Top 10 Cheeses Low in Cholesterol
Written by Daisy Whitbread, MScN
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 cheddar, fat-free cream cheese, fat-free Swiss cheese, non-fat mozzarella, low-fat cheddar or Colby, part-skim ricotta, low-fat Swiss, soft goat cheese, and whole milk ricotta.
Below is a table of the 10 cheeses lowest in cholesterol per ounce. The table also includes their amount of sodium and calories. See the photo below to understand how much 1 ounce of cheese is equal to.
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. Be sure to also see the list of cheeses high in cholesterol to avoid.
Low Cholesterol Cheeses
| Average Low Cholesterol Cheese | 7mg Cholesterol (2% DV) | 7% DV Sodium | 43 Calories | Nutrient Ranking |
| Lowfat Cottage Cheese (1% Milkfat) | 1mg Cholesterol (0%) | 5% DV Sodium | 20 Calories | Complete Nutrition Facts |
| Fat-Free American or Cheddar Cheese | 3mg Cholesterol (1%) | 18% DV Sodium | 41 Calories | Complete Nutrition Facts |
| Fat-Free Cream Cheese | 3mg Cholesterol (1%) | 8% DV Sodium | 29 Calories | Complete Nutrition Facts |
| Fat-Free Swiss Cheese | 5mg Cholesterol (2%) | 12% DV Sodium | 36 Calories | Complete Nutrition Facts |
| Nonfat Mozzarella | 5mg Cholesterol (2%) | 9% DV Sodium | 39 Calories | Complete Nutrition Facts |
| Low-Fat Ceddar or Colby | 6mg Cholesterol (2%) | 10% DV Sodium | 48 Calories | Complete Nutrition Facts |
| Part Skim Ricotta | 9mg Cholesterol (3%) | 1% DV Sodium | 39 Calories | Complete Nutrition Facts |
| Low-Fat Swiss | 10mg Cholesterol (3%) | 2% DV Sodium | 50 Calories | Complete Nutrition Facts |
| Soft Goat Cheese | 13mg Cholesterol (4%) | 5% DV Sodium | 74 Calories | Complete Nutrition Facts |
| Whole Milk Ricotta | 14mg Cholesterol (5%) | 1% DV Sodium | 49 Calories | Complete Nutrition Facts |
High Cholesterol Cheeses to Avoid
| Average High Cholesterol Cheese | 31mg Cholesterol (10% DV) | 12% DV Sodium | 123 Calories | Nutrient Ranking |
| Port De Salut | 34mg Cholesterol (11%) | 6% DV Sodium | 99 Calories | Complete Nutrition Facts |
| Fontina Cheese | 32mg Cholesterol (11%) | 9% DV Sodium | 109 Calories | Complete Nutrition Facts |
| Gouda | 32mg Cholesterol (11%) | 10% DV Sodium | 100 Calories | Complete Nutrition Facts |
| Gruyere | 31mg Cholesterol (10%) | 8% DV Sodium | 116 Calories | Complete Nutrition Facts |
| Hard Goat Cheese | 29mg Cholesterol (10%) | 5% DV Sodium | 127 Calories | Complete Nutrition Facts |
| Anejo (Mexican Queso) | 29mg Cholesterol (10%) | 13% DV Sodium | 104 Calories | Complete Nutrition Facts |
| Asadero (Mexican Queso) | 29mg Cholesterol (10%) | 8% DV Sodium | 100 Calories | Complete Nutrition Facts |
| Chihuahua (Mexican Queso) | 29mg Cholesterol (10%) | 7% DV Sodium | 105 Calories | Complete Nutrition Facts |
| Romano | 29mg Cholesterol (10%) | 17% DV Sodium | 108 Calories | Complete Nutrition Facts |
| Cheshire | 29mg Cholesterol (10%) | 8% DV Sodium | 108 Calories | Complete Nutrition Facts |
| Tilsit | 29mg Cholesterol (10%) | 9% DV Sodium | 95 Calories | Complete Nutrition Facts |
| Brie | 28mg Cholesterol (9%) | 7% DV Sodium | 94 Calories | Complete Nutrition Facts |
| Muenster | 27mg Cholesterol (9%) | 7% DV Sodium | 103 Calories | Complete Nutrition Facts |
| Colby | 27mg Cholesterol (9%) | 7% DV Sodium | 110 Calories | Complete Nutrition Facts |
| Mexican Blend | 27mg Cholesterol (9%) | 4% DV Sodium | 100 Calories | Complete Nutrition Facts |
| Gjetost | 26mg Cholesterol (9%) | 7% DV Sodium | 130 Calories | Complete Nutrition Facts |
| Swiss | 26mg Cholesterol (9%) | 2% DV Sodium | 110 Calories | Complete Nutrition Facts |
| Limburger | 25mg Cholesterol (8%) | 9% DV Sodium | 92 Calories | Complete Nutrition Facts |
| Roquefort | 25mg Cholesterol (8%) | 21% DV Sodium | 103 Calories | Complete Nutrition Facts |
| Edam | 25mg Cholesterol (8%) | 10% DV Sodium | 100 Calories | Complete Nutrition Facts |
| Feta | 25mg Cholesterol (8%) | 11% DV Sodium | 74 Calories | Complete Nutrition Facts |
| Monterey | 25mg Cholesterol (8%) | 7% DV Sodium | 104 Calories | Complete Nutrition Facts |
| Grated Parmesan grated | 24mg Cholesterol (8%) | 21% DV Sodium | 118 Calories | Complete Nutrition Facts |
Does Cheese Really 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 else can I do to lower cholesterol?
Cholesterol reduction can be affected by genetics, but in general it is best to:
- Lose Weight
- Exercise regularly
- Adopt a vegan diet
- Reduce consumption of refined carbohydrates and sugars
- Reduce stress
