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Parmesan vs. Ricotta — In-Depth Nutrition Comparison

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How are Parmesan and Ricotta different?

  • Parmesan is higher than Ricotta in Phosphorus, Calcium, Vitamin B12, Selenium, Zinc, Vitamin A, and Vitamin B2.
  • Parmesan covers your daily need of Sodium 75% more than Ricotta.
  • Parmesan contains 4 times more Calcium than Ricotta. Parmesan contains 853mg of Calcium, while Ricotta contains 207mg.
  • Ricotta is lower in Sodium.

Cheese, parmesan, grated and Cheese, ricotta, whole milk types were used in this article.

Infographic

Parmesan vs Ricotta infographic
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Mineral Comparison

Mineral comparison score is based on the number of minerals by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 24% 256% 16% 18% 13% 115% 269% 235% 9.3% 188%
Magnesium Magnesium Calcium Calcium Potassium Potassium Iron Iron Copper Copper Zinc Zinc Phosphorus Phosphorus Sodium Sodium Manganese Manganese Selenium Selenium 7.9% 62% 9.3% 14% 7% 32% 68% 11% 0.78% 79%
Contains more MagnesiumMagnesium +209.1%
Contains more CalciumCalcium +312.1%
Contains more PotassiumPotassium +71.4%
Contains more IronIron +28.9%
Contains more CopperCopper +90.5%
Contains more ZincZinc +262.1%
Contains more PhosphorusPhosphorus +296.8%
Contains more ManganeseManganese +1083.3%
Contains more SeleniumSelenium +137.2%
Contains less SodiumSodium -95.3%

Vitamin Comparison

Vitamin comparison score is based on the number of vitamins by which one or the other food is richer. The "coverage" charts below show how much of the daily needs can be covered by 300 grams of the food.
Vitamin C Vit. C Vitamin A Vit. A Vitamin E Vit. E Vitamin D Vit. D Vitamin B1 Vit. B1 Vitamin B2 Vit. B2 Vitamin B3 Vit. B3 Vitamin B5 Vit. B5 Vitamin B6 Vit. B6 Vitamin B12 Vit. B12 Vitamin K Vit. K Folate Folate Choline Choline 0% 58% 11% 15% 6.5% 83% 1.5% 27% 19% 175% 4.3% 4.5% 7.7%
Vitamin C Vit. C Vitamin A Vit. A Vitamin E Vit. E Vitamin D Vit. D Vitamin B1 Vit. B1 Vitamin B2 Vit. B2 Vitamin B3 Vit. B3 Vitamin B5 Vit. B5 Vitamin B6 Vit. B6 Vitamin B12 Vit. B12 Vitamin K Vit. K Folate Folate Choline Choline 0% 27% 2.2% 6% 3.3% 45% 2% 13% 9.9% 43% 2.8% 9% 9.5%
Contains more Vitamin AVitamin A +118.9%
Contains more Vitamin EVitamin E +381.8%
Contains more Vitamin DVitamin D +150%
Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1 +100%
Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2 +83.6%
Contains more Vitamin B5Vitamin B5 +111.3%
Contains more Vitamin B6Vitamin B6 +88.4%
Contains more Vitamin B12Vitamin B12 +311.8%
Contains more Vitamin KVitamin K +54.5%
Contains more Vitamin B3Vitamin B3 +30%
Contains more FolateFolate +100%
Contains more CholineCholine +24.1%
~equal in Vitamin C ~0mg

Macronutrient Comparison

Macronutrient breakdown side-by-side comparison
28% 28% 14% 23% 7%
Protein: 28.42 g
Fats: 27.84 g
Carbs: 13.91 g
Water: 22.65 g
Other: 7.18 g
11% 13% 3% 72%
Protein: 11.26 g
Fats: 12.98 g
Carbs: 3.04 g
Water: 71.7 g
Other: 1.02 g
Contains more ProteinProtein +152.4%
Contains more FatsFats +114.5%
Contains more CarbsCarbs +357.6%
Contains more OtherOther +603.9%
Contains more WaterWater +216.6%

Fat Type Comparison

Fat type breakdown side-by-side comparison
64% 30% 6%
Saturated Fat: Sat. Fat 15.371 g
Monounsaturated Fat: Mono. Fat 7.13 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 1.386 g
67% 29% 3%
Saturated Fat: Sat. Fat 8.295 g
Monounsaturated Fat: Mono. Fat 3.627 g
Polyunsaturated fat: Poly. Fat 0.385 g
Contains more Mono. FatMonounsaturated Fat +96.6%
Contains more Poly. FatPolyunsaturated fat +260%
Contains less Sat. FatSaturated Fat -46%

Comparison summary table

Pay attention to the rightmost column. It displays the amounts side by side, giving a clearer understanding of the difference.
Parmesan Ricotta
Lower in Cholesterol ok
Lower in Sodium ok
Lower in Saturated Fat ok
Lower in Sugar ok
Lower in Glycemic Index ok
Lower in price ok
Rich in minerals ok
Rich in vitamins ok

