We're a nation of cheese lovers, but do you know which is the healthiest cheese? We rate cheese calories from worst to best, so you know which to top your crackers with! Thought that healthy cheese didn't exist? Think again!
We’re a sucker for cheese – there are so many different mouth-watering varieties, and it’s difficult to think of a meal where a bit of added cheese wouldn’t make it even tastier. But do you know which is the healthiest cheese? We think you might be surprised…
Unfortunately, ladies and gents, we’re not about to reveal that all cheeses are in fact much healthier than you thought and that you can tuck into a thick slice of cheddar anytime you like (although there is some research suggests that a little bit of cheese can be good for you).
However, we’ve been doing some healthy cheese investigating and had a look at all our favourite types of cheese to see how they fare in the health stakes.While cheese generally is pretty high in fat, we’ve been following our nose to sniff out all the lightest versions of your favourite cheeses that the market has to offer.
If you’re a lover of baked Camembert (and realistically, who isn’t?), you’re in luck! We’ve found a low-cal version that has almost half the amount of fat of your regular Camembert – and it’s not even the healthiest cheese in our round up!
So how can you find a healthy cheese, and how do you know which make is the healthiest cheese option? If you’ve always wondered how many calories you’re stacking onto your Jacob’s crackers, take a look through our run down of the best and worst cheeses.
From Stilton to Cheddar, Parmesan to Philadelphia, and whether you’re stuffing them into a tasty toastie or topping a jacket spud, we’ve covered them all so that you’ll know when you’re getting a healthy cheese (until, if you’re anything like us, you eat far too much of it. Oops).
We’ve rated these cheeses by calorie content per 100g, to make the results fair, and we’ve also collated the fat content, sugar, salt and even the price to boot.
Browse through the collection to see the range of healthy cheeses on offer… you won’t believe which is the healthiest cheese!

Double Gloucester
A strong, savoury flavour, this is the sort of cheese we end up eating chunks of in between putting some in a sandwich - but we should stop! Double Gloucester is again quite similar to Cheddar in the sense that it's a hard cheese with a high amount of fat. Every 100 grams has over 30 grams of fat - so although it's tasty, it's certainly not the healthiest cheese on the market.
Tesco Double Gloucester
Rating for calorie-counters: 4/10
Cals: 411 (per 100g) - highest calorie count!
Fat: 34.5g
Saturated fat: 21.6g
Sugar: 0.1g
Salt: 1.7g
Weight: 200g
Price: £1.40 at Tesco

Stilton
Tesco British Blue Stilton
Rating for calorie-counters: 2/10
Cal: 410 (per 100g)
Fat: 35g - highest in fat
Saturated fat: 23g - highest in sat fat
Sugar: 0.1g
Salt: 2g
Weight: 220g
Price: £2 at Tesco

Parmesan
This cheese is an Italian hard cheese made from raw cow's milk. Thankfully when we use Parmesan we tend to be quite sparing with it, grating a little bit here and there over a pizza or pasta, and it's just as well, because it's almost as calorific as Stilton!
Whilst Parmesan tends to be a pretty fatty and salty cheese, one of its benefits is that it is high in calcium. In fact, just an ounce of Parmesan contains a third of your recommended daily allowance.
Sainsbury's Parmesan
Rating for calorie-counters: 3/10
Cals: 388 (per 100g)
Fat: 28.4g
Saturated fat: 18.7g
Sugar: sugar free!
Salt: 1.6g
Weight 150g
Price: £2.30 at Sainsbury's

Cheshire cheese
Did you know that Cheshire cheese is the oldest known cheese in the UK? No? Well did you know that it contains almost 32 grams of fat, which is almost the same as Cheddar? Nor did we! Unfortunately all our dairy drawer favourites seem to be very high in both fat and saturated fat. And while lots of lighter versions have appeared on the shelves in the last few years, our beloved Cheshire is one we're yet to see have a reduced fat version. Best saved for a treat, we say.
Sainsbury's white Cheshire
Rating for calorie-counters 3/10
Cals: 381 (per 100g)
Fat: 31.8g
Saturated fat: 21.1g
Sugar: 0.5g
Salt: 1.5g
Weight: 250g
Price: £1.70 at Sainsbury's

