Cheese is a very common ingredient in many recipes, and in particular in keto recipes. But are all kinds of cheese keto?
How many carbs in the most common cheese options?
Learn more about the dozen most common cheeses and whether or not you can have them on your low-carb keto diet!
Is Cheese Keto?
Cheese is made by coagulation of casein, one of the milk proteins.
There are literally thousands of varieties of cheese, including more than 1,600 in France, 1,800 in the United Kingdom, and 500 in Italy.
The major categories of cheese are:
- Fresh cheese: Ricotta, Mozzarella, Cottage Cheese, Feta
- Soft White Rind Cheese: Camembert, Brie, Chaource, Munster
- Semi-soft Cheese: Edam, Reblochon, Raclette, Havarti, Provolone, Emmental, Swiss Cheese
- Hard Cheese: Cheddar, Beaufort, Gruyere, Parmesan, Mimolette, Colby
- Blue Cheese: Blue Cheese, Gorgonzola, Roquefort
- Flavor added-cheese: Cumin Gouda, Chive Cheddar, Dill Havarti
Most cheese varieties are relatively low in carbs because the natural bacteria in cheese break down the lactose. The secondary reason is that cheese is made from the fatty, heavy layer on top of the milk.
As a result, most of the carbs that were present in the milk either stay in the milk or are broken down later.
How Many Carbs In Cheese?
Find below the most comprehensive list of carbs in cheese! The data is per once (24g) of cheese.
| Cheese | Carbs | Fat | Protein | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Cheese | 2.5g | 6.5g | 4.6g | [source] |
| Applewood | 0g | 8g | 7g | [source] |
| Babybel | 0g | 8.1g | 6.7g | [source] |
| Blue Cheese | 0.6g | 8.2g | 6.1g | [source] |
| Boursin Garlic & Herb | 1.2g | 9.9g | 2.5g | [source] |
| Boursin Light Garlic & Herb | 1.3g | 4.5g | 2.6g | [source] |
| Brie | 0.1g | 7.8g | 5.9g | [source] |
| Brie Danish | 0g | 7g | 5g | [source] |
| Brie French | 0g | 6g | 5g | [source] |
| Brie Truffle | 0.9g | 9.4g | 4.7g | [source] |
| Burrata | 0g | 7g | 5g | [source] |
| Camembert | 1g | 8g | 5g | [source] |
| Cheddar | 0.7g | 9.6g | 6.6g | [source] |
| Cheddar Burger Slice | 1g | 9g | 7g | [source] |
| Cheddar Medium | 1.3g | 10.3g | 6.4g | [source] |
| Cheese Curd | 1g | 8g | 7g | [source] |
| Cheshire Cheese | 1.4g | 8.7g | 6.6g | [source] |
| Colby Cheese | 0.7g | 9.1g | 6.7g | [source] |
| Colby Jack Cheese | 0.5g | 8.8g | 6.8g | [source] |
| Cottage Cheese | 1.9g | 0.1g | 2.9g | [source] |
| Cream Cheese | 1.6g | 9.8g | 1.7g | [source] |
| Cream Cheese Light | 2.4g | 4.6g | 2.4g | [source] |
| Double Gloucester | 0g | 10g | 7g | [source] |
| Edam Cheese | 0.4g | 8.1g | 7.1g | [source] |
| Emmentaler (Swiss Cheese) | 0.4g | 8.8g | 7.7g | [source] |
| Feta Cheese | 1.1g | 6.1g | 4g | [source] |
| Fior di Latte (Cow Mozzarella) | 0.7g | 6.3g | 6.3g | [source] |
| Fondue Saint Nectaire Cheese | 0g | 8g | 6g | [source] |
| Fontina | 0.4g | 8.8g | 7.3g | [source] |
| Fresh Goat Cheese | 0g | 8.5g | 6.1g | [source] |
| Gorgonzola | 0g | 9g | 6g | [source] |
| Gouda Cheese | 0.6g | 7.8g | 7.1g | [source] |
| Grana Padano | 0g | 8g | 9g | [source] |
| Gruyere | 0.1g | 9.2g | 8.5g | [source] |
| Halloumi | 0g | 6.8g | 5.7g | [source] |
| Havarti | 1g | 9g | 6g | [source] |
| Limburger | 0.1g | 7.7g | 5.7g | [source] |
| Mascarpone | 1g | 12g | 1g | [source] |
| Mimolette | 0g | 8g | 10g | [source] |
| Monterey Jack | 0.2g | 5.6g | 6.9g | [source] |
| Mozzarella di Bufala (Buffalo) | 0g | 5.7g | 3.8g | [source] |
| Mozzarella di Capra (goat) | 0g | 8g | 7g | [source] |
| Munster | 0.3g | 8.5g | 6.6g | [source] |
| Neufchatel | 1g | 6.5g | 2.6g | [source] |
| Parmesan | 0.9g | 7.1g | 10.1g | [source] |
| Pecorino Romano | 1g | 9g | 8g | [source] |
| Pepper Jack | 1g | 8g | 7g | [source] |
| Philadelphia Spread | 1.8g | 6.4g | 1.8g | [source] |
| Pimento | 0.5g | 8.8g | 6.3g | [source] |
| Provolone | 0.6g | 7.5g | 7.3g | [source] |
| Queso Asadero | 1.2g | 7g | 6.3g | [source] |
| Queso Cotija | 1.1g | 8.5g | 5.7g | [source] |
| Queso Fresco | 0.8g | 6.8g | 5.1g | [source] |
| Queso Manchego | 1g | 10g | 7g | [source] |
| Raclette | 0g | 8g | 6g | [source] |
| Red Leicester | 0g | 9g | 7g | [source] |
| Ricotta | 1.7g | 2.7g | 2.7g | [source] |
| Romano | 1g | 7.6g | 9g | [source] |
| Roquefort | 0.6g | 8.7g | 6.1g | [source] |
| Shredded Cheddar | 6g | 7g | 0g | [source] |
| Shredded Pizza Blend | 2g | 6g | 7g | [source] |
| Stilton Cheese | 1g | 10g | 7g | [source] |
| Taleggio | 0g | 7g | 5g | [source] |
| Velveeta | 2.7g | 6.2g | 4.6g | [source] |
As you can see, most cheese varieties are keto-friendly.
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However, there are two important things to note:
- Shredded Cheese often has added starch to keep it from compacting, upping its carbs quite a lot.
- Despite being low in carbs, some cheeses should still not be included in a keto diet because of their relatively low fat to protein ratio. Remember that what matters is your macros!