Calories in Cottage Cheese, Ricotta and Cream Cheese

By NYUS Inc. · Published 28 October 2026

A cup of cottage cheese, half a cup of ricotta and a tablespoon of cream cheese each have a cup, half cup or spoon weight printed on their SR Legacy record page. This guide gives sixteen such records from the SR Legacy table of USDA FoodData Central: nine cottage cheese records (creamed large or small curd, creamed with fruit, 1% and 2% lowfat, 1% lowfat with vegetables, lactose reduced and no sodium added, nonfat dry curd, and one with vegetables), two ricotta records, two cream cheese records (low fat and fat free), a cream cheese base spread, neufchatel and queso fresco, with the weights printed on their record pages. In India cottage cheese is often used to mean paneer; the USDA records here are the soft curd-style cottage cheese, a different food, and our paneer figures are in the cheese guide. IFCT 2017, the Indian Food Composition Tables from ICMR-NIN, has Paneer and Khoa rows but no cottage cheese, ricotta or cream cheese row, so this page uses SR Legacy only. Curd and Greek yogurt are in our curd guide, cream and sour cream in our cream guide and pasta sauce and pesto in our sauce guide.

The short answer

By the SR Legacy records, 1 cup of creamed small curd cottage cheese (225 g) is 220.5 kcal, 1 cup of 1% lowfat cottage cheese (226 g) 162.7 kcal, 1 cup of 2% lowfat (226 g) 183.1 kcal, 1 cup of nonfat dry curd (145 g) 104.4 kcal, 1 cup of whole milk ricotta (246 g) 369.0 kcal, 1 cup of part skim ricotta (246 g) 339.5 kcal, 1 tablespoon of low fat cream cheese (15 g) 31.2 kcal and 1 package of neufchatel (85 g) 215.1 kcal. Our reading: a cup of cottage cheese is a big portion at 145 to 227 g, while a spoon of cream cheese is 18 g or less, so compare the grams, not the word cheese.

SR Legacy: per 100 g

Every figure below is exactly as the record page shows it. The record names are the dataset's own.

SR Legacy: per printed portion

Each figure is our arithmetic on exact weights: kcal per 100 g times the grams, divided by 100, with the exact product in the sums line and the result shown to 0.1 with half rounding up. Every weight below is printed on the SR Legacy record page; none is ours. The records also print plain ounce weights (4 oz, 1 oz), which are not shown; labels such as "1 package (3 oz)" are shown as printed.

The sums: 172179 98 × 210 / 100 = 205.8, so 205.8 kcal; 172179 98 × 225 / 100 = 220.5, so 220.5 kcal; 172180 97 × 226 / 100 = 219.22, so 219.2 kcal; 173417 72 × 226 / 100 = 162.72, so 162.7 kcal; 172182 81 × 226 / 100 = 183.06, so 183.1 kcal; 167703 74 × 227 / 100 = 167.98, so 168.0 kcal; 168114 72 × 226 / 100 = 162.72, so 162.7 kcal; 167716 67 × 226 / 100 = 151.42, so 151.4 kcal; 169078 95 × 226 / 100 = 214.7, so 214.7 kcal; 172181 72 × 145 / 100 = 104.4, so 104.4 kcal; 170851 150 × 124 / 100 = 186, so 186.0 kcal; 170851 150 × 246 / 100 = 369, so 369.0 kcal; 171248 138 × 124 / 100 = 171.12, so 171.1 kcal; 171248 138 × 246 / 100 = 339.48, so 339.5 kcal; 169079 208 × 240 / 100 = 499.2, so 499.2 kcal; 169079 208 × 15 / 100 = 31.2, so 31.2 kcal; 169079 208 × 10 / 100 = 20.8, so 20.8 kcal; 172207 105 × 18 / 100 = 18.9, so 18.9 kcal; 169081 295 × 240 / 100 = 708, so 708.0 kcal; 171246 253 × 85 / 100 = 215.05, so 215.1 kcal; 172223 299 × 122 / 100 = 364.78, so 364.8 kcal.

