Cheese vs. Milk
Nutrition comparison of Cheese and Milk
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
cheese
versus
milk
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in cheese and milk:
- Both milk and cheese are high in calcium.
- Cheese has more folate and Vitamin B12.
- Cheese is an excellent source of Vitamin A and protein.
- Milk has 10.8 times less cholesterol than cheese.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Cheese (Cheese, Mexican blend) and Milk (Milk, reduced fat, fluid, 2% milkfat, with added vitamin A and vitamin D) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Cheese is high in calories and milk has 87% less calories than cheese - milk has 50 calories per 100 grams and cheese has 384 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, cheese is much lighter in carbs, much heavier in fat and similar to milk for protein. Cheese has a macronutrient ratio of 25:0:75 and for milk, 27:38:35 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Cheese | Milk | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 25% | 27% |
| Carbohydrates | ~ | 38% |
| Fat | 75% | 35% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Both milk and cheese are low in carbohydrates - milk has 4.8g of total carbs per 100 grams and cheese has 0.13g of carbohydrates.
sugar
Cheese has less sugar than milk - milk has 5.1g of sugar per 100 grams and cheese does not contain significant amounts.
Protein
protein
Cheese is an excellent source of protein and it has 613% more protein than milk - milk has 3.3g of protein per 100 grams and cheese has 23.5g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Cheese is high in saturated fat and milk has 92% less saturated fat than cheese - milk has 1.3g of saturated fat per 100 grams and cheese has 16.1g of saturated fat.
trans fat
Both milk and cheese are low in trans fat - milk has 0.09g of trans fat per 100 grams and cheese does not contain significant amounts.
cholesterol
Milk has 10.8 times less cholesterol than cheese - milk has 8mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and cheese has 95mg of cholesterol.
Vitamins
Vitamin C
Milk and cheese contain similar amounts of Vitamin C - milk has 0.2mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and cheese does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin A
Cheese is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has 216% more Vitamin A than milk - milk has 55ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and cheese has 174ug of Vitamin A.
Vitamin D
Milk has 133% more Vitamin D than cheese - milk has 49iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and cheese has 21iu of Vitamin D.
Vitamin E
Milk and cheese contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - milk has 0.03mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and cheese has 0.25mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Milk and cheese contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - milk has 0.2ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and cheese has 2.5ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Cheese has more folate and Vitamin B12. Both cheese and milk contain significant amounts of thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid and Vitamin B6.
| Cheese | Milk | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.023 MG | 0.039 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.318 MG | 0.185 MG |
| Niacin | 0.114 MG | 0.092 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.249 MG | 0.356 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.061 MG | 0.038 MG |
| Folate | 13 UG | 5 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | 1.23 UG | 0.53 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Both milk and cheese are high in calcium. Cheese has 449% more calcium than milk - milk has 120mg of calcium per 100 grams and cheese has 659mg of calcium.
iron
Cheese has 28 times more iron than milk - milk has 0.02mg of iron per 100 grams and cheese has 0.59mg of iron.
potassium
Milk has 65% more potassium than cheese - milk has 140mg of potassium per 100 grams and cheese has 85mg of potassium.
Antioxidants and Phytonutrients
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, cheese has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than milk per 100 grams.
| Cheese | Milk | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.332 G | 0.008 G |
| Total | 0.332 G | 0.008 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, cheese has more linoleic acid than milk per 100 grams.
| Cheese | Milk | |
|---|---|---|
| linoleic acid | 0.532 G | 0.062 G |
| other omega 6 | ~ | 0.004 G |
| Total | 0.532 G | 0.066 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.
Cheese g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Milk 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 milk or cheese contain more calories in 100 grams?Cheese is high in calories and milk has 90% less calories than cheese - milk has 50 calories in 100g and cheese has 384 calories.
Does milk or cheese have more carbohydrates?
By weight, both milk and cheese are low in carbohydrates - milk has 4.8g of carbs for 100g and cheese has 0.13g of carbohydrates.
Does milk or cheese contain more calcium?
Both milk and cheese are high in calcium. Cheese has 450% more calcium than milk - milk has 120mg of calcium in 100 grams and cheese has 659mg of calcium.