Ricotta vs. Cottage cheese — Health Impact and Nutrition Comparison

Introduction

In human diets, cheeses are an essential source of nutrients and health-promoting compounds. Ricotta cheese and cottage cheese are white and shapeless cheeses.

Ricotta cheese has been traditionally made in Italy from whey made from sheep’s milk. In order to denature the whey proteins, it was heated (1). The resulting coagulated protein was separated from the whey.

Because of the exceeding demand for ricotta cheese in some countries, the traditional method of preparation has been altered. According to that process, ricotta is made from whey protein powders or milk/whey mix (1).

On the other hand, cottage cheese, also known as curd, is produced using pasteurized milk, which is injected with an active lactic starter to increase the concentration of acid. Rennet is also added to speed up the coagulation process (2). This coagulated product is then cubed and formed into curds. It is later washed with warm and cold water (2).

Both ricotta and cottage cheese are fresh cheeses and not aged cheeses. Moreover, they both have almost the same price. We will compare and contrast the nutritional content, benefits, and health risks associated with the two kinds of cheese.

Taste

Ricotta cheese made from starter cultures has a nutty flavor (3). On the other hand, cottage cheese has a mild creamy flavor.

Nutrition

Check out the accompanying infographics to compare and differentiate the nutritional content of ricotta cheese and cottage cheese.

Minerals

The mineral comparison score is a score that is assigned according to the number of minerals by which one food or another is richer.

Ricotta cheese was assigned a score of 6, while cottage cheese was given a score of 2. This is due to the fact that ricotta cheese has more iron, calcium, magnesium, zinc, and selenium.

On the other hand, cottage cheese contains more copper. Ricotta cheese contains 76.9% less sodium compared to cottage cheese. Both food items are equal in their potassium and phosphorus contents.

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.

Ricotta

7

Cottage cheese

1

Contains more MagnesiumMagnesium	+37.5%
Contains more CalciumCalcium	+149.4%
Contains more IronIron	+442.9%
Contains more ZincZinc	+190%
Contains less SodiumSodium	-76.9%
Contains more ManganeseManganese	+200%
Contains more SeleniumSelenium	+49.5%

Contains more CopperCopper

+38.1%

~equal in Potassium ~104mg

~equal in Phosphorus ~159mg

Vitamins

The vitamin comparison score is indicative of the number of vitamins by which one or another food is richer.

Ricotta cheese was assigned a higher vitamin score of 6 compared to cottage cheese’s score of 4. More specifically, ricotta cheese is richer in vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin D, vitamin K, and vitamin B2.

Meanwhile, cottage cheese has a comparatively higher content of vitamin B1, vitamin B5, and vitamin B12. Both foods have equal amounts of vitamin B3, vitamin B6, and folate.

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.

Ricotta

5

Cottage cheese

3

Contains more Vitamin AVitamin A	+217.9%
Contains more Vitamin EVitamin E	+37.5%
Contains more Vitamin DVitamin D	+100%
Contains more Vitamin B2Vitamin B2	+19.6%
Contains more Vitamin KVitamin K	+∞%

Contains more Vitamin B1Vitamin B1	+107.7%
Contains more Vitamin B5Vitamin B5	+161.5%
Contains more Vitamin B12Vitamin B12	+26.5%

~equal in Vitamin C ~0mg

~equal in Vitamin B3 ~0.099mg

~equal in Vitamin B6 ~0.046mg

~equal in Folate ~12µg

~equal in Choline ~18.4mg

Weight Loss and Diets

More than half the calories found in cottage cheese are contributed by its proteins. Studies have shown that consuming protein-rich foods contributes to satiety (4, 5). Consuming satiating foods helps one avoid eating more than one’s body needs.

On the other hand, ricotta cheese is around 2.5 times higher in calcium compared to cottage cheese. Studies suggest that calcium may have an antiobesity effect (6). Meanwhile, a diet deficient in calcium has the opposite effect (7).

We’ll examine the relation between ricotta cheese and cottage cheese and different diets.

Low-calorie diet: Cottage cheese has fewer calories, so it can be one’s go-to cheese if they are counting calories.

Low-fat diets: Cottage cheese is lower in fat and better suitable for low-fat diets.

Low-carb diets: Ricotta cheese is more suitable for low-carb diets as it contains fewer carbohydrates. Moreover, both types of cheeses have an equal glycemic index value which is low and suitable for people with diabetes.

Keto diet: Cottage cheese, similar to ricotta cheese, is somewhat high in carbohydrates and not that high in fats, so it is not an ideal choice in this case. Therefore, portion-watching is essential when consuming these two kinds of cheese while on the keto diet.

DASH diet: This diet entails a low-fat and low-sodium regime. Ricotta cheese is lower in sodium but higher in fat than cottage cheese. So, low-fat and low-sodium versions of these cheeses are acceptable in moderate amounts.

Atkins diet: In some phases of the Atkins diet, high-fat and low-carb dairy is permissible. In this respect, ricotta cheese wins over cottage cheese.

Mediterranean diet: Low-fat ricotta and cottage cheese are recommended for followers of the Mediterranean diet.

Paleo diet: Dairy products are not consumed in the original Paleo diet. However, the modified Paleo diet allows the consumption of grass-fed ricotta or cottage cheese (full-fat version).

Anti-inflammatory diet: An anti-inflammatory diet entails limiting the consumption of saturated fats and incorporating healthy omega-3 fatty acids. In this case, cottage cheese is relatively better. Furthermore, grass-fed milk acquired from grass-fed cows provides more omega-3 fatty acids. So, grass-fed cottage cheese is recommended (8).

Bodybuilding

Both cottage cheese and ricotta cheese contain essential proteins that play a role in muscle building. One study has shown that increased dairy product intake and higher protein consumption resulted in greater lean mass gain when coupled with exercise in women (9).

Casein and whey are proteins usually found in cheese. Casein is known as a “slow protein,” while whey is known as a “fast protein.” This is related to the speed of release of the amino acids into the gut (10).

Cottage cheese is a protein-rich food that is reputable amongst athletes. It is particularly rich in casein. Casein is consumed before sleep to allow the release of amino acids throughout the night and prevent muscle loss (11).

On the other hand, ricotta cheese is rich in whey proteins. A study showed that whey protein was better at inducing the gradual growth of postprandial muscle protein compared to casein in older men (12).

Moreover, a study showed that the addition of ricotta cheese into one’s diet improves appendicular skeletal muscle mass and decreases the loss of muscle strength (13).

Also, a study concluded that whey induced greater muscle protein synthesis than casein. This study also mentioned that this difference might be due to the fact that whey is a “fast protein” (14).

Health Impact

Author name: Christelle Tchakerian

Education: Institute for Integrative Nutrition New York

Last updated: May 28, 2023

Medically reviewed by Astghik Grigoryan