Ricotta Cheese vs. Skim Milk
Nutrition comparison of Ricotta Cheese and Skim Milk
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
ricotta cheese
versus
skim milk
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in ricotta cheese and skim milk:
- Both ricotta cheese and skim milk are high in calcium.
- Ricotta cheese has 17.8 times less sugar than skim milk.
- Ricotta cheese is a great source of Vitamin A and potassium.
- Skim milk has 23.5 times less cholesterol than ricotta cheese.
- Skim milk has more thiamin, however, ricotta cheese contains more Vitamin B6.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Ricotta Cheese (Cheese, ricotta, whole milk) and Skim Milk (Milk, nonfat, fluid, with added vitamin A and vitamin D (fat free or skim)) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Ricotta cheese is high in calories and skim milk has 77% less calories than ricotta cheese - ricotta cheese has 150 calories per 100 grams and skim milk has 34 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, ricotta cheese is lighter in protein, much lighter in carbs and much heavier in fat compared to skim milk per calorie. Ricotta cheese has a macronutrient ratio of 20:19:61 and for skim milk, 40:58:2 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Ricotta Cheese | Skim Milk | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 20% | 40% |
| Carbohydrates | 19% | 58% |
| Fat | 61% | 2% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Ricotta cheese and skim milk contain similar amounts of carbs - ricotta cheese has 7.3g of total carbs per 100 grams and skim milk has 5g of carbohydrates.
sugar
Ricotta cheese has 17.8 times less sugar than skim milk - ricotta cheese has 0.27g of sugar per 100 grams and skim milk has 5.1g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Ricotta cheese has 124% more protein than skim milk - ricotta cheese has 7.5g of protein per 100 grams and skim milk has 3.4g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Ricotta cheese is high in saturated fat and skim milk has 99% less saturated fat than ricotta cheese - ricotta cheese has 6.4g of saturated fat per 100 grams and skim milk has 0.06g of saturated fat.
trans fat
Both ricotta cheese and skim milk are low in trans fat - ricotta cheese has 0.33g of trans fat per 100 grams and skim milk does not contain significant amounts.
cholesterol
Skim milk has 23.5 times less cholesterol than ricotta cheese - ricotta cheese has 49mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and skim milk has 2mg of cholesterol.
Vitamins
Vitamin A
Ricotta cheese is a great source of Vitamin A and it has 97% more Vitamin A than skim milk - ricotta cheese has 120ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and skim milk has 61ug of Vitamin A.
Vitamin D
Skim milk has 370% more Vitamin D than ricotta cheese - ricotta cheese has 10iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and skim milk has 47iu of Vitamin D.
Vitamin E
Ricotta cheese and skim milk contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - ricotta cheese has 0.11mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and skim milk has 0.01mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Ricotta cheese and skim milk contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - ricotta cheese has 1.1ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and skim milk does not contain significant amounts.
The B Vitamins
Skim milk has more thiamin, however, ricotta cheese contains more Vitamin B6. Both ricotta cheese and skim milk contain significant amounts of riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, folate and Vitamin B12.
| Ricotta Cheese | Skim Milk | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.013 MG | 0.045 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.298 MG | 0.182 MG |
| Niacin | 0.137 MG | 0.094 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.461 MG | 0.357 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.097 MG | 0.037 MG |
| Folate | 4 UG | 5 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.85 UG | 0.5 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Both ricotta cheese and skim milk are high in calcium. Ricotta cheese has 69% more calcium than skim milk - ricotta cheese has 206mg of calcium per 100 grams and skim milk has 122mg of calcium.
iron
Ricotta cheese and skim milk contain similar amounts of iron - ricotta cheese has 0.13mg of iron per 100 grams and skim milk has 0.03mg of iron.
potassium
Ricotta cheese is a great source of potassium and it has 40% more potassium than skim milk - ricotta cheese has 219mg of potassium per 100 grams and skim milk has 156mg of potassium.
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, ricotta cheese has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than skim milk per 100 grams.
| Ricotta Cheese | Skim Milk | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.043 G | 0.001 G |
| DHA | 0.001 G | ~ |
| EPA | 0.004 G | ~ |
| DPA | 0.006 G | ~ |
| Total | 0.054 G | 0.001 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, ricotta cheese has more linoleic acid than skim milk per 100 grams.
| Ricotta Cheese | Skim Milk | |
|---|---|---|
| other omega 6 | 0.012 G | ~ |
| linoleic acid | 0.356 G | 0.002 G |
| Total | 0.368 G | 0.002 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: Ricotta Cheese (Cheese, ricotta, whole milk) and Skim Milk (Milk, nonfat, fluid, with added vitamin A and vitamin D (fat free or skim)) .
Ricotta Cheese g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Skim Milk g
()
|
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 % |
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5% | choline | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | chlorine | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | chromium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | copper | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | fluoride | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | iodine | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
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5% | manganese | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
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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 ricotta cheese or skim milk contain more calories in 100 grams?Ricotta cheese is high in calories and skim milk has 80% less calories than ricotta cheese - ricotta cheese has 150 calories in 100g and skim milk has 34 calories.
Is ricotta cheese or skim milk better for protein?
Ricotta cheese has 120% more protein than skim milk - ricotta cheese has 7.5g of protein per 100 grams and skim milk has 3.4g of protein.
Does ricotta cheese or skim milk have more carbohydrates?
By weight, ricotta cheese and skim milk contain similar amounts of carbs - ricotta cheese has 7.3g of carbs for 100g and skim milk has 5g of carbohydrates.
Does ricotta cheese or skim milk contain more calcium?
Both ricotta cheese and skim milk are high in calcium. Ricotta cheese has 70% more calcium than skim milk - ricotta cheese has 206mg of calcium in 100 grams and skim milk has 122mg of calcium.