Top 10 Cheeses Low in Cholesterol

Written by Daisy Whitbread, MScN
Powered by USDA Nutrition Data
Top 10 Cheeses Low in Cholesterol

This list of low cholesterol cheeses is for those looking to lower their LDL cholesterol, but don't want to eliminate cheese from their diet completely.

In general, low cholesterol cheeses include those where the milk fat has been reduced or removed. These include low-fat cottage cheese, fat-free cream cheese, non-fat cheddar, non-fat Swiss, low-fat ricotta, soft goat cheese, low-fat provolone, low-fat mozzarella, grated parmesan, and blue cheese.

On average low cholesterol cheeses have 7mg (2%DV) of cholesterol per ounce vs high cholesterol cheeses which have 31mg cholesterol (12% DV) per ounce.

Below is a table of the 10 cheeses lowest in cholesterol per ounce. For more, see the list of cheeses high in cholesterol to avoid, and the complete ranking of over 100 dairy foods low in cholesterol.

Table of Low Cholesterol Cheese

FoodServingCholesterol
#1 Low-Fat Cottage Cheese
(Source)		per oz0% DV
1mg
#2 Fat-Free Cream Cheese
(Source)		per oz1% DV
3mg
#3 Non-Fat Cheddar
(Source)		per oz2% DV
5mg
#4 Non-Fat Swiss
(Source)		per oz2% DV
5mg
#5 Low-Fat Ricotta Cheese
(Source)		per oz3% DV
9mg
#6 Soft Goat Cheese
(Source)		per oz4% DV
13mg
#7 Low-Fat Provolone
(Source)		per oz5% DV
16mg
#8 Low-Fat Mozzarella
(Source)		per oz6% DV
18mg
#9 Grated Parmesan
(Source)		per oz6% DV
19mg
#10 Blue Cheese
(Source)		per oz7% DV
21mg

See All 22 Dairy and Egg Products Low in Cholesterol

Table of High Cholesterol Cheese

FoodServingCholesterol
#1 Port De Salut
(Source)		per oz12% DV
(35mg)
#2 Gouda
(Source)		per oz11% DV
(32mg)
#3 Gruyere
(Source)		per oz10% DV
(31mg)
#4 Hard Goat Cheese
(Source)		per oz10% DV
(30mg)
#5 Tilsit
(Source)		per oz10% DV
(29mg)
#6 Brie
(Source)		per oz9% DV
(28mg)
#7 Cheddar
(Source)		per oz9% DV
(28mg)
#8 Colby
(Source)		per oz9% DV
(27mg)
#9 Gjetost
(Source)		per oz9% DV
(27mg)
#10 Swiss
(Source)		per oz9% DV
(26mg)

Does Cheese Increase Your LDL Cholesterol?

Recently there has been a lot of controversy over whether a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol really affects cholesterol levels. A 2010 study reviewing the advice to reduce consumption of saturated fats found that eating a diet lower in saturated fat and cholesterol is still beneficial for reducing LDL cholesterol and cardiovascular disease risk. Note: This is only true if a low-fat diet is not replaced with a high sugar diet. A diet which lowers cholesterol requires reducing consumption of saturated fats, cholesterol, and refined sugar.

What can I do to lower cholesterol?

Cholesterol reduction can be affected by genetics, but in general it is best to:Fore more, see the article on cholesterol lowering foods.

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Data Sources and References

  1. U.S. Agricultural Research Service Food Data Central

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