Wensleydale with cranberries
'What's wrong with Wensleydale, Gromit?' We love a bit of Wensleydale cheese as it's light and sweeter than other cheeses, especially when it's mixed with with fruits and other flavours like chilli. While Wensleydale is typically quite high in fat, particularly saturated fat, opting for a version like the cranberry one below lowers the fat content somewhat, although it does increase the sugar!
Sainsbury's Wensleydale with cranberries:
Rating for calorie-counters: 3/10
Cals: 376 (per 100g)Fat: 27.9g
Saturated fat: 16.9g
Sugar: 8.8g - highest sugar count
Salt: 1.3g
Weight: 200g
Price: £2 at Sainsbury's

Roquefort
Another smelly cheese, you can probably guess this isn't going to be light as a Babybel. Roquefort is a blue cheese made with sheep's milk from the South of France, another great one if you're allergic to cow's milk. Similar in taste to Stilton, it's actually slighter lower in fat and in calories, but beware of that salt content!
Sainsbury's Roquefort
Rating for calorie-counters: 3/10
Cals: 372 (per 100g)Fat: 32g
Saturated fat: 20g
Sugar: 0.1g
Salt: 3.5g - highest salt content!
Weight: 100g
Price: £1.85 at Sainsbury's

Cheddar cheese
A true British favourite, Cheddar cheese gets its name from the English village of Cheddar in Somerset. Who can resist a tasty slab of Cheddar on a ham sandwhich, or melted over a slice of toast? Unfortunately for us Cheddar lovers, it's one of the fattiest cheeses around. If you can't bear to part with your Cheddar for a lower-fat cheese, then make sure you're making a smart Cheddar choice by buying the lighter version.
Pilgrims Choice Lighter Mature Cheddar:
Rating for calorie-counters: 4/10
Cals: 323 (per 100g)
Fat: 23.2g
Saturated fat: 15.1g
Sugar: 0.2g
Salt: 1.6g
Weight: 350g
Price: £3 at Tesco

Goats’ cheese
Goats' cheese isn't too bad, it still beats super fatty Cheddar and Stilton. Unfortunately we've not been able to track down a lighter version, but it is rich in vitamin D, and to say it's up against lots of lighter versions, it doesn't fare too badly - although it's not the healthiest cheese, we reckon it's okay to enjoy from time to time.
Tesco British Goats' cheese
Rating for calorie-counters 4/10
Cal: 265 (per 100g)
Fat: 21g
Saturated fat: 13.8g
Sugar: 0.9g
Salt: 0.7g
Weight: 125g
Price: £1.50 at Tesco

Emmental cheese
Holey moly! Who knew that Emmental cheese was so high in fat? If, like us, you thought the holes made it a healthier cheese, think again. Emmental is a yellow cheese with a soft, savoury flavour. And oh how we love a bit of Emmental on a piece of crusty bread! But we hadn't realised how fatty it was. Per 100 grams this regular Swiss cheese is 368 calories, but good news, the lighter version below is far less.
President Lighter Emmental cheese slices
Rating for calorie-counters 5/10
Cal: 285 (per 100g)
Fat: 18g
Saturated fat: 13g
Sugar: sugar free!
Salt: 1g
Weight 250g
Price: £2 at Ocado

Halloumi cheese
A few years ago we were asking ourselves 'what IS halloumi?!' and now it's one of the nation's best loved cheeses. Halloumi has got a really high melting point so it's great for frying or grilling and having in a wrap or pitta bread. Regular halloumi is quite fatty, around 25g of fat in every 100 grams, but we've discovered this Lighter Cypriot halloumi by Sainsbury's which has 30% less fat! It's a little disappointing on the salt side though, so be sure to watch your portion size...
Lighter Cypriot halloumi by Sainsbury's
Rating for calorie-counters: 6/10
Cal: 245 (per 100g)
Fat: 16.4g
Saturated fat: 11.7g
Sugar: 0.9g
Salt: 2.4g
Weight: 225g
Price: £2.20 at Sainsbury's

Brie
Brie, we had you all wrong. We thought this soft cow's milk cheese would be really fatty. Whilst it's not the healthiest cheese we've seen it's considerably less fatty than Cheddar (which seems to be a recurring theme!). This President Brie is the only light version we could find, and it has 30% less fat than standard Brie, one to look out for.
President Light Brie
Rating for calorie-counters:6/10
Cal: 242 (per 100g)
Fat: 18g
Saturated fat:13g
Sugar: trace
Salt:1.5g
Weight: 200g
Price: £1.90 at Ocado

