Ricotta Cheese vs. Yogurt

Nutrition comparison of Ricotta Cheese and Yogurt


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

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

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

  • Both ricotta cheese and yogurt are high in calcium.
  • Ricotta cheese has 16.2 times less sugar than yogurt.
  • Ricotta cheese is a great source of Vitamin A and potassium.
  • Yogurt has 73% less cholesterol than ricotta cheese.
  • Yogurt has more thiamin, however, ricotta cheese contains more riboflavin, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12.
Detailed nutritional comparison of ricotta cheese and yogurt 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: Ricotta Cheese (Cheese, ricotta, whole milk) and Yogurt (Yogurt, plain, whole milk) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.


Image of Ricotta Cheese src
Image of Yogurt src

Calories and Carbs

calories

Ricotta cheese is high in calories and yogurt has 59% less calories than ricotta cheese - ricotta cheese has 150 calories per 100 grams and yogurt has 61 calories.

For macronutrient ratios, ricotta cheese is lighter in carbs, heavier in fat and similar to yogurt for protein. Ricotta cheese has a macronutrient ratio of 20:19:61 and for yogurt, 22:30:48 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.

Macro Ratios from Calories:

Ricotta Cheese Yogurt
Protein 20% 22%
Carbohydrates 19% 30%
Fat 61% 48%
Alcohol ~ ~

carbohydrates

Ricotta cheese and yogurt contain similar amounts of carbs - ricotta cheese has 7.3g of total carbs per 100 grams and yogurt has 4.7g of carbohydrates.

sugar

Ricotta cheese has 16.2 times less sugar than yogurt - ricotta cheese has 0.27g of sugar per 100 grams and yogurt has 4.7g of sugar.

Protein

protein

Ricotta cheese has 117% more protein than yogurt - ricotta cheese has 7.5g of protein per 100 grams and yogurt has 3.5g of protein.

Fat

saturated fat

Ricotta cheese is high in saturated fat and yogurt has 67% less saturated fat than ricotta cheese - ricotta cheese has 6.4g of saturated fat per 100 grams and yogurt has 2.1g of saturated fat.

trans fat

Both ricotta cheese and yogurt are low in trans fat - ricotta cheese has 0.33g of trans fat per 100 grams and yogurt does not contain significant amounts.

cholesterol

Yogurt has 73% less cholesterol than ricotta cheese - ricotta cheese has 49mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and yogurt has 13mg of cholesterol.

Vitamins

Vitamin C

Yogurt and ricotta cheese contain similar amounts of Vitamin C - yogurt has 0.5mg 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 344% more Vitamin A than yogurt - ricotta cheese has 120ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and yogurt has 27ug of Vitamin A.

Vitamin D

Ricotta cheese and yogurt contain similar amounts of Vitamin D - ricotta cheese has 10iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and yogurt has 2iu of Vitamin D.

Vitamin E

Ricotta cheese and yogurt contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - ricotta cheese has 0.11mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and yogurt has 0.06mg of Vitamin E.

Vitamin K

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

The B Vitamins

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

Ricotta Cheese Yogurt
Thiamin 0.013 MG 0.029 MG
Riboflavin 0.298 MG 0.142 MG
Niacin 0.137 MG 0.075 MG
Pantothenic acid 0.461 MG 0.389 MG
Vitamin B6 0.097 MG 0.032 MG
Folate 4 UG 7 UG
Vitamin B12 0.85 UG 0.37 UG

Minerals

calcium

Both ricotta cheese and yogurt are high in calcium. Ricotta cheese has 70% more calcium than yogurt - ricotta cheese has 206mg of calcium per 100 grams and yogurt has 121mg of calcium.

iron

Ricotta cheese and yogurt contain similar amounts of iron - ricotta cheese has 0.13mg of iron per 100 grams and yogurt has 0.05mg of iron.

potassium

Ricotta cheese is a great source of potassium and it has 41% more potassium than yogurt - ricotta cheese has 219mg of potassium per 100 grams and yogurt has 155mg 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,

Ricotta Cheese Yogurt
beta-carotene 33 UG 5 UG

Omega-3 and Omega-6

omega 3s

For omega-3 fatty acids, both ricotta cheese and yogurt contain significant amounts of alpha linoleic acid (ALA).

Ricotta Cheese Yogurt
alpha linoleic acid 0.043 G 0.027 G
DHA 0.001 G ~
EPA 0.004 G ~
DPA 0.006 G ~
Total 0.054 G 0.027 G

omega 6s

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

Ricotta Cheese Yogurt
other omega 6 0.012 G ~
linoleic acid 0.356 G 0.065 G
Total 0.368 G 0.065 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 Yogurt (Yogurt, plain, whole milk) .

Ricotta Cheese g

()
Daily Values (%)

Yogurt 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 yogurt contain more calories in 100 grams?
Ricotta cheese is high in calories and yogurt has 60% less calories than ricotta cheese - ricotta cheese has 150 calories in 100g and yogurt has 61 calories.

Does ricotta cheese or yogurt contain more calcium?
Both ricotta cheese and yogurt are high in calcium. Ricotta cheese has 70% more calcium than yogurt - ricotta cheese has 206mg of calcium in 100 grams and yogurt has 121mg of calcium.