Cream Cheese vs. Ricotta Cheese
Nutrition comparison of Cream Cheese and Ricotta Cheese
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
cream cheese
versus
ricotta cheese
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in cream cheese and ricotta cheese:
- Both ricotta cheese and cream cheese are high in Vitamin A, calcium, calories and saturated fat.
- Ricotta cheese has 51% less cholesterol than cream cheese.
- Ricotta cheese has 72% less trans fat than cream cheese.
- Ricotta cheese has more Vitamin B12.
- Ricotta cheese is a great source of potassium.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Cream Cheese (Cheese, cream) and Ricotta Cheese (Cheese, ricotta, whole milk) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Both ricotta cheese and cream cheese are high in calories. Cream cheese has 133% more calories than ricotta cheese - ricotta cheese has 150 calories per 100 grams and cream cheese has 350 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, cream cheese is lighter in protein, lighter in carbs and much heavier in fat compared to ricotta cheese per calorie. Cream cheese has a macronutrient ratio of 7:6:87 and for ricotta cheese, 20:19:61 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Cream Cheese | Ricotta Cheese | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 7% | 20% |
| Carbohydrates | 6% | 19% |
| Fat | 87% | 61% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Ricotta cheese and cream cheese contain similar amounts of carbs - ricotta cheese has 7.3g of total carbs per 100 grams and cream cheese has 5.5g of carbohydrates.
sugar
Ricotta cheese and cream cheese contain similar amounts of sugar - ricotta cheese has 0.27g of sugar per 100 grams and cream cheese has 3.8g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Ricotta cheese and cream cheese contain similar amounts of protein - ricotta cheese has 7.5g of protein per 100 grams and cream cheese has 6.2g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Both ricotta cheese and cream cheese are high in saturated fat. Cream cheese has 215% more saturated fat than ricotta cheese - ricotta cheese has 6.4g of saturated fat per 100 grams and cream cheese has 20.2g of saturated fat.
trans fat
Ricotta cheese has 72% less trans fat than cream cheese - ricotta cheese has 0.33g of trans fat per 100 grams and cream cheese has 1.2g of trans fat.
cholesterol
Ricotta cheese has 51% less cholesterol than cream cheese - ricotta cheese has 49mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and cream cheese has 101mg of cholesterol.
Vitamins
Vitamin A
Both ricotta cheese and cream cheese are high in Vitamin A. Cream cheese has 157% more Vitamin A than ricotta cheese - ricotta cheese has 120ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and cream cheese has 308ug of Vitamin A.
Vitamin D
Ricotta cheese has more Vitamin D than cream cheese - ricotta cheese has 10iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and cream cheese does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Ricotta cheese and cream cheese contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - ricotta cheese has 0.11mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and cream cheese has 0.86mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Ricotta cheese and cream cheese contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - ricotta cheese has 1.1ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and cream cheese has 2.1ug of Vitamin K.
The B Vitamins
Ricotta cheese has more Vitamin B12. Both cream cheese and ricotta cheese contain significant amounts of thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and folate.
| Cream Cheese | Ricotta Cheese | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.023 MG | 0.013 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.23 MG | 0.298 MG |
| Niacin | 0.091 MG | 0.137 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.517 MG | 0.461 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.056 MG | 0.097 MG |
| Folate | 9 UG | 4 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.22 UG | 0.85 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Both ricotta cheese and cream cheese are high in calcium. Ricotta cheese has 112% more calcium than cream cheese - ricotta cheese has 206mg of calcium per 100 grams and cream cheese has 97mg of calcium.
iron
Ricotta cheese and cream cheese contain similar amounts of iron - ricotta cheese has 0.13mg of iron per 100 grams and cream cheese has 0.11mg of iron.
potassium
Ricotta cheese is a great source of potassium and it has 66% more potassium than cream cheese - ricotta cheese has 219mg of potassium per 100 grams and cream cheese has 132mg 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, both cream cheese and ricotta cheese contain significant amounts of beta-carotene.
| Cream Cheese | Ricotta Cheese | |
|---|---|---|
| beta-carotene | 59 UG | 33 UG |
| alpha-carotene | 1 UG | ~ |
| lutein + zeaxanthin | 7 UG | ~ |
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, cream cheese has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) and DPA than ricotta cheese per 100 grams. Both cream cheese and ricotta cheese contain small amounts of EPA.
| Cream Cheese | Ricotta Cheese | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.131 G | 0.043 G |
| EPA | 0.01 G | 0.004 G |
| DPA | 0.02 G | 0.006 G |
| DHA | ~ | 0.001 G |
| Total | 0.161 G | 0.054 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, cream cheese has more linoleic acid than ricotta cheese per 100 grams.
| Cream Cheese | Ricotta Cheese | |
|---|---|---|
| other omega 6 | 0.036 G | 0.012 G |
| linoleic acid | 1.212 G | 0.356 G |
| Total | 1.248 G | 0.368 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: Cream Cheese (Cheese, cream) and Ricotta Cheese (Cheese, ricotta, whole milk) .
Cream Cheese g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Ricotta 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 ricotta cheese or cream cheese contain more calories in 100 grams?Both ricotta cheese and cream cheese are high in calories. Cream cheese has 130% more calories than ricotta cheese - ricotta cheese has 150 calories in 100g and cream cheese has 350 calories.
Does ricotta cheese or cream cheese contain more calcium?
Both ricotta cheese and cream cheese are high in calcium. Ricotta cheese has 110% more calcium than cream cheese - ricotta cheese has 206mg of calcium in 100 grams and cream cheese has 97mg of calcium.