Beef vs. Cheese
Nutrition comparison of Cooked Beef and Cheese
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
cooked
beef
versus
cheese
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in beef and cheese:
- Both beef and cheese are high in calories, protein and saturated fat.
- Beef has more thiamin, niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12.
- Beef is a great source of iron and potassium.
- Cheese is an excellent source of Vitamin A and calcium.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Beef (Beef, ground, 70% lean meat / 30% fat, patty, cooked, broiled) and Cheese (Cheese, Mexican blend) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Both beef and cheese are high in calories. Cheese has 39% more calories than beef - beef has 277 calories per 100 grams and cheese has 384 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, beef is heavier in protein, lighter in fat and similar to cheese for carbs. Beef has a macronutrient ratio of 38:0:62 and for cheese, 25:0:75 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Beef | Cheese | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 38% | 25% |
| Carbohydrates | ~ | ~ |
| Fat | 62% | 75% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Both cheese and beef are low in carbohydrates - cheese has 0.13g of total carbs per 100 grams and beef does not contain significant amounts.
Protein
protein
Both beef and cheese are high in protein. Beef has a little more protein (8%) than cheese by weight - beef has 25.4g of protein per 100 grams and cheese has 23.5g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both beef and cheese are high in saturated fat. Cheese has 119% more saturated fat than beef - beef has 7.3g of saturated fat per 100 grams and cheese has 16.1g of saturated fat.
trans fat
Cheese has less trans fat than beef - beef has 1.2g of trans fat per 100 grams and cheese does not contain significant amounts.
cholesterol
Beef and cheese contain similar amounts of cholesterol - beef has 88mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and cheese has 95mg of cholesterol.
Vitamins
Vitamin A
Cheese is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has 57 times more Vitamin A than beef - beef has 3ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and cheese has 174ug of Vitamin A.
Vitamin D
Cheese has 950% more Vitamin D than beef - beef has 2iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and cheese has 21iu of Vitamin D.
Vitamin E
Beef and cheese contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - beef has 0.12mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and cheese has 0.25mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Beef and cheese contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - beef has 3ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and cheese has 2.5ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Beef has more thiamin, niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and Vitamin B12. Both beef and cheese contain significant amounts of riboflavin and folate.
| Beef | Cheese | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.051 MG | 0.023 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.176 MG | 0.318 MG |
| Niacin | 4.537 MG | 0.114 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.658 MG | 0.249 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.336 MG | 0.061 MG |
| Folate | 11 UG | 13 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | 2.9 UG | 1.23 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Cheese is an excellent source of calcium and it has 17 times more calcium than beef - beef has 35mg of calcium per 100 grams and cheese has 659mg of calcium.
iron
Beef is a great source of iron and it has 281% more iron than cheese - beef has 2.3mg of iron per 100 grams and cheese has 0.59mg of iron.
potassium
Beef is a great source of potassium and it has 224% more potassium than cheese - beef has 275mg of potassium per 100 grams and cheese has 85mg of potassium.
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, cheese has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than beef per 100 grams.
| Beef | Cheese | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.056 G | 0.332 G |
| Total | 0.056 G | 0.332 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both beef and cheese contain significant amounts of linoleic acid.
| Beef | Cheese | |
|---|---|---|
| other omega 6 | 0.012 G | ~ |
| linoleic acid | 0.39 G | 0.532 G |
| Total | 0.402 G | 0.532 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.
Cooked Beef g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Cheese g
()
|
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 % |
|
5% | choline | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | chlorine | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | chromium | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | copper | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | fluoride | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| UG % |
|
5% | iodine | 5% |
|
UG % | |
| MG % |
|
5% | manganese | 5% |
|
MG % | |
| UG % |
|
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 beef or cheese contain more calories in 100 grams?Both beef and cheese are high in calories. Cheese has 40% more calories than beef - beef has 277 calories in 100g and cheese has 384 calories.
Is beef or cheese better for protein?
Both beef and cheese are high in protein. Beef has a little more protein ( 10%) than cheese by weight - beef has 25.4g of protein per 100 grams and cheese has 23.5g of protein.
Does beef or cheese contain more calcium?
Cheese is a rich source of calcium and it has 17 times more calcium than beef - beef has 35mg of calcium in 100 grams and cheese has 659mg of calcium.