Cheese vs. Sour Cream

Nutrition comparison of Cheese and Sour Cream


Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?

We compared the nutritional contents of cheese versus sour cream (100g each) below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].

For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in cheese and sour cream:

  • Both sour cream and cheese are high in Vitamin A, calcium, calories and saturated fat.
  • Cheese has more Vitamin B12.
  • Cheese is an excellent source of protein.
Detailed nutritional comparison of cheese and sour cream is analyzed below. You can also visualize the nutritional comparison for a custom portion or serving size and see how the nutrition compares.

USDA sources for nutritional information: Cheese (Cheese, Mexican blend) and Sour Cream (Cream, sour, cultured) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.


Image of Cheese src
Image of Sour Cream src

Calories and Carbs

calories

Both sour cream and cheese are high in calories. Cheese has 94% more calories than sour cream - sour cream has 198 calories per 100 grams and cheese has 384 calories.

For macronutrient ratios, cheese is heavier in protein, lighter in carbs and lighter in fat compared to sour cream per calorie. Cheese has a macronutrient ratio of 25:0:75 and for sour cream, 5:9:86 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.

Macro Ratios from Calories:

Cheese Sour Cream
Protein 25% 5%
Carbohydrates ~ 9%
Fat 75% 86%
Alcohol ~ ~

carbohydrates

Both sour cream and cheese are low in carbohydrates - sour cream has 4.6g of total carbs per 100 grams and cheese has 0.13g of carbohydrates.

sugar

Cheese has less sugar than sour cream - sour cream has 3.4g of sugar per 100 grams and cheese does not contain significant amounts.

Protein

protein

Cheese is an excellent source of protein and it has 865% more protein than sour cream - sour cream has 2.4g of protein per 100 grams and cheese has 23.5g of protein.

Fat

saturated fat

Both sour cream and cheese are high in saturated fat. Cheese has 58% more saturated fat than sour cream - sour cream has 10.1g of saturated fat per 100 grams and cheese has 16.1g of saturated fat.

trans fat

Both sour cream and cheese are low in trans fat - sour cream has 0.8g of trans fat per 100 grams and cheese does not contain significant amounts.

cholesterol

Sour cream has 38% less cholesterol than cheese - sour cream has 59mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and cheese has 95mg of cholesterol.

Vitamins

Vitamin C

Sour cream has more Vitamin C than cheese - sour cream has 0.9mg of Vitamin C per 100 grams and cheese does not contain significant amounts.

Vitamin A

Both sour cream and cheese are high in Vitamin A. Cheese has 40% more Vitamin A than sour cream - sour cream has 124ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and cheese has 174ug of Vitamin A.

Vitamin D

Cheese has more Vitamin D than sour cream - cheese has 21iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and sour cream does not contain significant amounts.

Vitamin E

Sour cream and cheese contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - sour cream has 0.38mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and cheese has 0.25mg of Vitamin E.

Vitamin K

Sour cream and cheese contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - sour cream has 1.5ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and cheese has 2.5ug of Vitamin K.

The B Vitamins

Cheese has more Vitamin B12. Both cheese and sour cream contain significant amounts of thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and folate.

Cheese Sour Cream
Thiamin 0.023 MG 0.02 MG
Riboflavin 0.318 MG 0.168 MG
Niacin 0.114 MG 0.093 MG
Pantothenic acid 0.249 MG 0.472 MG
Vitamin B6 0.061 MG 0.041 MG
Folate 13 UG 6 UG
Vitamin B12 1.23 UG 0.21 UG

Minerals

calcium

Both sour cream and cheese are high in calcium. Cheese has 552% more calcium than sour cream - sour cream has 101mg of calcium per 100 grams and cheese has 659mg of calcium.

iron

Cheese has 743% more iron than sour cream - sour cream has 0.07mg of iron per 100 grams and cheese has 0.59mg of iron.

potassium

Sour cream has 47% more potassium than cheese - sour cream has 125mg of potassium per 100 grams and cheese has 85mg of potassium.

Antioxidants and Phytonutrients

carotenoids

Carotenoids are micronutrients commonly found in plants and some animal products. An example is beta-carotene, the notable carotenoid which is a popular source of Vitamin A.[4][5]

For specific types of carotenoids,

Cheese Sour Cream
beta-carotene 56 UG 25 UG
lutein + zeaxanthin ~ 4 UG

Omega-3 and Omega-6

omega 3s

For omega-3 fatty acids, cheese has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) than sour cream per 100 grams, however, sour cream contains more dpa than cheese per 100 grams.

Cheese Sour Cream
alpha linoleic acid 0.332 G 0.074 G
DHA ~ 0.001 G
EPA ~ 0.006 G
DPA ~ 0.011 G
Total 0.332 G 0.092 G

omega 6s

Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, both cheese and sour cream contain significant amounts of linoleic acid.

Cheese Sour Cream
linoleic acid 0.532 G 0.648 G
other omega 6 ~ 0.018 G
Total 0.532 G 0.666 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.

Note: The specific food items compared are: Cheese (Cheese, Mexican blend) and Sour Cream (Cream, sour, cultured) .

Cheese g

()
Daily Values (%)

Sour Cream g

()
KCAL %
calories
KCAL %
G %
carbohydrates
G %
G %
dietary fiber
G %
G sugar G
G %
total fat
G %
G %
saturated fat
G %
G monounsaturated fat G
G polyunsaturated fat G
G trans fat G
MG cholesterol MG
MG %
sodium
MG %
Vitamins and Minerals
UG %
Vitamin A
UG %
MG %
Vitamin C
MG %
IU %
Vitamin D
IU %
MG %
calcium
MG %
MG %
iron
MG %
MG %
magnesium
MG %
MG %
potassium
MG %
MG %
thiamin (Vit B1)
MG %
MG %
riboflavin (Vit B2)
MG %
MG %
niacin (Vit B3)
MG %
MG %
Vitamin B6
MG %
MG %
pantothenic acid (Vit B5)
MG %
UG %
folate (Vit B9)
UG %
UG %
Vitamin B12
UG %
MG %
Vitamin E
MG %
UG %
Vitamin K
UG %
G %
protein
G %
UG %
biotin (Vit B7)
UG %
MG %
choline
MG %
MG %
chlorine
MG %
UG %
chromium
UG %
MG %
copper
MG %
UG %
fluoride
UG %
UG %
iodine
UG %
MG %
manganese
MG %
UG %
molybdenum
UG %
MG %
phosphorus
MG %
UG %
selenium
UG %
MG %
zinc
MG %
G Water G
G Starch G
G Alcohol G


FAQ

Does sour cream or cheese contain more calories in 100 grams?
Both sour cream and cheese are high in calories. Cheese has 90% more calories than sour cream - sour cream has 198 calories in 100g and cheese has 384 calories.

Does sour cream or cheese contain more calcium?
Both sour cream and cheese are high in calcium. Cheese has 550% more calcium than sour cream - sour cream has 101mg of calcium in 100 grams and cheese has 659mg of calcium.