trans fat.

cholesterol

Greek yogurt has 3.9 times less cholesterol than ricotta cheese - ricotta cheese has 49mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and greek yogurt has 10mg of cholesterol.

Vitamins

Vitamin C

Greek yogurt has more Vitamin C than ricotta cheese - greek yogurt has 0.8mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and ricotta cheese does not contain significant amounts.

Vitamin A

Ricotta cheese is a great source of Vitamin A and it has 33% more Vitamin A than greek yogurt - ricotta cheese has 120ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and greek yogurt has 90ug of Vitamin A.

Vitamin D

Ricotta cheese has more Vitamin D than greek yogurt - ricotta cheese has 10iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and greek yogurt does not contain significant amounts.

Vitamin E

Ricotta cheese and greek yogurt contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - ricotta cheese has 0.11mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and greek yogurt has 0.04mg of Vitamin E.

Vitamin K

Ricotta cheese and greek yogurt contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - ricotta cheese has 1.1ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and greek yogurt has 0.2ug of Vitamin K.

The B Vitamins

Greek yogurt has more thiamin and folate. Both greek yogurt and ricotta cheese contain significant amounts of riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12.

Greek Yogurt Ricotta Cheese
Thiamin 0.044 MG 0.013 MG
Riboflavin 0.233 MG 0.298 MG
Niacin 0.197 MG 0.137 MG
Pantothenic acid 0.47 MG 0.461 MG
Vitamin B6 0.055 MG 0.097 MG
Folate 12 UG 4 UG
Vitamin B12 0.52 UG 0.85 UG

Minerals

calcium

Both ricotta cheese and greek yogurt are high in calcium. Ricotta cheese has 79% more calcium than greek yogurt - ricotta cheese has 206mg of calcium per 100 grams and greek yogurt has 115mg of calcium.

iron

Ricotta cheese and greek yogurt contain similar amounts of iron - ricotta cheese has 0.13mg of iron per 100 grams and greek yogurt has 0.04mg of iron.

potassium

Ricotta cheese is a great source of potassium and it has 55% more potassium than greek yogurt - ricotta cheese has 219mg of potassium per 100 grams and greek yogurt has 141mg of potassium.

Antioxidants and Phytonutrients

carotenoids

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,

Greek Yogurt Ricotta Cheese
beta-carotene 6 UG 33 UG
lutein + zeaxanthin 1 UG ~

Omega-3 and Omega-6

omega 3s

For omega-3 fatty acids, ricotta cheese has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than greek yogurt per 100 grams.

Greek Yogurt Ricotta Cheese
alpha linoleic acid 0.007 G 0.043 G
DHA ~ 0.001 G
EPA ~ 0.004 G
DPA ~ 0.006 G
Total 0.007 G 0.054 G

omega 6s

Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, ricotta cheese has more linoleic acid than greek yogurt per 100 grams.

Greek Yogurt Ricotta Cheese
other omega 6 0.002 G 0.012 G
linoleic acid 0.065 G 0.356 G
Total 0.067 G 0.368 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.

Note: The specific food items compared are: Greek Yogurt (Yogurt, Greek, plain, lowfat) and Ricotta Cheese (Cheese, ricotta, whole milk) .

Greek Yogurt g

()
Daily Values (%)

Ricotta Cheese g

()
KCAL %
calories
KCAL %
G %
carbohydrates
G %
G %
dietary fiber
G %
G sugar G
G %
total fat
G %
G %
saturated fat
G %
G monounsaturated fat G
G polyunsaturated fat G
G trans fat G
MG cholesterol MG
MG %
sodium
MG %
Vitamins and Minerals
UG %
Vitamin A
UG %
MG %
Vitamin C
MG %
IU %
Vitamin D
IU %
MG %
calcium
MG %
MG %
iron
MG %
MG %
magnesium
MG %
MG %
potassium
MG %
MG %
thiamin (Vit B1)
MG %
MG %
riboflavin (Vit B2)
MG %
MG %
niacin (Vit B3)
MG %
MG %
Vitamin B6
MG %
MG %
pantothenic acid (Vit B5)
MG %
UG %
folate (Vit B9)
UG %
UG %
Vitamin B12
UG %
MG %
Vitamin E
MG %
UG %
Vitamin K
UG %
G %
protein
G %
UG %
biotin (Vit B7)
UG %
MG %
choline
MG %
MG %
chlorine
MG %
UG %
chromium
UG %
MG %
copper
MG %
UG %
fluoride
UG %
UG %
iodine
UG %
MG %
manganese
MG %
UG %
molybdenum
UG %
MG %
phosphorus
MG %
UG %
selenium
UG %
MG %
zinc
MG %
G Water G
G Starch G
G Alcohol G


FAQ

Does ricotta cheese or greek yogurt contain more calories in 100 grams?
Ricotta cheese is high in calories and greek yogurt has 50% less calories than ricotta cheese - ricotta cheese has 150 calories in 100g and greek yogurt has 73 calories.

Is ricotta cheese or greek yogurt better for protein?
Greek yogurt is a great source of protein and it has 30% more protein than ricotta cheese - ricotta cheese has 7.5g of protein per 100 grams and greek yogurt has 10g of protein.

Does ricotta cheese or greek yogurt contain more calcium?
Both ricotta cheese and greek yogurt are high in calcium. Ricotta cheese has 80% more calcium than greek yogurt - ricotta cheese has 206mg of calcium in 100 grams and greek yogurt has 115mg of calcium.