14 Best High-Protein Cheeses to Add to Your Plate

Gruyère is a hard cow’s milk cheese from Switzerland, and it has "a sweet and slightly salty flavor with a texture ranging from earthy and complex to creamy and nutty, depending on age,” Black says.

Gruyère contains 8 grams of protein per ounce. It has good meltability, which makes it a good addition to quiche, sandwiches, French onion soup and fondue. It also pairs well with fresh fruit and chocolate.

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Provolone is a semi-hard, firm cheese made from cow’s milk and hailing from Southern Italy. “Aged Provolone has a sharp, tangy flavor, while younger Provolone is milder,” Scherer says.

All Provolone contains approximately 7 grams of protein per ounce. “Provolone can be served as a standalone for snacks or paired with red wines, fruit, bread and crackers,” Black says. “Provolone also has good meltability, making it ideal for use with sandwiches, burgers, pizzas, and Italian dishes like lasagna and baked pasta.”

Gouda is a hard, yellow Dutch cheese, which can be made from cow’s, goat’s or sheep’s milk. Gouda has 7 grams of protein per ounce.

Gouda has a mild, sweet and nutty flavor that intensifies the longer it's aged, and it's often smoked. Younger Gouda is better for melting, and older, harder Gouda is best for grating, Black says. It’s a popular choice for sandwiches and burgers, or served with crackers and wine.

The stretchy pizza topper comes in different fresh and low-moisture varieties, and there's often a choice between whole milk and part-skim. “Mozzarella ranges slightly in protein depending on fresh versus processed low-moisture and the fat content,” Black says.

Mozzarella has between 6 to 7 grams of protein per ounce. Soft fresh mozz is often shaped into balls or oblong twists and stored in water or brine, while the low-moisture type is typically what's made into string cheese, sold in hard blocks, or shredded in a bag.

Shredded bagged cheeses, including mozzarella, are usually more processed and can contain additives to prevent caking and spoiling. Slice fresh mozzarella for caprese salads or paninis, along with tomato and basil leaves. Add shredded mozz to pizza, baked pasta dishes, and casseroles.

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Cheddar, which originated in England, is available in a multitude of varieties, including sharp, extra-sharp, medium, mild, New York–style, white and Vermont-style, and any whole-fat cheddar contains approximately 6 grams of protein per 1-ounce serving.

“In general, the longer the cheddar is aged, the sharper and more complex the flavor becomes,” Black says. The only difference between yellow and white cheddar is the color. An all-natural coloring agent called annatto is usually used to produce the yellow hue, though some brands use synthetic dyes instead.

It’s not the most appetizing fact, but the blue part of blue cheese is actually mold—Penicillium candidum, to be exact—that’s added during production. But it's totally safe to eat and contributes to the funky flavor that its fans adore.

Its protein content varies slightly depending on the variety, but it clocks in at about 6 grams per ounce. Blue cheese is a semi-soft, crumbly cheese typically made from cow’s, sheep’s, or goat’s milk, and the term “blue” is actually an umbrella term for many varieties of cheese: Gorgonzola from Italy, Roquefort from France and Stilton from England.

It's a popular burger and steak topper, salad add-on, and accompaniment for chicken wings when turned into a dressing.

The French favorite is a cheese board mainstay. Its distinctive white rind is edible — and ripened with Penicillium candidum (camemberti) mold, which gives Brie its tangy, buttery flavor and creamy-soft texture. The longer it's aged, the funkier Brie gets, and it contains 6 grams of protein per 1-ounce serving.

Although traditional Brie originated in France, other countries also make their own versions, including Ireland, the UK and Australia. Camembert is very similar to Brie, but hails from a different region in France and has a stronger flavor.

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Cheese made from goat’s milk tends to have a tangier, even earthier flavor than cheese made from cow’s milk. It’s also known as chèvre, which means “goat” or “goat cheese” in French. Goat cheese has between 5 to 9 grams of protein per ounce.

Because they contain a higher concentration of milk, hard goat cheeses have a touch more protein (about 9 grams) than soft, spreadable goat cheese (5 to 6 grams). Both are a good source of vitamin A, which is important for skin health and immune function, but hard goat cheeses have a bit more fat than softer goat cheese due to the aging process, Scherer says.

“Goat cheese has lower lactose than cow’s milk cheese, making it easier to digest,” Scherer adds. Soft goat cheeses are great smeared onto a cracker or slice of baguette, or whipped into a dip. Hard goat cheeses make unexpected additions to a cheese board.

If one cheese is poised to knock cottage cheese off the popularity pedestal, it’s farmer’s cheese. Think of farmer’s cheese as a softer, more spreadable version of cottage cheese. It’s not as well-known (yet), but it has a similarly mild, lightly tangy taste and just slightly more protein than most varieties of cottage cheese: about 4 grams per 1-ounce serving.

The other thing farmer’s cheese has going for it is a lot less sodium than cottage cheese—about 85% to 90% less, depending on the brand. It’s also a low-lactose cheese. It can be used in much the same way as cottage cheese, too, as a protein-packed addition to smoothies, eggs, pancake or waffle batter or as a stand-in for cream cheese or sour cream.

Slice it, cube it, crumble it — feta’s forgiving texture means it can be used in lots of different ways. The Greek cheese is made from sheep’s milk or a combination of goat’s and sheep’s milk. It’s aged in brine, which gives it its salty flavor, and it has about 4 grams of protein per ounce.

The strong flavor of feta means a little can go a long way. The Mediterranean staple is great crumbled on top of salads and roasted veggies and inside wraps, and cubed on mezze platters.

Ricotta has way more uses than just as a lasagna filler. Its ultra-light flavor and smooth, spreadable texture make it perfect for slathering on toasted bread, stirred into pasta or used as a protein-rich topping for fruit. Whole-milk ricotta has a creamier texture than the lower-fat varieties.

Like other cheeses, the lower the fat, the higher the protein. Part-skim ricotta has just over 3 grams of protein per ounce (though many recipes will call for a lot more than that). The sodium count can vary quite a bit, from 50 to 150 milligrams per serving, so be sure to check the label if you’re keeping an eye on your sodium intake.

Cottage cheese has been back in vogue and everywhere on social media because it’s a high-protein, versatile way to amp up just about any dish, from eggs and sauces to dips and desserts. You'll get about 3 grams of protein per ounce (though if you go by the standard cottage cheese serving size of a half-cup, it clocks in at 11 to 14 grams).

Farmer’s cheese may have the regular cottage cheese beat, but certain brands have even more protein. High-protein MULU, a new product from the Dairy Farmers of America collective of family farms, has a staggering 18 grams per half-cup serving. (It’s available exclusively at Walmart.) Another viral fave is Good Culture, which people love for its rich, not-runny texture—and its 14 and 19 grams of protein per half-cup serving.

Just be mindful of how much sodium is in the cottage cheese tub you choose, and if you have to monitor your sodium for health reasons, look for ones that have little to no sodium added.

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