Camembert cheese
A soft, creamy cheese from France, we could forgive you for thinking that this little round pot of cheesy goodness would be really high in fat, but actually Camembert has an impressive third less fat and a quarter less calories than Cheddar cheese. And as cheeses go, this light version is pretty diet friendly (so don't worry you can still have your baked Camembert!). Just 199 calories per 100 grams, not bad going Le Rustique.
Le Rustique light camembert
Rating for calorie-counters: 7/10
Cal: 199 (per 100g)
Fat: 11g
Salt: 0.76g
Weight: 250g
Price: £2.25 at Ocado

Feta cheese
Feta is a crumbly, aged Greek cheese made with sheep's milk, so can be a saviour to anyone with an allergy to cow's milk. It's a delicious summer cheese, great with olives, and our favourite part of a Greek salad!
Feta is one of the healthiest cheeses you can buy, especially the light versions. The bonus about feta is that while it's relatively low in calories it's strong in taste - a combination that is hard to come by. It'll satisfy your cheese craving without sitting heavily on your waistline.
Sainsbury's Be Good to Yourself feta cheese is a really great one if you want to add a bit of cheesy excitement to your dish but are watching your weight:
Sainsbury's Be Good to Yourself feta
Rating for calorie-counters: 7/10
Cal: 182 (per 100g)
Fat 11.5g
Saturated fat: 8.5g
Sugar: 1g
Salt: 1.90g
Weight: 200g
Price: £1.35 at Sainsbury's

Mozzarella cheese
Mozzarella is a fresh cheese traditionally made with Italian buffalo milk but quite often made with cows' milk.
You may associate mozzarella with your favourite pizza, or caprese salad, or the topping for a hearty lasagne. And lets be honest, an Italian meal wouldn't be the same without it! But how does it fair in the health stakes?
Well, mozzarella tends to be lower in fat than stronger cheeses, and is often used in salads as it's lighter than others.
Galbani's light mozzarella cheese is pretty good, as cheeses go.
Galbani's light mozzarella cheese
Rating for calorie-counters: 8/10
Cal: 165 (per 100g)
Fat: 9g
Saturated fat: 6.3g
Sugar: sugar free
Salt: 0.5g
Weight: 125g
Price: £1.35 at Ocado

Mini cheese
If you're really trying to be good and looking to quash your cheese craving with a quick snack, these little Babybels are perfect for that. The light version are just 42 calories and 2.4 grams of fat per cheese. Try and limit yourself to one, you'll be proud of yourself!
Mini Babybel light:
Rating for calorie-counters: 9/10
Cals: 208 (per 100g) - just 42 cals per Babybel!
Fat: 12g
Saturated fat: 8g
Sugar: Trace
Salt: 1.8g
Weight: 120g
Price: £3 for 12 at Sainsbury's

Soft Cheese
Soft cheeses like good old Philly are generally lower in fat than a typical sandwich filler like Cheddar, but they are much lower in calcium. This is a cheese we tend to use as a spreadable snack, meaning that we don't tend to eat too much in one portion. However if you're thinking of filling a chicken breast with some then make sure you pick up the lighter tub, it's got less than half the fat of regular Philly. Oh, and don't be taken in by all the fancy flavours and variations, just stick to original.
Philadelphia Light:
Rating for calorie-counters9/10
Cal: 156 (per 100g)
Fat: 11.5g
Saturated fat: 7.6g
Sugar: 4g
Salt: 1g
Weight: 200g
Price: £1.74 at Asda

Cottage Cheese
Finally, a low-fat cheese without a catch! It's a bit of a love it or hate it food, but cottage cheese truly is the best cheese out there if you're watching your weight. If you're not keen on the plain version why not try one of the other varieties that are flavoured with fruits like pineapple or mango? Or try topping some with some cherry tomatoes for a more savoury taste. Delicious on a rice cracker! Just bear in mind fruit versions like pineapple ones will be higher in sugar.
Tesco Healthy Living 0% Fat Cottage Cheese
Rating for calorie-counters: 10/10
Cal: 64 (per 100g)
Fat: 0.2g - lowest fat content!
Saturated fat: 0.2g
Sugar: 4.7g
Salt: 0.5g
Weight: 300g
Price: £1.20 at Tesco