What stands out in the numbers

• Energy per 100 g, SR Legacy, highest first: 172223 (Cheese, fresh, queso fresco) 299, 169081 (Cheese spread, cream cheese base) 295, 171246 (Cheese, neufchatel) 253, 169079 (Cheese, cream, low fat) 208, 170851 (Cheese, ricotta, whole milk) 150, 171248 (Cheese, ricotta, part skim milk) 138, 172207 (Cheese, cream, fat free) 105, 172179 (Cheese, cottage, creamed, large or small curd) 98, 172180 (Cheese, cottage, creamed, with fruit) 97, 169078 (Cheese, cottage, with vegetables) 95, 172182 (Cheese, cottage, lowfat, 2% milkfat) 81, 167703 (Cheese, cottage, lowfat, 1% milkfat, lactose reduced) 74, 173417 (Cheese, cottage, lowfat, 1% milkfat) 72, 168114 (Cheese, cottage, lowfat, 1% milkfat, no sodium added) 72, 172181 (Cheese, cottage, nonfat, uncreamed, dry, large or small curd) 72, 167716 (Cheese, cottage, lowfat, 1% milkfat, with vegetables) 67.
• Per printed cup, highest first: 169081 (Cheese spread, cream cheese base), 1 cup, 240 g, 708.0 kcal, 169079 (Cheese, cream, low fat), 1 cup, 240 g, 499.2 kcal, 170851 (Cheese, ricotta, whole milk), 1 cup, 246 g, 369.0 kcal, 172223 (Cheese, fresh, queso fresco), 1 cup, crumbled, 122 g, 364.8 kcal, 171248 (Cheese, ricotta, part skim milk), 1 cup, 246 g, 339.5 kcal, 172179 (Cheese, cottage, creamed, large or small curd), 1 cup, small curd (not packed), 225 g, 220.5 kcal, 172180 (Cheese, cottage, creamed, with fruit), 1 cup (not packed), 226 g, 219.2 kcal, 169078 (Cheese, cottage, with vegetables), 1 cup, 226 g, 214.7 kcal, 172179 (Cheese, cottage, creamed, large or small curd), 1 cup, large curd (not packed), 210 g, 205.8 kcal, 172182 (Cheese, cottage, lowfat, 2% milkfat), 1 cup (not packed), 226 g, 183.1 kcal, 167703 (Cheese, cottage, lowfat, 1% milkfat, lactose reduced), 1 cup, 227 g, 168.0 kcal, 173417 (Cheese, cottage, lowfat, 1% milkfat), 1 cup (not packed), 226 g, 162.7 kcal, 168114 (Cheese, cottage, lowfat, 1% milkfat, no sodium added), 1 cup, 226 g, 162.7 kcal, 167716 (Cheese, cottage, lowfat, 1% milkfat, with vegetables), 1 cup, 226 g, 151.4 kcal, 172181 (Cheese, cottage, nonfat, uncreamed, dry, large or small curd), 1 cup (not packed), 145 g, 104.4 kcal.
• Per printed half cup: 170851 (Cheese, ricotta, whole milk), 0.5 cup, 124 g, 186.0 kcal, 171248 (Cheese, ricotta, part skim milk), 0.5 cup, 124 g, 171.1 kcal.
• Per printed tablespoon: 169079 (Cheese, cream, low fat), 1 tbsp, 15 g, 31.2 kcal, 169079 (Cheese, cream, low fat), 1 tbsp, whipped, 10 g, 20.8 kcal, 172207 (Cheese, cream, fat free), 1 tbsp, 18 g, 18.9 kcal.
• Per printed package: 171246 (Cheese, neufchatel), 1 package (3 oz), 85 g, 215.1 kcal.

Why these are reference rows, not your tub

• Names are the records'. No record name or portion label shown here carries a company name. The records are USDA's generic cottage cheese, ricotta, cream cheese, neufchatel and queso fresco rows; we do not say that a tub from any dairy or maker matches them.
• No row for paneer. A search of the SR Legacy table on 28 Oct 2026 for paneer, chhena and khoa returned no record, so no record here is paneer. IFCT 2017 has its own Paneer and Khoa rows, covered in our paneer guides.
• Every portion here is printed. No cup, spoon or package weight on this page is ours: each is printed on its record page, and the only weight that is ours is the labelled 100 g example in the logging section.
• The records' own notes. The record pages mark the kcal energy of 11 of the 16 records "Calculated" and print no source label on the energy of the other 5 (167703, 168114, 167716, 169078, 169081); they are USDA values, not our measurements.

