Highest Protein Cheeses (2026)
Cottage cheese, low-fat string cheese, and a few specialty options dominate this category. Most full-fat cheeses end up in the Silver tier or below.
10 products tracked · sorted by Protein Density (% of calories from protein)
Ranked by Protein Density
Percent of calories from protein. Secondary column is grams of protein per serving.
Filters10/10
Tiers are set by % of calories from protein
| Quality | Serving | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1% Low-Fat Cottage Cheese Good Culture | 70% | 14g | 80 | 17.5g | 1.19g | Complete | 113g |
| 2% Low-Fat Cottage Cheese Good Culture | 62.2% | 14g | 90 | 15.6g | 1.19g | Complete | 113g |
| Lowfat Cottage Cheese Daisy | 57.8% | 13g | 90 | 14.4g | 1.19g | Complete | 113g |
| Mini Babybel Light Babybel | 48% | 6g | 50 | 12g | 0.57g | Complete | 21g |
| Light String Cheese Frigo | 48% | 6g | 50 | 12g | 0.62g | Complete | 21g |
| Light Mozzarella String Cheese Sargento | 48% | 6g | 50 | 12g | 0.62g | Complete | 21g |
| Mozzarella String Cheese Frigo | 35% | 7g | 80 | 8.8g | 0.62g | Complete | 28g |
| Mozzarella String Cheese Sargento | 30% | 6g | 80 | 7.5g | 0.62g | Complete | 28g |
| Mini Babybel Original Babybel | 28.6% | 5g | 70 | 7.1g | 0.48g | Complete | 21g |
| Snack Cheese Mozzarella Tillamook | 28.6% | 5g | 70 | 7.1g | 0.62g | Complete | 21g |
Visualize the highest protein cheese
The same data, charted — see efficiency at a glance.
Top 10 by protein / 100 cal.
Bars colored by Protein Density (% of calories from protein) tier. Values in g/100cal.
- Good Culture 1% Low-Fat Cottage Cheese: 17.5 g/100cal (platinum tier), 14g protein, 80 kcal
- Good Culture 2% Low-Fat Cottage Cheese: 15.6 g/100cal (platinum tier), 14g protein, 90 kcal
- Daisy Lowfat Cottage Cheese: 14.4 g/100cal (platinum tier), 13g protein, 90 kcal
- Babybel Mini Babybel Light: 12 g/100cal (platinum tier), 6g protein, 50 kcal
- Frigo Light String Cheese: 12 g/100cal (platinum tier), 6g protein, 50 kcal
- Sargento Light Mozzarella String Cheese: 12 g/100cal (platinum tier), 6g protein, 50 kcal
- Frigo Mozzarella String Cheese: 8.8 g/100cal (gold tier), 7g protein, 80 kcal
- Sargento Mozzarella String Cheese: 7.5 g/100cal (gold tier), 6g protein, 80 kcal
- Babybel Mini Babybel Original: 7.1 g/100cal (gold tier), 5g protein, 70 kcal
- Tillamook Snack Cheese Mozzarella: 7.1 g/100cal (gold tier), 5g protein, 70 kcal
Calories per serving vs. protein per 100 cal. Up-and-left is more efficient. Labels show the top performers directly; tap or focus a dot for brand and exact numbers.
| Food | Calories | Protein g per 100 cal | Protein (g) | Tier |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Good Culture 1% Low-Fat Cottage Cheese | 80 | 17.5 | 14 | platinum |
| Good Culture 2% Low-Fat Cottage Cheese | 90 | 15.6 | 14 | platinum |
| Daisy Lowfat Cottage Cheese | 90 | 14.4 | 13 | platinum |
| Babybel Mini Babybel Light | 50 | 12 | 6 | platinum |
| Frigo Light String Cheese | 50 | 12 | 6 | platinum |
| Sargento Light Mozzarella String Cheese | 50 | 12 | 6 | platinum |
| Frigo Mozzarella String Cheese | 80 | 8.8 | 7 | gold |
| Sargento Mozzarella String Cheese | 80 | 7.5 | 6 | gold |
| Babybel Mini Babybel Original | 70 | 7.1 | 5 | gold |
| Tillamook Snack Cheese Mozzarella | 70 | 7.1 | 5 | gold |
Static image of this chart (for sharing)
How highest protein cheese compares to every other category
Same Protein Density scoring, every category on one chart — some categories cluster at Platinum/Gold, others cluster at Silver/Avoid with zero Platinum picks.
Browse other categories
Same Protein Density scoring, different snack types.
Protein bars sorted by Protein Density.
Yogurts sorted by Protein Density.
Jerky and meat snacks sorted by Protein Density.
Protein chips sorted by Protein Density.
Protein ice creams sorted by Protein Density.
Protein cereals sorted by Protein Density.
Protein cookies sorted by Protein Density.
Legume and protein-fortified pasta sorted by Protein Density.
Protein-fortified oatmeal and overnight oats sorted by Protein Density.
Protein granola ranked by Protein Density — and why none of it reaches Gold.
Going beyond snacks
Cheese protein: common questions
Which cheese has the most protein?
Good Culture 1% Low-Fat Cottage Cheese leads: 14 g of protein in 80 kcal (a 113 g serving) — 70% Protein Density, Platinum tier. Runners-up: Good Culture 2% Low-Fat Cottage Cheese (62.2%, 14 g) and Daisy Lowfat Cottage Cheese (57.8%, 13 g).
How much protein is in cheese?
Protein ranges from 5 g to 14 g per serving across the 10 products we track (calories run 50-90 kcal); a typical serving lands around 6 g.
Is cheese a good source of protein?
Yes — every one of the 10 cheese products we track reaches Gold tier or better (at least 25% of calories from protein); 6 of them go further, to Platinum tier (40%+).