How many calories are in cheddar cheese?
Cheddar cheese has 115 calories per 1 oz (28 g) — that's 410 calories per 100 g, roughly 6% of a 2,000-calorie day. Most of those calories come from fat.
USDA FoodData Central · sharp · FDC 170899
Calories by portion
| Portion | Calories | Protein | Carbs | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 oz (28 g) | 115 | 6.8 g | 0.6 g | 9.5 g |
| 100 g | 410 | 24.3 g | 2.1 g | 33.8 g |
| 1 oz (28 g) | 116 | 6.9 g | 0.6 g | 9.6 g |
Where the calories come from
Protein 24% Carbs 2% Fat 74%
Calories computed from USDA per-100 g data (FDC 170899, SR Legacy). sharp. The macro split uses general Atwater factors (protein and carbs ≈ 4 cal/g, fat ≈ 9 cal/g) and is approximate.
Cheddar is one of the most calorie-dense things in the fridge, and the per-100g figure shows it: 410 calories per 100 g. But that number describes a portion most people never eat at once — 100 g of cheddar is roughly three and a half sandwich slices stacked together. A realistic serving is about 1 ounce (28 g), a thumb-size cube or a single slice, and that lands at ~115 calories. The density is high; the portion is small, and the calories track the portion you actually cut.
Where the calories come from
Almost three-quarters of cheddar’s calories are fat. Run it through the standard Atwater factors and it’s roughly 74% fat calories — about 33.8 g of fat per 100 g, around 19 g of it saturated — with protein making up most of the rest and only a trace of carbohydrate. Cheddar genuinely is protein-dense by weight (24.3 g per 100 g), but on the calorie line it’s the fat, at 9 calories a gram, doing the heavy lifting, not the protein. That’s the honest read on this food: a slice brings real protein and an outsized hit of calcium (~200 mg in a single ounce), but it’s fundamentally a rich, fatty food, not a lean one.
Why the portion is the whole game
The discipline cheddar asks for is portion control, not avoidance. A measured 1 oz slice is about 115 calories of flavor, protein and calcium — a sensible trade. The calories sneak up when slices quietly stack on a burger, or when you snack off the block by the handful, because each thumb-size piece adds roughly another 115. The reliable move is to portion deliberately: a single slice melted onto eggs or a cube paired with fruit caps the calories while keeping cheddar doing what it’s best at — adding richness in a small amount. If your goal is protein for the fewest calories, a leaner option like cottage cheese delivers the same ~7 g for a fraction of cheddar’s calorie cost; cheddar is the seasoning, not the staple.
For the protein side of the picture — and why that per-100g protein number doesn’t make cheddar a lean protein — see protein in cheddar cheese.
Packaged cheddar cheese options, graded
Prefer something off the shelf? Here are the best-graded cheddar cheese in our catalog — each scored on our transparent Labelgrade. Check the calorie line on each label for your goal.
-
Labelgrade 64/100 · 110 cal · 7 g protein
Check price on Amazon -
Labelgrade 62/100 · 110 cal · 7 g protein
Check price on Amazon
Buy links are affiliate links — we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. The Labelgrade is independent of any affiliate relationship. More.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many calories are in 1 oz of cheddar cheese?
About 115 calories in a 1 oz piece (28 g) — a thumb-size cube or a sandwich slice — based on 410 calories per 100 g (USDA FDC 170899). Most of that is fat, which is what makes cheddar one of the more calorie-dense foods in the fridge.
How many calories are in cheddar per 100 g or per ounce?
410 calories per 100 g, which works out to about 116 calories per ounce (28 g), so a standard 1 oz slice lands near 115. Watch the per-100g figure: 100 g of cheddar is roughly three and a half slices stacked up, far more than the single piece most people actually eat.
Where do the calories in cheddar come from?
Mostly fat. By Atwater factors, cheddar is roughly 74% fat calories — about 33.8 g of fat per 100 g, around 19 g of it saturated — with protein making up most of the rest and only a trace of carbohydrate. The protein (24.3 g per 100 g) is real, but it's the fat doing the heavy lifting on the calorie count.
Is cheddar cheese high in calories?
By weight, yes — at 410 per 100 g it's calorie-dense. But the portion saves you: a realistic 1 oz piece is about 115 calories, which is reasonable for the protein and ~200 mg of calcium it brings. The trouble starts when slices stack up or you snack from the block, because the calories climb fast with each thumb-size piece.
How does cheddar compare to a leaner cheese or cottage cheese?
Cheddar is far more calorie-dense. A 1 oz slice is about 115 calories with roughly 7 g of protein, while the same protein from cottage cheese costs a fraction of the calories because it's low in fat. Cheddar earns its place on flavor and calcium, not on calories per gram of protein.
When was this data last verified?
2026-06-18, against USDA FoodData Central FDC 170899 (Cheese, cheddar; SR Legacy). We re-verify reference pages periodically and update when USDA revises its data.
Whole-food values are USDA reference data, not a Labelgrade (that score is for branded packaged products). See our methodology and the TDEE calculator to turn this into a daily target.