How to log it so the numbers hold

• Use the weight on the tub or the scale. 100 g of 1% lowfat cottage cheese (our example weight, not a dataset value) on SR Legacy 173417 is 72 × 100 / 100 = 72, so 72.0 kcal.
• Pick the kind the record names. Creamed, 1% and 2% lowfat, nonfat dry curd, whole milk and part skim ricotta are different rows; the same weight of each gives different calories.
• Cups differ by curd. The creamed record prints a large curd cup of 210 g and a small curd cup of 225 g, and the nonfat dry curd cup is 145 g, so a cup is not one weight.
• Do not mix datasets inside one day. If you log a soft cheese from SR Legacy, keep to that record for the same meal.

Where NYUS fits (our app)

We make NYUS, so read this as ours. NYUS is an AI fitness and nutrition coach in early access on Android, with no ads and no data selling. You log foods yourself by searching 8,900+ Indian and global foods or by barcode, and a weekly check-in adjusts your calories, macros and step goal once enough is logged. Barcode coverage of Indian packaged foods is not complete, so search by name when a scan finds nothing.

What this page leaves out

• A calorie target, and any claim about what cheese does to your body: we have not looked up one for any person, so we give none. If you have a medical condition, ask your doctor or dietitian.
• Paneer, khoa, chhena, mascarpone, quark and any tub or maker's version: no record used here. A search of the SR Legacy table on 28 Oct 2026 for mascarpone, quark, farmer cheese, paneer, chhena and khoa returned no record.
• Record 173418 (Cheese, cream) is on one of our live guides and is not repeated here.
• The "cottage" search returned 12 records: 9 used, and these 3 are left out: other 169265 Potatoes, french fried, cottage-cut, salt not added in processing, frozen, as purchased, 169266 Potatoes, french fried, cottage-cut, salt not added in processing, frozen, oven-heated, 170117 Potatoes, frozen, french fried, par fried, cottage-cut, prepared, heated in oven, with salt.
• The "cheese cottage" search returned 9 records: 9 used.
• The "ricotta" search returned 2 records: 2 used.
• The "cream cheese" search returned 7 records: 5 used, and these 2 are left out: already named on a live NYUS guide 173418; other 169619 Frostings, cream cheese-flavor, ready-to-eat.
• The "cheese, cream" search returned 7 records: 5 used, and these 2 are left out: already named on a live NYUS guide 173418; other 169619 Frostings, cream cheese-flavor, ready-to-eat.
• The "neufchatel" search returned 1 record: 1 used.
• The "cheese spread" search returned 5 records: 1 used, and these 4 are left out: other 171629 Ham and cheese spread, 171254 Cheese spread, pasteurized process, American, 170896 Cheese spread, American or Cheddar cheese base, reduced fat; company-named 173448.
• The "cheese fresh" search returned 2 records: 1 used, and these 1 are left out: already named on a live NYUS guide 172094.
• Nutrients beyond energy, protein, fat and carbohydrate: not covered here.

