Last Updated on January 17, 2024 by Aaron
- Cheddar is naturally low in carbs, therefore good for keto.
- Aged/sharp cheddar is better than mild.
If you’re on the keto diet, you may be wondering if it’s OK to eat cheddar cheese.
The quick answer is yes – cheddar cheese is a great option for keto followers! But how much is too much?
Below we’ll discuss what cheddar cheese specifically does and add to your body in keto, which one to use, and some practical recommendations.
Also, some tips on using cheddar cheese for active/inactive people, and other good replacements.
For keto diet, cheddar cheese is actually more than good.
Cheddar cheese is a good source of protein, high fat, and low carbohydrate, making it an ideal part of the keto diet. According to USDA data, One cup (105 grams or 3-4 ounces; or about 3 slices) of shredded cheddar cheese contains about 25 grams of protein, 36 grams of fat, and just 2.6 grams of carbohydrate.
If your keto plan has a 30g carbs intake limitation, it should be more than enough to keep the ketosis going.
That being said, one cup of cheddar gave you about ~50% of your daily protein needs. Plus, ~20% of daily calcium needs. It sure packed a nutritional punch. You can fill up the rest with smaller potions while don’t feel hungry as quickly.
I’ve written an article about cheddar nutrition and unhealthy in the previous article.
If your meal plan already provides a good amount of fat, you can also buy fat-free cheddar cheese. Kraft has it. You can get it via Walmart online or at some convenience stores nearby.
Cheddar types, brands and so on..
When it comes to cheddar types, go for aged or sharp over the mild version of cheddar. That’s because the older the cheddar, the lower the carbs (aka lactose) content.
Therefore, if you’re also sensitive to lactose, the aged version is always the go-to option, not only the flavor dose is stronger, you will be able to use lesser.
So, which brands to go for? If you aren’t that picky, most of the cheddar cheese at the stores is not much different in carbs and fat content. BUT, if you are picky, here I have another article where I compared a few good cheddar brands that are seriously low in carbs.
I am sure you heard of them as well.
The shredded, sliced, and block styles of cheddars are not much different after all when it comes to keto usage. Cheddar cheese at the stores does not contain non-keto ingredients. Natural cheddar is only minimally processed and required simple ingredients to make, such as the one below by Kraft:
In fact, cheddar is not the only cheese that’s viable for keto. Read my other cheese articles below to substitute cheddar.