All nutrients comparison - raw data values

Nutrient Parmesan Ricotta Opinion
Calories 420kcal 174kcal Parmesan
Protein 28.42g 11.26g Parmesan
Fats 27.84g 12.98g Parmesan
Net carbs 13.91g 3.04g Parmesan
Carbs 13.91g 3.04g Parmesan
Cholesterol 86mg 51mg Ricotta
Vitamin D 21IU 10IU Parmesan
Magnesium 34mg 11mg Parmesan
Calcium 853mg 207mg Parmesan
Potassium 180mg 105mg Parmesan
Iron 0.49mg 0.38mg Parmesan
Sugar 0.07g 0.27g Parmesan
Copper 0.04mg 0.021mg Parmesan
Zinc 4.2mg 1.16mg Parmesan
Phosphorus 627mg 158mg Parmesan
Sodium 1804mg 84mg Ricotta
Vitamin A 974IU 445IU Parmesan
Vitamin A 262µg 120µg Parmesan
Vitamin E 0.53mg 0.11mg Parmesan
Vitamin D 0.5µg 0.2µg Parmesan
Manganese 0.071mg 0.006mg Parmesan
Selenium 34.4µg 14.5µg Parmesan
Vitamin B1 0.026mg 0.013mg Parmesan
Vitamin B2 0.358mg 0.195mg Parmesan
Vitamin B3 0.08mg 0.104mg Ricotta
Vitamin B5 0.45mg 0.213mg Parmesan
Vitamin B6 0.081mg 0.043mg Parmesan
Vitamin B12 1.4µg 0.34µg Parmesan
Vitamin K 1.7µg 1.1µg Parmesan
Folate 6µg 12µg Ricotta
Trans Fat 0.876g Ricotta
Choline 14.1mg 17.5mg Ricotta
Saturated Fat 15.371g 8.295g Ricotta
Monounsaturated Fat 7.13g 3.627g Parmesan
Polyunsaturated fat 1.386g 0.385g Parmesan
Tryptophan 0.383mg 0.125mg Parmesan
Threonine 1.075mg 0.517mg Parmesan
Isoleucine 1.455mg 0.589mg Parmesan
Leucine 2.747mg 1.221mg Parmesan
Lysine 2.201mg 1.338mg Parmesan
Methionine 0.751mg 0.281mg Parmesan
Phenylalanine 1.538mg 0.556mg Parmesan
Valine 1.865mg 0.692mg Parmesan
Histidine 0.806mg 0.459mg Parmesan
Omega-3 - ALA 0.102g Parmesan
Omega-3 - DPA 0.015g 0g Parmesan
Omega-3 - Eicosatrienoic acid 0.002g Parmesan
Omega-6 - Gamma-linoleic acid 0.002g Parmesan
Omega-6 - Dihomo-gamma-linoleic acid 0.026g Parmesan
Omega-6 - Eicosadienoic acid 0.006g Parmesan
Omega-6 - Linoleic acid 0.87g Parmesan

Which food is preferable for your diet?

ok
ok
is better in case of low diet
Parmesan Ricotta
Low Calories diet ok
Low Fats diet ok
Low Carbs diet ok
Low Glycemic Index diet ok

People also compare

Vitamins & Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score

The summary scores indicate the extent to which this food can fulfill your daily vitamin and mineral requirements if you consume 3 servings, consisting of 100 grams of each (an approximation of 3 serving sizes).
Vitamins Daily Need Coverage Score
32%
Parmesan
13%
Ricotta
Minerals Daily Need Coverage Score
114%
Parmesan
29%
Ricotta

Comparison summary

Which food is lower in Cholesterol?
Ricotta
Ricotta is lower in Cholesterol (difference - 35mg)
Which food contains less Sodium?
Ricotta
Ricotta contains less Sodium (difference - 1720mg)
Which food is lower in Saturated Fat?
Ricotta
Ricotta is lower in Saturated Fat (difference - 7.076g)
Which food is lower in Sugar?
Parmesan
Parmesan is lower in Sugar (difference - 0.2g)
Which food is lower in glycemic index?
Parmesan
Parmesan is lower in glycemic index (difference - 27)
Which food is cheaper?
Parmesan
Parmesan is cheaper (difference - $2)
Which food is richer in minerals?
Parmesan
Parmesan is relatively richer in minerals
Which food is richer in vitamins?
Parmesan
Parmesan is relatively richer in vitamins

References

All the values for which the sources are not specified explicitly are taken from FDA’s Food Central. The exact link to the food presented on this page can be found below.

  1. Parmesan - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/171247/nutrients
  2. Ricotta - https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170851/nutrients

All the Daily Values are presented for males aged 31-50, for 2000-calorie diets.

Data provided by FoodStruct.com should be considered and used as information only. Please consult your physician before beginning any diet.