Is Ricotta Cheese Healthy? Nutrition, Benefits, and Best Choices
Nutrition & FitnessDiet & Nutrition

Is Ricotta Cheese Healthy? Pros, Cons, and How to Choose the Best Type

Is Ricotta Cheese Healthy? Pros, Cons, and How to Choose the Best Type
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Updated on August 6, 2025
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Ricotta cheese is that mild-tasting cheese that creates the creaminess in lasagna, stuffed shells, and cannoli. It’s made from whey, which is the liquid by-product left over when making cheeses like mozzarella and provolone. You can also make ricotta cheese at home by separating the whey from whole milk.

But is ricotta healthy? While the cheese is calorie-dense and contains fat, it also delivers solid protein, calcium, and vitamins that can benefit your health when eaten in moderation. Here’s what you need to know about ricotta cheese nutrition, so you can include it in a balanced diet.

Ricotta Cheese Nutrition

The typical serving size for ricotta is a quarter cup. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, a quarter cup of ricotta cheese contains:

  • 93 calories
  • 3 grams (g) total fat
  • 4 g saturated fat
  • 69 milligrams (mg) sodium
  • 5 g carbs
  • 7 g protein

Including ricotta cheese in your diet boosts your calcium intake — one serving provides you with 10 percent of the daily value (DV) of calcium. Part-skim ricotta may contain slightly more, but fat-free ricotta contains far less. A serving of ricotta cheese will also provide you with 8 percent of the DV of phosphorus, 8 percent of the DV of vitamin A, and 22 percent of the DV of vitamin B12. Amounts may vary in part-skim and fat-free varieties.

Where Do the Calories in Ricotta Cheese Come From?

A quarter-cup serving of whole milk ricotta cheese contains 93 calories and 6.3 g of fat. The majority of that fat — 4 g — comes from saturated fat, the type of fat that can affect blood cholesterol levels and contribute to an increased risk of heart disease.

If you’re concerned about calories and fat, choose part-skim or fat-free ricotta for fewer calories and lower fat content. Just keep in mind that lower-fat ricotta might be less creamy and sweet.

Part-skim ricotta has less fat and fewer calories per serving. A quarter cup of low-fat (part-skim) ricotta has 50 calories and 2 g of fat.

 Fat-free ricotta contains 45 calories and no fat per quarter cup.

Whole Milk Ricotta Is Higher in Saturated Fat and Cholesterol

As with most cheeses, ricotta is high in fat. The majority of the fat in whole milk ricotta cheese is saturated. Research shows that eating a diet high in saturated fat increases the risk of cardiovascular disease by raising blood cholesterol levels.

One serving of ricotta cheese contains 30 mg of cholesterol, which is 10 percent of the DV. Part-skim ricotta has 15 mg of cholesterol per serving (5 percent DV), and fat-free ricotta contains 5 mg per serving (2 percent DV).

While the research is unclear about whether cholesterol in food can directly raise your blood cholesterol levels, if you have a history of high cholesterol (or it runs in your family), you may want to talk to your doctor about whether you should limit your intake of foods high in saturated fat. When it comes to heart health and dairy foods, the American Heart Association says to choose low-fat or nonfat options.

Is Ricotta Low in Sodium?

The American Heart Association recommends consuming no more than 2,300 mg of sodium per day.

 Ricotta cheese contains around 68 mg of sodium. This comes out to just 3 percent of your DV, which makes ricotta a low-sodium food. However, sodium content can vary between brands and types, so always check the nutrition label when you’re shopping.

The Takeaway

  • Ricotta cheese can be a nutritious addition to a balanced diet, providing protein, calcium, and B vitamins.
  • To cut down saturated fat and cholesterol intake, choose part-skim or fat-free ricotta varieties.
  • While ricotta is naturally low in sodium (just 3 percent of the daily value), sodium content varies between brands, so always check nutrition labels to find the lowest-sodium option for your dietary needs.
  • If you have a history of high cholesterol or cardiovascular disease, consult with your healthcare provider about including ricotta and other dairy products into your diet.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
  1. Ricotta Cheese. MyFoodData.
  2. Low Fat Ricotta Cheese. MyFoodData.
  3. Galbani – Fat Free Ricotta Cheese. MyFoodData.
  4. Saturated Fat. American Heart Association. August 23, 2024.
  5. The American Heart Association Diet and Lifestyle Recommendations. American Heart Association. July 30, 2024.
  6. Get the Scoop on Sodium and Salt. American Heart Association. December 22, 2022.
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Kayli Anderson, RDN

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Member of American College of Lifestyle Medicine

Kayli Anderson has over a decade of experience in nutrition, culinary education, and lifestyle medicine. She believes that eating well should be simple, pleasurable, and sustainable. Anderson has worked with clients from all walks of life, but she currently specializes in nutrition therapy and lifestyle medicine for women. She’s the founder of PlantBasedMavens.com, a hub for women to get evidence-based, practical, and woman-centered guidance on nutrition and cooking, hormone health, fertility, pregnancy, movement, mental well-being, nontoxic living, and more.

Anderson is board-certified in lifestyle medicine and serves as lead faculty of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine’s (ACLM) "Food as Medicine" course. She is past chair of the ACLM's registered dietitian member interest group, secretary of the women's health member interest group, and nutrition faculty for many of ACLM's other course offerings. She is the coauthor of the Plant-Based Nutrition Quick Start Guide and works with many of the leading organizations in nutrition and lifestyle medicine to develop nutrition content, recipes, and educational programs.

Anderson frequently speaks on the topics of women’s health and plant-based nutrition and has coauthored two lifestyle medicine textbooks, including the first one on women’s health, Improving Women's Health Across the Lifespan.

She received a master's degree in nutrition and physical performance and is certified as an exercise physiologist and intuitive eating counselor. She's a student of herbal medicine and women's integrative and functional medicine. She lives with her husband in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, where you’ll find her out on a trail or in her garden.

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