Sources

• USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy 172179 (Cheese, cottage, creamed, large or small curd): Energy 98 kcal (412 kJ), protein 11.1 g, total fat 4.3 g, carbohydrate 3.38 g per 100 g; portions used: 1 cup, large curd (not packed) 210 g; 1 cup, small curd (not packed) 225 g (read 28 Oct 2026).
• USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy 172180 (Cheese, cottage, creamed, with fruit): Energy 97 kcal (407 kJ), protein 10.7 g, total fat 3.85 g, carbohydrate 4.61 g per 100 g; portions used: 1 cup (not packed) 226 g (read 28 Oct 2026).
• USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy 173417 (Cheese, cottage, lowfat, 1% milkfat): Energy 72 kcal (303 kJ), protein 12.4 g, total fat 1.02 g, carbohydrate 2.72 g per 100 g; portions used: 1 cup (not packed) 226 g (read 28 Oct 2026).
• USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy 172182 (Cheese, cottage, lowfat, 2% milkfat): Energy 81 kcal (340 kJ), protein 10.4 g, total fat 2.27 g, carbohydrate 4.76 g per 100 g; portions used: 1 cup (not packed) 226 g (read 28 Oct 2026).
• USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy 167703 (Cheese, cottage, lowfat, 1% milkfat, lactose reduced): Energy 74 kcal (310 kJ), protein 12.4 g, total fat 1 g, carbohydrate 3.2 g per 100 g; portions used: 1 cup 227 g (read 28 Oct 2026).
• USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy 168114 (Cheese, cottage, lowfat, 1% milkfat, no sodium added): Energy 72 kcal (301 kJ), protein 12.4 g, total fat 1 g, carbohydrate 2.7 g per 100 g; portions used: 1 cup 226 g (read 28 Oct 2026).
• USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy 167716 (Cheese, cottage, lowfat, 1% milkfat, with vegetables): Energy 67 kcal (280 kJ), protein 10.9 g, total fat 1 g, carbohydrate 3 g per 100 g; portions used: 1 cup 226 g (read 28 Oct 2026).
• USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy 169078 (Cheese, cottage, with vegetables): Energy 95 kcal (397 kJ), protein 10.9 g, total fat 4.2 g, carbohydrate 3 g per 100 g; portions used: 1 cup 226 g (read 28 Oct 2026).
• USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy 172181 (Cheese, cottage, nonfat, uncreamed, dry, large or small curd): Energy 72 kcal (303 kJ), protein 10.3 g, total fat 0.29 g, carbohydrate 6.66 g per 100 g; portions used: 1 cup (not packed) 145 g (read 28 Oct 2026).
• USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy 170851 (Cheese, ricotta, whole milk): Energy 150 kcal (627 kJ), protein 7.54 g, total fat 10.2 g, carbohydrate 7.27 g per 100 g; portions used: 0.5 cup 124 g; 1 cup 246 g (read 28 Oct 2026).
• USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy 171248 (Cheese, ricotta, part skim milk): Energy 138 kcal (578 kJ), protein 11.4 g, total fat 7.91 g, carbohydrate 5.14 g per 100 g; portions used: 0.5 cup 124 g; 1 cup 246 g (read 28 Oct 2026).
• USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy 169079 (Cheese, cream, low fat): Energy 208 kcal (872 kJ), protein 7.85 g, total fat 16.7 g, carbohydrate 6.73 g per 100 g; portions used: 1 cup 240 g; 1 tbsp 15 g; 1 tbsp, whipped 10 g (read 28 Oct 2026).
• USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy 172207 (Cheese, cream, fat free): Energy 105 kcal (441 kJ), protein 15.7 g, total fat 1 g, carbohydrate 7.66 g per 100 g; portions used: 1 tbsp 18 g (read 28 Oct 2026).
• USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy 169081 (Cheese spread, cream cheese base): Energy 295 kcal (1230 kJ), protein 7.1 g, total fat 28.6 g, carbohydrate 3.5 g per 100 g; portions used: 1 cup 240 g (read 28 Oct 2026).
• USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy 171246 (Cheese, neufchatel): Energy 253 kcal (1060 kJ), protein 9.15 g, total fat 22.8 g, carbohydrate 3.59 g per 100 g; portions used: 1 package (3 oz) 85 g (read 28 Oct 2026).
• USDA FoodData Central, SR Legacy 172223 (Cheese, fresh, queso fresco): Energy 299 kcal (1250 kJ), protein 18.1 g, total fat 23.8 g, carbohydrate 2.98 g per 100 g; portions used: 1 cup, crumbled 122 g (read 28 Oct 2026).
• ICMR-NIN, Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (IFCT 2017): Paneer and Khoa rows exist but are not used here; no cottage cheese, ricotta or cream cheese row.
• nyus.in, the NYUS landing page, read on 28 Oct 2026 for the app statements in the NYUS section and the CTA.

The per portion figures, the sums, the rounding, the comparisons and every sentence starting "Our reading" are NYUS's own arithmetic or opinion, not from USDA. The SR Legacy values and portion weights are exactly as printed on the record pages. The names in the first column are the dataset's own record names.

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