Cream Cheese vs. Skim Milk
Nutrition comparison of Cream Cheese and Skim Milk
Ever wonder how your favorite foods stack up against each other in terms of nutrition?
We compared the nutritional contents of
cream cheese
versus
skim milk
(100g each)
below using 2020 USDA and NIH data[1].
For a quick recap of significant nutrients and differences in cream cheese and skim milk:
- Both skim milk and cream cheese are high in calcium.
- Cream cheese is an excellent source of Vitamin A.
- Skim milk has 49.5 times less cholesterol than cream cheese.
- Skim milk has more Vitamin B12.
USDA sources for nutritional information: Cream Cheese (Cheese, cream) and Skim Milk (Milk, nonfat, fluid, with added vitamin A and vitamin D (fat free or skim)) . Have a correction or suggestions? Shoot us an email.
Calories and Carbs
calories
Cream cheese is high in calories and skim milk has 90% less calories than cream cheese - skim milk has 34 calories per 100 grams and cream cheese has 350 calories.
For macronutrient ratios, cream cheese is much lighter in protein, much lighter in carbs and much heavier in fat compared to skim milk per calorie. Cream cheese has a macronutrient ratio of 7:6:87 and for skim milk, 40:58:2 for protein, carbohydrates and fat from calories.
Macro Ratios from Calories:
| Cream Cheese | Skim Milk | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 7% | 40% |
| Carbohydrates | 6% | 58% |
| Fat | 87% | 2% |
| Alcohol | ~ | ~ |
carbohydrates
Skim milk and cream cheese contain similar amounts of carbs - skim milk has 5g of total carbs per 100 grams and cream cheese has 5.5g of carbohydrates.
sugar
Skim milk and cream cheese contain similar amounts of sugar - skim milk has 5.1g of sugar per 100 grams and cream cheese has 3.8g of sugar.
Protein
protein
Cream cheese has 82% more protein than skim milk - skim milk has 3.4g of protein per 100 grams and cream cheese has 6.2g of protein.
Fat
saturated fat
Cream cheese is high in saturated fat and skim milk has 100% less saturated fat than cream cheese - skim milk has 0.06g of saturated fat per 100 grams and cream cheese has 20.2g of saturated fat.
trans fat
Skim milk has less trans fat than cream cheese - cream cheese has 1.2g of trans fat per 100 grams and skim milk does not contain significant amounts.
cholesterol
Skim milk has 49.5 times less cholesterol than cream cheese - skim milk has 2mg of cholesterol per 100 grams and cream cheese has 101mg of cholesterol.
Vitamins
Vitamin A
Cream cheese is an excellent source of Vitamin A and it has 405% more Vitamin A than skim milk - skim milk has 61ug of Vitamin A per 100 grams and cream cheese has 308ug of Vitamin A.
Vitamin D
Skim milk has more Vitamin D than cream cheese - skim milk has 47iu of Vitamin D per 100 grams and cream cheese does not contain significant amounts.
Vitamin E
Skim milk and cream cheese contain similar amounts of Vitamin E - skim milk has 0.01mg of Vitamin E per 100 grams and cream cheese has 0.86mg of Vitamin E.
Vitamin K
Cream cheese and skim milk contain similar amounts of Vitamin K - cream cheese has 2.1ug of Vitamin K per 100 grams and skim milk does not contain significant amounts.
The B Vitamins
Skim milk has more Vitamin B12. Both cream cheese and skim milk contain significant amounts of thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, Vitamin B6 and folate.
| Cream Cheese | Skim Milk | |
|---|---|---|
| Thiamin | 0.023 MG | 0.045 MG |
| Riboflavin | 0.23 MG | 0.182 MG |
| Niacin | 0.091 MG | 0.094 MG |
| Pantothenic acid | 0.517 MG | 0.357 MG |
| Vitamin B6 | 0.056 MG | 0.037 MG |
| Folate | 9 UG | 5 UG |
| Vitamin B12 | 0.22 UG | 0.5 UG |
Minerals
calcium
Both skim milk and cream cheese are high in calcium. Skim milk has 26% more calcium than cream cheese - skim milk has 122mg of calcium per 100 grams and cream cheese has 97mg of calcium.
iron
Skim milk and cream cheese contain similar amounts of iron - skim milk has 0.03mg of iron per 100 grams and cream cheese has 0.11mg of iron.
potassium
Skim milk and cream cheese contain similar amounts of potassium - skim milk has 156mg of potassium per 100 grams and cream cheese has 132mg of potassium.
Omega-3 and Omega-6
omega 3s
For omega-3 fatty acids, cream cheese has more alpha linoleic acid (ALA) and DPA than skim milk per 100 grams.
| Cream Cheese | Skim Milk | |
|---|---|---|
| alpha linoleic acid | 0.131 G | 0.001 G |
| EPA | 0.01 G | ~ |
| DPA | 0.02 G | ~ |
| Total | 0.161 G | 0.001 G |
omega 6s
Comparing omega-6 fatty acids, cream cheese has more linoleic acid than skim milk per 100 grams.
| Cream Cheese | Skim Milk | |
|---|---|---|
| other omega 6 | 0.036 G | ~ |
| linoleic acid | 1.212 G | 0.002 G |
| Total | 1.248 G | 0.002 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 Skim Milk (Milk, nonfat, fluid, with added vitamin A and vitamin D (fat free or skim)) .
Cream Cheese g
()
|
Daily Values (%) |
Skim 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 skim milk or cream cheese contain more calories in 100 grams?Cream cheese is high in calories and skim milk has 90% less calories than cream cheese - skim milk has 34 calories in 100g and cream cheese has 350 calories.
Is skim milk or cream cheese better for protein?
Cream cheese has 80% more protein than skim milk - skim milk has 3.4g of protein per 100 grams and cream cheese has 6.2g of protein.
Does skim milk or cream cheese have more carbohydrates?
By weight, skim milk and cream cheese contain similar amounts of carbs - skim milk has 5g of carbs for 100g and cream cheese has 5.5g of carbohydrates.
Does skim milk or cream cheese contain more calcium?
Both skim milk and cream cheese are high in calcium. Skim milk has 30% more calcium than cream cheese - skim milk has 122mg of calcium in 100 grams and cream cheese has 97mg of calcium.