Is Cottage Cheese Healthier Than Greek Yogurt?

Short answer: This is US-style creamed cottage cheese, not Russian tvorog. Compare protein, calories and salt: the earlier claim of 17 g protein for US cottage cheese was based on a different food.

Selected foods: Cottage cheese, creamed (US-style) and Plain low-fat Greek yogurt. These specific preparations are compared below.

Which to pick for your goal

If you want	Better pick	The numbers
Fewer calories	Greek Yogurt	73 kcal vs 98 kcal per 100 g
More protein	About the same	cottage cheese 11 g, Greek yogurt 10 g per 100 g
Most protein per calorie	Greek Yogurt	14 g vs 11 g protein per 100 kcal
Less sugar	About the same	cottage cheese 2.7 g, Greek yogurt 3.6 g per 100 g
Less saturated fat	About the same	cottage cheese 1.7 g, Greek yogurt 1.2 g per 100 g
Less salt	Greek Yogurt	0.1 g vs 0.8 g per 100 g
Overall (Nutri-Score)	Greek Yogurt	A vs B

Small differences count as a tie: a few calories or a few tenths of a gram won't change your day.

Nutrition side by side, per 100 g

Per 100 g	Cottage Cheese	Greek Yogurt
Calories	98 kcal	73 kcal
Protein	11 g	10 g
Fat	4.3 g	1.9 g
incl. saturated	1.7 g	1.2 g
Total carbohydrates	3.4 g	3.9 g
incl. sugars	2.7 g	3.6 g
incl. fiber	0 g	0 g
Salt	0.8 g	0.1 g
Nutri-Score	B	A

Rounded values from exact USDA records (see * Data and sources below). Different brands, cuts and recipes can have different values. Diary food cards and the alternative versions below retain their own typical recipes.

For the same amount: 50 g

Equal amount	Cottage Cheese	Greek Yogurt
Calories	49 kcal	37 kcal
Protein	5.6 g	5 g
incl. saturated	0.9 g	0.6 g
incl. sugars	1.3 g	1.8 g
incl. fiber	0 g	0 g

In a typical serving

One serving	Cottage Cheese	Greek Yogurt
Serving	USDA reference serving, 113 g (4 oz)	container, 150 g (5.3 oz)
Calories	111 kcal	110 kcal
Protein	13 g	15 g
Sugars	3 g	5.3 g
Saturated fat	1.9 g	1.8 g
Easy walking to burn it*	36 min	36 min

* For a 70 kg (154 lb) person; the app works it out for your weight and your activities.

Portion size usually moves the numbers more than the choice between two similar foods: a heaping serving of the “healthier” one can easily outweigh a modest serving of the other.

Other versions: typical diary estimates

The first two rows repeat the selected USDA records; other rows are typical diary estimates, without an exact source-record match. The cut, fat level or recipe can change the result. Per 100 g:

Per 100 g	Calories	Protein	Sat. fat	Sugars	Nutri-Score
Cottage Cheese	98	11 g	1.7 g	2.7 g	B
Greek Yogurt	73	10 g	1.2 g	3.6 g	A
Cottage cheese, fat-free	71	16 g	0.4 g	1.3 g	A
Cottage cheese 2%	103	18 g	1.3 g	3.3 g	A
Fat-free Greek yogurt	59	10 g	0.1 g	3.2 g	A

*Data and sources

Cheese, cottage, creamed, large or small curd — USDA FDC 172179 (SR Legacy; published 4/1/2019).
Yogurt, Greek, plain, lowfat — USDA FDC 170903 (SR Legacy; published 4/1/2019).

Retrieved 2 October 2026. USDA composition is per 100 g; drink values per 100 ml use the record’s measured household weight, with the USDA customary cup of 236.6 ml. Displayed cup servings remain 240 ml. Carbohydrate includes fiber on this US site; salt is sodium × 2.5. The food records are historical reference values, not current brand guarantees.

WHO guideline on free sugars: honey, syrups and fruit-juice sugars count as free sugars. WHO guideline on saturated and trans fats: consider replacing saturated fat with unsaturated fat.

FAQ

Which has fewer calories, cottage cheese or Greek yogurt?

Greek yogurt: 73 kcal vs 98 kcal per 100 g. In a typical serving that's 111 kcal for cottage cheese (USDA reference serving, 113 g) and 110 kcal for Greek yogurt (container, 150 g).

Is cottage cheese or Greek yogurt better for weight loss?

No single food makes you gain or lose weight — the day's total does. Gram for gram, Greek yogurt is the lighter pick (73 kcal vs 98 kcal per 100 g). The portion usually matters more: a typical serving of cottage cheese (USDA reference serving, 113 g) is 111 kcal, of Greek yogurt (container, 150 g) 110 kcal.

Which has more protein, cottage cheese or Greek yogurt?

About the same: cottage cheese 11 g, Greek yogurt 10 g per 100 g. Per typical serving: 13 g for cottage cheese (USDA reference serving, 113 g) and 15 g for Greek yogurt (container, 150 g). Per calorie, Greek yogurt gives more protein: 14 g vs 11 g protein per 100 kcal.

Which has less sugar, cottage cheese or Greek yogurt?

About the same: cottage cheese 2.7 g, Greek yogurt 3.6 g per 100 g. A typical serving has 3 g of sugars for cottage cheese and 5.3 g for Greek yogurt.

Which is better for your heart, cottage cheese or Greek yogurt?

On saturated fat, the nutrient heart-health guidelines ask us to limit, they're about the same: cottage cheese 1.7 g, Greek yogurt 1.2 g per 100 g. It's also worth watching salt: Greek yogurt has less (0.1 g vs 0.8 g per 100 g).

Log it and see your day

In Calories Not Count every food gets a Nutri-Score grade, a sugar–salt–fat–fiber traffic light, fair same-calorie swaps and the minutes of movement it costs for your weight and your activities — no scale needed. Goals like lower sugar, more protein or more omega-3 can be set in the diary, and swaps there are ranked for that goal.